Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Adoption: Our Journey Begins

I don't really know where to start this post. The topic has long been close to my heart, and I hope to convey in mere words what God has cultivated over many years.

Joe and I have decided to add to our family through adoption.

As many of you know, my brothers were adopted. Both were abandoned as infants and joined our family when they were about six months old. I can’t imagine growing up without them as part of our family. But there are many children out there who aren’t as lucky, who don’t have a family to call their own.

I have felt the pull of adoption since my brothers joined our family, and now that I am finally “old enough,” Joe and I have decided to take the necessary steps to bring a child into our home to call him/her our own. I have no idea where the money is going to come from or what other challenges we will face, but I am excited to see what God will do.

I will be honest and admit I have fears… What if the child doesn’t bond with us? What if the mother decides to keep the child at the last minute? What if he or she has a genetic or medical condition? However, God has not given us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7), and I am going to trust him. He has never failed me and He never will. I can’t guarantee that everything will go smoothly, but I can cling to His promise that even if…  He will give me the strength to make it through.

After much prayer, research, and discussion, we have decided to adopt domestically. At this point, all we know is that it will be a private adoption through Bethany Christian Services. Joe just received his bonus from work, so we now have enough money right now to officially apply (Woo-hoo!).

To continue to grow our adoption fund, I have decided to dedicate the profits from my photography business. If you want to check out my work, go to my photography blog: www.ashleymogfordphotography.blogspot.com or my photography Facebook page.




All the siblings at my brother's graduation. Look how little Grace is.

2 comments:

Jessica said...

Yay! What an amazing journey you are starting. To be honest, we are praying very hard about whether or not now is the right time for us to adopt. When you have a long term visa in the Czech Republic you are eligible to adopt and there are only minimal fees
9not the 20,000 it is elsewhere). Since the process takes a few years before the kids are official citizens of the USA we are really praying for direction about starting now.

We will be praying for you all and hope you will do the same for us. Keep us updated.

Jessica

Unknown said...

So exciting for you Jess. I will definitely keep you guys in my prayers. Keep me updated too.