Archive for the ‘Adoption’ Category


Posted on June 7, 2011 - by

Get this done

With my donut in hand, I walked up to a group of friends casually chatting during coffee hour after church on Sunday. One of the men in the group stopped and said to me, “Oh, we got your letter in the mail. We have a check coming for you. We’re going to help you get this [adoption] done.”

We are going to help you get this done—the essence of community in action. Like an old-fashioned barn raising, our friend knew that if everyone got together and pitched in, we could get somewhere none of us could go on our own.

It has been an amazing week since we announced that we needed to raise more money to bring our boys, Moses and Jonah, home from Uganda. We have raised nearly $1,000 since then. So many humbling gifts encouraging our hearts. We are off to a great start with about $8,200 left between us and our boys.

Truthfully, I struggled for weeks about fundraising again. I didn’t want to do it. But there wasn’t another option.

As Joel and I sat at the kitchen table folding fundraising letters and stuffing envelopes, I expressed my hesitation, “Don’t you think people are going to say, ‘They ought to be able to pay for this on their own. Why are they asking us to help AGAIN!’” (more…)


Posted on June 1, 2011 - by

We’re Almost There

I’ve said it many times before—adoption is the most incredible journey of faith I could ever imagine. It causes your spirit to soar to unbelievable heights and simultaneously brings you to your knees like nothing else.

Joel and I are in on the final leg of our journey to our boys. Lord willing, we are weeks away from holding them in our arms. We expect to travel sometime in June or July to get them from Uganda. Most days, I am close to jumping out of my skin with anticipation. I find it hard to do anything besides think of them.

If you’ve been following our story, you know that we have had many twists and turns along the way. We originally planned to adopt only one child, but God blessed us with two boys, Moses, age 3, and Jonah, almost a year old. We are overwhelmed with God’s bountiful blessings poured out on our family.

Several weeks ago, we also found out that Jonah has Sickle Cell Anemia, a very serious blood disorder. Another twist, but God has given us incredible medical resources in our area that will help us care for him. Again, we are blessed by God’s provision.

As we prepare to travel we are now faced with another twist, an obstacle really. The addition of a second child and the added cost of traveling during high tourist season means that the funds we raised earlier this year are not enough to cover our expenses.

Bottom line: We need an additional $9200 to do bring Moses and Jonah home this summer. (more…)


Posted on May 27, 2011 - by

Adoption: Movement or Trend?

While talking with a friend about our adoption recently, she made a comment that adoption just seemed so trendy—all these upper-middle class families running around with their brown babies talking about hundreds of millions of orphans, minus one.

From the outside looking in, it appeared to be the “new thing.” She wasn’t being critical of my family, just making an observation of something she saw happening in the community where we live.

I started to wonder, is adoption just another trendy way to brand yourself as a cool Christian, or is God moving within his church, calling people to respond to the Gospel in large numbers? (more…)


Posted on May 11, 2011 - by

It Takes a Village

Last weekend, I had the first of two baby showers (can you call them “baby showers” when one of your children is three years old?), followed by a second one on Monday night. Several of our dearest friends and family members hosted these events, pouring love into every detail.

As I opened mountains of gifts, I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love we have experienced from our community. So many people showed up. I was humbled to see God’s provision for our family once again expressed through our friends and family.

(more…)


Posted on May 6, 2011 - by

An Expectant Mother’s Day Post

For Mother’s Day last year, Joel gave me a silky yellow baby blanket as a reminder that our baby was on its way. I remember thinking, “This time next year, our baby will be holding this in my arms.”

Over the past twelve months, I have taken it out of the drawer from the table next to my bed many times. As I hold it in my hands, I am reminded that we are getting closer, even when it doesn’t feel like it.

As an expectant adoptive mom, Mother’s Day is hard. Combine that with the Mother’s Day of a step-mom, and it’s doubly so.

When Joel and I got married and the kids came into my life, I was surprised by how much Mother’s Day mattered to me, even though I was “only” their step mom. They had found their way into my heart and there was no pretending otherwise.

As you would expect, the kids always spend Mother’s Day with their mom, and that is how it ought to be. And yet, their absence leaves me sitting in church on Mother’s Day without my kids year after year. Truthfully, I have come to dread the conspicuous emptiness of it all. It’s like Valentines Day for the single girl.

Last year at this time, we were already several months into the domestic adoption process, but were considering switching programs. It had been a difficult season of waiting already, and it was unclear how we would proceed. The yellow baby blanket reminded me that some way, some how, my arms would be filled with a precious baby at the end of the journey. It was like a hope chest for my heart.

(more…)


Posted on April 27, 2011 - by

The Adventure Continues: An Unexpected Chapter

sickle cell disease

A couple weeks ago, we found out that Baby J might be positive for Sickle Cell Anemia. This was quite unexpected, since we thought both boys were perfectly healthy.

As we waited for a second round of tests to confirm whether he was just a carrier of the trait or actually had the disease, Joel and I went through the exercise of considering whether or not we could move forward if the worst was true. Could we be open to special needs, though it wasn’t something we originally planned to consider?

As we waited, we prayed and we talked and we sought counsel from doctors. But it was clear from the beginning—regardless of the test results, God meant for Baby J to be in our family. We would press ahead. (more…)


Posted on April 2, 2011 - by

The Lasting Impact of Adoption

Adoption – Ray Sater from CTR Memphis on Vimeo.

As adoptive parents, it’s easy to get so focused on the present moment that we forget to think about how adoption will shape the lives of adopted children as they become adults. Personally, I spend most of my time thinking about how to navigate coming home with our kids and helping them adjust to their new family. I usually don’t think past adolescence.

This video, produced by the Christ the Rock Church in Memphis, reminded me that adoption is a defining part of my children’s stories well past their adjustment and attachment phase. Perhaps, the most compelling part of this man’s story is remembering that adoption is about evangelism. God is up to something even more important than placing orphaned children in forever families—he is most interested in calling these children, and all of us, into his family—forever.

I am embarrassed to say I had not considered this very much before reading my friends, Jason Kovacs and Dan Cruver, released their book, Reclaiming Adoption, which outlines the theology of adoption, both vertically (our adoption in Christ) and horizontally (person-to-person adoption).

I hope this video inspires you, as it did me, to consider the bigger narrative God is writing through adoption.


Posted on March 9, 2011 - by

God Cares About the Little Things

Last week, I asked my Facebook friends if anyone would be willing to donate some cloth diapers for us to take to our boys’ baby home when we pick them up in Uganda later this spring. One of the other mothers adopting with us asked us if we would commit to bring 30 inserts to help the babies home build up their supply.

This babies’ home, like most in Africa, relies on cloth diapers for the babies in their care. Unfortunately, they do not have enough to keep up with the—um, demand—shall we say.

Imagine trying to launder diapers for 20-30 babies with no access to washing machines or dryers. As in, they wash diapers by hand. Can you imagine? And, it’s the rainy season, so line drying takes longer than normal. All this translates into an urgent need for more diapers.

After posting my request on Facebook, I was floored when my friend Michelle McKinney, also a soon-to-be adoptive mom, said her friends Angi and Brandy, wanted to donate ONE HUNDRED diapers and inserts. My mother-in-law offered to donate some inserts too. God was showing off, big time.

Today, I came home to find a huge box waiting on my porch containing these: (more…)


Posted on March 7, 2011 - by

Is Ugandan Adoption Right for You?

Ugandan Boy

If you know someone or are someone who is hoping to adopt from Ethiopia, last week’s news about the dramatic 90% slowdown in processing international adoptions there may have you looking for other options.

In the wake of this news, I have had several inquires from families interested in learning more about the Uganda program as an African adoption alternative to waiting an indefinite amount of time for a referral from Ethiopia.

Disclaimer: I would never encourage anyone to abandon the program who has already been matched with a child. My goal is to simply answer the most common questions I hear from families like those described in the above paragraph.

I asked someone more qualified than me to speak into the conversation about ethical adoption, the real need among orphans, and the Ugandan program in particular. Salem Richards is an adoptive mother of a precious Ugandan boy, Program Coordinator of Adoption Advocates International’s Uganda Program (the agency we are using for our adoption), and advocate for ethical adoption and waiting/special needs children.

(more…)


Posted on February 28, 2011 - by

Big News: We Are Matched!

It's a boy

After a long season in the adoption waiting room, we are thrilled to report that we have some big news. We have been matched with two beautiful boys from Uganda. They are 9 months old and three years old.

There are still several steps after being matched before our referral becomes official. Our Ugandan attorney and Ugandan adoption facilitator will be working to pull those pieces together this week. We hope to have the referral paperwork in hand and ready to sign within a week or two. Of course, Africa time being what it is, it could take longer, but we hope not.

Once we sign the paperwork, we’ll send the necessary documents to our attorney so she can prepare our dossier for the Ugandan government. Then we wait for our court date. Our agency told us that we could travel as early as April, so we’re snapping into action. There is so much to do. (more…)


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