As youth pastors, we felt his calling in our lives to be a mother and father to the orphaned. In our early years of marriage, we had little resources and knew few people who were pursuing adoption or who had adopted. It was in the 2nd year of marriage, after multiple failures to conceive, we were swept up into the complex world and emotional loss of infertility as young newlyweds. We silently grieved and struggled through this experience as family members brought new nieces and nephews into the family.
Then, in Fall 2023, while serving in our church’s adoptive/foster care outreach ministry, we opened our home to a newborn needing temporary care. Caring for a child unlocked our hearts and reignited our desire to become parents and start the adoption process. This time, we had the support of our church family, were surrounded by other adoptive parents, and men and women of faith to believe in what we had felt was impossible. Saying yes to God’s call for adoption was the biggest step of faith in our life!
How could we ever save the funding needed to meet an adoption budget? It was a mountain standing before us with no way around or over. It has only been the miraculous provision of the Lord that has brought us to this moment. With gifts from parents, family, and friends, we were able to fundraise. Katelyn’s Fund not only empowered us with financial support but, most of all, provided agreement in prayer and the faith-filled encouragement we needed to keep pressing forward. We distinctly remember our applicant interview, stepping away feeling loved, valued, and renewed in hope after several unsuccessful profile shares.
Shortly after the notification of our grant award we received a phone call from our adoption consultant sharing we had been matched! God was truly making the impossible possible! Now, here we are, 18 years after learning of our infertility, moving ever so closer to the completion of God’s promise in our life. We stand in faith on his word in Psalm 127 that “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.” Our Heavenly Father delights in us as his children, and he withholds no good thing from his sons and daughters.
