Adoption Story, Pt. 1: The Planting of Seeds

A long, long time ago (mmm, about 5-6 years?) in a land far, far away (okay, it was in Michigan), Doug and I were talking about marriage and children, and Doug mentioned casually that he'd like to adopt someday. I agreed that it was a good idea, but didn't really think too much about the idea after that discussion.

Fast forward to the summer of 2009. Doug and I went on a mission trip to Jamaica with our church's youth group. While we were there, we visited an orphanage. This was the first time I had ever been to an orphanage, and it turned my world upside down. As we drove away, I had to put my head down and pretend to sleep because I couldn't stop crying. God was stirring my heart. The more Doug and I read and listened to sermons and prayed, the more we felt God leading us to adopt.

Then we went to Africa.