Our Adoption Story (previously written for a book on adoption).

We were a family of 5, mom, dad, and three beautiful boys.  I was content with my little family.  But, as is often the case, God had other plans for us.  It happened quite gradually.  I began to see little girls in the grocery store and think how cute she was, and what if we had a little girl.  Soon the desire to have a little girl overwhelmed me to the point that I sought counseling.  Surely, this was some unresolved issue I had about my mother (because as we all know, it’s always the mother’s fault :).  I truly wrestled with God about this desire, asking him to either take it away or make it grow stronger.  It grew stronger!

I was very hesitant about becoming pregnant again because my pregnancies were very hard on me and my family.  We struggled with which direction to follow, either give birth to a child or seek out adoption.

It was also during this time that we were introduced to a couple from our church who were foster parents, and who had a little girl that was close to being adopted.  We began walking through the foster care with this couple and ultimately, becoming foster parents ourselves.

One particular event forever changed me about adoption.  I had truly been praying for God’s will to be revealed to me during this time.  This was such a time of struggle and indecision and fogginess.  I will never forget when that fog lifted.  I had been on the internet researching adoption in all it’s myriad forms.  I came across a site that had pictures of waiting children.  One particular picture of a young infant boy captured my attention.  I remember praying specifically to God, worried that adopting would negatively affect my boys.  I asked God, “Is this wrong?”.  I will never forget the words I heard in my heart.  He said, “How can it be wrong?”.  It was in that moment that the fog started to lift.  I began the journey of understanding God’s heart for adoption.  His love for the orphans.  And His desire for His people to stand up and rescue the fatherless.

We become foster parents, in hopes of adopting the little girl that our friends were fostering.  But through a series of events, we did not get to adopt her.  But in January 2007, I received a phone call that her little sister was taken into care.  In May 2007, this baby came to live with us.  And then in November, just a few days before her 1st birthday, Summer Rae, was adopted into our expanding family.  We named her Summer Rae because she was a ray of sunshine in our life.  

Again, I was content with my little family.  And again, God had other plans.

Just a few months later in February 2008, we received a phone call from a couple in our church.  Their newborn baby girl was being removed from the home and they asked us to foster her.  We agreed to take her in, believing that we were in this to help educate and support the parents into being the kind of mom and dad this baby needed.  She came to us at 12 days old.  Over the next few months, we realized that this was more complicated than we knew.  And this began our journey of becoming the voice for the voiceless in the foster care system.  Over the next few years we fought for her story to be heard.  ANd finally in August of 2011, we adopted our 2nd daughter, Serena Jolie.

This journey of adoption has been a journey of extreme highs and extreme lows.  It has taught us to pray without ceasing.  It has opened my boys' eyes to how incredibly blessed they are.  It has taught us that God LOVES it when we participate in the ministry of restoring home and hope to the abandoned and abused.  We, who are called by His name, must begin to stand in the gap for those who have no voice.

I am not sure what the future holds for our family, but I know God is in the rescue business.  And that is where I want to be also.


-Christie O’Brien