This may be one of our longer posts, but I think some people are wondering the "why" behind our decision to adopt. Here is our story. It is a story being written by the Author and narrated by us.
I ( Danielle) have had a STRONG passion for children ever since I was not quite old enough to babysit. I remember being fascinated by how they grew and developed so much in a matter of months. Often I would catch myself wondering "what are they thinking right now, what is going on in the brain and hearts right now as they do this activity or as they look at my face". This curiosity fueled my decision to study Child Development in college and I loved it. I now had answers to questions I had been asking myself for years. Children have been such a joy and affection of mine for a very long time
I knew long before Daniel and I were married that I wanted to have a child from another nation. God had planted a seed in me to feel and know his bigness at a young age. To me, family was beyond a child I could bear and the people who shared my bloodline.Early in our marriage Daniel and I discussed our hearts for Latin American countries, which included the people, the food, the weather, the life style, the family values, and the language. We were both incredibly fond of Latin American culture and when presented with an opportunity to travel to Nicaragua on a mission trip, we KNEW we were called to go.
Prior to leaving for Nicaragua our first trip my sister-in-law said something that has stuck inside my heart since 2009. She said " you guys are going to come back with a baby, I just know it". What was so shocking was our mission trip was not adoption oriented. What my sister-in-law didn't know was, she was speaking( things I hadn't felt confident to speak out) to a deep desire in my heart and I think, watering a seed in Daniel's heart. After our second mission trip in 2011 we returned with huge fervor to begin exploring adoption SERIOUSLY.
At 26 years old, with no infertility issues, we decided to build our family through the gift of adoption. We know God has a baby for us in Colombia! What the Enemy has intended for evil( an abandoned, parent-less child), God will use to demonstrate that he has had a plan since the beginning of time!!!! It is clear to us that God will fulfill the desire in our hearts of have a Colombian baby and a family. He will also fulfill our child's desire to have someone to love them. I love Psalms 68:6 that says " God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy" NLT.
Ok, I am not sure how I am supposed
to follow that up but I will give it my best! Not everyone is blessed with such
an amazing Wife but I sure am. Danielle and I (Daniel) have a joined excitement
to start a family and after lots of prayer and personal talks with God we have
decided to adopt from Colombia,
South America (Yeah!!). Our love for kids began early in
our relationship, with the awesome opportunity to be involved in two amazing
kids’ lives. The parents of these kids are good friends of ours and through
opportunities to take care of these kids for many weekends we had the chance to
grow ourselves into a couple who was ready for another member of La Familia
(the Family).
To throw another spin on our motivation to adopt
a beautiful child from Colombia,
my heart pours out for children of every nation. But ever since traveling twice
to Nicaragua on
mission trips the passion for the children of Central and South
America has risen inside me. This passion has sparked an
indwelling fascination for the people and culture of Latin American countries.
Danielle and I have had the opportunity to be apart of a Ministry in Nicaragua
and the involvement consist of two orphanages and a school/feeding facility.
The kids that we have been around have huge hearts and remember both of us each
time we have been back. The last time we went it was so hard to leave. God was
at work inside of our hearts and was speaking to even at that moment.
I have grown a lot over the last
few years and have had a chance to discover what is really important in my
life. I can honesty say that my family is the most important priority in my
life and will always hold that place inside of me. With that said, I can not
wait for the call from our adoption agency to tell us that we have a beautiful
Colombian child ready to be apart of our family. I hope that everyone continues
to follow our journey until we are united with our beautiful baby.
