#AdoptionRocks, Part 6: And then God...

Let me introduce you to my previous friend Erica! We have a million and one mutual friends, and I've heard about how amazing she is for years. We finally connected IRL (in real life) in May when I partnered with her family to do an adoption fundraiser to help with their final travel expenses to bring Evie Joy home from China.

I knew instantly that I would love her because she walked in rocking my favorite Noonday Collection piece of all time - the Annie's Feathered Earrings. We spent the day together doing an early show at a local elementary school and then later moved to the local high school - I was just in awe of her kindness and genuineness. Their entire family exudes love for one another - and for those around them. Oh, and before little Evie arrived in their world...Erica was a boy mama to two little guys, too! #kindredspirits

So, all that to say, I can't wait for you to read about her heart for the orphan and how God has been working for years in Erica's life (and in Tyler's) to make a place for their beautiful little girl. Prepare yourself for the cuteness that is their family's pictures...

IN HER OWN WORDS....

I can't even handle this cuteness!

The Lord put adoption on my heart many years ago. Long before I was ever married or even knew who my husband would be, God began to give me a heart for the orphan.

Adoption wasn’t foreign to me. I had casually heard of people adopting, but I had never really known anyone personally that had done it and I had never really given it much thought. You see, I had no idea that there were millions of orphaned children in the world and that many of them would never be adopted. I didn’t know that there were precious children in the world literally starving to death or laying in hospital beds without a mom or dad at their side. I didn’t know that many of them turn to prostitution or drugs when they “age” out of the orphanage because they have no family…no education…no hope.

And then God interrupted my way of thinking, and placed a passion in my heart for the “least of these.” It started when I heard the story of Christian artist, Stephen Curtis Chapman and his wife, tragically losing their adoptive daughter. That story broke my heart for their family, and it also sparked a fire in my heart for adoption. The more I learned about the fatherless, the more I felt that I had to do something. You see…to whom much is given, much is also required. I had been given MUCH and the Lord was revealing to me what was required.

Looks like Camden (4) &
Case (3) have decided to keep her! 

Before I even met my husband, I began to pray that God would open his heart to the possibility of adoption. God answered BIG! Although, Tyler did not have the same passion as I did (at first), he was very open to researching and learning more about adoption. AND THEN GOD!! He used Tyler’s respect for me and willingness to share in my passion to completely break my husband’s heart also. I’ll never forget the day Tyler looked at me and said, “It’s easy to live in our own little world, but once you know, you’ve gotta do something.”

We brought our baby girl (Evie Joy) home just two short months ago. It is so amazing to see the work God has done in ALL of our hearts. I have always heard that adoption was a picture of the gospel and it’s so true!  As we’ve pursued her reluctant and guarded heart, I’ve been reminded that God does the exact same with us. He pursues us in our hopeless state, REDEEMS us, and leads us to NEW life in HIM!

First Family Photo...and appropriately under those Friday Night Lights!

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See? Do you not just want to cozy up with a cup of coffee with her and talk? So thankful that God used Noonday Collection to bring us together IRL; it has been such a blessing to be in prayer for their sweet family as they've chased after Evie and now are transitioning into a busy family of five!

Oh, and Go Brandon Bulldogs!

Stay tuned for the next post! You're going to love it just as much! I seriously know the most amazing women in the world! #hangingwiththecoolkids

#AdoptionRocks, Part 3: Four Children from Three Continents

I am so excited to share the Gordon's story! I have watched it unfold and continue to be amazed at their obedience and faith. They have done hard things with grace and love -- and are amazing advocates for the orphan in their community. I am so privileged and blessed to call them "friends." 

When I first met Meaghan, I was visiting Mississippi State University on an interview for a faculty position. She was a bright student just months away from graduating from Miss State and was heading to University of Alabama to pursue a master's degree. I remember that her professors could not say enough good things about her and her future. I could have never imagined just how God would cross our paths again nearly 10 years later. 

Our mutual friend, Kelli, wanted to host a Noonday Collection adoption fundraiser for Meaghan's family as they were working so hard to bring Max home from Ethiopia. We partnered together (with Meaghan's mom hosting at her beautiful home) for an such a fun night -- and we raised nearly $1,000 to help with sweet Max's adoption expenses thanks to the amazing support of the Gordon's family and friends. Who would have guessed there would be several more shows to not only help with Max's expenses, but also to help bring home his baby sister, Mamie, who joined their precious family August 1!

Check out this sweet video the Gordon's church featured on their family's adoption story, and then dive into Meaghan's beautiful reflections on the story God is writing for their little family! 

IN HER OWN WORDS....

My husband Wes and I have been married 10 years this month, and I can promise you that way back in 2005 as we were dreaming and planning of what our lives would look like in 2015, neither of us could have guessed that a decade later we would have four children born on three different continents. But, here we are, and we wouldn’t change a thing!

Two biological kiddos, one born in Ethiopia, and one born in China -- still hard for me to believe that I am blessed to be mom to Mary Reeves, Murphy, Max and Mamie. Adoption is a beautiful, tragic, wonderful, messy, redemptive thing. No matter how they joined our family, our kiddos are so loved and cherished. We pray that the Lord will guide us as we parent our transracial family through added layers of race and culture, loss and gain, and questions that we may never be able to answer. He knit our family together in such a unique way, and we wait expectantly for how He might use our stories to further His kingdom.

We have come through the waiting stage twice…yes, it is hard for families who wait, but oh how much harder for the precious kids who spend their days and nights in orphanages. We have celebrated kissing two of our babies for the first time after many sleepless nights, mountains of paperwork, thousands of prayers, tens of thousands of dollars, and stamps in our passports following flights across the ocean. We have felt the elation of landing at our tiny, local airport to introduce the newest Gordon to a host of family and friends.

Photo by Hayden More Photography
The Gordon Family August 1, 2015

We are now knee deep in cocooning with our littlest (that’s adoption speak for keeping our world small as we transition our precious daughter into our family, language, culture, etc.) We have a whole lifetime of parenting our children ahead of us. We are so thankful for the many little lives we’ve been entrusted with, yet we will forever mourn the missed minutes and milestones with our youngest pair. Their first mothers chose to give life to these miracles, and we will honor them always.

I know now that adoption has so many more layers than I knew about when we filled out our first application in 2011. I LOVE adoption…how it has grown my family and how it has grown me as a person. I love the community and the relationships we have made thanks to adoption. I love supporting adoptive families, and I love companies such as Noonday that provide financial assistance because that can be a huge barrier for many prospective families. We were blessed by the generosity shown our family through several adoption trunk shows held for us over the past several years. Purchasing through these shows helps both the adoptive family and the artisans’ families in vulnerable communities, basically a means of family preservation.

As we approach #WorldAdoptionDay, I remember the birth families, the nannies, the prayer warriors and listening ears, the stylish Noonday wearers, the agency staffs and orphanage directors, the generous family and friends, the casserole deliverers, the medical teams, the church, and everyone else who has played a part in our story. Most of all, I celebrate the precious little boy and little girl who don’t share my DNA but who call me Mommy today. May I live up to that title through the Lord’s leading and encourage others who are walking the same path to parenthood.

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I love the common thread that God is weaving in each of these adoption stories! He loves us, y'all! Like real deal, fights hard for us in dark places, LOVES US! Adoption is such a beautiful pictures of that love - and of His patience with us when we're resistant or unreachable. He waits for us to realize it and then lets us climb right up in His lap and be lavished with it...when we're ready.

Want to read more about the Gordon's journey? Head over to their blog and read more!

Stay tuned, friends! There's more amazingness coming in just a few days!