You know when a family is currently in their FOURTH adoption process, their words are worth listening to. Josh and Mary Beth have loved big and lost big in adoption and yet they continue to love big because Jesus has loved them and they believe He's worth it all. I'm so grateful to call them friends and I know your heart will be strengthened by their story. Mary Beth shares below:
We are Josh and Mary Beth, and our family could not be more excited to welcome our sweet boy into our lives. What a journey! I cannot tell you how many adoptive families start their story with “our journey has been a little bit different...” because they all are. I have found myself saying that more than ever since our baby boy was born.
Josh and I knew that God was gearing us up to adopt our third child and that stirring in our spirits was met with excitement and anticipation. Adopting for the third time, you know how this goes. We knew we would be back to a world of paperwork, home visits, and constantly grabbing our phones to check for situations that might have popped up since the last time we checked (five minutes ago). We have LOVED watching God piece our family together through adoption. It requires us to walk so closely with Him and to rely on HIM alone which is stretching and so rewarding.
We had a feeling this would be a quick trip for us, and we were not wrong about that. We got a call as the ink was still drying on our home study that a mom wanted more information about our family. We furiously threw together a profile book to send and heard a YES almost instantly. We were beyond thrilled to watch God work quickly and set about preparing our home and hearts for this boy.
We met his sweet expectant mom and it was a perfect match. We loved her and found conversation easy and felt an instant connection. The day after our love at first sight meeting, she had an appointment. From that appointment, we got a phone call that turned our world upside down. She had lost the baby and would have to deliver him at 34 weeks. We were devastated. We thought we had mourned every single aspect life had to offer through my own inability to carry a baby. I sat in the empty nursery I had created for this boy and cried for hours.
We had a friend design shirts for us to sell as a fundraiser that said “LOVE HAS NO LIMITS #adopt", and this was our chance to put that love to the test and extend warmth and kindness and support to a woman we loved, and a baby we wanted so bad. She was scheduled to be induced to deliver him the next day and asked me if I would be there with her since he was always going to be mine. I said yes without hesitation and was so thankful for the chance to meet the boy of my dreams. I held him, named him, and kissed his perfect little head. I told him how bad I wanted him and that he would always be my first son. I held his mother’s hand as she grieved, and I knew God had me in this position because she needed me. It was awful. In all my wildest dreams, I never even imagined this could ever happen. And yet, here we were after months of being matched with this little boy. Healing from this immense loss felt impossible.
After a few months of brutal “no’s," we got a situation that my heart instantly connected with. This mom had a story that was filled with loss and pain that so closely matched the way my heart felt, and I just asked God to please allow this to be our rainbow baby. And just like that, God broke through our storm with a ray of sunshine so bright, we can’t help but smile when we think of the sweet boy God had for us to bring home. We have been so grateful for the chance to have our happy, sweet baby boy. He is PERFECTION.
In a perfect world, we would have both of our sons in our home, but we know that we have a boy in heaven and one here in our home, and both of them bring us joy and fill our hearts with hope. And of course, because our story is a little different than most people’s...
Our son’s birth mom called us shortly after his birth to ask us if we would consider taking the baby she was pregnant with. We will be welcoming this sweet baby girl, our son’s biological sister, into our home this January. God asked us to walk a road that I would have never imagined I could ever walk, and he has taken our mourning and turned it into a literal dance party! ALL THE BABIES!
The love, support, and attention we received throughout this process has been incredible. I wouldn’t attempt adoption without the support of a consultant and the exposure that it gives your family as you wait for the little one God has just for your family. It has been hands down been worth every penny!
(Photo credit: Bethany Reed Photography)
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