SEARCH RESULT
We know it sounds cliche, but we met online…by accident. We connected via social media, thinking that the person we connected with was someone else. When we started looking at each other’s pictures, we soon noticed that there had been a case of mistaken identity. After realizing we didn’t actually know each other, we had a mutual friend reach out to us individually to try and play matchmaker. We chatted back and forth for three weeks via email, talking about everything you can imagine – music, work, church, friends, food, and life. Our first conversation on the phone was incredible and lasted for several hours. After a month of speaking to each other, we decided to meet. Our first date was the day before Valentine’s Day and we both knew instantly that we were going to marry each other. From then on, we frequented new and unique restaurants, wandered through museums, hung out at the beach, and got to know each other’s friends and family. 13 months after our first date, we were married, and it has been the most incredible journey.
We met at a Christian Club that Rick had started with a friend at a local college. We dated for four years and then got married and it was the best decision we could have made. We are perfect for each other.
About Paige (from Rick’s perspective)
Paige is the love of my life. I feel that she is the most generous, caring, loving, and thoughtful person I know. She continually motivates and encourages me to be the best version of myself. Paige is an amazing mom to our two boys and is always investing love and time into their lives. She loves to bake with them and read to them. She loves making special moments and memories in each day. For every holiday that comes around, Paige plans exciting projects for the kids to bring as much anticipation for that holiday as possible. Tea parties and fun educational games are a common occurrence in her homeschool days. She loves to take the kids outside to explore and she has the best way of bringing whatever she is teaching them to life. More than my wife, Paige is my best friend. When we are together, we are always laughing, and sharing with each other all the amazing things God is doing in our lives. I feel infinitely blessed to be married to her and to have her in my life. I look forward to the years ahead knowing that we have each other for the rest of time.
About Rick (from Paige’s perspective)
Rick is a wonderful husband to me and Father to my boys. We work, play, and laugh together daily. He is the most loyal and patient man I know and he never ceases to amaze me with his dedication to our family. He is compassionate yet strong. He is honest and trustworthy. If I ever doubt myself or get discouraged, he is always there with a hug and a listening ear. When I have an idea to try, Rick is always supportive and gives his all to help me achieve it. He embodies all the qualities I dreamed of finding in the man I would marry. As the years go by, I find myself more and more in love with him as we live this life as purposefully as possible. We hope that our children remember us most for bringing joy to others and making a difference wherever we go. Watching Rick with our two boys is a gift. He can make them laugh like no one else can. They love to spend every waking moment with him. We are thankful that Rick works from home often which gives him the ability to have more time with us than most. He knows how to make life fun and memorable even on the most mundane days. I love this man and cannot imagine my life without him. The bond we share is truly a gift from God.
We first met at a Salsa Dancing Social. After months of dancing and getting to know each other, we had our first date. As we learned more about each other, we realized how we felt at home with one another. It was the Halloween season, so we enjoyed getting dressed up and attending Halloween salsa socials and family friend Halloween parties. We were falling in Love.
At Thanksgiving time, Reena began talking about Joel with her other family members with so much excitement. Reena introduced Joel to her brother, and they hit it off immediately. When Reena invited Joel to meet her parents, Mom gave Reena the Thumbs up. It was Christmas time and there is a cute little ornament with Reena’s picture that Reena had made at school in the first grade. We were decorating our Christmas tree, and Joel took that ornament and placed it at the very top of the tree. Reena’s heart melted and her family invited Joel to our larger family Christmas party where he was immediately welcomed with open arms.
That same Christmas, Joel had invited Reena to his family’s church for their annual Simbang Gabi Mass. This is a Christmas tradition within the Filipino community where Joel’s whole family was present. It was so wonderful to meet Joel’s family in such a beautiful setting. Shortly after, Joel and Reena would attend Joel’s family church on Sunday’s after Dance class, and then meet at his parent’s home for Sunday Dinners.
The following Easter, Joel took Reena to the Easter Vigil, which is the Saturday before Easter Sunday. She learned about the RCIA process where she could learn about the Catholic Faith and be confirmed as a Catholic. That fall, she enrolled in the program and Joel sponsored her. As they went through this beautiful journey together, Joel proposed that following Fall. The following Easter, Reena was confirmed as a Catholic, and Reena and Joel were married that Summer.
We are Matt and Cat and we live on a small farm in Strasburg, Colorado. We met during high school, and it didn’t take long for us to fall in love. We have been happily married for 10 years but have been together for 20. Through Matt’s military and civilian career, we moved all over and eventually landed in Colorado. It wasn’t your typical journey, and we definitely didn’t follow the traditional path. Through trials and tribulations, we both realized we needed to go back to school, later in our lives, to obtain our college degrees and we both enjoy successful careers in Systems Engineering and Insurance Management. We wanted to accomplish certain milestones in life before bringing a child into the world. When we realized that naturally conceiving was not an option there was the initial sadness; however, it quickly turned to joy and excitement as we began the adoption process. Matt was adopted at a very young age, and we understood how beneficial adoption can be for the birth mother, child, and adoptive parents. Now a little bit about the home the child will grow up in. The amount of love in this home is indescribable by words. The child will be happy and will know that they are loved and wanted. It is the simple things in life that are important to us, a good home, good health, stable marriage, and beyond all happiness. If the birth parent chooses, we would like our child to know about their birth parents, the incredible amount of love they had for the child, and the sacrifice they made to ensure the child was provided for in life. We will teach our child about love, respect, hard work, and most of all how to have fun. They will spend their time experiencing life rather than watching it on television. Education is important to us, and our child will receive a good elementary and secondary education. College is a personal decision, and we will support our child in whatever decision they make. Most important to us is that the child be provided with the opportunities they need to pursue the path they choose in life. We look forward to watching our child grow and mature; support them as they stumble in life; and, of course, will celebrate with them as they experience the many successes in their life.
Our names are Crissy and Thomas. Crissy is a pediatric nurse and Thomas is a former police officer and current first responder for 9-1-1. The thing we want most in this world is to have a family. We have been married for nine years, and we did fertility treatments for the first six of them. We were originally introduced in 2007 and over the next few years were introduced by a few more. We finally decided to give it a shot. We got married in November 2013, Over the next several years of medical intervention, treatments and one lost pregnancy it was discovered that Crissy had unexplained infertility. We still have the dream to start a family. We know that families are made in many different ways and we are hopeful that our family is still out there. We truly feel as though God has led us to adoption, and we hope and pray that this will finally be our opportunity to create our family.
We are each other’s missing piece, extremely different but alike in so many ways! We met through a dating app when Daniel gave it one last shot before deleting the app and coincidentally was Rochelle’s first match. The timing was meant to be! We hit it off immediately and started dating in early 2019. Daniel proposed in 2020 in Florida at Marco Island when we were walking along the beach. He had asked a kind stranger to take a picture of us on the beach but quietly asked her to record everything. After posing for the picture, Daniel got down on one knee. We were married a year later right after everything open up after Covid. It was a small intimate wedding on the beach in Key Largo, Florida. Rochelle’s Grandma was the flower girl and our pup was our ring bearer.
Getting married when we were older helped us start our relationship strong because we knew who we really were. Our life experiences helped shape us into adults who know to communicate effectively and appropriately. We are able to truly understand each other and tell each other what we need in our relationship. We are both hard workers and love to have fun and enjoy each other’s company.
We recently attended a “marriage night” at our church, and we were asked to define our “superpower.” We chose the word “perseverance.” We have been through a lot together, but our faith in Christ has been our firm foundation through it all. We have been incredibly blessed in ways would could never have imagined, and we have also leaned on God for strength during times of loss, waiting, and unexpected difficulties. But through each season, we are so grateful for the love we have for each other, and even more for our faith in God, who is strong when we are not.
When we were first introduced by a mutual friend at dinner one night, little did we know all that God had planned for us. We recently celebrated our 10th anniversary. We have supported one another through late nights of studying as we were completing our degrees and celebrated graduations and job offers. We have danced together at many weddings, but we have also cried together at funerals. We have held hands in hospital rooms and nursed each other back to health. We have been isolated together in quarantine (and as it turns out, we really do enjoy each other’s company!). We have poured each other more morning cups of coffee than we can count. We have laughed together almost every single day. We have prayed through it all, and we cannot wait for the next adventure.
Hello! We are Danny and Ingrid. We value our relationship with God, family, and each other, and are excited to share our unconditional love with another child. We are an adventurous, fun-loving family from Wisconsin and look forward to growing our family. Although we have struggled for several years with infertility, long before that God had placed adoption on both of our hearts. Our first discussion about it started back when we were dating long distance. We have been married now for 10 years and have been blessed with our son, Steven, through adoption. Steven would make such a great big brother, and would love to have a sibling to play with.
We both attended Oklahoma State University and started dating after we graduated and moved back to our hometowns, in September 2011. On our second date we had a pizza baking competition, since Matt is the pizza connoisseur! Other favorite dates included going to museums, taking the dogs to dog parks, Thunder games, annual trip to the State Fair, and going to the local drive in movie.
We were engaged in December 2013 on a ski trip. After discussing with Shae's mom how to do it, Matt decided he just couldn't wait any longer and proposed while our group was playing cards - right after Shae ate a blue sucker and had changed into her comfy clothes for the night. Shae's blue sucker caused her mouth to look like a Smurf, but love is blind!
We were married on May 3, 2014 in the church that Shae grew up in and where we are now members. We asked our guests to wear orange, black or white and had Pistol Pete as a surprise guest at our reception!
Karsten was born in the crazy year that was 2020! Her birth mom choosing us to be her parents is truly a gift and an honor. Some of our favorite things to do as a family include going to OSU football games, visiting the zoo, and playing outside!
Thank you for taking time to look through our family's profile. We know the magnitude of the decisions you're making right now, and although we do not know your name, we are praying that you are safe and healthy, and that you feel loved, supported and at peace.
With love,
Matt and Shae
Our love for each other started from our love of horses. We met at a time in our lives when we both trained and showed horses alongside both of our families. Though we had known of each other, one day we fell in love as we discovered not only did we share the same interest but most importantly we shared the same values. We could tell from that moment that God had led us to each other. After dating for a year, Jonathan proposed in April and we got married in October 2016. We have been married for 7 years and still can say we are truly each others best friend.
As Christians, we want the Scriptures to affirm everything we do. You may find yourself asking, “What does the Bible have to say about adoption?” As we examine the Scriptures for specific facets of adoption, we can develop a Godly and Biblical approach.
Adoption in strict terms is a legal process. However, adoption is more meaningful and more significant than just the legal perspective. Adoption represents relationship. There is a substantial difference between legal and promise in practice and principle. Where law focuses on legal facets, promise celebrates the unconditional gift of love.
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In the Bible, we see many references to God’s Covenant Family and how, as new believers, we are adopted into God’s family. We are more than chosen. We are adopted and seen as pure and holy. Looking back in history, we find unique Roman-Syrian legislation that allows a father to abandon his biological child but forbids disowning his adopted son.
It is clear biblically that adopted children and biological children have at least the same value, and some would argue that adopted children have an even higher standing.
The Genesis record of creation shows that God designed marriage to be between one man and one woman. We know that God intervened in Adam’s isolation stating, it’s not good for man to be alone. God created and ordained marriage with a calling to create children.
The union between man and woman was biblically established as God’s design for creating and raising children. Infertility and other reasons might prevent a couple from creating children. Adoption allows that couple to fulfill their calling to parent and raise godly children.
The husband and wife relationship, centered in Christ, growing their family is part of the biblical covenant. This family unit delivers physical, emotional, and spiritual security and shelter for their children. God’s design establishes the calling for children to experience the covenantal relationship between a mother and a father.
A marriage firmly rooted and grounded in Christ is the strongest possible foundation for family-building, whether through birth or adoption. Many birth parents realize the stability of a Christian family and make that quality a priority when making their adoption plan.
Although we have seen the importance of two parents, the father’s role as illustrated in the Scriptures is separate and distinct from the mother’s. The Bible speaks of fathers as men of compassion, teachers at home, and honored by their children. Proverbs significantly elaborates on the essential roles a father can and should play in the lives of his children.
God purposefully chose to relate to us as a Father. Our earthly fathers are important in modeling or being images of God as Father.
It is important to note that many women choose adoption because they see the father as vital for their child.
Joseph Adopted Jesus – Perhaps the most profound example of adoption in the Scriptures is Joseph’s adoption of Jesus. Joseph assumed the role of Jesus’ father. It should not surprise us that God desired for Jesus to have an earthly father, consistent with His plan for marriage and parenthood.
Pharaoh’s Daughter and Moses – We can summarize Moses’ adoption by seeing it in the context of two loving mothers whose first concern was a child. Jochebed, who parted with her child knowing that his life was at stake if he remained with her; and Pharaoh’s daughter, who felt compassion on a child she knew, by mandate, would be killed. God used these two women to save Moses’ life and provide him with a safe and secure childhood.
Jochebed’s decision is an excellent example of a birth mother’s love for her child. Her godly example sets straight the misconception that birth parents don’t love their children. Her love for Moses prompted her to make the adoption plan.
Here are some other examples often mentioned as types of adoptions: Esther and Mordecai (Esther); Jacob’s adoption of Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 48); Abram and Eliazar (Genesis 15); and Eli and Samuel (1 Samuel 1).
The overarching theme in the examples above, as it continues to be today, is that adoptions take place for the child’s well-being and with his best interest at heart.
The adoption metaphor is a compelling illustration of God’s covenant love for His people and His desire to see us as part of His family. Adoptive families can experience a small piece of that in the permanence of the family God forms in their midst.
Birth parents can know they set an enduring plan into motion for their child, just as God, sacrificially through Christ, put our salvation in place. The miracle of that transfer and grafting of that transfer and the child into his new permanent family, so carefully planned and desired by both families, is a beautiful image of our permanent place in God’s family.
Birth parents plan for permanence, the full rights of an heir, and love lavished on the child in his new family, just as God lavishers the riches of His Grace on us. An adopted child knows that love daily from his family, and as he grows, he gains an understanding of the love of his birth parents, who planned the permanence for him.
Understanding this simple truth can break down the myth that adopted children will always experience rejection. It can also break the myth of animosity between birth and adoptive families, knowing they have worked together in a child’s life in a way they could not have worked independently.
A crisis pregnancy can cause intense struggle for a young woman. Whatever the situation, she is experiencing emotional pain and a feeling of helplessness, as she may have never felt before. She is in the midst of a great time of need-the need for a resolution, the need for compassion, and support.
In a different set of circumstances, but feeling similar emotions, is the couple facing infertility. The inability to conceive or carry a pregnancy to term is one of the most difficult obstacles a family-oriented couple can face. Infertility can be debilitating and alienating for couples. For both the young woman and the couple, life seems to be “on hold” and hopeless.
Amid these seemingly hopeless struggles, we have a loving God who gives us gracious answers. Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us: “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses . . . Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
The child experiences God’s grace through an adoption plan. Adopted children can feel comfort and love knowing that their birth parents and adoptive parents planned a future for them that was in their best interest. As children grow older, this can be tangible evidence of God’s direction and sovereignty in their lives. Adoption can also be a sign of God’s grace for children without parents or children whose parents cannot care for them, children in the foster care system, and children from other countries.
As it progresses and after it is in place, an adoption plan can be a powerful example of God’s working circumstances for good for all those involved. God uses adoption, just as He can any human relationship, to further His purposes and bring about wholeness and healing.
Adapted from Ring, June “A Biblical Framework for Adoption,” Loving & Caring