Our Adoption Journey - Updated

Our adoption journey began as a seed in the heart of a ten year old girl,  twenty-seven years ago.  It wasn't spiritual at all - she was simply cute.  I remember clearly the day I saw two new parents walking with their toddler between them.  She had beautiful ebony hair and almond shaped eyes.  A real, live China doll.  I said to my parents that day, "When I grow up, I want a baby girl just like that."

The years passed and God blessed me with four biological children.  I soon realized that being a Mom was all I ever wanted to do.  It was something that I could truly pour my life into.  I loved it then, and I love it now.

The seed that was planted that day so long ago was still there.  It would sprout up a little and then go dormant again as the years passed.  About five years ago, though, it really began to grow.  By this time my youngest was about four and my arms were aching for another little one to hold.  More importantly, though, God had truly begun to break my heart for the things that break His.  In my case, the emphasis was on the 147 million orphans around the world.  I began to read adoption stories, I prayed, I cried, I even nagged my husband (sad but true) about how we needed to adopt a child.  He was on board to adopt, but didn't feel that time was right for us.

God really did a work in my heart during that time and about six months before we actually began the process I laid it all on the alter.  I told God that if He never called my husband to adopt that it was ok.  I knew that all I wanted in my life was to please Him and if He had some other way for our family to fulfill the call in James 1:27, then I was open to it.

Just as suddenly as I let it all go, God began to work on my husband.  Stan is pretty quiet and doesn't talk about his feelings much, so I honestly don't know how God spoke to him during this time.  All I know is that one evening in late March, the 31st to be exact, we were out to dinner.  He said, "I think the time is right for us to adopt."  After I picked myself up off the floor, I proceeded to call an adoption attorney in town.  Three weeks later, I was holding our son in my arms.  I am sure glad that my husband listens to God and not to me.  I shudder to think that I would have missed out on this particular little boy if he had allowed himself to be nagged into starting the process outside of God's perfect timing.

Our process was quick and relatively easy.  We spent a few more days out of state than we planned, but all in all we have nothing to complain about.  What is so amazing is how God worked in our hearts in such a short time.  We truly intended to adopt from Ethiopia - and I pray every day that God has another child there for us.  However, without a doubt, Patrick was created for our family before the foundations of the earth. I am so thankful that we listened.

When I called the attorney the next day, I was calling to get some recommendations on international agencies.  She asked me why we didn't consider domestic.  I really had not considered domestic very much, but I had no real reason why.  We told her we would pray about it and she sent us more information.  It just felt right, there is no other way to say it.  Obviously, that was because our son was a mere eighteen days from birth at this point, though of course we didn't know that.

Our paperwork process and home study went miraculously fast and eleven days after it was complete we received the referral for our baby.  Domestic is a little different in that the birth mom had to choose or reject us based on our family profile.  Patrick's birth mom had rejected profiles already and had some specific things in mind.  She later told me we were everything she was looking for.  Stan and I even have the same college majors as each of her parents (which was a good thing to her), and she wanted his middle name to be after her grandfather, whose name was Stan!   God is amazing!

I will never forget the April afternoon that I walked into the hospital and saw the tiny baby boy there in the bassinet.  Stan was out of town on a business trip the day we got the call that Patrick's birth mom had signed all the papers and the baby must be released from the hospital by the next day.  It was a long flight and there was no way he would make it home in time to get there, so I went by myself.  I met the attorney at the hospital and she took me in to meet our baby for the first time.  He was tiny, and perfect.  I was instantly in love.  That first night in the hotel room I just sat in the quiet, watching him sleep and thanking God over and over for this miracle in our lives.

Stan arrived the next afternoon and for the next ten days we just spent time with our little one while we waited on paperwork.  We kept our computer open on a Skype page all day in the hotel room so the kids at home could see us and look at their baby brother.  By the time we arrived home, they were dying to get their hands on him!  He has been smothered with kisses right from the start.  Never has he had a moment when someone didn't want to hold him, carry him, and love him.

Now he is 2 1/2 years old.  Content, happy, secure in the love his family has for him.  We pray daily for the beautiful lady who gave birth to him.  We pray that God will draw her to Himself and we thank Him for allowing us the chance to raise this little boy and point him back to his Heavenly Father.

I don't nag anymore (well, much anyway) but I do pray daily that there is another little one waiting for us somewhere, anywhere in the world.  God has shown me that even though His plans may not always be my plans - His plans are always right.

 

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Well, "somewhere, anywhere in the world" has happened for our family!  We are longing to hold this little one in our arms and smother him with kisses.  Back in March, God again pricked Stan's heart about adoption.  Patrick has been literally begging for years to be a "big brother" and of course, I am always on go where adoption is concerned.  One March evening on our date night (good things happen on date night) - Stan again uttered basically the same words he uttered five years ago.  "It's time."  And three weeks later - we got our referral picture.  This time we are headed to A*ia.  Again, I thought it would be Ethiopia and again, God had other plans.  I am now beginning to believe I must have grandchildren in Ethiopia, but we'll see. 

 

This little guy will be three when we are able to bring him home.  We are going to name him Jeremiah as we feel very strongly that God wants us to pray the words of Jeremiah 1:5 over his life.  "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.  Before you were born, I consecrated you.  I appointed you a prophet to the nations."  We know that our Heavenly Father knew him, formed him perfectly, and set him apart for our family.  Our little prophet is oh so loved already. I can't wait to further update you with a picture of him in our arms.