There are times when words don't even come close to the telling of God's miracles. There are times when the details of stories are only known in the quiet shared by husband and wife, in the sacred space of weeping with a birth family at the bittersweetness of adoption, and the realization of years of answered prayers.
Jarrod and Amanda have just such a story of God's miracles. One that is hard to recount all of the details without sharing too much. But in an effort to share the miracle and give God glory for his faithful, loving kindness, here's a glimpse into how God made a husband and wife a daddy and mommy and a little girl a daughter...
Jarrod and Amanda created this video to share with their friends and church family about their adoption, what the process looks like, and what God started to teach them, even at the very beginning of the process.
As soon as Jarrod and Amanda felt God tell them adoption was the way to grow their family, they dove right in. Last September, they started with me at Christian Adoption Consultants and began their home study. In February their home study was finalized and several weeks later Jarrod and Amanda were generously gifted with a vacation. We joked that maybe it was a "babymoon," their last vacation as a family of two. And several days into the trip, I was trying frantically to get a hold of them. I'll let Amanda tell the story from here...
I saw the most beautiful email that I may ever receive. It was from our adoption consultant, Susan, and the subject line simply said “CALL ME!!!!!"
Thanks to the free calls to the US from our room, I quickly dialed Susan’s number and screamed to Jarrod to come close. She happily answered her phone and said said, “I have good news! YOU’VE BEEN CHOSEN!”
The tears instantly started. I couldn’t breath. I got chills. We were stunned. WE WERE CHOSEN.
Before Jarrod and I left, we chose to present to a birth mother whose situation stood out to us very uniquely. We were both 100% in agreement and felt so right about it. So we said yes and shipped out our profile before we left. We didn’t know the exact date that the agency would be presenting to this sweet mom, but we knew it would be while we were gone. We received an email over the weekend that Wednesday was the day. Thankful that I had something to distract me from thinking too much about the presentation of our profile, we prayed over the situation and continued to focus solely on our getaway and time together.
And then the agency presented to this sweet mom on Tuesday and, from what we know, she immediately saw our profile and fell in love. So much so that she didn’t even want to see any other profiles… Oh my goodness. Even now, I can barely keep the tears from coming. Someone chose us.
She chose us.
Jarrod and I were shocked and overjoyed. I can’t even put into words the emotions that immediately flooded our hearts.
We had hoped for this.
We had prayed for this.
We had prayed for this exact situation: that this would be our birth mama. That this would be our baby.
Praise the Lord. She chose us.
And then Susan said the words that are forever melted in my heart. In a way that made me feel ownership as the parents of this baby. Susan said, “And…you’re having a girl.”
We’re having a baby girl.
We have a daughter.
That phone call was months ago now. Since then Jarrod and Amanda have navigated a complex journey. One of a crazy roller coaster that even now Jarrod and Amanda shake their heads at. The twists and turns, the unexpected events, and the laughter and tears seemed too much at times.
But through it all, I've watched Jarrod and Amanda's faith never waver.
I've watched them love big even when it was risky and vulnerable and hard.
I've prayed with them for the health of their sweet girl and for God's perfect timing and sovereignty.
And I've celebrated with them as they've welcomed their daughter home.
Months ago, Amanda shared this: God has blessed us with what feels like, in this moment, such a rare journey that so few people get to personally experience the beauty of...Every day, even in the fearful moments, I remind myself that God has chosen this awkward, yet beautiful path for our family. And truthfully, I wouldn't have it any other way.
And just last night, Amanda wrote this to me: When I think about all the details God has worked out in this adoption that seemed so impossible in the beginning (a list [that] could go on and on)...It's so insane and just screams of God's involvement and intervention!...For now we will stand amazement of our awesome God...I'm so excited to share our journey with others in prayer that he uses it to inspire others on this path.
In the end, Jarrod and Amanda were chosen. They were chosen by two brave birth parents who wanted to give a good life to their daughter.
But more than that, they were chosen by God to be parents to their sweet daughter.
For more of their story, the amazing details, and to follow what God will do next, check out Amanda's blog, Adding to Us.
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