Friend's Adoption

If you'll remember back a few months ago, I posted about adoption and what it means to me.  I encouraged any readers who are adopted, who are adopting, etc, to share their story!  There is a family at our church who is leaving TOMORROW headed to China to pick up their sweet little boy, Paxton!  Our church family can't wait to greet them home in just a couple weeks with their newest addition!  Bethany shared a little of their story with me:

God planted the seed of adoption in our hearts during the summer of 2008 after Stephen Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman lost their little girl.  We also lost our first child, since then I have had a heavy heart for others who experience such a great loss.  I began reading the Chapman’s blog almost daily and was touched by his love for orphans.  Craig and I began discussing the possibility of adopting and knew it was something we would like to do. 

Craig and I discussed adoption several times over the next two years, but we never felt the time was just right.  At the beginning of February 2010, adoption became a regular conversation between Craig and me.  Craig said, “If God is calling us to adopt, he is going to have to almost speak out loud to me.”  Well, God almost did…..  Our son was going to be baptized on February 28, this is also the day we lost our first son, Noah. We went to church that Sunday morning with heavy hearts.  We were so excited to have our son baptized, but we still mourned the loss of our little Noah.  After Hayden’s baptism, we opened the church bulletin.  Inside the bulletin was a flyer advertising an adoption meeting at a local church for anyone interested in domestic or international adoption.  We both looked at each other with tears in our eyes, and we KNEW it was time.  God could have chosen any day for the flyer to be in the bulletin, but He chose February 28. 

People ask, “Why China? Why not America?”  God placed China on our hearts, we have no explanation.  God revealed to us without question we were to adopt from China.  That is another exciting story.

          I questioned whether I could love another child as much as I love the three I gave birth to.  God showed me I can!  I have had doubts if we would have the money we needed throughout the adoption.  God has provided! God has shown Craig and I so much through this process, and we both have shed many tears of excitement, frustration, and JOY!  This journey has been beautiful on so many levels.  I thank God that he chose US to adopt one of his precious children, what an incredible blessing!   

 So will you join with me in praying for the Mathis family as they travel tomorrow to bring Paxton to his forever family?  Pray that the Lord will make his little spirit adaptable to all the changes he will be going through just in the next two weeks as they travel with him throughout the country and home to the US, as he has never left the orphanage he lives in!