The work of a loving, gracious and merciful Father
all of us are in the midst of an incredible life-story that takes all sorts of twists and turns that are filled with pain and joy that hopefully result in God receiving all of the praise. we want to share where we are in our story and how the latest twist has shaped and changed our lives forever.
most of the world desires to have a family that they can love, care for and "do life" with. for many years, we've had an idea of what our family would look like and how we would ultimately go about obtaining that "ideal" family. "many are the plans in a person's heart, but it's the LORD'S purpose that prevails". today we are living out that scripture and praising God that His purpose indeed prevails and far exceeds any plans or expectations we could possibly have for ourselves.
8 weeks ago, we recieved a phone call that would change our lives forever. after a battle with infertility, surgeries and heartache, the voice of our adoption agency saying, "you've been matched", so we bought plane tickets to fly from the dominican back to the states the following week to meet the birthmother and her mother over what would appear to be (so we thought at the time) a potentially awkard, difficult and nervous lunch date! once again, God's merciful and gracious plans prevailed. we were so excited about being parents and having this sweet little baby girl that we were blind-sided by the way we fell in love with Jacquelyn (birthmother) and Donna (maternal grandmother). when we finished with lunch and getting to know Jac and Donna, we got back on the road and our smiles almost didn't fit in the little FIAT 500 we rented to drive home. the best way we know to describe this feeling would be to borrow lyrics from a song by David Crowder Band. . . "heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss". WHOA! not only were we going to have the privilege of loving this baby, but God opened our hearts to love this entire family! a joy only given by the Author of joy itself.
at that time we were only 6 weeks from the birth of this precious little girl. in the weeks leading up to the birth, our hearts leaped when we would communicate with Jac and Donna. our love grew with every written word and every photo. what was God doing to us?? did we really have the capacity to love the way He was allowing us to? could this be real?
when we got the news that little baby Ruby Ann entered this world through an emergency c-section, we hopped in our car and drove to the hospital . . . 8 hours away! we were so thrilled to meet our little girl and equally as excited to celebrate and spend time with Jac and Donna. God, again, was so gracious in providing us the opportunity to be in the hospital to watch this miracle unfold before our eyes. we will never ever forget that special time with our new family.
new family . . . this is the part where God gets all the praise! many people advised us to guard our hearts as much as we could because the adoption process can be so emotional and some of our expectations might not come to fruition. well we're here to say "many are the plans in a person's heart, but it's the LORD'S purpose that prevails". God calls us to live in community and love the way He loves. we are praising Him today that our family has grown exponentially in the last several weeks. not only do we have a beautiful little baby girl, but we have a Jacquelyn . . . an incredible, courageous, beautiful, warrior of a girl that has blessed us with the most incredible gift. we also have a Donna . . . a true woman of God, a rock that brings about a peace that provides comfort in any situation. we also have Juan. . . a birthfather that loves Ruby dearly and wants her to never forget that love. and then there is everyone who has been praying for all of us throughout this entire journey. . . we have the body of Christ . . . a family that extends across the ocean and loves us more than we deserve.
so, God, thank you that your plans prevail and bring about a life that we could never have created ourselves. You are the Author of life and nobody writes like you do. thank you that ruby ann is one loved little girl and her life is a testimony of your craftsmanship. thank you, for being a loving, gracious and merciful Father.
scroll down to meet our new family members! Enjoy!
most of the world desires to have a family that they can love, care for and "do life" with. for many years, we've had an idea of what our family would look like and how we would ultimately go about obtaining that "ideal" family. "many are the plans in a person's heart, but it's the LORD'S purpose that prevails". today we are living out that scripture and praising God that His purpose indeed prevails and far exceeds any plans or expectations we could possibly have for ourselves.
8 weeks ago, we recieved a phone call that would change our lives forever. after a battle with infertility, surgeries and heartache, the voice of our adoption agency saying, "you've been matched", so we bought plane tickets to fly from the dominican back to the states the following week to meet the birthmother and her mother over what would appear to be (so we thought at the time) a potentially awkard, difficult and nervous lunch date! once again, God's merciful and gracious plans prevailed. we were so excited about being parents and having this sweet little baby girl that we were blind-sided by the way we fell in love with Jacquelyn (birthmother) and Donna (maternal grandmother). when we finished with lunch and getting to know Jac and Donna, we got back on the road and our smiles almost didn't fit in the little FIAT 500 we rented to drive home. the best way we know to describe this feeling would be to borrow lyrics from a song by David Crowder Band. . . "heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss". WHOA! not only were we going to have the privilege of loving this baby, but God opened our hearts to love this entire family! a joy only given by the Author of joy itself.
at that time we were only 6 weeks from the birth of this precious little girl. in the weeks leading up to the birth, our hearts leaped when we would communicate with Jac and Donna. our love grew with every written word and every photo. what was God doing to us?? did we really have the capacity to love the way He was allowing us to? could this be real?
when we got the news that little baby Ruby Ann entered this world through an emergency c-section, we hopped in our car and drove to the hospital . . . 8 hours away! we were so thrilled to meet our little girl and equally as excited to celebrate and spend time with Jac and Donna. God, again, was so gracious in providing us the opportunity to be in the hospital to watch this miracle unfold before our eyes. we will never ever forget that special time with our new family.
new family . . . this is the part where God gets all the praise! many people advised us to guard our hearts as much as we could because the adoption process can be so emotional and some of our expectations might not come to fruition. well we're here to say "many are the plans in a person's heart, but it's the LORD'S purpose that prevails". God calls us to live in community and love the way He loves. we are praising Him today that our family has grown exponentially in the last several weeks. not only do we have a beautiful little baby girl, but we have a Jacquelyn . . . an incredible, courageous, beautiful, warrior of a girl that has blessed us with the most incredible gift. we also have a Donna . . . a true woman of God, a rock that brings about a peace that provides comfort in any situation. we also have Juan. . . a birthfather that loves Ruby dearly and wants her to never forget that love. and then there is everyone who has been praying for all of us throughout this entire journey. . . we have the body of Christ . . . a family that extends across the ocean and loves us more than we deserve.
so, God, thank you that your plans prevail and bring about a life that we could never have created ourselves. You are the Author of life and nobody writes like you do. thank you that ruby ann is one loved little girl and her life is a testimony of your craftsmanship. thank you, for being a loving, gracious and merciful Father.
scroll down to meet our new family members! Enjoy!
Mark, Gail, Jacquelyn, Donna and Chris
birthmother, Jacquelyn and birthfather, Juan
Ruby Ann and Donna
First trip to the doctor, Doctor Mayo
Ruby in the hospital at 2 days old
Happy mom!
3 comments:
"now faith is what we hope for and assurance of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1
Tears of joy over the love and grace our sovereign Lord lavishes over us! Thankful for your faithfulness so we can all see who God is through your testimony. You are a beautiful image bearer, a warrior princess, and a peacemaker for the kingdom!
We love you guys! Dios les bendiga!
Vic
Thank you for sharing this beautiful story! We really do rejoice with you and thank God for your new baby. Enjoy this wonderful time in your lives--A BABY!!!
Thank you for extending your family to those of us who love Donna and Jacquelyn! All of you have been and will continue to be in our prayers. Love and hugs.
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