It was still dark outside when the alarm sounded, jarring Pam and I from a restless sleep. The day was finally here after ten years of waiting. We were going to be parents.
This part of the story had started three months earlier when a woman who attended church with us in Amarillo, TX asked if we would adopt her son when he was born. We said yes almost immediately. We went to doctor’s appointments with her, met her other children and became friends along the way.
On the morning she was scheduled to deliver Abram, I remember Pam getting completely ready in about 20 minutes, which is lightning fast for my southern bride. We arrived at the hospital, put on our scrubs and were at the birth mom’s side during the c-section procedure. When the doctor brought Abram from the womb, he handed him to me first. His bald head and thick eye lashes are what I remember most.
Four days later, we had a ceremony in the hospital where the birth family said their goodbyes and handed Abram to us wrapped in a blue and white blanket. Aside from our own salvation experiences, it was the single most spiritual moment in either of our lives. Adoption is the central theme of the Gospel and for those of us who get to experience the miracle of adopting a child, the message is even more poignant.
12 years have now passed, and our little boy is becoming a little man. He is brilliant, hilarious and loves Legos and all things Snoopy. He loves life more than any kid I know. I am thankful that God chose us to be his parents and I am thankful for his birth mom who showed true courage and unbelievable obedience to God.
If God is leading you to give your life away to a child who needs a parent, check out www.Icareaboutorphans.org for info about Wait No More. Colorado is really close to being the first state to have a waiting list of parents wanting children instead of a long list of kids who wish they had a family of their own. I can’t wait to hear your stories.