In 2005, at First Baptist Graceville (Florida) we had a Sunday night sing. Neysa Wilkins, a news anchor in Panama City, sang and gave her testimony.
She talked about going to Ukraine on a mission trip and so many of the children there living on the streets. God started tugging at my heart while I was sitting there listening to her. When we got home Britt said he felt God tugging at him. We did not know when or where, but we knew God wanted us to adopt internationally one day. Fast forward 9 years and 2 babies later...our adoption had always been in our hearts and in the back of our minds. But in early 2014 Britt bumped into an acquaintance from Grace Point Community Church in a hospital waiting room. She told him about Crisis Rescue International that she had just been on a mission trip with.
Sex-trafficking is huge in India! A fact from redressonline.com, "Almost 80 percent of all worldwide trafficking is for sexual exploitation, with an estimated 1.2 million children being bought and sold into sexual slavery every year, and India is the poisonous hub, for Asia and, some say, the world. End trafficking in India and the worldwide epidemic in human suffering caused by this crime will be greatly reduced."God really began to put India on our hearts. Here is some really good God stuff right here...In June of this year, Britt went to the Gridiron Conference in Birmingham. David Uth, the senior pastor at FBC Orlando, spoke on James 2:14-26 about faith without works is dead. He challenged the men to risk/sacrifice to do what God is asking you to do. Britt was convicted of not doing anything to help the children of India. That same day at lunch there was a family from India in the waiting area of the restaurant. Britt struck up a conversation with them. After the Indian family was seated, Britt shared what God had convicted him of with his group. The next day one of the men that had been on the trip texted Britt to tell him about Roy Durham who had a pastor from India in his home right here in Eclectic. It was a God thing that they even met, and that a pastor from India was in Eclectic, AL of all places! The Indian pastor was here to raise money for an orphanage in Northern India. Britt was able to sit down and talk with him. Britt was ready to pick us all up and move to India and start an orphanage!! Me...not so much!! But God did really put a deep down burden on my heart for a daughter from India.
I messaged 2 acquaintances that had adopted internationally to find out what adoption agency they had used. At this time my sister and her husband had been in their adoption process for 3 years. I did not want to start our process until they had their baby. In October, Britt told me we needed to get our process started because he was not getting any younger. But I told him I could not even start until my sister had her baby. Well, 2 weeks after that conversation...my sister and brother-in-law got their precious, beautiful DAUGHTER!!! Stay tuned for me to blow up social media with her precious little face!!
Britt was actually in New Mexico on an elk hunt with his parents when all of this happened. And just to show off his hunt of a lifetime...
We really like them because they provide relief services through food, clothing, medicine, toys, facility renovations, and disaster relief. They are also Hague accredited, which means the adoption is done ethically. I have already LOVED working with this agency. We are in the paperwork process right now and they are quick to get back to me with my questions.
I will be honest...this is scary! I think God gave us 3 boys because He knew that if He had given us a girl we might not have gone through with this. The idea of 4 kids is scary, the cost of international adoption is scary, going to India is scary! A friend of mine shared this on her Facebook page and it has stuck with me...
Please pray for us as we go through this process! More to come on the blog, but for now...
