For
I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord…Jeremiah 29:11
Brad and I have decided to
grow our family. We are expecting, but
not in the traditional way. We have
decided to grow our family through the beautiful birth of adoption. Hopefully and prayerfully this journey will
be completed sometime over the next 12-18 months, with the addition of a
beautiful little Haitian girl. I say
girl, she could be at least 2 or as old as six or seven. At this point, only God knows who she is, and
we are patiently waiting to see who He has picked to be our child.
This journey
started for us about three years ago.
The lord placed on my heart the need for more children and the want of
more children, but not in the traditional way.
It’s hard to explain, but I have no desire to birth anymore children,
but my heart has plenty of room to love, nurture and mother plenty more
children! Adoption has always been close
to my heart, and through many circumstances God kept confirming that desire He
has placed within me. Brad wasn’t quite
there yet. However, over the last three
years I have seen God refine him and get him ready for this very journey we
have prayerfully decided to take.
Sometime between January and February of this year Brad decided it was
time! Watching the change in our family
has been very exciting. Anna lee has grown so much over the last year as
well. I have seen how God is already
changing her heart and transforming her to be the,” best big sister any little
brown girl could have” those are her words!
She has gone from a self-absorbed only child syndrome, to a little
mother hen anytime younger kids are around.
She has started donating her extra money and allowance to bringing her
sister home. She constantly prays that
her sister is warm, fed and taken care of.
She talks about her like she is already here. She is growing into quite the big sister
already! I remember asking God one time,
why He gave me such a complicated, strong-will, stubborn, determined feisty
little girl (this was one of those really hard days with her in my defense) and
He never really answered me until now.
She is all those things and so much more because she has also been given
the tasks of being a big sister, to a little brown girl in the heart of
Hueytown, Alabama, which shouldn’t be an issue, but sometimes still is. She is complicated, strong-willed, stubborn,
determined and feisty, but the reason she is all those things and so much more
is because God knew the plans He had for our family, and He outfitted each one
of us for the road ahead. He has planned
each of our children that will be placed in our home, and He has prepared us
for the road ahead. I am beginning to
see a common theme with this journey…often people ask why it takes so long to
adopt, and I am realizing the answer is to refine me, to refine us, to make us
better parents, to bring our families closer, to prepare the family that the
child will be placed into. This is a
very special journey, and God uses the time to do amazing things and bring
Glory to Him!
So, you may
be asking where we are at this point in the journey. We are in the middle of our home study, which
consist of paperwork, paperwork and more paperwork. Lots of interviews and information. Our home study should be wrapped up sometime
around Christmas, Lord willing. Every
country is different and you have to be 35 to adopt from Haiti, and Brad will
be turning 35 come April. Once April is
here we will be sending all our paperwork, the accumulation of everything
throughout our home study, along with a referral of a child (which is the child
we have picked) to the Haitian Government.
After they receive the paperwork, and everything is accepted then we
should have a travel date for the first visit.
We are hoping that will be late summer early fall of next year. Then after the first bonding trip as they
call it, we will return home and wait on all the paperwork to be finalized and
then have a final travel date to bring the child home. Hopefully that will be by next Christmas, but
we are on the Lord’s time and only He knows when Amyiah Nicole will be
home. Yes, that is the name we have
chosen, well actually it’s the name Anna Lee chose but we liked it. Amyiah means delight, and we have no doubt
that is what she will be. So, just like
with any pregnancy I want to keep you all informed and up to date on what is
going on in our family.
We often get
asked many questions, the most popular being why international adoption and why
not domestic and then the next being are you sure you want to adopt a black
child. I will answer them briefly… We
have chosen Haiti because that is where God led us, and that is where our
daughter is, and the second is yes, we are aware the child is black and we are
aware this makes people uncomfortable, and we are okay with all of the above.
God’s love for His children isn’t conditional, so why should a mother’s love be
conditional to the color of skin. Please
feel free to talk to us about any questions, as I am sure there are many. We welcome them. Education is critical in this type of
journey, so please be as open with us as you need to be to feel
comfortable.
Please
remember to keep us in your prayers. We
have already seen God work in amazing ways through the very early part of this
journey, and we are excited to see how He is going to meet each need from here
on out. Remember to keep Amyiah in your
prayers. Start praying now for her
transition into this family, pray for her protection, pray that her needs are
met, where she is until she comes home to her forever family. Pray that God
will use the time while we are still separated to refine us more, and prepare
us for the day we get to hold her the first time. Pray for Anna Lee as well, pray that she will
continue to grow in wisdom and excitement.
Pray that God will give her the ability to share her mom and dad and
that the transition will be smooth for her as well. We are seeing early on, that this experience
can bring a family so much closer. It
already has for our family and for my extended family here in Alabama. So we are inviting you on this journey with
us!
We will keep
you informed and updated moving forward.
Hopefully the next letter will come with a picture of a new face! Lots of Love!
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