“We Knew Right Away He Would Be Our Son”
Guest post from Matt & Andrea, Adoptive Parents and Lifesong Matching Grant Recipients
Over five years ago, we felt strongly that our family wasn’t complete.
But for three years, we struggled with infertility and loss.
Over the last year, the topic of adoption kept coming up in the most random places. We had been praying for a child, but one day specifically, I called out to God, asking Him to make it clear if we were supposed to begin looking into adoption.
That same night Matt said, “I think we need to talk about adoption. I’ve been thinking about it all day.”
Once we knew we were supposed to adopt, we chose to work with a local agency. Because of the age of child we were hoping to adopt, our local agency quickly told us about their international adoption program. We were quickly drawn to Taiwan and learned that the agency partnered with the Gladney Center for Adoption. Matt was adopted as an infant through that same agency, so we took it as a little God-nod that we were on the right track.
Only a month after all of our paperwork arrived in Taiwan, we were given a file for a three-year-old little boy. We knew right away he would be our son.
We began the process of fundraising, trusting God to provide everything we needed.
And He did. He provided through family, friends, organizations like Both Hands and Lifesong that come alongside adoptive families, and our local church.
We experienced support like we never expected.
God sent His people to encourage, to pray, and to give as we walked through our adoption process.
On June 3, 2020, we received our final ruling, making the adoption of our son legal.
Because of COVID-19, we knew our week-long trip to Taiwan would turn into a month-long trip. There were more hurdles to cross, such as obtaining special entry visas, receiving a negative COVID test no more than three days before boarding our departing flight to Taiwan, and a 14-day quarantine in separate hotel rooms. Yet God worked out all of the details, both financially and physically.
On August 3, we arrived home with our newest family member, about five years after God put it on our hearts to add to our family.
He is good, He has a plan, and He wants us to trust that He will provide everything that is needed when He calls us to move forward into something that seems hard and impossible.
With Him, all things are possible. He is always working all things for the good of those who love and follow after Him.
When we began the adoption process, the financial piece was overwhelming.
I remember a friend, who had also gone through the adoption process, telling me not to worry about the money. “God will provide,” she said.
Right away we received a generous gift from a family member. It was almost like God was saying, “I’ve got this! Trust Me.”
Every time there was a large amount of money due, God provided. He provided through family, friends, a matching grant, and a Both Hands project where we had the pleasure of serving a widow and raising money for our adoption.
He provided, even when our week-long trip turned into a month-long trip to pick up our son from Taiwan. He did not leave us on our own to figure it out.
God knew when we said “Yes!” to adoption that He would carry us through it and provide all we needed.
Lifesong helped us manage incoming adoption funds and process donations, which took a big load off our already full plates.
They collected money from our biggest fundraiser and allowed our donors to give tax-deductible donations. Working with Lifesong was a seamless process. They served us well during our adoption process, and I can’t think of any ways in which the process could have been more smooth.
Adopting?
We’d love to partner with your family.
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