We have BIG news!
We are adopting a newborn!
We are beyond excited and are doing everything we can to be prepared to welcome a beautiful little one into our home.
As part of our adoption process, we have created a 'giving' campaign for those that wish to support us financially. Adoption is an incredibly rewarding experience, and we are so thankful for your consideration in supporting our journey. AdoptTogether (Hoping Hearts Foundation) is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) so all donations are tax-deductible. All funds raised will go directly towards the cost of adoption, which includes:
• Home Study Fees
• Legal Fees
• Pre-placement Adoption Education
• Counseling Services for Birth/Adoptive Parents
• Prenatal Medical Expenses for Birth Mother
• Labor and Delivery Expenses for Birth Mother
We hope that by inviting you into this process, you will see yourself as part of the community we hope to build around our child as he or she grows up! We are so thankful for your support and prayer as we continue this journey!
Avery's birth mom, Lauren, was recently given the opportunity to share her testimony. We are in awe of the story the Lord has written. It has been so beautiful to hear how the Lord has continued to work in Lauren's life. She is truly an inspiration and we are continually praising God for Avery Jo's life and the opportunity to be a part of this beautiful story. Praise God for his grace, mercy, redemption, and endless love. All glory to Him!
We hope you will take a minute to read this powerful message!
'My name is Lauren and I hope the story I'm about to share paints a picture of God's grace, mercy, love, and kindness.
2 years ago I told my sister in law that I was never going to change and that she needed to be prepared to take my 6 year old son cause I felt like I was going to prison.
Little did I know just a few short days later that it would become true. I had just found out I was pregnant while I was on the run from federal probation and was selling dope to save up for an abortion before I turned myself in. I was going to have to travel to Oklahoma cause while I was in federal prison they banned abortions in Texas. So long story short I was coming back from picking up dope and the police were waiting for me.
As soon as I saw them I knew my time had run short. I took off on them for a bit and threw out a bunch of meth on my motorcycle which got me more than a probation violation. I remember when I was put in a holding cell I felt a sense of relief. I was tired in more ways than one. But as my time stretched on, being clear minded for the first time in a while, I began to fear for the life growing inside me. I was selfish for trying to take this little one's life simply cause I didn't want to deal with the pain of possibly losing her after birth. For a time I thought of placing her with family but in my heart I knew God intended for her to be elsewhere. So I prayed to God for guidance and the next day I asked my dad for information on adoption agencies. The next week an angel came to visit me. Her name was Danielle from Legacy adoptions.
We met several times and during this time I told her what my ideal family looked like. She in turn brought me some information on different families but I picked the first one I read cause I absolutely fell in love with them! They were everything I could have dreamed of for my baby girl. The cool part about this story is when I finally got to speak with them myself they said they had started the adoption process in March and I actually was arrested March 31. Needless to say, that gave me chills. That was the confirmation I needed. I knew I was doing the right thing.
Well long story short, I signed for 20 years out of Hood county and got hooked up with Tracey through a friend of mine. Next I pulled chain to go handle my federal charges. I had been arraigned on my violation and a new charge. I was facing some scary stuff but I kept praying. "God you know my heart, I need you now more than ever!"
Something told me I needed to reach out to Tracey cause I swear to this day that lady has a direct line to God. She wrote about me later on and I could feel God moving in my life.
So the day came for me to have that sweet baby girl and God's favor was all over that too. Usually when you have a baby in jail, no one is allowed in the room but the doctors and the female correction officers. But even though I felt I didn’t deserve it, God knew I needed mercy and kindness. Not only was Danielle with me but both adoptive parents were as well. They stayed with me until it was time for me to go. They prayed with me and then I went back to the jail.
When I got back to my bunk I felt so empty inside so I prayed, "God please show me what to do and comfort me." I swear I heard God say "seek me" so I turned the radio on worship music and I felt peace wash over me. From then on me and some girls started having an hour worship in the dorm a day.
Things were going well. I still get into arguments from time to time but we are women, that's what we do. I’ve learned how to apologize and move on.
A few days later I got some paperwork in the mail, my new federal charges were dropped and I was due to be sentenced on my revocation. I asked Danielle and Tracey both to come to my court date because I knew I needed some support and they were definitely my angels as I looked up and saw them. So then the lawyer started to speak on my behalf and tell the judge my story.
I had admitted my wrongs and came before him in truth and humility. He told me thank you for being honest about what I had done and he again thanked me for having a baby and giving it up. And then he added, “There is a blessing on the other side for the blessing you gave. When you get to heaven you will get that blessing.”
I broke.
He told me I am maxing you out on your probation, but I'm running your time concurrent with your state time. That never happens.
This I believe was also God. In March, I will be done with my federal sentence.
My baby is now a year old. Her first words were Dada, and she is in the 98% in her weight and 81st in her height and she looks just like me. She claps for herself every time she throws a ball.
I am flooded with pictures of her and I am now an extended part of her new family now and forever. God has been working through all of this and I know it.
I recently found out my dad has stage four lung cancer and instead of running to drugs I ran to my heavenly father. My dad is undergoing treatment and it is a battle. But for the first time in 37 years I was able to talk to my dad about Jesus. And that's only because of what I have been through. When I reflect on all of this, one scripture comes to mind. It was something my baby girl's other mommy told me.
"Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us." Ephesians 3:20
I am truly thankful for all of this and I know that this is not the end. God has a message that he wants me to get so I am listening and trying to remain teachable. So hold steady and stay in the word, y'all will be hearing from me soon.'
-Lauren
Hi everyone! We wanted to introduce our sweet little girl to you all.
Avery Jo Abbe was born October 26, 2022 at 3:50 pm. She decided to make her arrival 3 weeks early and it's been a whirlwind ever since! We are loving all things parenthood and can't get enough of our girl.
We had the greatest experience in the hospital. The Lord made His presence SO known. Not only did we get to meet birth mom in the hospital, but we got to be in the room when Avery Jo was born. It exceeded our expectations and we know it was all part of the Lord's plan.
During the 48 hours we spent in the hospital, we were continually reminded of the beauty of adoption. I can't even begin to explain how special it was to not only be in the room when Avery Jo was born but to also have the time to get to know her birth mom. She is so sweet and has a great sense of humor. We laughed together, cried together, and experienced some of our most joyful moments with her. We were also able to share words of encouragement and thankfulness as well as pray with her. Throughout that time I was reminded of the Lord's goodness and grace in allowing us to experience immeasurably more than we could have imagined.
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21
During this Christmas season, we have been especially thankful for our own adoption to sonship through Christ Jesus. What a beautiful picture the Lord has displayed for us.
"But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.” Galatians 4:4-5
This has been the sweetest season of life. We have lived in the goodness of God and we couldn't be more thankful for it. We ask that you would continue to pray for our little family as well as birth mom. We are thankful for each of you and pray you all have a Merry Christmas!
Love,
Shelby, Hunter, and Avery Jo
Hi everyone!
We recently got to write a letter to Avery Jo's birth mom. I was able to share a little about our adoption process with her and how excited we are about adoption. This was really my first point of personal contact with her so I was a little nervous and didn't really know what to say. We patiently waited for her to write us back and finally just received a letter from her last week!
She is SO SWEET. Oh my goodness. Her letter made me cry! She shared with us her reason for choosing adoption, some about her family, and about her current situation. She chose adoption out of love for her child. She stated that she has "no doubt that God placed us in her path." This is so encouraging to us! We have been learning so much more about the Lord through this process and it has been so neat to hear her talk about God intervening in her story. He has been so good to continually show us His hand in our adoption story.
We also got to learn more about her! We learned that she loves Dr. Pepper, softball, and the Texas Rangers. She even told Hunter to teach Avery how to play softball, which he loved! We were able to get a small glimpse of her personality and she seems like a sweet and passionate person.
We couldn't be more encouraged and thankful for this letter. We are encouraged by the way she talks about God and that she seems so excited about us and the family that her daughter will be raised in. We are also so thankful for her and her decision to choose adoption. It is such a beautiful picture of the gospel. We are ALL adopted by Christ.
We would love your continued prayers for Avery Jo's birth mom throughout this journey. Please pray that she will continue to see the Lord through adoption. Pray for a healthy delivery and a quick recovery for her. Also, pray for Avery Jo as she continues to grow and develop in this last month before she makes her arrival. Lastly, continue praying for Hunter and I as we become not just first-time parents, but adoptive parents. We hope to raise her to understand the beauty in adoption and pray that she would have more understanding of the Father because of it.
In the words of Avery Jo's birth mother, "Hope, faith, and love ... and the greatest of these is love."
Blessings,
Shelby & Hunter
Hi Friends and Family,
We are so excited to announce that we have matched with a birth mom!! We will be welcoming a baby girl into our family this November. She will be making her arrival just before Thanksgiving and we couldn’t be more thankful.
As always, please continue to pray for our little nugget as she will be arriving soon. Pray for her birth mother, that she would learn more about Jesus through this process. And pray for Hunter and I as we continue learning and preparing to become adoptive parents. We look forward to sharing more and are so grateful for all the support of our village.
Blessings,
Hunter and Shelby Abbe
Hi friends and family,
If you are wondering where we currently are in the adoption process, this update is for you!
We have completed the application, home study, and profile book. We are officially considered a "waiting family". What this means is that we are now waiting to match with a birth mom.
We have created a profile book which showcases our story, our lives together, our home, and the life we envision for our future child. During the matching process, our profile book will be shared with birth moms and when we are chosen it is considered a "match". Once we are matched, we wait for the due date!
Please be in prayer for us as we get closer to a match. Pray that the Lord would continue preparing our hearts for the child He has already chosen for us. Pray for the birth mom, that she would come to know the Lord through this process. Pray for the child, that we would raise him or her to love the Lord at an early age. Lastly, pray that we would learn more about the Lord's heart because of adoption.
Thank you, again, for partnering with us through this process.
Blessings to you,
Hunter & Shelby
