November Is National Adoption Awareness Month

     From the very start of our family adoption was my dream.  I had hoped to have a very large family with a mix of birth, foster, and adopted children. 

     Tyler and I became foster parents just a year after we were married.  I was 19 years old and he was 21. After our first foster child had come and gone we were blessed with a 12 year old girl, a boy (3), Amanda (2), another boy (1), and I was pregnant for my son Landon.  I thank God everyday for that time, because shorlty after my son was born our family would experience some extremely difficult, life altering events.  My dream to adopt would have to wait, brokeness would take over for a very long time, and then God would come and heal it all.  As icing on the cake, He would lead us to a little girl in Haiti, named Magnalie.  This is where our adoption story begins.

     For weeks I had been feeling the Lord's proding to look at children available for adoption on the internet.  I kept pushing the idea away thinking I would just get myself in trouble, as I couldn't adopt.  Then, finally I gave in thinking that God was going to use this to help me release this desire and put closer to it.

     I began to look at children all over the world who needed families. Sometimes I would feel a need to pray for one of them and would print off their photo and put it in my Bible.  Then one day, I stumbled upon Precious in His Sight, an orphanage in Haiti, and there I saw the picture of two sisters, the older Magnalie with her thin arm around her little sister.  I printed the photo off to pray for them.

     Everyday I faithfully prayed for these little girls.  I soon learned that there was a brother, also.  All three photos decorated the front of my fridge as a reminder to pray.  Tyler and I briefly discussed adoption, but didn't feel like we could adopt three.  We were concerned based on our foster parenting experience that if the children had difficulties we could have a failed adoption.   So I continued to pray.

     Then, I learned my Brother in Law's sister had adopted a baby from Haiti and was looking for someone who would take the trip to Haiti with her to pick up her new daughter.  I gladly volunteered.  I made plans ahead of time to go to the orphanage and visit with Magnalie and her siblings.  I even got to spend the night with them and many other adoptive parents at the hotel.  It is a night I will always remember.  There are some really special people out there and I had the priviledge to meet them.  I cannot even tell you how much fun it was doing little girls nails and hair, playing games with the boys, just lovin on the children.  Meeting Magnalie was the most wonderful gift.  She was everything I imagined from her picture. 

     Now I had a problem.  Knowing where she was living and how quickly she was growing I just couldn't stop praying, but my problem was that I didn't want her to have another forever family, I wanted her to be my daughter.

     A while passed and the burden on my heart grew to the point of being painful.  One evening, I went to my room early to pray.  I began pacing the floor praying, crying, worshiping, dreaming, pleading and finally asked God if I could adopt Magnalie.  If I couldn't, I asked that He take this overwhelming burden off of my heart.  I then, went to bed and fell asleep. 

     The next morning was Father's Day.  I woke up to my husband Tyler looking at me.  But, his look said something and in my spirit I knew he was going to tell me we could adopt, but not so quickly.  First, he took me to see an Imax movie, then out to lunch, then to the parking garage at the Providence Place Mall.  There, he began, "Tell me everything you know about these girls".  Question after question followed.  Then he finished with, "Let's get home and put the girls on hold before someone else gets them".

     Almost three years would pass before Magnalie would come home.  We would learn that we were not the best family for her sister and would help her to find a different family, that lives only a couple of hours away.  We sold our farm, bought another house, watched the orphanage change hands.  We watched the people protest against Aristide and his final departure, we experienced the corruption of IBESR, but none of it mattered, as I knew Magnalie was totally a God thing.  He had a plan and He knew when she was coming home and I didn't let that worry me for a moment.

     We had begun Magnalie's adoption when she was 10 years old.  Two weeks before her thirteenth birthday she arrived home.  What a journey and it had only just begun.  Magnalie is now 18 years old.  I can hardly say it, as it seems to have passed by so quickly.  She is committed to serving the Lord and has a vision to return to Haiti with the skills needed to serve and benefit the people there.  She has worked very hard on her studies to make sure she is ready for whatever calling the Lord has for her life.

     There have been so many joys in adopting Magnalie.  Having Bible studies together and growing close spiritually, seeing her make the commitment to go back to Haiti to serve, listening to her sing worship songs for hours every evening, seeing her step in to help as we try to do things to help Haiti, watching her grow, and knowing we played a part in her life.  I can only be thankful for this opportunity.

     Adoption can be a wonderful thing.  I encourage anyone considering adoption to pray and seek the Lord's guidance along with getting as much information as possible.  Talk to people who have adopted, read up on adoption and know the concerns, practice with foster parenting if you are unsure.  I know my foster parenting experiences really helped me, and often times foster children become available for adoption. 

     Remember that in order for a child to be adopted they must first be abandoned.  This means that they may have experienced brokeness and heartache and will need extra tender loving care.  They may also have other difficulties if their birth mom had a drug or alcohol addiction, poor nutriton, or other health issues.  Be honest with yourself about what types of issues you feel confident to take on.  Your adoption agency will help you make these evaluations.

     I would love to see our churches full of adopted children.  I cannot imagine a better place for hurting children than in the homes of loving Christian families who can direct these children to a loving healing Saviour.  I hope you will consider becoming a forever family.

Recommended Reading

Adopted For Life
The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families & Churches
By Russell D Moore  Foreword by C J Mahaney

          Adopted for life is an excellent resource for Christian families who may or may not want to adopt.  Within it's pages is Moore's personal experience of adopting two sons, along with the churches role in promoting adoption, and the story of our own adoption by God.  I gathered many insights into my own salvation and adoption that I had never considered.  I consider this book to be a great resource and highly recommend it to anyone even interested in adoption as a mere topic.

Scripture of the Day

Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Galatians 4:7