As Kathleen and I have prayed through the adoption decision, our hearts have continually been drawn toward the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It began with an awareness of DRC through a service opportunity Kathleen and Kaylen were participating in, where they met the Gerber family of Flower Mound. The Gerbers adopted young Evan from DRC about a year ago, and he was also present at the service event. In fact, he particularly enjoyed playing with Kathleen’s hair during the final prayer! In Kathleen’s words, that was her “ah-hah” moment – when she felt her heart both melt and leap at the prospect of our family bringing one of those little cherubs into our home. It was no accident that she and the Gerbers were serving that night together – that was her final confirmation from the Lord that we were indeed being led to adopt.

Through conversations with the Gerbers and research of our own, we felt more and more strongly that the Lord placed them in our lives as (a) an impetus to our process, and (b) the first in what was certain to be a long line of guides along our path. We researched other African locales, but DRC seemed to resonate deeply with us. Perhaps it is the general state of the country – very populated, very war-torn, generally overlooked when compared to more well-known narratives such as Sudan and Ethiopia.

The Gerbers referred us to Our Family in Africa (OFA), a nonprofit group through which they had adopted Evan. After more prayer and consideration, we both felt like a good first step would be to reach out to OFA. We were advised that the organization may be in a transitional state, more focused on providing direct assistance to DRC orphans via service within DRC itself. Nevertheless, we proceeded to reach out to OFA.

In what was the first of likely many setbacks, we received a response that OFA was indeed focused on non-adoption efforts. This news was met with both disappointment and understanding; the work their group is doing is beautiful and equally worthwhile for those sweet children, and we can do nothing but pray and support them along the journey they are on.

Our reaction was mixed – we were excited to be started along our journey, but left wondering what our next move would be. We were hesitant to consider an adoption agency; the process through a formal agency costs more, and we are sensitive to risks such as a child trafficking that tend to follow potentially lucrative lines of business. We are not blind to the fact that there are certainly great adoption agencies out there – we simply felt a little overwhelmed at the prospect of trying to vet out the options. Personal recommendations and testimonies weigh very heavily to us, especially in areas such as this where knowledge is harder to find.

But our God is faithful! Just a few hours later, a conversation with Monica Gerber bore fruit. We told her about our initial contact with OFA and the response we had received. The conversation quickly turned to the idea of pursuing an independent adoption process. We had toyed with the idea between the two of us, but the prospect of dealing with mounds of paperwork, lawyers, embassies, etc. seemed ripe for problems; the idea was quite overwhelming. As it turned out Monica is connected to families who have gone through an independent adoption process from DRC. Before we even arrived back at our house that night, she facilitated initial contact between us and one of these families (Holly Mulford), resulting in a phone conversation with her the next day. We were (and continue to be) so blessed by the eagerness and desire of adoptive families to reach out and counsel/shepherd prospective adoptive parents – such an amazing gift to us (and an example for us to follow in the coming years).

Subsequent conversations with Holly and Monica have given us a great start on what to expect, how the Lord was faithful in their walks, and what adoption “looks like” in DRC. We have more to share (upcoming posts), but we were so encouraged by the Lord’s faithfulness in so quickly taking a discouragement and turning it into an advancement. More than anything else, we feel more confident that being 100% sure of each step is unnecessary. The only requirement He asks of us is to prayerfully seek where He is leading us and then act on what we feel is His answer. We are blessed to serve a God that gently orchestrates and guides in ways we sometimes see – walking in faith is freeing yet demanding. We are giddy to be following His lead!