Since Erik and I were married in 2016, we’ve desired to have a child together. Unfortunately, after 2 years of trying to get pregnant and many appointments (and tears) later, we found out that wouldn’t be possible for us. We’ve talked at length about adoption and even attended an informational meeting to learn more about the process. We knew that adoption would likely be the best route for us for a number of reasons; we just hadn’t officially started the process yet (it’s daunting and overwhelming to say the least!) So while we were “dragging our feet”, the Lord was already weaving together a story that we would have never anticipated, and yet was better than we could have asked for. On July 20th, we were made aware of a birth mother in our area who is due with a baby girl in November. We didn’t have much time to think and pray over it, but we believe that this opportunity was not given to us accidentally or by coincidence. But at the same time, we also have to recognize and acknowledge that we don't know God's will for this little one… or for us. We'd love to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this will all work out in our favor. Our hearts long for a guarantee, for some certainty. But we know that uncertainty is one of the hallmarks of the adoption process. Yet we have chosen to pursue it anyway, understanding that it may not be easy or quick, and that ultimately it may not end how we would prefer. We find ourselves in a regular "battle" between being excited and leaving room for the possibility that they could change their mind after birth. But we are making a daily choice to walk in faith, praying boldly for what we desire and believing that Jesus is working all things out for our good. There is much we need to do on our end to prepare (particularly in the legal realm), and while private placement adoptions are less than going through an agency, it is still costly. Unfortunately, with just about 12 weeks to go, we don’t have the time to coordinate the standard adoption fundraisers that many people do to raise their funds. And based on our conversation with our lawyer, we can safely expect the cost to range between $5-10,000. So we are humbly reaching out and asking for your help. We’d love for you to come alongside us on our short journey to bring this baby girl home. We believe she was thought of before the foundation of the earth, has been uniquely created for a purpose, and we pray, specially chosen for our family. 

But whether or not you are able to contribute financially, we’d ask you to pray with us specifically- for the birth mom and dad as they make an incredibly hard and brave decision and the emotional toll it will have on their hearts, for the siblings who may not fully understand what is going on, for a safe and easy delivery of a healthy baby girl, for protection of our hearts along the way and that ultimately Jesus would be glorified regardless of the outcome. 

We look forward to sharing the rest of our story with you…soon! We love you guys and thank you from the bottom of our hearts. May Jesus shine His face upon you and bless you abundantly for loving us in this way.
Update: We were able to meet with the birth mom and dad. And we really couldn't have asked for it to go more smoothly. Erik and I left with a sense of peace, believing that we are right where we should be. But at the same time, our hearts hurt so very much for them. Their pain was palpable; this isn't an easy decision or one that they are taking lightly. And while we are so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to (potentially) adopt a precious baby girl, we also recognize that it comes at a very high emotional price for them. So we continue to pray that Jesus will use us in some way to minister to their hearts.
