BLESSED CHILD FROM GOD
This is Rick & Jane's adoption story.
Most names have been changed to protect privacy.
(Another successful adoption associated with Christian Adoption.)
Rick and I had been married for almost 8 years when we decided to adopt a baby. During that 8 years, we were patient about not conceiving. We kept busy in our lives and continued to do things we enjoyed, but as the years were passing we decided to start checking into some infertility procedures. I have to be honest though--my heart was just not into the infertility process. I wanted to go the adoption route right away. I just knew that someday I would adopt a baby. I feel the Lord was preparing me for that event as a child, because I would always play that I was adopting my dolls. It sounds kind of silly, but when things happen in your life and then you look back, the connections are made and it is amazing to see God's hand at work. The fact that God would begin preparation from so early on in my life was astonishing to me. We did the basic infertility tests and procedures and had a pretty good idea what the problem was. We were facing some very expensive options that insurance would not cover and we knew did not have the greater percentage of success. I asked my husband, and myself if we would really want to spend that kind of money and maybe not have a baby, or would it be better to adopt and spend the money and have a baby? More time passed by, and because finances are a very sensitive subject for my husband, he needed some time. God needed some time to work in his life and heart. Also adoption is scary, because there are so many "what ifs". So many things can go wrong--we would have to trust in God to jump over all the hurdles.
In December 1998, our city newspaper had a full page report about foster care and adoption to raise interest in the community. My husband read the article and it raised his awareness. It also sparked an interest in him. As soon as I knew that curiosity was there, I knew I had to work fast! I began to call adoption agencies and surf the Internet. I came across Christian Adoption and some may think it was a coincidence, but I know that it was God who led me to this web site. I called Deborah to ask some questions and then printed some pages from the web site and presented all of my gathered adoption information to my husband. There was paperwork, brochures, and applications from agencies and the pages from the web site. My husband was very overwhelmed and was beginning to kick himself for opening his mouth! I went like gangbusters, and I was determined to not let this opportunity to build our family through adoption pass us by! He asked which one I wanted to go with and I told him that I felt led to list with Christian Adoption, that the Lord had the most opportunity to work for us. With some agencies, the adoption process is very controlled and I wanted the baby that God had already chosen for us. I just wanted to completely trust and wait on Him. We came online with Christian Adoption, and Deborah had us up and online on February 14, 1999. Getting online on Valentine's Day meant a lot to me and made it that much more special for me. From that day forward I never regretted or questioned our decision. Deborah was a wonderful source of support and had so much knowledge; she never made me feel like a burden when I called with questions. I also loved being connected with so many other couples in the Christian Adoption family. These were my brothers and sisters in Christ that had the same heart's desire to adopt and were all praying, cheering, and caring for one another. The Christian Adoption family and web site is very special. In about the 3rd week in March of 1999, a birthmother, our birthmother, E-mailed us. I E-mailed her immediately and called her 2 days later. It went great! By the end of March, she had decided that we were the couple to adopt her baby. We E-mailed each other almost daily and would talk on the phone every other week. The bond that grew between us was fantastic! I loved the fact that I loved her so deeply and I loved having this special relationship with her. I used to think that adopting in our country would be too scary and that open or even semi-open adoption would be unbearable. We feared, like so many adoptive couples, that someday they would try to take the baby away from us. But my opinion about that changed dramatically in many ways. First, we became very educated about the adoption process via Christian Adoption. Also, we had confidence in God's ability and willingness to answer our prayers. Finally, once our birthmother had chosen us, all those fears and feelings disappeared. It could only be the wonderful, inexplicable peace that comes from the Lord. He is so faithful and so good to His people! My concerns immediately shifted to our birthmother and how to help her with her feelings. It was her decision and activity that brought her to this position in life, but I didn't want her to hurt or have pain anymore. I really wanted to adopt her too! Our baby was to be born on 8/18/99, by C-section, so we drove to the state where she was to be born. Two days before the birth of our daughter, we met our birthmother face to face. It was so easy and so comfortable. We met her 3 other children, brother and mother. Finally our delivery day arrived! It was bittersweet--the happiest day of my life, but also the saddest and hardest day--for our birthmother and our birth grandmother. My heart rejoiced for us and our daughter, but my heart broke for them. Just after Sarah was born our birthmother and her mother spent about 45 minutes alone with her, then our birth grandmother came out to us to tell us we could go in to be with our birthmom. She sobbed on my shoulder for a few minutes and left. That was probably one of the hardest things I've ever experienced. She loved her grandchild, but knew what was the best thing to do. NOW it was time for us to meet our precious daughter Sarah. 6 lbs. 10 oz., 19 inches long and a full head of hair! She was the most beautiful baby ever born on this earth-in our unbiased opinion-of course! Our birthmother was so strong from the very beginning. I almost would have felt better if she wouldn't have been so good and so strong in front of us. I didn't want her to feel she had to be so strong for us, and I really wanted to know how she really felt. I didn't want her to be miserable by herself, but for the next 2 days she was alone most of the time in the hospital. However, she never demonstrated anything but strength to us. For 2 days, we drove an hour to the hospital, hung out in the nurses station to feed and care for our baby, and then we were able to take her back to the hotel with us. We then spent a very loooonnnngggg week and that was hard living in a hotel with a newborn-but still worth every moment. Late on Friday afternoon, just as we had given up hope on getting ICPC clearance to return to our home state, we were called and given authority to go home! We did not stop, except to feed and change our new baby, until we were in front of our home. Home never looked or felt so great! That's when it became real and I finally broke down. We had left our home as a couple and we returned to it as a family. Our very own child was finally using all of the wonderful baby items and furniture that we had been looking at!
God filled me with the know how to care for this priceless gift and I could not love her more, be anymore bonded to her, or feel closer to her. She is our special gift from God and I would do it all over again to be with this blessed child from God!
Jane
For more information please read Consider and Kansas. We encourage you to prayerfully consider registering with our service, and/or writing to us.
adoption@christianadoption.com
A non-profit Christian and Internet
service ministry. We're helping others in the adoption
process.
1.800.277.7006 620.251.4405
Deborah S. Hill P.O. Box 243 Coffeyville, KS 67337
www.christianadoption.com adoption@christianadoption.com
