Thank you to all of you who pray for our family each day. We wanted to share our heart with each of you. We have talked with many of you about God’s call for our family to adopt over the course of the past five years.
I have had the call to adopt since I was a little girl longing for my parents to take that stand and add a sibling to our home. When I met Kelvin at Texas A&M University one of our first conversations was about his desire to have a big family. We then went on to have a hearty discussion about God’s calling to adopt and if that would be our lives someday. So we have both had this call to adopt for many years and not been obedient. We have been sitting on the fence waiting for things to progress and focusing on our own timing and not on God’s timing. God had recently dealt very strongly with our family in many small tests of faith of which we have fully surrendered to him for the first time in many years. We find ourselves now on our knees asking God to work through us each day and in full submission. Proverbs 3:27-28 ‘Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow” - when you now have it with you.’
Many of you know that I spent a small portion of my life in the country of India before moving here to Dallas, Texas, at the age of seven. My heart has always remained with those kids and the country that I left behind so many years ago. We had the opportunity to take many trips to India as a family; however, there was one trip in particular that stood out to me and that was my trip alone when I was in College. I travelled from the US to India to see my family as usual. This was the first time that I traveled internally in India by myself navigating the culture, trains and airports on my own. My eyes were truly opened to my country of origin. The times before I had hid behind my parents and immediate family who lived a comfortable life. I ran out of money while I was there and had to travel in a second/third class overnight train back to Chennai and met some amazing people of India along the way. My heart always broke at the poverty that was laid out in front of me, but this was the first time I saw God’s calling for my life. It was there that I started to question why I was chosen to be in the family I was in and not one of those kids on the streets. The other question laid before me each day is how God chose my Grandmother Ruth to be adopted by missionaries that guided her to her faith. She was an amazing godly woman who went on to marry and have six children. The powerful part to me is to see how God used her marriage to my Grandfather for His glory. Although I never met my other Grandmother and namesake, my Dad and his siblings were instrumental in sharing her legacy with me and her families walk through faith each day in serving God through grass roots ministries that are alive and well in India today. God has been faithful to our family in continuing this work through both my grandparents’ children and grandchildren involved in Indian Missions today. What an amazing testimony this was and it was clearly laid out for us as grandchildren to carry on His legacy and be transformed by this each day.
Kelvin also made his first trip to India at the age of four and experienced real poverty for the first time. The second time was his trip at seven where he was old enough to understand the difference between his circumstance and that of the children on the streets. His last trip was our trip together as a married couple where we realized that God had called us to serve him together in some way leaning to adoption. So I leave you with this story of our lives to show you how God has been faithful and to be praised for all He has done for us as a family. We are so thankful for God’s providence in our family and for the treasures we already have with Neha and Jacob.
We started pursuing our adoption process several years ago and ran into a roadblock with India. We are excited to see God working through local adoption in India. Adoption locally in Indian has exploded in a country where it used to be taboo to adopt. We are now again in the process with WACAP (adoption agency) and taking a huge leap of faith with an open heart for Ethiopia. We feel led by God to Ethiopia as doors continue to open; they are a country and continent that has experienced crises and curses beyond their portion. Ethiopia is an extremely poverty-stricken and disease-ridden country, factors which have contributed to an increasing orphan population.
We are so excited by what God is doing in our family today. I recently said to Neha that God has called our family to adopt from Ethiopia and waited for her reaction. She turned to me and said, “Finally, it’s about time.” I think that sums it up. It is amazing to see God working through both our children each day already being transformed by His calling.
Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to thy own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”
Psalm 9:18, “But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.”
Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, ’declares the LORD’, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
So I ask each of you to pray for our family as we take this huge step of faith. Please pray specifically for Neha and Jacob as they also take this step with mom and dad.
We have just completed the home study process and are actively working on our dossier that goes to Ethiopia for approval. Thank you for continuing to support our family with your prayers.
Stay tuned as we will keep you posted via blog.
