Kyle and Abby started working with me through Christian Adoption Consultants last November. It was the end of January when their home study was ready, and then, almost nine months to the day later, their son was born. Sweet Boaz was a very welcome addition, making their family of four a family of five. Today Abby shares their journey, and specifically those that came alongside in unexpected ways.
By the grace of God alone, I write our story (one handed) while nursing our now six week old son, Boaz. Seven weeks ago our family was where perhaps many of you reading are today. We were presenting to so many expectant mamas we had sort of lost track of how many it had been, receiving so many ‘not yets’ that it felt like no one would ever say ‘yes,’ questioning if God really had adoption for our family or if it was just a pipe dream, a desire that we might have to give up.
It was a Thursday morning we were notified that we matched, and the baby was due the following Tuesday. I cannot even articulate the emotions…it was something along the lines of the best Christmas morning of our lives meets a car crash. We told our family and friends and we were so hopeful, yet scared to invest our whole hearts yet. What if the expectant mom changed her mind? On Monday we received notification that the baby had been born on Saturday and the birth mom would be discharged that day. We rushed to buy plane tickets, throw together our suitcases, kiss our older two kids goodbye and head to the airport. That Monday night at about 11:30, we were led into the hospital nursery. When we turned the corner, we saw a nurse holding a beautiful baby with a full head of dark, curly hair and I just knew that one was ours. She smiled, said “Congratulations!” handed him to me, and I immediately had all these thoughts… is he really, truly ours? Can I really give my whole heart to him like I long to do? And he was ours and he is ours, but in the moment all felt so uncertain and new. We cuddled our Boaz in the dark, back corner of the baby nursery, surrounded by mounds of formula and diapers for hours. That’s where we met our son.
The next morning our lawyer came to the hospital and we signed papers over coffee, and he told us things that will make him special to our family for the rest of our lives, even if he doesn’t know it. We soaked up every word that both the nurses and the lawyer told us about Boaz’s birth parents, tucking it all away to share with him as he grows. Honestly, this was the sweetest of times - holding our son while trying to glean what we could about where he came from, even though it was from people who only sort of knew.
We spent much of our ICPC wait on the beach (no regrets there) but the best part of our wait was the church that we visited while we were there. You see, we longed for the body of Christ in the midst of this major life event, and our local body was states and states away. When we walked in that Sunday morning, we were struck by the shear amount of multiracial families, many of them by adoption. Upon arrival, we were immediately spotted and loved by these people, and they just knew. They knew we were alone there in Florida and needing to hear the Word preached and partake in fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. The sermon was on the final verse of 2 Corinthians, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all,” and in God’s sweet providence, He ordained that many of the words that pastor spoke were the very things I had been meditating on as we drove to church, and I just cried at the sweet gifts both around us and in our arms. Many stayed long after the service ended to talk with us and love us, and we received not one, but two invitations to dinner while we were in town. This is the body of Christ.
Since we have been home, we have been completely and totally overwhelmed by the amount of love and support from our families, church family, and friends. What a joy it is to do life with these people who tell us that we don’t have to do it all alone – and then they back it up with action! We are in the family of God and these people will and have already helped us raise not just Boaz, but Flora and Leo as well. That’s where you find us now, tired, happy, a little bit of a mess, thankful, and surrounded by the love of God through His people.
As you, dear reader, may be one of those still waiting to hear that coveted ‘yes,’ we urge you, rest continually in our Sovereign Savior King. He will work out your story according to His good pleasure. There will be trials and there will be joys, but His story is infinitely better than any you or I could ever write.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (2 Corinthians 13:14)
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