Malachi is not the lucky one, we are.

What would parenting a child with a missing arm look like? 

How treatable would his clubfoot be? 

Were we prepared for any other conditions that came with the already known needs of this little boy? 

These questions and the sub questions that followed them laid at the forefront of our minds and conversation all night long. 

We researched. We prayed. We talked. We agreed that we would not review his file unless we were prepared to say yes. 

We “slept” 

The next morning my heart raced as I knew It was decision day. I will never forget standing in our bathroom when Lee walked in and said with complete confidence,

“We need to review his file.” 

My heart stopped. If I could have sobbed right then I would have. The same man who sat beside me on the edge of the bed the night before with a slight look of shock on his face when our coordinator said, “his arm is completely missing” was the same man standing before me after spending time with Jesus saying “this is the way, let’s walk in It.” The Holy Spirit is so very real and able to lead you in all aspects of life! 

We left home, rode downtown to complete our fingerprints and then got in the truck to head to the church for our mission trip. During that 25 minute drive we made one of the biggest phone calls of our entire life. 

We called our coordinator and said, “we want to review this little guy’s file.” 

She began telling us his story and all the info his file contained. 

Adoption can be beautiful, but It is so important for people to understand that adoption always begins with brokenness and loss. Our son’s story is no exception to that and we will never take that lightly. Someone else’s pain has become our joy and that is not lost on us. Not for one second! 

This quote is so true:

“A child born to another woman calls me Mom. The magnitude of that tragedy and the depth of that privilege are not lost on me.” Jody Landers

Malachi is not the lucky one, we are.