What Has Brought Us Here

How the Lord has been shaping us for this:

Jamie and I both wanted to adopt before we had met each other, Jamie has the privilege of having an adopted sibling and I think God started moving my heart for the orphaned at a very young age (probably from watching a Oprah show or two, haha)

Not long after we started dating we were asked to be a part of a missionary team to Iasi, Romania to start a college ministry. We made a sweet friend there who is an orphan herself (now in her 30's) who was reaching out to the local orphans. After seeing our interest she invited us to go along with her sometime. Turns out, the hospital that was situated right behind our house had a maternity ward and several rooms on that floor held abandoned babies. They were either from women who did not want a child at all or didn't want them after they saw the problems the child may have had (lots of club feet, cleft lips, etc...), or had been found on the steps of the hospital. It was heartbreaking and sobering. We were forever changed.

(My mom, Jamie and I holding some of the precious babies in Romania)

Fast forward a year and a half...we were newly married and knew we wanted to start our family, so we started looking into adoption. We quickly found that we would have to wait a few years, that there are many restrictions from all the different countries that we didn't meet yet. Age restrictions (had to be at least 25), marriage restrictions (had to be married at least two years), and the list goes on. So we waited.

While waiting to adopt...we had two beautiful boys in about 3 years!!! We couldn't wait to start a family! I got pregnant 6 months after getting married and we couldn't have been happier. My desire has always been to be a wife and a mommy so I was pumped to be able to stay at home and help train and raise up these little babies that the Lord blessed us with. And what a blessing it's been.

Recently, our hearts became stirred with the thought of adoption again after hearing about the adoption tax credit (the $$$ has always been the big question mark for us, how will we get $30,000?!?!) but hearing about it got us really excited at the thought that it is actually, Lord willing, possible and tangible! (Don't get me wrong, because the Lord was/is totally able to provide and make a way without the tax credit. Where He leads, He provides...right? :)

So here we are, trusting the Lord, and waiting for our fingerprints to be sent back so we can be scheduled a social worker and move this adoption forward.