To Our Family and Friends:
At the outset, we want to thank you for taking time to read our story as we journey towards adoption. With this brief letter, Philip and I want to express our desires toward growing a family through adoption. During our dating and engagement, Philip and I both decided that we’d love to adopt one day. This was something that we both desired to do in light of how God had adopted us to be his very own children in Christ Jesus. However, our original plan was to have biological children first, and then to pursue adoption. Though we “planned” this, the Lord has established a different path towards growing a family.
“The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps” (__Proverbs 16:9).
Over the past 4 years, God has providentially placed us in the difficult season of infertility. Through many prayers, God has graciously used this time to refine and conform both of us into the image of His Beloved Son. We know and believe wholeheartedly that the Lord is sovereign over the opening and closing of the womb, over life and death, and over the miraculous work of conception. Therefore, we submit ourselves to His good and gracious will.
“He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children” (Psalm 113:9).
With that said, we also know that God has ordained that there be other means of growing a family; i.e. adoption. And this is not a second-class way of growing a family. Moses, the deliverer of Israel, and Jesus, the deliverer of sinners, were both adopted! This has led us to joyfully pursue adoption sooner than we had originally intended. And this is where you come in.
The reason we are writing to you is because we want you to consider partnering with us in this journey through prayer and, if you are able, financial support. The process of adoption (embryo adoption) is often long and difficult, and it comes with great financial cost. If we are going to do this, we are going to have to have friends and family partner with us.
In partnering with us through prayer and financial support, you are showing the world the value of human life, the beauty of the family unit, and wonder of making an orphan a son or daughter! This brings great glory to the Father because it is a restoration of his good and wise design; a design that has been marred by the destructiveness of sin.
In Christ,
Philip and Kahlie McDuffie
