Jim and Emily were married 10 years ago and knew that adoption would play a big role in growing their family. At the age of 16, Emily traveled to Thailand on a mission trip where she visited an orphanage. Her experience there broke her heart and changed the course of her life. Upon meeting Jim, she immediately brought up adoption and her heart for adopting. Though Jim had never thought about adoption as a way of growing his family, he absolutely was open to it.
In their first year of marriage, they started their home study in hopes of adopting from Uganda. After being married for just a little over a year, they moved over to Uganda to complete the adoption process. They spent 13 months in Uganda and in September of 2014 they came home with their daughter, Evelyn (1 year) and son, Aven (6 years). At the end of their time in Uganda, they found out that Evelyn and Aven had an older biological brother, Jensen (10 years), and they started the adoption process all over again to bring him home.
While working through the adoption process for Jensen, Emily met Brian (15 years) at the local school she worked at. He was in foster care and began spending time with their family. He moved in full-time in August of 2015. Soon after, in November of 2015, Jensen (10 years) came home from Uganda. In November of 2016, the adoption of all four of their children was finalized at court surrounded by family and friends.
Shortly after finalizing the adoption of their four, they saw the profile of a little boy with special needs in Uganda. They began advocating for him and it didn’t take long for them to realize he was meant to be their son. On Valentine’s Day in 2017, the adoption of Ezekiel (age 6) was finalized, and he came home in June of 2017.
In 2018, Emily learned she was pregnant, and they welcomed their sixth child, Lincoln, in June of 2019. The children continued to grow and thrive and in April of 2020, they learned they were expecting again. In January 2021, Hyler was born.
Jim and Emily have always known they wanted to adopt again, and they wholeheartedly believe that children belong in families. They are hoping to adopt two beautiful little girls — one little girl with Down Syndrome and one with Cerebral Palsy. These two girls will be unconditionally loved and surrounded by a BIG family. Jim and Emily are incredibly appreciative of the support shown to their family as they start the adoption process again. Beyond financial support, they believe in the power of prayer and ask that you pray for them, their children and their two newest additions as they wait. They have seen God work miracles in the lives of their children, and they cannot wait to watch their new girls become loved & cherished members of their family.
1/12/2022 — HOMESTUDY in PROCESS
