Adoption Story: Kevin and Crystal

Does God really have a plan? 

That was the question Kevin and Crystal asked themselves almost daily on their journey to become a family. Their decision to add children started over six years ago when they became foster parents. They also decided to pursue adoption; through the foster care system and through domestic infant adoption with the help of Christian Adoption Consultants.

But that question hung in the air: Does God really have a plan?

We were foster parents for over 6 years. God blessed us with three boys, two we adopted after 774 days in foster care. They were ours forever to love on. 

Yet in our hearts we had prayed since getting married in 2003 for a little girl. I’ve always wanted a girl to raise as a Godly princess, whose heart would seek Him, be a girlie girl in a tutu with rain boots ready to get muddy when given the opportunity. We had seen friends adopt domestically but the costs scared us away many times.  

God was big in our lives but not with our finances; it was the one thing we were willing to give to others but not to our prayer we had begged God to answer. Kevin and I filled the forms and became home study approved, and yet every fundraiser fell through, our agency fell through, and we got many “not chosen” emails. God wasn’t in it. Many nights we would sit in our room and cry out to God to take the desire away to have a princess. 

However, I kept the little girl shoes on my dresser asking for them to be filled. Few weeks passed as it all fell through and our eight year old son asked us to foster again. Within weeks we were approved for a local agency. Through this we asked God to use our story of fostering to impact our community. Almost a year ago we got a call for a GIRL! A beautiful spunky four year old girl who needed a forever family. 

We said yes. God heard our yes and said I’m not done yet! 

Susan was amazing and patient with us as we went back and forth with plans and questions. This time we said we are ALL in. Our finances, faith and all. We got an email of a case that would make you want to run far away. So many unknowns…but we knew this was it! 

That email came mid-May. Kevin and Crystal were chosen and just two weeks later met their daughter and her amazing birth mother.

I could share a ton on our last week of prepping, waiting on the call to fly out, being on the road within an hour, running through the airport, and getting to the hospital to our daughter and her birth mom. I really wanted to know our birth mom. I thought I knew exactly how I would feel, what I would think and say, yet it happened so fast. All I could do is love. She loved this baby girl just as much as I did.

Kevin and Crystal spent those days in the hospital with their daughter and her birth mother, soaking up every moment they could with this woman who had overcome so much to give birth to the daughter they shared. 

When we said goodbye to her, we gave her a hug and a high five as she walked out telling her she’s got this; she can make a change in her life and we will be cheering her on through it!

We named our daughter Eliana which means God heard. We couldn't think of a more perfect name.
God not only answered our prayer but doubled it with our two girls!

Six years ago Kevin and Crystal had a family of two. This year they will celebrate as a family of seven!

God had a plan the whole time...