Homestudy In Progress
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Because every family deserves the blessing of a child with Down Syndrome... |
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JAEGER for the Alford-DeBoer family — CA
Andrea and Jesse met and fell in love on a co-ed soccer team in 2004, he was great & she was not, but they’ve been teammates ever since. Jesse works in Property Management & is the Worship Leader at their church. Andrea stays at home with their son, Jackson (adopted), and any foster children they may be loving on at the time. While serving the homeless in their city the DeBoer’s became increasingly aware that most of the people they met on the streets came from broken homes or were lacking family. The DeBoer’s both come from large families & love family life, they recognize their adoption by God is the single most significant part of their heritages, and they realized that extending their family through adoption and foster care was one way they could stand in the gap between brokenness & life on the streets. Andrea and a friend came across Reece’s Rainbow, saw one beautiful smile that stood out in particular, and was heartbroken over the plight of orphans and orphans with special needs. The DeBoer’s had no intention of adopting internationally but continued to learn more about the orphan crisis. In the time since, they became licensed foster parents & adopted Jackson. In 2013 Andrea saw a face on social media that looked familiar, went back to RR & sure enough it was that same little boy. She asked, Jesse said ‘Yes!’ and they began the adventure to bring Jaeger home to their family!
The journey is long & complicated, and the costs are high, but the DeBoers know that Jaeger is worth it! They would be grateful for your support, either financially or through prayer, as they go after their little man.
5/8/2014—HOMESTUDY in PROCESS
AVA and MIA for the LaDuke family — NY
Adam and Karen LaDuke met in college where they became fast friends. A college professor paired them up to share a painting studio assuring Karen, “Adam will be a great influence on you.” Though the professor was speaking in artistic terms, his statement proved to be much more true than he ever imagined. Karen and Adam were married in 1999 and their birth daughter, Naomi, was born to them four years later. Parenting rocked! They loved every bit of it and enjoyed their time with their sweet, sensitive, and imaginative Naomi at home. A week before Naomi turned three, she came to her parents and announced that they were to have another baby. “Her name is Sally and she doesn’t have a Mommy or a Daddy. Mommy will be the Mommy and Daddy will be her Daddy.” This was a remarkable statement for any nearly three year old, but it was especially breathtaking because Adam and Karen had been praying for about adding to their family. Having discussed future plans for adoption before they were even married, they weren’t sure if their next child should be biological or adopted. Their discussions had all taken place after bedtime and out of earshot of Naomi’s room, so they felt stunned by her “proclamation”. They were particularly shocked to find a little girl from China three weeks later on a waiting child website with the name “Sally”. When Karen called and asked for information concerning Sally’s special needs and found out that Sally had the same medical issues that Karen herself had dealt with as a child! Continuing to pray privately as they collected information, Adam and Karen needed to make a decision about adopting. No one had mentioned Sally to Naomi during this time, but praying with Naomi a month after her announcement, Karen asked God to send her just the right brother or sister at just the right time. Naomi, now three, interrupted to interject, “Yeah, God… Send us Sally.” Sally came home one year later and the two have been extremely close since Day 1. Six years have now passed and Adam and Karen felt God nudging them toward adoption again. This time, Karen saw “Ava and Mia” on Reece’s Rainbow and immediately saw the kind of loving relationship between them that Naomi and Sally share. The age difference between the two girls was the same as well. Upon seeing the girls’ picture, Adam immediately felt God calling him to say “Yes!” When the girls’ picture was switched from the “Newly Listed Children” category to the “My Family Found Me” category, Naomi cried tears of joy and Sally screamed and did cartwheels. GOD IS GOOD! Please join with Adam and Karen as they pray for “Ava and Mia” in Africa and await for the girls to unite with them as their forever family.
9/19/13—HOMESTUDY in PROCESS
LADYBUG for Chris and Kami — CO
Chris, Kami, and their two young daughters’ journey toward adoption started before they even recognized it as such. Even upon marriage, Chris and Kami talked hypothetically about a desire to adopt “one day.” In the midst of losing three sweet babies to miscarriage over the course of 12 months in 2011-2012, God revealed that “one day” was much sooner than they would have guessed. Slowly and surely, they have been reading and researching, praying for waiting children, supporting others’ adoptions, and prayerfully seeking God’s timing for their blessed opportunity to give a child a family. They are excited that the time has come!
They feel unequivocally called to adopt a waiting child from an Eastern European orphanage. They are excited to pursue little Ladybug to give her a family, the chance to learn about Jesus, and the opportunity to reach her highest potential. They acknowledge that this will be difficult work. But they know that our God is our Redeemer, our Comforter, and our Strength. And, they simply believe that every single child is a blessing – regardless of his or her abilities, history, future, or labels the world has attached to them. They covet your support in this endeavor and ask for your prayers for Ladybug and their family.
5/1/2014—HOMESTUDY in PROCESS
Follow the family’s adoption journey on their blog forgoodblog.wordpress.com
LAURENCE’s family — IL
We are so excited to have Laurence/Lance join our family. I have had a heart for orphans starting at a very young age. I currently enjoy working in the field of special education, and have a great schedule for raising a family. I went back to school to get my Masters in Social work to hopefully start a ministry for orphans/foster kids someday. Although I have these big dreams, for right now, I am using what God has given me in the present moment. I didn’t really plan to adopt overseas, mostly because of the huge expense. In fact, I got my foster care license so that I can adopt a child from foster care in this country. I guess God has other plans at this time, and I am trusting in Him to provide. Lance will join two brothers. My biological son is 8 years old and he is half-Chinese. Lance’s other soon-to-be brother joined us in June of 2013 through a program called Safe Families and will be with us long-term. We are all looking forward to meeting Lance and have enjoyed the pictures and stories from so many people who have already met him and love him.
3/12/2014—HOMESTUDY in PROCESS
Follow the family’s adoption journey on their blog at lovinglancehome.blogspot.com
ELIZABETH for the Fristoe family — MO
Dewey and Suzanne met in Lexington, MO in 1995 while taking care of a terminally ill patient and his family. With much encouragement, by the family, Dewey asked Suzanne out. After 3 short months they married and have now been together over 17 years. When they married Dewey had 3 children, living with him, and Suzanne had none. She had been told, by Doctors, that she never would have any. Dewey knew Suzanne had a desire to go to China and adopt and that she had been saving money for that reason. But, God is kind and gracious and two months later, Suzanne found herself pregnant. They now have 7 living children (ages 29-3), one in heaven, and 5 grandchildren and twin grand daughters due in June 2013. They still have 5 children living in their home, but know there is room for more. Daniel and Abby are both home schooled and in the 10th and 9th grades. Aaron currently attends early childhood education at the local school, to receive speech therapy, to correct a speech deficit, caused by frequent ear infections and hearing loss. Hannah (who has down syndrome) started attending early childhood education this year, where she gets speech, physical and occupational therapies.
Clara joined our family in May of 2012, through the Special Needs Adoption Program from China. Clara, like Hannah, has down syndrome. She also came to them with many other medical needs. Since her arrival in the US she has had her cleft lip and palate repaired, tear ducts enlarged, tubes in her ears, which returned hearing to her right ear, had her tonsils removed and major dental work done. In January of 2013 she had open heart surgery to repair her ASD, VSD and PDA. For the most part her surgery was a success. After surgery it was discovered that her PDA had partially burst open, due to high pulmonary pressures, and at her post-op visit it was noted that her pressures were decreasing, and her PDA was closed in March of 2014. She recently had her 1 month post of visit and they said her pulmonary pressures were remaining lower and they were very happy with the results. Clara and Aaron are finishing up their kindergarten year.
They had seen Elizabeth’s picture about a year ago and had been praying about her. While they were deciding what to do, another family submitted their LOI. Two other families did the same and released her. Through a miracle her file was found and they knew she was their daughter. They submitted their LOI and have received their PA. They are working to quickly get through all the paperwork so they are able to adopt her before she ages out in December of this year.
5/9/2014–HOMESTUDY in PROCESS
Follow the family’s adoption journey on their blog at bringinghomeourchinesebutterfly.blogspot.com
ANTOINETTE for the Oden family — OK
Jeff and Shanda got a bit of a non-traditional start. When Jeff and Shanda met, Shanda was a divorced single mom of two boys. They quickly merged into one tight knit family though, and were thrilled to soon celebrate the birth of a little girl. A few months after the princess joined their family, they realized she wasn’t developing at the typical speed and began seeking answers. The princess was soon diagnosed with Chromosome 15q Duplication Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. Not long after that, their family expanded again, this time with the addition of an 8 yr old through kinship foster care. They were later blessed to adopt this sweet boy, who fit perfectly into their family from day one. But God wasn’t done – Jeff and Shanda then welcomed the newest addition to their family – a sweet baby boy was born in December 2012! Their family now has 4 boys, ages 15, 12, 11, & 1, and one sweet little 3 year old girl. Their family was complete – so they thought. One day they read an article about the plight of special needs kids in other countries. Their eyes were opened and their hearts were broken. Children just like their sweet princess, routinely abandoned to spend their lives in institutions. The magnitude of that injustice was beyond their comprehension. Their journey parenting a special needs child and also adopting had taught them many things. It brought their family closer together, it made them stronger. It made them realize that the important things in life are smiles and love, not IQ and test scores. They learned that every child brings pride and joy and blessings, regardless of a diagnosis or a biological connection. As a family who had seen first hand the blessings of both adoption and special needs, they had to do something. So, they prayed. They knew that it was their job as Christians to join the fight against this injustice. So they prayed about how. And soon God gave them an answer – their part is to adopt. So they made plans to adopt. Someday. But God changed that plan when they ran across a picture of sweet Antoinette! They took some time and prayed over it, and God confirmed that she is their child. God has already begun moving mountains – after a long search, they recently bought a big house that could easily accommodate another child. The purchase of the house has depleted much of their savings and made the process of adopting at this time very daunting. But God promised – if they just said “yes”, that He would provide. So they enter into this adoption completely on faith that God will move the mountains and they will soon bring home another sweet little princess.
4/23/2014—HOMESTUDY in PROCESS
Follow the family’s adoption journey on their blog 15milesfromnowhere.blogspot.com
SHAWN for the Warren family — AZ
Scott and Lisa grew up in the same small town and attended church together. They started dating in college and have been married for 16 years. They have 6 children; Noah – 15, Luke – 12, Jack – 10, Kaia – 9, Josiah – 8 and Asher – 4. Adoption has always been on Lisa’s heart. When their second son was born with complications, they were thrown into the world of parenting a child who had special needs. When they began their first adoption in 2005, their experiences with their son led them to pursue a child with special needs. They brought home their first and only daughter from China the following summer. Adopting their daughter changed their family in ways they couldn’t imagine. They felt so blessed to be her parents. In 2008, Lisa traveled to China a second time to bring their 4th son home. Over the next few years adoption continued to be on Lisa’s heart and specifically, HIV adoption. It was during the summer of 2013 that “Shawn” first caught her attention. He looked so much like their son Jack. When she sent his picture to Scott, he though it was their son! She watched “Shawn” and waited for him to find his family, but he continued to wait. She contacted RR on 8/8/13 and asked about him. Scott was still certain that their family of 8 was complete, so Lisa continued to pray for the Lord’s direction. She couldn’t seem to shake this little guy and thought about him daily. Over the next few months, the Lord began to work in both of their hearts. Little by little the doors opened and hearts were changed. Scott surprised Lisa on Valentine’s Day with a journal that said, “Let’s go!”. After a lot of prayer and seeking, Scott and Lisa both knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that “Shawn” was their son. This will be a journey of faith from start to finish as they bring Shawn home. Scott and Lisa are trusting the Lord for his provision and direction every step of the way.
3/21/2014—HOMESTUDY in PROCESS
Follow the family’s adoption journey on their blog at lifeoutoftheboat.wordpress.com
ARIC for the Kojak family — FL
Chris and Ali have been married for 7 years and have two beautiful children already entrusted in their care. Their spirited little girl is three, and they have a sweet man cub who is one. Adoption has always been on Ali’s heart and a number of years ago she somehow found Reece’s Rainbow. The babies on this site haven’t left her thoughts since. You can’t unknow what you know — and they both felt convicted to ACT as a result of what they learned about children with special needs in other parts of the world. God has been working on growing their family biologically the last couple years, and recently made it clear that NOW was the tie to pursue adoption. They are over-the-moon to be adding this little love muffin to their family, and would sincerely appreciate your prayers for him and their family as they learn and grow and stretch over the course of this journey.
4/2/2014—HOMESTUDY in PROCESS
Follow the family’s adoption journey on their blog therighttoholdyou.com
FELIX and GRETA for the Barnett family — TX
David and Stephanie met in 1991 at First Baptist Church Frisco through David’s sister, Cindy, who was Stephanie’s Sunday School teacher. Stephanie grew very close to Cindy and her family as she began babysitting Cindy’s son and daughter. David and Stephanie were only initially family friends who only saw each other at church when David came to visit his family since David was in college and Stephanie was in high school. Once Stephanie graduated high school and began college, their relationship forged into a friendship where they occasionally met up to hang out. However, all of that changed in November 1996 when David’s mother was in the end stages of terminal cancer. Stephanie rallied around David’s family and became a strong support and source of comfort to David. It was during this time that God made it abundantly clear that their relationship would become more than “just friends.” In the month that followed, they began praying and seeking God’s will and timing for their new dating relationship. A month later, in January 1997, David and Stephanie became engaged to be married. Over the next eight months, as Stephanie finished her senior year in college, they continued to seek the Lord in their relationship and prayed for ways to serve Him together. In September 1997, David and Stephanie were married.
Initially they did not want children, so David continued his career as an accountant and Stephanie began her career as a secondary English and Reading teacher. For the next four years they happily continued on their career paths and continued to pray that God would open doors for them to serve Him in a mighty way through their daily lives. In May 2001, Stephanie’s life was shattered when her brother, Shane, tragically passed away. During this time of unspeakable grief, David and Stephanie sought comfort in God and remained steadfast in their desire to serve Him. God, in return, began to change their hearts in relation to their views on having children. Within a few short months, Stephanie was pregnant with their first child. What started as an uneventful healthy pregnancy changed when Stephanie entered her second trimester. On December 23rd, during a routine sonogram, the Barnett’s were informed that their precious baby no longer had a heartbeat. They were completely devastated and in mourning, but found comfort in knowing that, without a doubt, their precious baby was in the arms of Jesus and that they would one day be reunited as a family. The Barnett’s also found solace as they continued to place their trust in God and believe that, in His Sovereignty, God still had a plan for them that included children.
In February 2002, the Lord led the Barnett’s to begin an apartment ministry and Stephanie took a leave from teaching to focus on the ministry full time. They absolutely loved the diverse apartment residents and cherished the fact that they were serving the Lord through ministering to this community. As they were serving, they could not help but feel that God was using this apartment ministry to prepare them for a bigger life-changing permanent ministry. They continued to pray and ask God to lead them where He wanted them to serve by opening the doors “to get there.”
On a Thursday night in April 2002, God widely opened the first door that would place David and Stephanie on their life ministry. Stephanie was on her way home from a ladies’ night out event for the apartment community when she received a call from a family member. This family member knew of a perfect blonde-haired newborn baby who needed a family because his birth mother was unable to care for him. Immediately, Stephanie told the family member that she and David wanted this baby! It was only after she hung up the phone did the word “adoption” form in her mind and sear into her heart. Her very next thought was, “Oh my goodness, I just committed to this baby and did not even consult David!” Oops! When David got home from work later that night, Stephanie informed him that he would be a daddy in a matter of days. Thankfully, David reacted with more enthusiasm over adopting their son than Stephanie did! Several days later, the Barnett’s became first time parents through the beautiful world of adoption. They named their precious gift from God Copeland Shane after David’s grandpa, Copeland, and Stephanie’s brother, Shane. It was at this moment David and Stephanie knew their family would be built through adoption and not biologically. They could not believe that God would bless them in this way and could not wait to see how He would grow their family!
In 2004, the Barnett’s moved to San Antonio and began to earnestly pray that God would once again open the doors to adopt another child. Stephanie had returned to the high school classroom by then and, in 2005, met a teenager with Down syndrome who changed her life forever. Although he was not Stephanie’s student, this amazing boy asked her to help him with his homework each morning. As Stephanie tutored him, she could not help but fall in love with him and marvel at just how perfectly and beautifully God had created him. So, for the next three years, David, Stephanie, and Copeland prayed that God would bless them with a child with Ds whom they could adopt. In 2008, their many prayers were answered when God blessed them with a beautiful blonde-haired hazel-eyed newborn baby with Down syndrome! God had now wonderfully added the words “Down syndrome” to the word “adoption” while building their family. They named their new son Silas Eli. In the New Testament, Silas was one of the first Christian missionaries who served beside the Apostle Paul. It was only fitting that they chose this name because this was the missionary journey that they had been praying for and that God had called them to. Eli was David’s grandpa’s middle name.
From the moment the Barnett’s brought Silas home, he absolutely rocked their world! They now knew that God would call them to adopt more children with Ds. In 2010, Stephanie happened to be reading her weekly People magazine when she came across an article about Andrea Roberts and why she was inspired to start Reece’s Rainbow. The Barnett’s lives were forever changed because of Andrea and RR. There were absolutely devastated and their hearts were broken when they learned that special needs babies are abandoned at hospitals as newborns and then sent to mental institutions by age three or four to live out the rest of their lives, with a large percentage of them dying within the first year of transfer as a result of malnourishment and mistreatment. They could not believe that the majority of people in this world could not see just how worthy and capable children and adults with special needs are. They immediately realized that God was calling them to action in order to show the world just how wonderful, worthy, and capable those with special needs are. The Barnett’s had living proof: Silas Eli.
Over the next few months, the Barnett’s found themselves praying about RR and growing their family again through “adoption” and “Down syndrome.” During Thanksgiving week 2010, Stephanie reached out to RR for the first time. She made contact with Andrea and implored about the possibility of adopting ONE boy from Ukraine. Over the next couple of weeks, God made it clear to the Barnett’s that they would be bringing home TWO boys from Ukraine as He led them to Igor’s and Tihon’s pictures and profiles on the RR website. As David, Stephanie, and Copeland prayed over their two boys’ pictures on RR each night, they could not help but scroll past the picture and profile of a tiny little girl named Leeza with both Ds and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Stephanie found herself literally knocked to her knees late each night for almost two weeks sobbing as she begged God to bring Leeza a mama through a forever family. Little did Stephanie know that she was actually praying for herself, David, Copeland, and Silas! Through a series of miraculous events, the Lord completely opened the doors for the Barnett’s to bring home THREE children. A few days after Christmas 2010, they officially committed to bringing home Igor, Tihon, and Leeza. In October of 2011, David and Stephanie landed on US soil with Igor (whom they named Teague Josiah), Tihon (whom they named Trenton James), and Leeza (whom they named Maclayne Faith – Mackie for short). The Lord had now graciously added the word “orphan” to the words “adoption” and “Down syndrome” as He continued to grow their family.
Now, a little over two years after bringing home Teague, Trenton, and Maclayne, the Lord has answered the Barnett’s prayers of adopting again by opening initial doors for them to bring home two more orphans, Felix and Greta, with Down syndrome from Eastern Europe. The Barnett’s are absolutely head over heels in love with Felix & Greta and cannot wait to bring them home! Please join the Barnett’s on their journey through prayer and support as the Lord once again grows their family through “adoption,” “Down syndrome,” and “orphan.” The Barnett’s are forever blessed and humbled by all those who have joined and will join them on their beautiful journey to fulfill God’s calling for their lives and ministry. Thank you!
17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.” ~ John 14:17-19
2/4/2014—HOMESTUDY in PROCESS
Follow the family’s adoption journey on their blog at obedient2hiscommand.blogspot.com
CHUCK for the Pitcher family — MT
Nate and Julie have been married for nearly 17 years now. They love their chaos filled life; chasing their five biological children from sports, to spelling bees to piano. It’s a simple life, but it’s what they would choose over and over again. Life is about faith and family. It’s about talent shows, Disney sing-offs, homemade pizza, family home evening, wrestling and yes, basketball.
Adoption was not part of their immediate plan when two years ago they stumbled across the profile of a child meant to be theirs on Reeces Rainbow. They spent a week in country meeting and falling in love with her, and then the birth country formed a law that banned this adoption. Their hearts, and those of their biological children, were broken. She would never come home. Starting another journey has been a difficult decision.
The knowledge that there was another child for their family nagged at them. After a few months, Julie and Nate began to study the profiles of children waiting for their forever families. This little face became familiar. And tender. And then, it became theirs…
This journey has taken such different direction that what they would have imagined. But they acknowledge their Heavenly Father’s hand in it, and are so excited to add to their family by bringing this little man home. He has NO idea how life will change with 2 brothers, 3 sisters and a mom and dad.
Bring on the ‘firsts’….
4/9/14—HOME STUDY ALMOST COMPLETE
Follow the family’s adoption journey on their blog at pitcherperfect.blogspot.com
