In April, I posted the story of Katherine Arnold Wolf and how her brain injury on April 21, 2008 led Raleigh and I to pray without ceasing and intercede for others in a fresh, new way. Through this experience, God was beginning to lead us to adoption.
One month later on May 21, 2008 sweet Maria Sue Chapman saw her Heavenly Father face to face. I do not know Steven Curtis Chapman's family personally, but I always felt like I knew them.
I grew up in Nashville and attended Christ Community Church where the Chapman family also attended. So although I did not really know the family, I felt like I did. When I heard the news of the death of their youngest daughter, Maria Sue, my heart broke for this family. Raleigh and I once again found ourselves going to our knees in prayer for this precious family. I feel like when someone is in the depths of darkness and cannot even pray, it is our duty as followers of Christ to stand in the gap and lift up prayers on their behalf.
As we prayed for the Chapmans, the Lord started giving me a curiosity about adoption. Raleigh and I went to the beach in June 2008, and I took the book The Lost Daughters of China by Karin Evans. I read the book in a matter of hours and asked Raleigh to take me to the bookstore so I could look at a few more books. I really had no idea about the "specifics" of adoption so I purchased a variety of books and read them all on our trip.
God revealed a great need to both me a Raleigh....millions of orphans go to bed every night without a mom and dad. Millions of orphans have no place to call home. Millions of orphans waiting to have a family,waiting to hear the words I love you.
During April and May, the Lord brought Raleigh and I to our knees for others (Katherine and the Chapmans) and started teaching us what it means to pray boldly for others. Then the Lord showed us a way we could join His journey to love orphans. We always knew we wanted to be parents one day, we just assumed we would have biological children. God is so cool in the way he can transform our hearts.
When we got back from the beach, I started researching every adoption agency I could find. I requested packets of information that were mailed to our home, I watched online web seminars, and read a lot more about the Chapman's adoption journeys.
At the end of June 2008, Raleigh and I attended an informational meeting at Bethany Christian Services. Over the next few months, the Lord continued to give us clarity that it was His plan for us to pursue adoption. It is such a crazy God thing, because when I think back about it, Raleigh and I never had any huge discussions about why we should not adopt. God gave us each the desire to adopt and the peace to begin the process.
In October of 2008, Raleigh and I submitted our preliminary application to Bethany.
If you have made it this far, thanks for reading. Most importantly please pray for the Chapman family as they long to see sweet Maria Sue.
It's encouraging and inspiring to read how God has been directing your path over the last few years. Thanks for continuing to share your story!
ReplyDeleteI know we haven't met yet, Bridgette, but as you share your heart, I feel like I've gotten to know you. Hugs!
We will continue to pray for the Chapmans and the Greshams. It's two different types of waiting, but both can be difficult.