SIMON & HOPE for the Preston family — VT

 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10
 
Matthew and Tammy have been married for nearly 3 years. They have a blended family of 3 girls. They were in the process of adopting a child with hydrocephalus. After months of waiting for this little boy named Nathanael,  they were told that Nathanael was no longer adoptable. They had waited for months and months for Nathanael’s country to say it was okay to adopt him as their dossier sat over in his country. The news was devastating!
 
They begin praying to see what God would have them do. They felt God showed them to let go of Nathanael and place him in God’s hands.
 
God showed them that they had to let go of Nathanael, open their heart and trust Him. He showed them that letting go of Nathanael did not mean that he would no longer be in their heart. It did not mean that they had to take down pictures of him and stop praying for him. It just meant that they had to accept that God had other plans and His wisdom is beyond their understanding. It means, their prayers for Nathanael have changed. They still pray for his healing, but also pray for Nathanael’s family, his orphanage, and his country.

 

They prayed and God spoke. Matt and Tammy felt that God still wanted them to adopt. Matt spearheaded the search for a child and they came across two children who are unrelated in the same orphanage. After praying some more, they applied to the adoption agency and were accepted to start the process of bringing home these two orphans from Eastern Europe.
 
This journey into international adoption, has been a bittersweet one. Although they are not bringing home the child they originally intended, they are bringing home two other angels that have also captured their heart.
 
Their 3 children, Justine – 19 years old, Carrie – 16 years old, and Mia – 8 years old, are very excited that their family trusted God and are still bringing home two children who will no longer be orphans but will be their brother and sister.

3/19/12—DOSSIER COMPLETE, USCIS APPROVED

Follow the Preston family’s adoption journey on their blog at   http://savenathaniel.blogspot.com/