When Rick and I married ten years ago at the age of 47, we were totally unaware of the path on which God would lead us. We felt drawn to adoption, but set it on the back burner when Traci’s teenage daughter was really put off by the idea. Three years later, in God’s perfect timing, and with the full support of Brittany, we adopted our daughter in December of 2011 at age 7 with low vision, then one year later our son, 6, with a private special need. When God laid our next daughter on our hearts, we encountered a little bit of a struggle with getting her home due to convincing our social worker to allow us to adopt out of birth order (she was almost 11 when she came home), as well as financial issues from adopting three times in four years.
Although all the photos tugged at our hearts, we thought that surely we were done! We settled in, tended to the surgical needs of two of our children, and watched over two years go by. God blessed our family, and we were content. A few weeks ago, though, I reposted a photo of our latest adopted daughter from before she had come home. Some adoption mamas and advocates began to post about an older girl from the same orphanage, wondering if her family had ever found her. It turns out that she had been our daughter’s best friend in the orphanage, sharing not only a friendship but the same special need of cerebral palsy. At first, I tried to advocate for her so that her family could find her, but soon I realized that we WERE her family!
The adjustment process becomes so much harder in the teen years, plus she struggles with speech. How much better would this process be in she could have her best friend beside her? The fear would be less, and she would have an example of hope! She has less than one year before she ages out. When an agency interviewed her, she said that her best friend had been adopted in March, 2014, and she thought for sure that her own family would come for her soon, and no one ever did! One family had been in process for her but never came, and her heart was broken.
Everyone in our family is on board for this adoption. We believe it to be God’s will. We cannot bear the thought of a child of 14 with cerebral palsy living in a country that is not friendly to those with special needs having to go through life without a family to call her own! Would you please help us? We would be so appreciative.
1/27/2017—LOA RECEIVED