A Story of Surrendered Dreams and Faithful Fulfillment

The Lord planted the desire for adoption in our hearts long before we were married. It wasn’t an afterthought—it was a calling we both sensed even while we were dating. We dreamed of a home full of love, children, and the redemptive beauty of adoption woven into our story.

Two years into marriage, we welcomed our first daughter. Her arrival—though marked by an intense delivery with back labor—was the beginning of a beautiful new chapter. Life felt full and joyful. When our second daughter surprised us just fourteen months later, we leaned into the wonder and exhaustion of parenting two little ones so close in age.

But while 39 weeks pregnant with our second daughter, I was in a devastating car accident. In an instant, life shifted. Our sweet baby suffered a traumatic brain injury, and our days became filled with medical appointments, prayers, and fighting for every ounce of her fragile life—while still caring for our bright-eyed toddler.

We put plans for a third child—and adoption—on hold. Our hands and hearts were full. Our second daughter passed away at just four years old. Her absence left a silence we couldn’t explain. And yet, God met us there—in the deepest pain—with His steady presence.

Encouraged by friends and cleared by doctors, we eventually became pregnant again. But heartbreak met us once more when our third daughter was stillborn just a year after we lost our second. The grief was layered, and we knew it was time to pause and simply cherish the gift of our firstborn, who had become a light in some of our darkest days.

As I approached 40, a quiet courage stirred again. We tried once more, and for a moment, we were filled with hope. But in a familiar pattern of early miscarriage, we had to say goodbye again, this time to a child we would never hold.

Our hearts longed for more children—not out of discontentment, but because we felt our family wasn’t yet complete. Our oldest daughter was everything we could have hoped for and more, yet we sensed that the story God had written for us wasn’t finished.

So, we circled back to the dream He planted from the very beginning—adoption. We explored international options and recalled our time serving in orphanages on short‑term mission trips. But those doors didn’t open. Instead, God led us to foster care. Almost immediately, the process unfolded with an ease that could only be described as divine favor. A local judge expedited our certification to urgently place two children who had endured significant trauma.

That’s how we met our son and daughter—two and three years old, siblings who quickly became ours in every way. A year and a half later, their adoption was finalized, and our hearts were overflowing.

We spent the next few years simply enjoying them—nurturing, bonding, healing. And when the time was right, we opened our hearts and home again, fostering 20 more children over time. Our younger two served as kind and compassionate foster siblings, while our oldest grew into adulthood and graduated college.

It’s been ten years since we first said “yes” to fostering, and our story is still unfolding. Through every heartbreak and delay, God has proven Himself faithful. The waiting was long, but the harvest was worth it.

For the Season of Waiting

Friend, if you’re in a season of longing or waiting, don’t give up. Don’t lose heart. God sees the whole picture, even when your view is blurry and broken. His timing may not be what you hoped for—but it is always good, always purposeful, and always best.

“There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens…”

— Ecclesiastes 3:1

A Prayer for the Waiting

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You that Your timing is perfect—even when I don’t understand it.

Help me to trust You in the waiting.

Remind me that You see what I cannot, and You are always working for my good and Your glory.

Give me strength not to grow weary and faith to keep hoping.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.