It’s been about three years since my husband and I embarked on a journey that radically changed our dreams, our ambitions, our desires and most of all our hearts!  We spent 3 months in Kona, Hawaii completing the Discipleship Training School through Youth With a Mission (YWAM).  We then hopped on a plane and flew half way around the world to a country of chaos, beautiful people, spicy food and loud colors!  If you haven’t already guessed the country I’m referring to is beloved India.

I say “beloved” because I fell in love with this country.  God opened my eyes to a whole new world.  The world of international adoption.  My husband and I fell in love and built close relationships with the children at the local orphanage.  We spent countless hours, blowing up balloons, playing tag, dancing, blowing bubbles and simply loving these children.

One boy in particular impacted us dramatically.  His name is Praveen Kumar.  We fell in love with his ornery personality, his huge smile and his dark chocolate eyes.  We fell even harder when we heard his story.  This little boy was born out of wedlock to a mother who had left her husband and then returned to him pregnant.  Her husband wanted absolutely nothing to do with Praveen.  Thankfully the local orphanage welcomed Praveen with open arms.

Praveen Kumar

The day my husband and I boarded our flight back to America, was one of the hardest days of our lives.  One image that is engrained in my head is seeing all the orphans line up in a straight line and hugging us one by one and hearing “goodbye Auntie, goodbye Uncle,” over and over.  I remember just holding Praveen and him not understanding that we were leaving.  Walking out of the orphanage and seeing those children wave goodbye was one of the most emotionally difficult things I have ever done.

As I boarded the flight to head back to America, I remember thinking, “I came to impact and touch this country, but instead this country impacted me way more.”  I went home with an image of Praveen Kumar engrained in my heart.  I went home realizing that there are millions of orphans all over the world and they desperately need someone to hear their story.  They need someone to advocate on their behalf.  I went home realizing that we need an adoption movement to sweep our nation.  I also went home recognizing that my husband and I were going to adopt.

Zach and I returned to Kansas and fought extremely hard on Praveen’s behalf.  We contacted numerous agencies looking for ways to adopt him. Over and over we hit a brick wall.  Praveen was in an unlicensed orphanage in a Hague country and Praveen’s mother had not relinquished her rights.  Finally we released this little boy to God.

God used this precious little Indian boy to open our hearts to adoption.  We currently are 18 months into adopting a sibling group from India.  Someday we are going to tell our children the story behind those chocolate brown eyes and that huge smile that is so evident in the photo that hangs in our living room.