It was three years ago that we finally put our trust in God and answered his call of our family to adopt. It took over two years of God trying to convince us.. This story begins right after we moved to a new part of the state and away from all family and friends.
We moved due to we wanted Dana to be able to get a job that he could be home more often since at the time he was gone for up to two weeks at a time. I quit my job and started being a stay at home Mom.. Josh and Kayla were in school all day and after a few months I was very bored and needing to find something to do with my time. I applied to a Preschool for a position and was hired as a two year teacher. Then God started to speak to me about having another child and I thought that working with kids would take care of it.
In December Dana was still traveling and we had time to go out to lunch without Josh and Kayla and I told him during lunch I thought that God wanted us to adopt a child. He laughed so hard and I just looked at him and said you just need to pray about it. That Christmas Dana asked my Dad if we could borrow the money to adopt and everyone thought that we had lost our minds and said the words that I will never forget you have the perfect family a son and a daughter.
A few months later a little girl walked in to my class a preschool she had been adopted from China just a few months earlier. I was in awe of her and asked her Mom alot of questions about adoption. I remember telling Dana about her and said I know that where we will adopt from one day Dana still just laughing. The next year I started working in the one year old class and was very excited to be working with little ones. I still brought up adoption ever so often and Dana was still not ready.
We had been looking for a new church since moving and had been going to a church for about six months when in the bullentin they were having a baby shower for a couple adopting a little girl from China. I showed Dana the insert and I said I wonder who they are. The week before the couple left for China they gave their travel website out to the church and I remember going home and reading all the entries no matter how much I read I just could not get enough. They traveled in October and I came home from work everyday and check their updates and when they came home and brought their little girl to church tears filled my eyes.
Dana had finally found a job that he was home everynight and we were all trying to get use to this. In November the radio station had a special on every night for one week on Orphans and adoption. We listened every night and Dana had started praying about adopting. In December Dana said he knew that we needed to adopt though didn't know how we were going to afford it and I said God would provide if we followed him.
In January we chose an agency and mailed in the application then in Febuary I was doubting that we could actually afford to complete the adoption when I was on the way to have our taxes filled out and a commerical came on the radio about an adoption agency and I knew God wanted me to hear that at the time. After getting our taxes filed I was in awe again we got a refund for the exact amount we needed for the homestudy and for the first agency fee. God pursued us for a long time and never gave up even when we was not willing to follow. He knew our family was missing someone and I thank him for not giving up on us.
