Adoption is the common “red thread” that has been woven through the fabric of Steve and Katie Goar’s life. They’ve been married 23 years and have been on numerous mission trips, visiting orphanages and doing community work. They even spent their 20th wedding anniversary in Honduras staying at an orphanage, digging a well, and doing general service work. Their love for each other, willingness to embrace adventure, and tolerance for dwelling among scorpions made their 20th anniversary most unique, but perfect for them. Their connection with adoption started long before marriage. Steve is an adoptee and a life-long advocate for the beautiful life opportunity of adoption. It wasn’t until after the birth of their fourth child, Bode Chai, when they started to realize their role was evolving from advocacy into participation. Bode was born with Down syndrome, and after being confronted with this information one day after his birth, the family was ushered into a world of new information, new medical acronyms, and the welcoming arms of the special needs community. The thread that started to bring the tapestry into view was Katie traveling to Asia with their 12 year old son, Asher. They were part of a team preparing adoption file assessments. Returning from the trip, pulling into the driveway, and not even having feet on the ground, Asher turned to his parents and said, “I believe we should adopt”. For several months, the family’s eyes began to widen even more. The point came when advocacy, contributing, and prayers were no longer enough, and it was time to respond. The love story of Steve’s own adoption, the divine message of Bode’s special chromosome, and the imprint of Asia, all converged and inked their hearts with the faith and passion to find June. A little six year old girl with Down syndrome, waiting for a forever family.
4/7/16—WAITING FOR APPROVAL