How it came about...

When Jeremiah and I were dating we talked about the possiblity of adopting one day. Soon we were married, finishing school, then grad school, working on careers and having children. Our desire to adopt was not forgotten, just buried beneath life. But in 2004 the life we were living came to a screaching halt as God was preparing us to accept his calling on our lives to adopt. October 2004, we had just finished two intense weeks of a life changing revival. God began preparing our mind and hearts to be obedient to his plan. Two days after revival ended, Jeremiah's psoition with the bank was terminated and we received a contract on the sale of our home. Not knowing where a job would take us, we moved to Hinesville to live in Jeremiah's parents home while we waited. God provided Jeremiah with a temporary position within the bank that allowed him to work from home. God removed us from the hectic and stressful life we were living and took us to a place of unknown and required us to be quiet and still and listen to Him. It was at this point in our lives that He began to speak to us. Just after Christmas I received a Guidepost magazine in the mail from some special friends. It featured an article about Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman and focused on their three adopted daughters from China. As I read the article I found myself sobbing and my heart full of emotion. I immediately knew what God was telling me. I just needed Him to tell Jeremiah. And he did. As I approached Jeremiah with the article, he was immediately on board and wanted us to begin praying about the adoption. During this time I began researching China adoptions on the internet and sent off for every adoption agency application I could find. As the applications came rolling in, I found a little glitch in the adoption plan. You must be thrity to adopt from China. I was twenty eight. I began looking at other countries with a lower age requirement, but the more I prayed about it I really felt that God was telling us to stick with China and in His timing it would all work according to His plan. During our time of waiting and praying, God led Jeremiah back to his previous job that had been terminated, gave him a raise, and allowed us to move back home to Athens and back to the church we love. God also led us to some wonderful friends who had also answered the call to adopt. They put us in touch with some others in the community who had gone before us in the adoption process. Through talking to many, we settled on a agency, Chinese Children Adoption International (CCAI). They alllowed us to begin the paperwork six months before my thirtieth birthday in August. That is where you find us now, in the middle of a paper chase. Our prayer is that we will continue to be still and listen to God's direction in our lives. We are also praying that God will finance 100% of the adoption costs. We do not want to take out loans. We are trusting in Him for guidance throughout this process.