How We Got Here

God placed adoption in our hearts long before Ryan and I met.  Ryan had seen the orphans in other countries first-hand when he traveled to Nicaragua on a mission trip.  During that same time, I was conjuring up ways that I could travel to Africa and be a nurse in one of the thousands of orphanages.  As time lapsed, God drastically changed both of our lives and our future plans.  We met each other in a season of dissapointment and confusion.  Yet, as we became closer to one another, we realized that God had placed us in each other's lives for a purpose.  Two years later, we were married and happy.  Adoption and orphans were far from our thoughts as we tried to juggle finances and work and married life, in general.  One Sunday morning, our pastor began telling his adoption story and encouraged each of us to consider opening our homes and hearts to adopting a child.  Ryan and I began speaking of adopting frequently and decided that one day, when we were older and had more money, that we would adopt a child, but that we would like to have at least one biological child first.  God had other plans.  After two miscarriages, and the uncertainty of our doctors that I would be able to carry a child to term, we began to search for answers.  We found our answer in a verse: John 13:7 "You do not realize now what I am doing, but one day you will understand."  At the time, we didn't understand.  But God continued to show us his desire for our lives.  After tons of prayer and intense discussions on how on earth we would be able to raise $20k, we decided to take the plunge.  God showed us the immense need for families in the United States to adopt children here as well as over seas.  We feel He has led us to a domestic adoption.  This blog is about the emotions and logistics of it all as we trudge through this process.  We know it will all be worth it when we bring a sweet little baby home, and give them all the love and support we can.

Update......
Layla is exactly perfect for our family.  God picked her out for us from the very beginning.  She is our daughter, through and through.  She is stunning and reminds me every single day how very lucky we are to have her as our daughter.  She's brought us more joy and understanding of God's heart for us and for orphans than we ever could have imagined.  Every time I feel like my heart is going to burst with love for her I'm reminded how much more God must love us.  He doesn't leave us as orphans.  We're adopted as sons and daughters by the King himself.