Dear Family and Friends,
As many of you know, our family has been hoping and praying for a brother or a sister for Nathan for the past three years. About a year after Nathan was born we were ready to expand our family and we thought that when we moved overseas we would be bringing two children. But, as Proverbs 16:9 tells us, "The mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." We can think of no area of our life where we have more clearly been able to see this truth!
Now, three years later, we can see how God has clearly been working in our lives and is working everything out according to His good plan. We know that although we were completely surprised and do not know what changed in Emily’s body to prevent another pregnancy, we know that He does know and that none of this has been a surprise to Him. Even before our son was born we talked about the possibility of adopting. We would be so thankful to enable a child to grow up in a home with parents that loved him or her, and we know that it would also be a tremendous blessing to our family.
We have looked into both international and domestic adoption, but because our family has the privilege of living overseas we could not find a way to work through all of the logistics of these adoptions. During our adoption research we came across a website that talked about embryo adoption. We were instantly so excited and overwhelmed by the possibility that we could actually add to our family in this way! For anyone who (like us when we first started this process) doesn't know much about embryo adoption, here is a video of a family sharing about their journey through embryo adoption.
For the past three years we have been praying for another little one, and as Nathan has gotten older he has often been the one to prompt us to pray. Each night he asks us to pray for a brother or a sister, and for a friend for him to play with. We are so overwhelmed by the fact that he may soon be able to experience that joy!
Although the cost of embryo adoption is substantially lower than traditional domestic or international adoption, there are still costs involved. We are seeking to trust the Father for His provision of the funds we need, and wanted to give you the opportunity to help us in whatever way you feel led. First and foremost we would ask you to be praying for us, as there are many unknowns and not all embryo adoptions are successful. Pray that we will be trusting the Father each step of the way, and remembering that He will direct our steps. If you would like to help us with the financial costs of our adoption, this website will enable you to do so in a tax deductible way. We are thankful for each one of you, and for the ways you have helped and encouraged us along the way!
Love,
Luke, Emily, and Nathan
