Friends, I cannot tell you how many times tears streamed down my face, reading all of these adoption God-stories.
I am so honored and privileged to be allowed to share such stories of hope, redemption and love for National Adoption Awareness Month.
Just a reminder, these stories aren’t from some untouchable saints. Stories shared here, are from people just like you.
Adoption families are simply families who choose to step past fear, and let God be Lord over their decisions and what their family looks like.
If you missed our last story, you can find it here, “Our Story, Our Faith, Our Adoption”. You can also read some of the adoption stories I shared three-years-ago, here.
Today’s author is a dear friend of mine. Let me share the divine way we met…
One morning, I was in the shower, crying out to the Lord. See, I was traveling to Chi*a, in a little less than two weeks, and I didn’t have anyone to care for my new foster placement.
As a foster parent, not just anyone can watch our foster children. Only LICENSED caregivers can watch them. And respite workers are nearly impossible to come by.
Well, in the shower, I pretty much sobbed like a baby. “God, you called me to take this child, and yet I am leaving to fly to the other side of the world and I still don’t have anyone to take her.”
And then I did what any holy Christian might do…I strong-armed God, “You brought her here. You are going to HAVE TO find someone to watch her.” (I know, far from humble)
I got out of the shower, got ready, then went to Bible Study…Not feeling even a tiny bit better.
At Bible Study, ladies sat around a table introducing themselves. I wasn’t fully present, thinking about my coming trip.
Then, a lady named Lisa introduced herself. At the end of her introductions, she almost impromptly added at the end…
“Oh, and I am also a licensed foster parent. I don’t take kids anymore. I just keep my license open in case anyone needs respite.”
RESPITE? Did I hear her right?
Sure enough! Lisa not only “happened” to have the week I was traveling open. (Which if you know Lisa, that is a miracle in itself)…
But she also has been available and THE MOST loving caregiver, EVERY SINGLE TIME I have traveled afterwards, either to Chi*a, Peru, or to speak at a conference out of state! (Isn’t God so good? Boy, how God absolutely ADORES these children!)
I love Lisa and her entire family. They are simply AMAZING and filled with SO MUCH LOVE! Words will never say what an ANGEL Lisa has been, to not only me, but my whole family!
Let’s get to Lisa’s story…
Thompson’s Adoption Story
Our journey began in October, 2011, in Montego Bay, Jamaica. This was the second year visiting the orphanage.
We are founders of the Thomas Family Foundation. Our mission is to travel with a purpose.
Our family travels together; older children, younger children and grandchildren. During our travel, it is important to do for others.
Poala Brown is the owner and manager of Blossom Garden Orphanage, in Montego Bay. Her husband, Trevor, drives at Juno Transport, for a touring company.
They are the sweetest, and take wonderful care of their visitors. Trevor makes sure you are taken to safe places in Jamaica. (I include this information due to our amazing experiences.)
As I boarded Juno Transport with my 19 month old daughter in my hands, leaving the orphanage, I was unusually quiet and overwhelmed with sadness. We had visited the same orphanage 4 times in 2010 and this was the last of our trip in 2011.
On our ride back to the resort, our baby Elliana asleep on my lap, I stared out the window uncontrollably crying. A whisper in my head and heart kept pounding at me….
That we needed to adopt…
And fill a child’s heart of love and a family!
I fought back this voice a couple times and remember saying to myself, “You’re crazy, right!” We had six
children at the time, ages 26,25, 22, 18, 3, and 19 months.
I felt the tug again and I knew it was God whispering to me.
Why, what and how am I going to share this with my husband and adult children, without them thinking I have totally lost my marbles?
As we arrived at the resort, all of us went to our separate rooms to get ready for dinner. After dinner, the older children were down at the pool and I went upstairs to put the younger kids to sleep.
I sat on the balcony watching my wonderful husband playing with our older children, laughing and having fun.
The feeling and the whisper in my ear and heart would not subside.
Honestly, I knew I needed to share my experience with my husband Kevin, when he came up to the room, and I was scared.
When Kevin came up for the night, I approached him with what had happened after leaving the orphanage and how it had been laid on my heart, that we need to adopt.
To my astonishment, he said, “Honey, whatever you want to do, I am behind you.”
Prior to leaving Jamaica, we stopped at the Child Services Department, to pick up paperwork. I felt at the time, we were supposed to adopt from the orphanage.
We attended Stanwood Foursquare Church, and a wonderful friend, Eileen Fehlen, had several conversations with me about our travels and adoption. At some point, Eileen looked at me and said…
“Why from another country? We have plenty of orphans here.”
Her words filled my soul with comfort in knowing, God used her to steer me in a different direction.
The following week, I found out from the Embassy of Jamaica, that our family would have to live in Jamaica for 4 months and then go to court in Kingston to see if we were fit to adopt from their country.
There was no way I was leaving our older children and living in another country for four months, not knowing what the outcome would be.
It took us awhile to get everything rolling because I was focused on the application and answers from Jamaica.
I then reached out to our local Department of Children’s Services and began the process of what needed to be done to be foster parents.
We completed all classes and paperwork over time and received our foster license in August of 2013.
My heart ached to adopt. I was not sure if I could have children in the home, only to say goodbye.
My research began and I stumbled across Northwest Adoption Exchange. As I scrolled, our little girl was right there. She was a little over 2 and had hydrocephalus, with a VP Shunt, and Autism.
I reached out to the coordinator of the Adoption Exchange and she gave me the foster parent’s phone number.
I immediately called and left a message. Awaiting the return call seemed like a lifetime.
A couple days later, Donna, the foster mom, called me back. During our conversation, I found out she lives only twenty minutes away from us.
Sadie, the little girl, had a birthday that was the same day as my disabled brother had, who passed away.
The best part, I knew her from being my Children’s Pediatrician Nurse, years ago. She is a Christian and I was astonished at God’s work with the connection.
We waited until the weekend to meet Sadie. Walking into Donna and Terry’s house, it felt like we knew them forever.
There, sitting on the floor was Sadie, watching TV and singing. She could not walk, but she was full of life.
Sadie crawled over to us and climbed into our laps. There was a lot of medical information on little miss Sadie that Donna shared with us.
On our way home, Kevin and I knew we needed to visit again and decided to take our now 3 and 5 year old children with us.
After a few visits, we sat down with our biological kids, Brock and Elliana, and asked what they thought about having Sadie as a sister. They immediately said, “Yes!”
I reached out to Sadie’s case worker and we started the process of paperwork and weekend visits at our home.
Sadie did amazing with her overnights and weekends. I would stop by during the week, so my face because familiar to her, daily. We filled out the paperwork for pre-adoptive parents.
The next day, September 1st, 2013, was Gotcha Day. It all happened so fast.
All along, God was guiding this journey and knew where Sadie needed to be.
During our six-months as pre-adoptive parents, I researched changing a child’s birth, given name. There were articles of older children stating they liked that their adoptive parents gave them a new name.
We played around with the idea and one day I was asking Sadie, “What name do you like?” I gave her 3 names; Aliya, Fred (We like to joke around), and Abagail. We played this game several times and she kept choosing, Abagail.
During our meeting with our attorney, I mentioned that it would be wonderful if the adoption could be on her 3rd birthday. We looked at the calendar and adoptions were on Mondays.
Sadie’s birthday was on Monday, March 17th, 2014.
The attorney put it on the books for Sadie to be adopted on her 3rd birthday!
On March 17th, 2014, Abagail Sadie Renee Thompson because a forever part of our family.
“God found us you, beautiful girl!”
Abigail stays connected with her previous foster parents, which she calls, Gogo and Papa.
Doctors sent Donna home with Sadie (Abgail) when she was five weeks old, from Children’s Hospital. She had been starved and was frail.
Due to her medical conditions, she was not expected to live. They did not know if she would ever walk and were amazed at each appointment that she was strong and surviving.
Abagail started walking on December 25th, 2015. She is currenting in the 4th grade.
God placed Jen Avellaneda in my path during Women’s Bible Study in 2014. She has inspired me to
grow and trust God with every ounce of my soul. I love the Avellaneda family. Thank you friends, for your love and support, as well as sharing your little ones with us.
Every move we make, God puts people in our path; past, present and future. At the time, we may not see the ending of the story with relationships….
It’s a small world after all.
Psalms 68:5-6 “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families…”
~ The Thompson’s – Lisa, Kevin, Brock, Elliana, & Abagail
Lisa, thank you for sharing, both in real life and through your words, the absolute MIRACLE of Abagial and how God led you to her!
The world has turned upside-down in many ways. There are far too many against the things of God. Cynicism, skepticism, bitterness and hate have even plagued the adoption world in far too many ways…
Yet, this story makes it clear, not only is God FOR adoption….God chases down, fights for, and plans every single detail, in order to set children in families.
It is in a family, kids like Abagail, heal, grow, are loved, and press past the odds.
We have seen it as foster parents, time and time again. And we have seen it in the life of our friend Lisa, and her family.
Lisa radiates His pure JOY and it is evident in her sweet Abagail, healing stems from the patience, determination and hard work of people like Abigail’s mom, families who follow His call…
Go where He leads…
And says, “Yes” to children waiting for families….
Children like Abagail.
