So how did we even start thinking about adoption?
Ever since Molly first watched Anne of Green Gables, adoption has always been something she has thought about :-) But, when we got married the topic just seemed to get buried in the back of her mind-- it just seemed 'natural' to have biological children unless there was some sort of problem. In September 2006, our church had a speaker come and talk at a retreat. His talk had nothing to do with adoption, but we had a chance to chat with him over lunch one day and learned that he and his wife were in the process of adopting 2 children from Africa. Listening to his heart for adoption and hearing about the many orphans who are in need of families, Molly's heart was moved. She could see adoption as something that may lie in our future. Yet, at that time Josh was only 4 months old, and so the thought got put to the side.
In November 2006, the topic came up again. This time prompting both of us to say that it was something we needed to look more into. Family Life Ministries and Focus on the Family (2 radio broadcasts that we occasionally listen to) had teamed up during National Adoption Month to air programing specifically related to orphans. As we listened to these messages we felt we were being spoken to directly. At this point we started doing some research, and prayed a lot. As the weeks went by, adoption started popping up in numerous areas of our day-to-day lives. Our hearts continued to be moved. We talked with pastors, watched documentaries, read books, listened to sermons, etc. Each time, the message was the same, we should adopt! (Here's a link to these and other mp3 messages)
We are at the point now where we know that we want to have more children, and it does not matter to us if they come biologically or through adoption. At this time, we feel that God is calling us to add to our family through adoption. We know that there are children who need families, and we want to be that family for one of them!
“Behold, I will do something new” Isaiah 43:19
