It has been such a joy for me to share some pretty amazing families with you all this month–Orphan Awareness Month. I hope that their stories are encouraging you and inspiring you to step out in faith and care for the fatherless–no matter how that may look. It is such an incredible responsibility and an enormous privilege to give of ourselves, our time, our finances, and our prayers to those who are abandoned, alone, and even dying in orphanages around the world. How desperately they need us!
What an absolute blessing it is for me to introduce you all to the Knight family today. They are proof that sometimes God works things out just a wee bit differently to what we had originally planned–but ALWAYS to the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
This adoption was an adoption of faith-almost from day one! We signed on with our agency in February and were excited to again add to our family through the miracle of adoption. Greg lost his job in October, along with the $5000 adoption credit his company would give. Yikes! There were so many questions at that time—where would he find a job? Would we have to move? What about the adoption? Did we hear God wrong? We chose to have faith and believe God had something in store for us and He did! Greg took a job with our local food bank which lines up with his heart for helping the vulnerable! We were blessed as he only had to go two weeks without a job.
We continued to wait for our referral.
In March we received the referral of a beautiful baby boy whose name means “Praise.” We were excited and quickly fell in love. We received a court date for the first week of June. The Monday of the week were leaving, I received that DREADED phone call. Our little one’s mother came to court and changed her mind and took him home. My first emotional reaction? I am done. Adoption is too hard. I can’t stand the emotional roller coaster anymore. I AM DONE!
Even in the midst of this God was working and moving. My caseworker called my husband first and told him to come home. A friend was walking up the walk for a play date minutes after I hung up. (little did she know it was going to be a cry fest!) We cried, prayed, asked many why’s and just sat in silence.
As we continued to pray God asked me, “what is adoption about? You or the child that needs a home?” I began to realize, (I knew it down deep but it finally rose to the surface of my heart) that this was a good thing. If this little baby’s mom changed her mind and could raise him—than that is who he should be with! A friend emailed me words that comforted my heart “a baby is back in the arms of his mother tonight.” How could I be upset with that? Was I grieving? Yes—for the loss of the child who we thought would be our son. However, I was so happy that this child could be raised by the mother that carried him, named him, and loved him.
We were also blessed to have friends there when she picked up him from the orphanage that took pictures of them together and told us that she loved him and he would be okay. Our hearts will forever be linked to theirs. There was a purpose and reason for all of it. Little “Praise” will be thought of and in our prayers for the rest of our lives. He was not to be our son, but he will not be forgotten.
Fast forward a couple of days and we received another referral of a tiny little boy, Teshale, whose name means “Better One.” I can’t even begin to tell you how that confirmed everything for us. God has blessed us immensely and looking back we can see how everything worked according to His plan. Teshale needed to be home quickly. Because we were already in the court system, the gracious judge just postponed our court date for us. As my caseworker said, “you are ready and he needs to be home quickly–a perfect situation.”
July 15 we were in Ethiopia for court and met our son. He was our son! The bond was immediate and we knew this was the child God had for our family.We came home September 10th ( after an amazingly quick for clearing Embassy) and are doing well.
Adoption is hard. It is emotional. It is full of bumps, curves, and road blocks.
It is worth it.
I now have so much more of a picture of what Christ endured for me. I have a glimpse of His heartache and passion. As I sat and cried over that first little boy I imagined how God weeps over those that He longs to have as His children.
God, continue to break my heart for the things that break Yours.
Charisa blogs about her beautiful family and their journey in the Lord right here.
