Adoption Story: Jon and Ruthie (a video journal)

Tuesday, November 8, 2016. There was a lot going on that day. But the text I got from Ruthie that afternoon would be historic for their family in other ways.

Just four days before Jon and Ruthie had received news that the expectant mother they had developed a relationship with for months had chosen to parent. The days had been filled of bittersweet: happy that a mother had decided she could parent her daughter but also grieving over the loss of that adoption. What unfolded in the next few days was nothing short of a miracle. God brought redemption to their family and turned their mourning into dancing. Psalm 30:11-12 became their song...

You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 

that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.

Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

Never did I think the Lord would write the story He did for us. 5 weeks later, looking at my sleeping son next to me, I still have to ask myself, "Did that really happen?" In November 2012 the Lord called us to adoption on Orphan Sunday. We were visiting our friend's church because the church story team followed them on their adoption journey and I can still picture our friends meeting their son Jacob in the hospital for the first time in their video. The pastor preached on our own spiritual adoption into God's family and after that sermon we looked at each other and said, "Yes, adoption.". Fast forward 3 years and 2 beautiful biological babies later, God continued to show us that adoption is what He had for us. We started asking people we knew who had adopted for advice and recommendations and where to start. A good friend of mine, also an adoptive mama, told me about this company she knew of called Christian Adoption Consultants. A few weeks later I was on Pinterest looking up adoption family profile books and came across Susan's blog. I ended up reading every single post she'd written and emailing her that evening. It was God's providence, I had no idea she worked for CAC and I knew we were meant to use her. 

We were home study approved in February 2016 and sent our profile book to 5 different agencies and were so excited to see expectant mama situations coming in right away. Fast forward again to June 2016 and we received an email from Susan about a birth mom in Las Vegas, due with a baby girl in November. Side note...we hadn't ever sent our profile book to this agency in Las Vegas which is crazy but God will make what He wants happen, am I right? We waited over a week on pins and needles wondering if we would be chosen. We'd presented a few times before and although those "No's" were hard to hear, we knew that meant it was a "Yes" for another family and that our baby was out there. July 5th, 2016 we received a call that we were MATCHED and our baby girl was due on November 10th, 2016. We spent the next four months cultivating a wonderful relationship with both the expectant mother and birth father... Skyping, texting, sending pictures and cards. It was a relationship that was unlike any other relationship I had experienced and one that was so precious and sacred. I got to pray with that birth mom, M, and boy did we love her so so much. We felt like we had hit the jackpot with birth moms, we had even planned on spending baby girl's birthdays together. November 4th, 2016 we got the devastating call that baby girl was born healthy the day before but M could not place her for adoption and chose to parent. We were heartbroken, shocked, and confused. I knew there was such thing as a failed adoption but that was never something that crossed my mind with our perfect relationship with our expectant mom. As much devastation and heartbreak as we experienced, we felt joy for this baby girl who would stay with her mom and have biological siblings. I have so much love and grace for M, we talked many times after the baby was born and it was so beautiful and healing. The next few days the Lord did a lot of healing in our hearts. We had friends and family come cry with us, pray with us, and bring us casseroles and chocolate. I know that each person I saw I told "Man I just want to get a call that a baby has been born and because God has a sense of humor, I am sure it will be a boy." 

Tuesday November 8th, 2016, 2:30pm, we get a call from the social worker we had been working with in Las Vegas. I start pouring my heart out about what a hard weekend it was but also a healing one. The Lord was doing a great work and I felt His presence more than ever before. After I finally stopped talking it was silent and she said, "Ruthie there was a baby born last night, it is a boy. Are you interested?" My heart leapt and I burst into tears. God had been healing our broken hearts so quickly to prepare us for our son. What a kind God He is, four days after losing what we thought was our daughter. Wednesday night we Skyped with the birth mom, R, Thursday she officially chose us, she signed relinquishment papers on Friday, and that evening we jumped on an airplane to Las Vegas to meet our baby boy. In those four days between the loss and the call of about our baby boy, the Lord showed me through three different people the story of Gideon so when we found out we had a son, we knew his name was Gideon. A strong and mighty warrior. 

Because I can so vividly (and emotionally) remember our friend's adoption story and video, I knew I wanted to chronicle this crazy story through video and you can view it below. God didn't have to give us Gideon, but He did. He is so kind, so personal, and so generous. We know that Gideon's life is already touching so many and pray that this story will forever glorify our Heavenly Father and His great works for His children. 

For more of this boy's incredible beginning, their adoption story, and their adventures as a family, you can follow along at Ruthie's blog, The Chronicles of Ruthie Hart.