Thank You for Your Support

This is an email that I sent to one of the teachers where I work who helped support our adoption. It is meant for everyone who has supported, prayed and encouraged us with our adopting Maylie.

Thank you so much for your support. It was answer to prayer. God is going to bless you both here on earth and in heaven a hundred fold.

God has revealed so much to me throughout this whole process. Being led by the Lord to adopt, we refinanced our house to fund the process. Little did I or Lydia know, that the cost would be greater than the amount we were able to take out in equity. I didn't know up until a week before we traveled how much we would be short. But God, (....but God....I love when this phrase appears in the Bible) knew how much we needed and was challenging my faith in Him. I was on my knees daily petitioning Him to provide for the expenses. Through several garage sales, fund raisers, including selling cookies in my class, a couple of grants, and donations, God in the last days before we left for China, answered my prayers. I have to fight back tears as I write this, thinking back at doubting God's perfect will in this process and my lack of faith in Him (much worry and stress for nothing). Although He provided for the whole amount, close to half of it came in through money other than the equity from our house!

I thank God so much for providing for this adoption, for my daughters who encouraged us to adopt, and to Lydia my wife who spent countless hours doing the paper work to make this happen.

The adoption experience is so life changing. Seeing little Maylie for the first time, staring at her beauty when she sleeps and experiencing her little personality, and seeing how perfectly she fits into our family confirmed in my heart that she was meant for our family and she was chosen for us. I would encourage every couple who God is calling to adopt, to do it. I feel so blessed. Psalm 127:3-5 (not quite a quiver, but getting there).

In His love, Steve