I love working with couples who are local to me, so we can meet up for coffee, pray and dream together!I first met with Laura and Trevor in the summer of 2015 to talk in person. We really connected, and I loved their heart for others.
They signed on with me in August. And I loved getting to know them even better by designing their beautiful family profile book as they worked on their home study certification.
The book went to print.
Then the real wait began!
Here’s a bit from their perspective, and what God taught them in the waiting for their sweet daughter, in Laura’s words:
“God used this adoption journey to refine our faith and trust in Him. Our journey was daunting but looking back, we can see how God orchestrated every little detail so perfectly in the way that only He can.
When we felt the call to begin our adoption journey, we had no idea how we?d afford the costs or what to expect along the way. We did know, however, that we were to pursue adoption and so we stepped out in faith, trusting that God’s plan would be perfect.
?
We optimistically signed on with CAC in August 2015 and completed our home study by the end of October. And then the waiting began. With every situation we received, we poured over the details and our hearts broke for the precious babies and for the birth mothers. We prayed diligently that God would lead us to the right baby for our family and that required waiting longer than some CAC families.
We chose to present our profile to six cases and were not selected. With eachno? we received, it hurt. It was hard. We tried to be guarded in the waiting but the rejection still hurt. All the while, we knew deep down to continue trusting in God’s perfect plan. Our baby was out there and God was using the opportunity to refine us in the waiting.
During this time, we were tested. Our finances. Our relationships. Our confidence in God’s plan. Still, we clung to the hope that our family would grow.
?
As the months rolled by, we found ourselves preparing a nursery for a child that was still nowhere to be seen. We were preparing for the promise of a child and even in that process, God revealed his goodness to us in ways that we wouldn’t see until months later. We had already decided on baby names- one for each gender. We playfully painted those names on the nursery wall before covering them with paint. Several more months rolled by and still no match. We often found ourselves praying for our child in the nursery with expectant hearts, trusting that our baby would come.
In April 2016, shortly after presenting our profile for the sixth time and not being chosen, we received a case for a baby girl due August 2016. We prayed and sought God’s will and we felt so strongly that this child was meant for our family. We chose to present our profile and deep down, we had a peace about it.
Several days before Mother’s Day, we received the incredible news that we had been matched!
?
We soon had the opportunity to speak with Grace’s birth mother on the phone and it was incredible to see God’s hand in the situation. And remember that wall we painted??
Well, turns out that our daughter’s birth mother’s name was written on that wall in addition to our daughter’s name, Grace. We had literally been praying for both of those names for months, not realizing that we?d been praying for Grace and her birth mother by name.
Well, turns out that our daughter’s birth mother’s name was written on that wall in addition to our daughter’s name, Grace. We had literally been praying for both of those names for months, not realizing that we?d been praying for Grace and her birth mother by name.
Hebrews 10:23 says,Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.?
?
God led our family to adoption and He is so very faithful. He promised us a child and we welcomed our precious Grace to the world on August 23, 2016.
?
Laura and Grace in the hospital?
Leaving the hospital!
What should families considering adoption know?
We want to encourage other families considering adoption. Is it hard? Yes! Is it worth it? Absolutely! The road is hard but very fulfilling. Raising the funds seemed impossible, the paperwork was overwhelming, the waiting was exhausting, and hearingno? again and again was painful. We were refined and stretched and that was challenging! However, experiencing the process and then finally meeting your child is so very humbling. God worked out the details so beautifully and it has been such an incredible experience.
We were completely overwhelmed with the entire adoption process! Gretchen proved to be an invaluable resource to us and an excellent guide through our journey. We live local to her and before signing with CAC, she offered to meet us for coffee and share some information about the process. We breathed sighs of relief after that meeting and knew we would be in excellent, capable hands. God used Gretchen to encourage us along the way and she was a wealth of information.
?
?
?
Grace at one month.
?
Tell us about your relationship with your child’s birth mom:
We were initially very hesitant about open adoption. Frankly, it scared us at the onset of our journey. However, God softened our hearts to open adoption and through research and speaking with adult adoptees, we learned that it is important to have a degree of openness if possible.
?
Through this adoption, we gained our daughter, Grace. We also gained her birth family. We have a wonderful relationship with her birth parents and they are so precious to us. We honor and respect them for choosing life for Grace and simply put, they are our heroes. They allowed our family to grow and so they will always hold a special place in our hearts.
?
We?ll never forget what Grace’s birth mother said to us the first time we spoke on the phone. She said, As far as I’m concerned, this is your baby. I’m carrying her for you and it’s my gift to you. What a selfless, precious gift, indeed.
?
The future
We had a shared interest in adoption for years and in fact, we talked about adoption on our first date. Throughout our journey, God completely broke our hearts for adoption and made us more empathetic to birth families. We are now eager to become more involved in adoption advocacy and support other families in similar situations as well as through local adoption and foster care ministries.”
?
Is Hiring an Adoption Consultant Worth It?