Andy & Kayla Walts

Words out we are ADOPTING!!!

One of the first questions we are asked is, "why adoption? And specifically, why international adoption?" To fully understand it's important for you to know Kayla and I. Kayla and I met at Word of Life Bible Institute in 2010-2012. Although we had the same group of friends we rarely interacted. At the end of our 2nd year, we began getting to know each other and spending more and more time together. Ever since Kayla was a kid, she had a heart for the weak and vulnerable, specifically orphans. As she grew up, she went on trips to help with Orphanages in Honduras. Her heart for others is one of the most attractive qualities I love about her. As for me I grew up helping with VBS, Sunday Schools, and from the age of 14-21 I would spend 8 weeks every summer as a youth counselor. Our heart for children and for helping the at risk, vulnerable children became something we both bonded over.

Therefore, after meeting at Word of Life and getting married in 2014 we knew adoption was going to be in our future. However, timing is always in the Lord's hands. In 2015 we were blessed to welcome our first child, Jet! He is our little athlete and a ball of energy! He loves all sports and is extremely passionate about the NFL and Dallas Cowboys! You will typically find Jet out on the trampoline re-enacting NFL highlights and play by play announcing for himself. In 2017, our family grew bigger with the welcoming of Joey! Mr. comedian and character. Joey has an infectious laugh and loves nature and animals. He has an awesome dinosaur impersonation and loves to wrestle. Jet and Joey have been such a blessing to our lives, and we are truly blessed to be their parents. Throughout the years of 2019-2021, as Kayla and I looked to continue to grow our family we unfortunately experienced 3 straight miscarriages. This was one of the hardest seasons of our lives, but praise be to God and His promises we know that there will be a day where we will meet our 3 children face to face. Not a day goes by where we are not anxious for that day or think of our 3 little ones. After not receiving many answers as to why we were having fertility issues Kayla attended an after-church group about fostering and adoption.

There God placed back on our hearts the possibility of Foster Care or Adoption. Unsure of what door to choose we began the process for each. As we worked with our Adoption Agency, America World Adoption, doors for India continued to be open. Additionally, we learned that my employer would provide us a re-imbursement grant of up to $20,000. This solidified that adoption, international adoption, would be the route to go. Not only would it be a walk of Faith, but it would stretch us to trust in God during this process as we knew, financially, the cost would be great. We learned that in India there are roughly 30 million children in need of adoption, and although there are a reported 30 million women who are infertile, adoption is still looked at as taboo. Even sadder, out of the 30 million kids only 500,000 are in institutionalized care. Meaning many of them are out on the street and unfortunately many are taken and forced into human trafficking. Our heart and our desire are for these children in India. We are looking to adopt a girl from 0-4 years old. According to Indian Government Regulations on International Adoption, due to Kayla and I not being of Indian race or heritage our child will have some sort of physical and/or mental disabilities along with the obvious emotional trauma.

So how can you support us? Although there is a financial need that we will discuss later, we are always in need of Prayer and Encouragement. Adoption is a lot of paperwork and working with many different organizations, companies, municipalities, and government agencies. We have already seen a few hiccups along the way with documents being lost and delayed. Therefore, praying for Kayla and me to continue to work together and finding the right coordinators and partners is huge. Along with the encouragement and support of enduring this journey. It’s roughly 18 months – 2yrs. With Covid regulations and the longer processing and wait times we are looking more at 2 yrs. This can be wearing on us and sometimes overwhelming. Additionally, God knows who our little girl is and what she has faced and is going through. We are asking for prayer for her protection and care. I can't imagine the struggles and thoughts that she must face every day and Kayla and I want so badly to love on her. Finally, International Adoption has an enormous financial cost. We are expecting a total of approx. $55,000.