Matthew and Christy Johnson

are adopting a child from Ukraine

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to our AdoptTogether page! We are the Johnson Family and we're so grateful you're considering joining our team as we step into the exciting process of adopting a child from Ukraine!

Our story began more than a year ago when God began to grow a desire in our hearts to reach out to and love the fatherless, unloved, and unwanted (Isaiah 58:7). At the time, we didn't know any orphans specifically, but we had a vague idea that someday God would call us to pursue something related to foster care or adoption, so we committed to walk through the door when God opened it for us.

Introduction to Hosting

In spring of this year (2021), we learned about orphan hosting from a family member and took our first step to welcome an orphan from Ukraine into our home for the summer. However, due to COVID restrictions, the child we had planned to host could not travel to the United States. It seemed that perhaps this wasn't God's plan for our summer; however, a few weeks later, we were given a last-minute opportunity to host a different child. We only had a single photo of a little seven-year-old girl named Margarita and 2 days to decide. After praying together, Christy and I clearly felt that God wanted us to open our home to this sweet girl for the summer.

Our Summer Hosting Adventure

In late June, we picked up Margarita at the airport to spend the summer in our home. She quickly joined our family's routines and rhythms and found a place among our five children. Our summer days were filled with crafts, bike rides, countless games of UNO, and lots of family time to connect and build relationships. Margarita is an energetic, fun, and curious girl - she is also very thoughtful and kind, especially towards younger children. We found out that she loves babies - she had an opportunity to hold a newborn cousin near the end of the summer and loved it!

About halfway through the summer, we inquired about Margarita's adoption status and found out that she is a true orphan (i.e. one of her parents has died). Our hearts were broken for her situation and by this point we had grown to love her and consider her a special part of our family. In August, we started the adoption process with a local adoption agency. As the summer hosting time ended, it was sooo difficult to take Margarita to the airport and send her back to a life no child should have to live. We love Margarita so much and know that she has gone through significant trauma already; even in the orphanage she is vulnerable as a younger child. It is clear that Margarita needs a forever family, and we believe that God wants us to be that family for her!

Our Status In The Adoption Process

So here we are, brand new to adoption, early on in the process, and excited at the prospect of welcoming Margarita into our family - not just for a few weeks or months, but as a daughter and sister. Adoption is an intense process and a big investment (both in terms of finances, time, and emotions). You might be surprised to learn that international adoption costs can easily total up to $40,000 or more. This is why we have set a goal of $35,000 to help ease the financial burden on our family.

Additionally, there are risks involved - we currently have no control over Margarita's situation and we don't have an official "match" approval from Ukraine, although we hope we will be approved once all of our paperwork is complete. Due to these risks and a host of other factors outside of our control, we have to wrestle with the possibility that our family might not be able to adopt Margarita. If this happened, we would explore all available possibilities to bring our girl home, but also take a step back and consider what God's plan is for our family. Should we pursue another child? Or wait to host again? For now, we're trusting God for each step as we collect and prepare paperwork, attend parent training, and also start fundraising.

Join Us!

We would love to invite you to join us in this adventure by contributing financially and praying for our family. You can follow our story on our family blog at https://mcjohnsons.com or our Instagram @mcjohnsonadoption. Even if you are unable to personally host an orphan or welcome a child into your home, we hope that you will see yourself as part of the story that God is writing about Margarita's life.

Adoption Status

Completing Paperwork


Updates

This family has not posted an update yet. Donate to receive updates by email.
$38,500 raised of $45,000 goal
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Donations 49

  • Gerberich's gave $500
  • Jim & Lisa Stone gave $250
  • Redeemer Community Church gave $2,000
    We love you and are so excited to walk with you on this journey!
  • Anonymous gave $1,000
  • Brooke Hajny gave $900
  • Kylie Gerber gave $350
    what a joy it is to pray, hope, worship, and serve alongside you all!
  • Anonymous gave $1,000
  • Jim and Jan Reitsema gave $200
  • Nathan and Clara Johnson gave $200
    So excited for y'all. We will keep praying!