The Why's...

Why are we adopting?
We know that it truly is a God thing. I can't image going through this process without having faith that He will provide what we need; be it money, comfort, tears, support. We know that He is in control of this whole process. We are lucky enough to have a church, family, and friends who are very excited for us. I'm sure some of them have questions and doubts and wonder why we do this, but in the end, they are almost as excited about this as we are. We know that it is going to have a huge impact on our kids--hopefully a positive one. I want them to know that there are others in this world who don't have the things we have and that we are called to help and support the fatherless. If we can make one (or two, or three, or four) kids fatherless no more, then we should. We should support our friends who are also going through this journey.

Why a child with Special needs?
I honestly don't know. At the beginning of the school year, I decided I wanted to go back to school and get my master's in Special Education. I LOVE my class with my inclusion kids. I've always felt that I worked better with students with special needs. Maybe that's why. Maybe I've seen too many kids who don't have parents who care about them and struggle, but "get it" when you spend a few minutes with just them. We didn't specifically search out a child with special needs. We know that God created her for us almost three years ago.

Why Eastern Europe and not here?
It never was a choice for us. We saw this sweet blonde hair, blue eyed precious doll and knew she would be a part of our family as soon as we could make it happen. We didn't research different countries or programs. We fell in love with a little girl. We are excited (and terrified/nervous) about our travels abroad. We've never been out of the country before, so this is a completly new adventure for us. Eric isn't a traveler. He travels for work and wants to stay home when he's not working. I, on the other hand, would LOVE to travel the world. I want to see what God has created for us. I've been lucky enough to travel all over the United States. Now I'm excited to see Eastern Europe, specifically where my daughter has called home for the past two and half years.

Why?
A friend told me today when I was discussing this with her, "How do you explain your heart?" This so sums it up. How can I put words to what I just know is the right thing? How do I put words into knowing that THIS is the child we were meant to have; she just happens to live thousands of miles away.