We are so excited about God increasing our family through adoption! Kenny and I have already been incredibly blessed with our 2 amazing biological children and we are excited to find out and wholeheartedly embrace the 2 Ethiopian children that God has in store for us!
When we first started our adoption journey I was asked to write a letter explaining why we wanted to adopt. Here is what I wrote:
“There are over 140 million orphans in the world. That means there are millions and millions of children living without a mommy and daddy, living without a parent to believe in them, living without a parent to unconditionally love them, living with out a parent to tell them they matter and can make a difference.
My husband and I were overwhelmed by these truths after attending a Global Aids Conference, watching movies like Hotel Rwanda, and hearing stories of the children from pastors and other leaders in countries where the numbers of orphans are staggering. I remember being brought to tears at the Global Aids Conference at Saddleback Church (Pastor Rick Warren’s church) when I pictured the faces of children living without anyone to embrace them. I asked myself and God, “What can my husband and I do to make a difference? The problem is so huge! The numbers are so overwhelming.” Quickly a sentence came to my mind…“One at a time.” There was my answer. We may not be able to solve the problem all at once, but we can help each orphan “one at a time”. From then on, our plan (after having two biological children) was to adopt children into our family. We originally only wanted to adopt one, but after attending an adoption seminar, we decided it would be great to adopt two in the hopes of keeping siblings together.
Do we have enough space in our house for 2 more? Nope. Do we have enough money for 2 more? Nope. Do we have extra time for 2 more? Nope. Are we going for it anyway? You bet! Is this the most sacrificial thing we have ever done? Yes. Do we have all the details worked out? No. Do we know it is going to work out? Absolutely! Are we extremely excited? YES!
We know that this is exactly what we need to be doing and hopefully through our experience others will be encouraged to follow in our footsteps. My husband and I believe that if everyone is willing to sacrifice a little of their time, resources, and comfort, and truly embrace an orphan into their family, the overwhelming number of orphans in the world would be eradicated. “One at time” we can erase this problem and make a difference in the lives many.”
I hope this gives you a little insight into why we are so excited about God opening this opportunity for adoption to us. I am amazed that God allows us to be His hands and feet to His "little ones". It is such an honor to be used by God in this way, and I know that the children He is going to bring into our family are going to be 2 of the greatest blessings in our lives!
