James 1:27 says “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” God’s love for the fatherless is made so clear throughout scripture, and we are commanded to relieve them when they are in distress.
Several months ago, through the testimony of a dear friend, the Lord laid a burden on mine and Ryan’s hearts for these precious ones. Every child is made in the image of God and deserves the love and safety that being in a family brings. We know that God has called us to adopt a little girl from India.
According to UNICEF, India is home to an estimated over 30 million orphans. Many of these children live on the streets as beggars and others live in understaffed and underfunded orphanages. Because the dowry system is still in place, little girls are often unwanted and seen as a burden to families. They are often aborted, murdered or abandoned because their parents cannot afford the tens of thousands of dollars it costs for a dowry. Those that do make it to an orphanage will age out by age 6 or 7, where they will be put out on the street as a beggar until they are trafficked as slaves.
As Christians, we could not just turn a blind eye to the horrors these children experience. We knew we had to take action! Jesus did not call us to live a comfortable life; He called us to deny ourselves daily, bear our cross and follow Him. As God’s people, we do not desire to pursue the American dream, rather, we choose to pursue what is precious to the Lord, which are the eternal souls of others. Just as we have been adopted into God’s family, we are so excited to graft our daughter into our family forever!
We would love for you to pray for us as we embark on this journey, and we also greatly desire your encouragement and support along the way! However, adoptions are very expensive, which is why we have set a goal of $40,000. We know everyone cannot adopt, but if the Lord lays a desire on your heart to help fund our adoption, we would be so grateful! We know our God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, and we look forward to seeing His mighty hand throughout this process!
Love, Ryan, Emily, Jude, Eden, Jasper and Emmylou
Our home study is finally approved!!!!!! It has taken several months, multiple documents, appointments, fingerprints, background checks, three home visits, money, waiting, prayer and faith to get us to this point, and we are so excited! We praise God and give Him all of the glory for where we are!
Our apostilled dossier documents have been sent to our agency, and we will be registered with India (CARA) soon. Once CARA approves us, we hope to be matched quickly, based on the special needs our family is open to.
As you can see, there are many more steps to take on our journey to our daughter, but we are all longing to know who she is and to see her sweet face. We long to be able to pray for her in more specific ways as we learn about her and whatever special need(s) she has. We dream about her smile and her laugh, holding her and showing her the love that she cannot receive in an orphanage. We can’t wait to hold her tiny hands and kiss her little cheeks. Our love for her grows every day!
Please continue praying for us as we continue on the path that God is leading us on. Pray especially for our precious daughter. Children belong in families, and we want to get to her as soon as we can.
We are so thankful to all who have given so far! You have a part in being the hands and feet of Jesus as you help a precious child be grafted into a family. ❤️
Thank you so much for the love and support you have shown to our family! We are so thankful for each of you!
As of today, we have sold 149.5 puzzle pieces! We are blown away and greatly humbled! Because of your generosity, we have been able to pay our first agency dues!
The next step in this process is the home study, which consists of us gathering many documents and a visit from a social worker. We are trusting the Lord to provide financially, so we can continue moving forward towards our daughter.
Would you please pray for us during this time, that God would sovereignly work out all the details, and we would get past this home study portion as quickly as possible? This is one of the most stressful parts.
Thank you again for your love for us! ❤️
