The Kolar Family
Adoption was something that we both considered and talked about before marriage, while we were dating. Cain’s sister and her family had adopted children. We were inspired in so many ways as we observed their children grow, and saw their family develop. It was not always easy, or picture perfect. We felt that we knew what to expect going into the adoption process from our experience and interactions with Cain’s family. After attending a local concert by Hislittlefeet, “hislittlefeet.org”, our eyes were opened to the realities facing orphans worldwide. That was what thrust us into such a life changing decision, and started the adoption process.
We felt every emotion during the adoption process: excitement, anxious anticipation, sadness, happiness, curiosity, and being overwhelmed. Sometimes all at once. We faced one unexpected challenge when we travelled to China for the adoption. Our daughter was 14 years old when she was adopted. The woman who worked at the consulate office asked our “soon to be adopted daughter,” if she knew her biological parents. She replied that she did! This was inconsistent with her story, because she had lived in the orphanage since she was 3 days old. We had to wait for hours at our appointment while they tried to sort out this inconsistency. After being prodded multiple times by the woman, our “soon to be adopted daughter,” turned to us and said, “mommy and daddy!”
One More One Less helped us with one of the biggest challenges in the initial adoption process, the expense! We felt blessed to have them assist us with one of the biggest financial and family decisions of our lives.
Meeting our daughter was a moment we will never forget. Our 14 year old daughter clung to Allison in a three minute long embrace. We will never forget that visual. Tears, smiles, and a huge sense of anticipation and wonder.
Adoption takes full commitment from parents, and it can be extremely challenging at times. It is one of the best experiences that a family can have. Our advice to anyone, is to “love God first!”
The Nachtigall Family
We always knew that we wanted to become parents. After years of trying on our own and months of unsuccessful fertility treatments, we began to pray about and consider other options. This is what led us to pursue adoption. To us, is wasn’t important “how” we became parents. We just knew that we could provide a loving and nurturing home for a child.
The financial burden became one of the biggest hurdles that we would face. The cost involved with a domestic infant adoption was very surprising to us. We applied for several grants and were grateful to have received one from OMOL. That grant covered our match fee.
The adoption process was an emotional roller coaster. We experienced nervousness, hesitant excitement and anticipation, followed by disappointment and sadness when we weren’t selected or had a failed match. We felt elation and nervousness when we were finally matched. Amy was allowed to be in the delivery room during the birth process. Nothing can describe the overwhelming joy that we felt when we were finally handed our baby – pure, overwhelming joy – an experience that we will never forget.
The process of adoption is a difficult journey, but is worth every emotion and hardship once you finally reach the end.
The Smith Family
God had placed adoption on my husband's heart and my heart separately before we even met each other. By the time we had our first biological child, we were already thinking about how to pursue adoption. As our second biological child was born, the fire to pursue adoption was only burning hotter.
When our journey of adoption process finally began to take shape and we started the long journey of fundraising and grant-writing, OMOL's gift to us was so humbling and generous. Without it we surely would have had to wait even longer to get to our girl before being fully-funded. It's amazing to know that right here in our community there is such a big group of people who not only believe in adoption but are willing to put their money where their mouth is and actively be the hands and feet of Christ to families in the trenches of adoption right here in Bismarck-Mandan.
From the moment we laid eyes on Mio, we knew our family was going to grow not only in size but in our capacity to love. Our biological children traveled with us to Japan to bring Mio home. Having our whole family there, looking at her, holding her, enjoying the amazing miracle that she is – TOGETHER – was like nothing I could have imagined. The things we learned as a family about Mio's country, culture, language, and people were indispensable to us as we brought her home and sought to further integrate her cultural heritage into our lives. Also, our biological son turned 5 in Tokyo and will always remember celebrating his birthday in Mio's birth country. We all were blessed to be there.
In this process, God has helped us see that adoption was how He brought us into His family through what Christ did for us on the Cross of Calvary. He looked out over all of creation and said, "I want her. I want him. They are going to be mine for all of eternity. In all of this, we have found, that God’s love truly multiplies.
The Richard Family
Adoption had been on our hearts for a long time. It was a dream that God grew in us over many years. We wanted to expand our family, and knew that we could love a child that was not biologically born to us.
We found the adoption journey to be challenging at times, filled with unexpected requirements and hoops to jump through. The referral took longer than we had originally expected, however we believe that God’s timing is perfect and that he brought our family together at just the right time.
Many emotions were felt, including excitement and hope, concern, worry, impatience, trust in God’s timing, inadequacy, frustration, and joy...all of them on the rollercoaster ride!
Our grant from One More One Less helped us pay the largest fee to our child’s country of origin after we received her referral. The grant was a huge help, and we were so grateful to receive it. We also appreciated the emotional support that One More One Less offered.
We were ecstatic when we finally met our child. All of our concerns melted away, and we knew that she was meant to be with us. It was like we were never apart.
The Thomas Family
We always knew that we wanted to have children. After years of struggling with infertility, we prayed that God would lead us down the path that He had chosen for us. When we surrendered ourselves to His will for our lives, we felt the calling to adopt.
Many emotions were experienced throughout the adoption process. Frustration, anticipation, hope, excitement, anger, and happiness. The range of emotions felt at different stages of the adoption process is incredibly wide. Just like any challenge faced, there are good days and there are bad days.
The financial burden that adoption places on a family can be challenging and downright overwhelming at times. We felt the hand of God working through One More One Less Ministry, to help remind us that we were doing what God had called us to do. Receiving a grant was a huge blessing to our family, and also made us feel like we were not alone in the long journey.
Our daughter was born on her due date. We were incredibly fortunate to have been in the hospital room when she was born. Our daughters’ birth family is generous, kind, and self sacrificing. We had waited so long for the day that our daughter was born, and it was surreal, more wonderful than anything we could have ever dreamed. God’s plan was perfect!
The Van Family
Our adoption story is an incredible “God thing,” and we were called by Him to adopt. We are sharing an abbreviated version of our story, but welcome anyone who wants to talk, hear the long version, or to meet up for coffee to contact us personally. Our contact information can be obtained through OMOL Ministry.
Many challenges were faced during the adoption process. Monetary expenses; others not being supportive of adoption; fear of whether or not the adoption would go through; Concerns about finding daycare; Gaining more weight from stress than Liam’s birth mother gained during pregnancy…#stresseater!
Many emotions were felt during the adoption process: crushing depression, joy, anxiety, overwhelming grace from God, hope, extreme happiness, etc. I have a tattoo on my arm that says, “Courage, dear heart.” It is from the Narnia books. I also listened to a song on repeat, over and over, when I was sad. It is written and recorded by one of my past students, and talks about God encouraging you when you feel hopeless. Adoption is very expensive. Receiving the monetary grant from OMOL helped out financially, but we are also so thankful for the emotional support and reassurance that OMOL provided during the adoption process. OMOL believes in adoption and supported us when others told us to “walk away.”
We were allowed to be at the hospital during the birth of Liam, and stayed in the hospital overnight. The hospital staff made both the birth family and us, a steak dinner and birthday cakes! The nursing staff and a pastor prayed over Liam. It was the hospital’s first adoption. We spent many hours with our young birth mom and her family, knowing that it was a very traumatic experience and a difficult decision was made.
We have an open adoption, and try to see our birth mother and her family once or twice a year. She is our superhero, and we all get along very well. God brought all of us together. We will continue to help her and love both her and her family.