And then...those two words can change everything.
"The process was overwhelming and stressful." "We were devastated and couldn't see God's glory at all in the situation." And then...
We all need reminders that an "and then" could be coming. That there are times our stories aren't done being written, that God isn't finished, and that our prayers are still in the process of being answered.
Today Kelsey shares their adoption story. And the "and then" that unexpectedly led them to their daughter and more blessings than they anticipated.
Years before we started the process, God had put adoption on my heart and we knew we would grow our family through adoption. Starting the process was overwhelming and stressful and I’m so thankful we stumbled upon Susan’s blog. She made the process so much easier and without her and Christian Adoption Consultants I’m sure we’d still be in the waiting period. It was reassuring to have somebody that understood the process completely and using a consultant was the best decision we made when starting our adoption journey.
God taught us a lot about trust during this season. We matched quickly after we began presenting and we immediately found the relationship to be difficult. There were times where we couldn’t see how God was using this situation but we felt Him urging us to invest in this woman and her unborn child. We put our hearts into a match for four months before it failed. We were devastated and couldn’t see God’s glory at all in the situation. Susan reminded us that God wouldn’t let us miss our baby and we found comfort in knowing our child was still waiting for us. Through the failed adoption God also showed us that our pain and trials are not be only about us. We found comfort that we were able to be a resource and support for this child and his family. We know God doesn’t waste anything.
Less than a month after this failed match we found out what God had been waiting to show us. We saw a situation and instantly connected to this woman. We felt so much peace presenting to her and found out later that she knew immediately we were the family for her daughter. One week after she chose us our daughter was born! It happened so quickly and we can’t imagine any other outcome now that our daughter is home with us. We want other families to know the while walking through a failed adoption is painful, He WILL redeem your story and finish what He started.
The best part of this process has been the relationship we’ve developed with our daughter’s birth family. They are amazing and so full of love for our daughter. The thought of an open adoption can be scary but we’ve had the best experience. Knowing our daughter has another family loving her and wanting the best for her is so beautiful. We’d encourage hopeful adoptive families to embrace the blessings of an open adoption and appreciate these special relationships.
