Journey to Tyrell
Ultimate Dependence
Our journey to Tyrell’s adoption included both trials and blessings which ultimately resulted in a greater realization of our dependence on God and trust in His provision. After previously adopting two children, we began the process with the same agency again in July 2009. We heard nothing for several months, and then found Christian Adoption Consultants through a blog that is written by a woman in Alabama. The consultant she referenced lived in Kansas City and had previously worked with our adoption agency in finding homes for what they termed “hard to place” children, usually of African American heritage and/or exposed to drugs. Trusting these coincidences as God’s leading, we began working with her in December of 2009.
We were excited to be matched with a birthmother in January who was expecting a baby girl in March and then were devastated when she decided to have her mother parent the baby instead of us. As we recovered from this grief and the financial expenses incurred during this failed adoption, we wondered whether it really was God’s will for us to adopt again after all. We were presented to several more birthmothers over the next few months but not chosen and as the time to renew our home study approached, we began praying over whether we should update the home study or if God had just wanted us to be willing to adopt again and it wasn’t about bringing another child home.
In July, however, we received the call that Tyrell’s birthmother had chosen us to parent him. We flew to Orlando, FL, where he was born, and immediately started falling in love with our new son. We had depleted our savings with the expenses associated with the home study, the adoption consultants, and the failed adoption, so we borrowed most of the money for the adoption fees and travel expenses from the bank.
After we got home we resubmitted the application to Kinsman Redeemer and settled in with our family. As the Lord so often does, He proved His faithfulness by providing a grant through Kinsman Redeemer just when we had bills due from supervisory visits and our adoption loan. This grant enabled us to pay those bills in addition to a principal payment at a time when things were just tight enough we weren’t sure how it was all going to come together. We so appreciate the prayers and support of the Lord’s people along this journey which has blessed us with our beautiful and precious son and reminded us again how much God loves us and provides for our every need.
