Tanya's Story

I have been thinking about adopting from China ever since elementary school. My childhood friends remember me talking about this as kids. Even when Todd and I were just dating, I shared with him this was something that I was on my heart.

Todd and I married and started our family, but my heart for adoption had not changed with the arrival of Jade and Hope. I began to pray that if this was really God’s will, then Todd would have the same desire in his heart.

We attended a conference together at the beginning of 2007 and both felt this was something God was calling us to do. But we never took the next step and I didn’t want to push so I just let it rest.

Todd came back to me in August of 2008 and told me he was still feeling this was something we needed to do. I told him, “No.” After a year and a half, I had kind of put the idea out of my mind because it was too hard to keep wishing for something that Todd didn’t seem to feel as strongly about as I did.

Now it was my heart that needed to be reminded. It was almost like God was telling me, “I finally got Todd ready to take the next step and now you’re telling me that you don’t want to do this?” From there it became something we talked about and prayed about.

It has taken a long time to start this journey. And I know it is a long road with lots of unknowns, but I am excited to start the process. I used to regret that we didn’t start the process earlier, but I’ve since learned we had to be in our thirties before China would even consider you for adoption.

So I am trying to let go of my ideas of when and how this would take place and trust God to make all of this happen. I can’t wait to hold in my arms the child I’ve been holding in my heart for thirty years.