Lauren says:
Something that immediately drew me to Adam was his love for
others, and not only others but children specifically. I loved that he
genuinely enjoyed being around kids—all kids. Whether it was a drooling baby,
wobbly toddler, hyper four-year old, or video game playing ten-year old, Adam
loved to be around all of them. He always gets excited when he knows kids are
going to be around and he is never too busy to kick around a soccer ball, wipe
a dirty face, or participate in a friendly wrestling match. Countless people
have told me how much he loved being around children and babies even from a
young age, and it is hard to find a picture of him as a younger kid, not
holding someone else’s child. His love for kids has always been genuine, and I
know that nothing makes him more excited than the thought of having his own
kids to be a dad to. Before Adam and I even got married he expressed time and
time again just how important family was to him and how he could not wait to
start our own family. We both loved the idea of adoption and discussed briefly
the desire we both had to welcome a child into our home someday through
adoption. However, we never dreamed it would be through hard circumstances that
we would choose adoption first. Receiving news that it would be difficult for
us to have children on our own was one of the hardest trials we have faced thus
far. There were some very dark days where God seemed very far away and his plan
seemed so unclear. However, one thing I love most about Adam is his heart for
God’s Word and how he is constantly reminding me of God’s promises and
faithfulness especially on the hardest days. He lead me back time and time
again and reminded me of God’s goodness. I know that he is going to be an
amazing dad someday, and I can honestly say that I hope our sons are just like
him. For us, choosing adoption has truly been a ray of hope in the midst of
cloudy confusion. It has been a source of joy and peace and we can say with
confidence that the Lord has brought us to this place and it is through him
that we have rest for our souls and hope for the future. One verse that
captures Adam’s heart for adoption is Psalm 145:4 “One generation shall commend
your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.”
Adam says:
If you've spent any time with my
wife, you know she loves being surrounded by her friends and family, just
laughing and having fun. This is one of the things I loved about her when we
met—that and the fact that we both wanted a big family with lots of kids.
I pictured us together, surrounded by our kids, having lots of family
game nights and lovingly picking on each other—all of them with her sarcastic
sense of humor of course. So when we found out it would be difficult for us to
get pregnant, it was hard news. It had already been a fear looming in my
wife's mind for a long time, so when it became a reality it felt like the death
of a dream. We mourned for days together. Another thing I love about my wife, however,
is her strong confidence in God. After several difficult days and as we began
to talk more about adoption, I saw the life start to flicker in her eyes again.
To this point, the journey has not been easy but it has shaped us. We know its
no accident that God put us together. Some might look at our situation and
think God is cruel; with so many children being neglected and abused in this
world, how could God give us this
cross to bear? To be honest, we struggle with this thought at times, but we
believe that this conflict we face is a small twist in plot in the grand
revealing of God's great redemption story. We're honored and humbled to play
our part. I look at the woman God gave me and think of all the children she has
cared for already in life—family friends she used to babysit for, the boys in
the Bolivian orphanage, countless children in daycare, and the kids she nannies
now. When I think about them, I am excited to think that there some really
lucky kids out there who are going to get to call her mom someday. One
verse that capture’s Lauren’s heart for adoption is Ephesians 1:4-5, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be
holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his
sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—"
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