Our Decision to Adopt

It's hard to state when it was that we really felt "called" to adopt. We both have talked about adoption being in our family "one day" from the time we were engaged. But then we kept getting pregnant... hehe. I have incredibly difficult pregnancies, and they seemed to be getting worse. So much that with our third child, the doctor was pleading w/ me at one of my final appointments to take drastic measures after birth to never get pregnant again. Can't be a good sign.

Well, fast forward 2 years.... we thought we were done growing our family. However, summer of '06, we were itching for another babe. We still thought we'd adopt ONE DAY...way down the line. I thought I wanted "just one more biological child". HAH. What I want is never usually the plan - and for good reason at that. While at GMA in the Rockies (yes, my husband is a rock star), Steven Curtis Chapman was speaking about adoption. I didn't really hear much of what he said though, as for the fact that one of the only times in my life - I honestly believe I heard God audibly speaking to me that we were to begin the adoption process, and that it was selfish of me to try to grow our family any other way. We had already talked sometime before that Africa would be where we would adopt from. We both are bleeding hearts for the desperation in Africa due to poverty and especially HIV/AIDS. I also felt God prompting me that this meant I HAD to be open to a child w/ HIV. (This comes into play much later.)

Well, it took us the next the next 5 months to find an adoption agency we wanted to use, and actually act on that calling. So, in January of '07, we did it. We submitted our application to America World. ( www.AWAA.org ) And the ride began.

One last little tidbit though... The night before submitting the application - I asked Aaron (my husband) what we would name another son (we were requesting an infant boy from Ethiopia in our application). And for the second time, really felt like I "heard" God speaking. (kinda silly, huh?) The name Malachi came to mind. I told that name to Aaron. He of course liked it b/c there is a professional football player named "Chi", which would obviously be his nickname. (For those of you who don't know us, we've been big on naming our children before we knew them, basing it on the meaning of their names, and ALWAYS picking a nickname ahead of time. Very important.) Well, I immediately went and looked up what Malachi meant in the Bible. It means "God's Messenger". "Malachi's word confronts a people skeptical of the promises of God and therefore indifferent in their commitment to live in the light of those promises and to worship and serve the Lord with all their hearts." -R.C. Sproul - Anyway, seemed fitting for a child coming in to the "Worship Pastor's" family. :) I love it when God does that.

Okay, so I know my postings are longer than an average posting I've seen...but once again, this is sort of serving as my journal too. Sorry.