The story begins in February of 2006 when I was waiting on a referral from Guatemala. I was #32 on the waiting list for a baby boy with my adoption agency. I had sent out an email to a family (the mom's name was Sarah) who was right ahead of me at #31, thinking it would be nice to connect with someone who was on a similar journey. Will was four and a half years old at the time.
What became of that email? God used that first email to begin a friendship between Sarah and I that has now spanned seven years. I would come to find out after that first email that Sarah lived in Iowa and had three biological children, the oldest of whom was Luke, who was five years old at the time. (Will and Luke would later become pen pals!) Sarah and her husband Shane felt God leading them to adopt from Guatemala, just as I had heard that same call.
Sarah and I began emailing, often many times a day, discussing the ins and outs of the adoption process in Guatemala. Our emails gave way to phone calls, at least daily, and those phone calls created the best of friends. We waited and waited as our numbers on the waiting list grew smaller and smaller. Soon it was June of 2006...June 22nd to be exact...and we both received a phone call that afternoon from our adoption agency announcing our referrals. We rejoiced together at this blessing!
Sarah traveled to meet her new son in Guatemala the week before I did. She got to love on Josh and took lots of pictures for me.
After we had both completed our first trips, Sarah and I continued to talk every day....planning, hoping, and dreaming of the day when we could return to Guatemala to bring our boys home. We rejoiced in the monthly updates that our agency sent...new pictures, new measurements, and new accomplishments that our sons had learned. We supported each other as time wore on and we learned that our little guys could rollover... sit up...crawl...all done without us. We celebrated as our adoption cases progressed and cried when we hit delays. Finally, thousands of emails and phone calls later, it was time for each of us to travel to bring our sons home. I traveled first and was able to repay Sarah and love on her Alex, take lots of pictures, and most importantly, whisper to him that his family was coming soon.
As time went by, our daily phone calls became less frequent as life simply took over. Sarah and I remained very close, but talked less frequently. When we did talk, we chatted about our desire to start another adoption. Sarah felt called to Ethiopia and I began to feel a leading towards another adoption as well. Sarah and her husband signed with the same adoption agency in 2010 and began what would surely be a very long wait for a referral from Ethiopia. I hesitated, some days feeling very sure that I would adopt again and other days feeling like the time was just not right. In April of 2011, I read online that China had opened its "special focus" program to single mothers. I was excited, but quickly learned that I did not qualify. Josh was four at the time and China required the youngest child in the household to be six years old. I decided to use the time to research the China adoption process and really try to discern what direction God wanted for me and my family.
On August 30, 2012, I requested to view the file of a 5 year old girl in China. I received the file that same day. Also, on that same day, Sarah and her husband got an email out of the blue from their adoption agency asking them to consider a 5 year old girl from Haiti. Both girls had names that began with the letter "J". Early on, I felt very positive about the file I was considering and felt almost certain that I would accept it. Sarah and Shane had some concerns (their agency was seeking accredidation in Haiti, the file had some conflicting information, etc.), but also started to feel that they might should pursue the adoption of this little girl. Once again, we rejoiced together. I sent the file I had been given to an international adoption specialist. The doctor called me the next day with devastating news - news about medical issues and concerns that I did not feel I would be able to handle. I returned the file on September 6, although I found myself questioning the decision I had made, wondering why this had happened and if I simply lacked the faith I needed to move forward. Meanwhile, Sarah and Shane continued to struggle with their own uncertainties about the child they had been shown. They, too, declined their referral, just a few days after I had made my decision to do the same. And once again, God helped me find comfort and peace in our friendship.
On October 16, 2012, I requested and received the file of a seven year old girl in China. I immediately sent the information to Sarah and we combed through it together. I had the file reviewed by several doctors and continued to feel peace that I had found my daughter. Ironically, I began to hear an announcement on the radio, almost daily, that said "When you are faced with a difficult journey, often God sends you someone so that you do not have to face it alone." Sarah and I continued to talk, and I rested in the fact that once again, she was there for me along this journey. As we talked, she shared with me that she was currently #46 on the boys list for Ethiopia. I distinctly remember feeling very odd when she said that, thinking that she would certainly not have to wait much longer, despite her wait list number. I even encouraged her to finish up some remaining paperwork that she had been putting aside for a while. On October 23rd, Sarah received a phone call from a friend of hers who told her of a dream she had had where Sarah adopted a young boy and that it happened very quickly. Still, being #46 on the waiting list should have easily meant another year or more of waiting to receive her referral. Nevertheless, we all felt it was coming soon. And it did! On November 9th, Sarah texted me..."Just got a call for a 5 year old boy!!!!" When I read the text, I had chill bumps all over.
I went on to officially accept the referral of my daughter on November 19, 2012. Sarah and Shane officially accepted the referral of their son that same week. And I was reminded that God had given us this friendship so that we could share in this amazing journey of adoption together...once again!
Sent from my iPad
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