the story of how God brought our son to our family
I don’t think Ryan’s story is complete without telling the story of Jonah:
GOD GIVES US AN IDEA…Jonah’s story begins with a foster baby we had in June 2009 who had Down syndrome. Our time with precious little Baby M lead us to start thinking about adopting a baby with Down syndrome. We realized Down syndrome was a condition we felt comfortable with and had some knowledge about. We were also made aware of the tremendous amount of resources such as early intervention therapies that are available to a child with Down syndrome.
GOD GIVES US GUIDANCE…After much prayer, we contacted Bethany Christian Services and let them know we would be interested in adopting a baby with Down syndrome. We thought there was a good chance we may be traveling out of state for this baby. Little did we know our baby would end being 20 minutes from our house! God was truly working in the lives of the birth mother and our family!
GOD SETS THINGS IN MOTION…The birth mom contacted Bethany Christian Services in late spring of 2010 after finding out the baby boy she was carrying had Down syndrome. She was very worried there would not be a family willing to adopt her baby because of his special needs. After looking at our adoption profile, the birth mom wanted to meet with us. This meeting happened in early August 2010.
GOD MAKES THINGS HAPPEN…At that meeting, the birth mom told us she had chosen us as the forever family for her baby boy! We spent the rest of August 2010 getting ready for a new baby in our family!
GOD BLESSES US…Then on a beautiful day in September 2010, we welcomed little Jonah into this world. What an experience. Happy Birth Day Jonah!
GOD WATCHES OVER ALL OF US…Jonah spent a few days in the hospital with his birth mother. Then on his discharge day, we drove him to a foster home where he would stay until the Termination of Parental Rights hearing that would happen a few weeks later.
GOD COMFORTS US AS WE WAIT…All we could do during those few weeks of waiting was pray: pray that God’s will would be done in our lives, the lives of the birth parents, and most of all the life of precious Jonah. As a family, we prayed the words of Psalm 16:5-6:
“Lord, you have assigned [Jonah] his portion and his cup; You have
made [Jonah’s] lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for [Jonah]
in pleasant places, surely [Jonah] has a delightful inheritance.”
It was our hearts’ desire that our home would be Jonah’s “pleasant place”.
GOD CELEBRATES WITH US…Finally the hearing day arrived! We got the news on our way to the foster home. The birth parents terminated their rights. Jonah was part of our family!
GOD CONTINUES TO WORK…During Jonah’s first four years, the Lord has blessed us with healing from some serious health issues for Jonah and Mary. He has helped our family bond and grow closer than we ever imagined when we first pondered adoption. The Lord has also blessed us with a beautiful relationship with Jonah’s birth family through our open adoption. Finally, Jonah continues to amaze us and his teachers with his incredible success at school…the sky is the limit for our little guy!
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declare the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11.
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