Why?

Although we announced our adoption a few months ago, Chris and I still are often asked variations of the same question: Why adopt? Our answer is simple.

Because our child is in China.

There is a birth mother in China that, for either physical, financial, or cultural reasons, is not able to care for her child. God has asked us to step into this role.

You see, adoption is not our "plan B".

It seems that often people think that adoption happens when a couple cannot have children...that adoption is a "last resort". We have not experienced infertility. In fact, the opposite is true. I have been pregnant multiple times. True, we have had many heart-wrenching pregnancy struggles. We have experienced everything from miscarriage to ectopic to delivering Sam. It is exactly for that reason that Chris and I must adopt.

During one of our miscarriages, I realized that, while I could not deliver and care for my child, God could. Not only could he, He willingly is doing so! I cannot see my babies we've lost, but I have peace knowing that they are being taken care of in a safe and loving place. I am humbled that I can do that for someone else. 

Five years ago, Chris and I gave birth to Sam and we thank God everyday for him. That boy melts my heart! Our 5 year old is curious, enthusiastic, and creative. Most importantly though, he is made in God's image. More than 100,000 abandoned children from newborn to age seventeen are living in orphanages across China. Over 95% of these children are impacted by minor, major, or multiple physical conditions. All of them are also made in God's image.

I recently read that adoption is not a “spur of the moment decision. Neither is it a haphazard, emotional decision to do something good for someone else. It is a conscious decision to limit one’s own options and pleasures for the sake of extending the story of God to children who, without a link to you, may never discover their link to God”. So, we do not rejoice in the fact that children are abandoned or living in overcrowded, impoverished orphanages, but we do rejoice in the knowledge that God has a child set aside for us and that we can be that link to Him!