Jeremiah's first photo shoot

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our recent photo shoot with our friend Kristi Kaliope.   Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

God's story of adoption

The below was written sitting in the hotel room on our second day with Jeremiah.

So today is our second day with Jeremiah Michael DeWalk. My heart and mind have been filled with so many thoughts and emotions over the last 5 months. Many of you know the story, some more than others, but our story of adoption is not really about us at all - It’s about God’s pursuit of our hearts.

For us, the journey officially began in October as I sat and shared with Melissa that I thought God was calling us to adopt. We decided to pray about it for 30 day and after about two weeks our answer was clear - God wanted us to adopt. In obedience we pursued adoption with no stipulation as to race or gender.

I had no idea as to what that really meant or how difficult the process would be, especially for me. At many times during the process I was ready to quit and in fact I asked myself - Is this worth it? As I look back through the entire process I can say that without a doubt the answer is a resounding - YES. There were times when the fear of finances controlled my thoughts to the point where I was ready to stop the process- HE MET THE NEED. There were times that the fear of parenting a black or biracial child controlled my thoughts - HE MET THE NEED. There were times of extreme heartache - HE MET THE NEED. If you don’t see a pattern here then I’m afraid you probably will never understand why Melissa and I decided to adopt.

You see when I look at Jeremiah I don’t see dollar signs, the color of his skin, or any of the heartache that we experienced. All I see is my son. God provided the ultimate example of adoption for us when, in his infinite wisdom, He decided that the only way for us to be redeemed was through our adoption through his son Jesus Christ. What an awesome example that when God looks at me He sees me as his son and an heir of God. Wow!

I’m convinced that all my fears, questions and concerns have ultimately proved to be opportunities for God to show His faithfulness in ways that I never could have imagined. Our Father is in a constant pursuit of our hearts and when we calls us to do something He will provide. In my case, it was becoming a Father to the fatherless. I’m not sure what God is calling you to do but I know that He will grant you grace to follow Him no matter what that might be.

Grace,
Rick