Our Promise

Thanks to those of you who have followed our adoption journey as I’ve shared it here this past month. For our friends in Florida who haven’t been with us from the beginning of the process, I hope reading about it has helped you to feel more a part of things by knowing how we got to this point. And for those who have been with us all along, our dear Michigan and Ohio friends and family, I hope you felt our continued thankfulness for all your support. We are immensely grateful!

I’ve tried to cover as much of the process – the good and challenging – from our perspective in a way that is helpful to those considering adoption for their family. It would be great if these posts answered some questions and soothed some apprehensions. It would be even better if that percentage of people who actually adopt increased significantly from just 2% for the sake of expectant parents, babies, and children in foster care not waiting reunification, all to the glory of God.

But regardless of what this series has done for others, I am thankful to rehearse and solidify in my mind the steady leading of God in our lives these past few years. I have benefited from tracing his hand and trust that I am more prepared to give an answer to others of our hope in God as they ask about our adoption.

To end the series today, I wanted to share another page from our profile book (the book expectant parents will view as they consider selecting us to parent their child). It wasn’t a requirement for our Michigan book, so this page is hot off the press for our Florida book. It’s called “Our Promise To You…” and is the last page the expectant parents will see as they close our book.

Our Promise To You…

We promise to tell your child the happiest news ever of Jesus’ great love, wisdom, care, and power.

We promise to show that love, wisdom, care, and power to your child through our lives every day, with His help.

We promise to offer you relief from wondering if your child will be loved and cared for every single day of his/her life through every stage of his/her growth and development.

We promise to love your baby through his/her middle of the night cries to the joy of his/her first smile.

We promise to love your toddler through the tantrums of the trying terrible twos and kiss away all the boo-boos and skinned knees as he/she learns to ride his/her bike.

We promise to love your school-aged child and tuck him/her in every night, helping him/her with homework, quizzing him/her on multiplication facts, being involved in his/her school, and helping him/her develop his/her God-given talents.

We promise to love your teenager through his/her mood swings and adjustments into adulthood, crying with him/her through his/her first break-up, disappointing friendship, and frustrated bench-sitting, and cheering for him/her over baskets scored, reports completed, and recitals performed.

We promise to equip him/her with all he/she needs to succeed in college, his/her career, and as he/she starts his/her own family.

We promise to incorporate your cultural and ethnic background into our family life and tell your story of love and sacrifice, and how God linked our stories together in His perfect plan for his/her good and happiness.

We promise to give every ounce of our energy to nurturing and showering this precious child with all the love we have – FOREVER.