Thank you for visiting our adoption blog! We are grateful you are here.
In early 2011, Matt and I came to believe that God was calling us to adopt. Though we did not sense His leading to a specific country, we both agreed that we felt pulled toward international adoption. We prayerfully started to look into different adoption agencies and also began to research which countries we were qualified to adopt from. Over the course of the next few months, God was faithful to narrow our search. We chose Bethany Christian Services as our agency and God continues to confirm that the child meant to be in our forever family is in Ethiopia.
I asked God to bring to my mind what the title of our adoption blog (and subsequent campaign) should be. He did. Waiting for Rain. For us, this simple phrase is overflowing with meaning.
Ethiopia, as well as Somalia and Kenya, are facing the worst drought they’ve known in 60 years.
The Horn of Africa is literally waiting for physical rain.
It is easy to look at a nation such as Ethiopia and quickly become overwhelmed by the tremendous need and bleak reality in which so many millions of people live and die: drought, starvation, extreme poverty, AIDS, lack of education and resources, and spiritual darkness – just to name to name a few.
Through adoption, we can be rain for one child. We can physically water and nourish a young body. We can love, cherish and water a young soul. In the Bible, rain is synonomous for provision and blessing. We will introduce this child to Jesus, the Wellspring of Life, the One who gives Living Water. He will be for her spiritual rain in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Her. Yes, we believe that the child God has hand picked to be part of our family is a baby girl.
For years, Matt and I have always loved the name, “Rain.” We were sure that if God gave us a daughter, her middle name would be Rain. Before we even knew our Karis was a girl, we felt the Lord impress on our hearts her name was Karis. Though we loved “Rain,” “Karis Rain” just wasn’t right. We weren’t going to change her first name to make her middle name fit. So sadly (especially for me!) we let the name go.
At that time, we had no idea God would be leading us down the path toward adoption. I can’t help but smile when I think how perfectly Rain seems to fit as a middle name for what we hope will be our second daughter.
And so she waits. And we wait. For Rain.
Waiting For Rain 