The heart of a man plans his way...Prov 16:9

Marriage is more than your love for each other.
 It has a higher dignity and power, for it is God’s holy ordinance, through which he wills to perpetuate the human race till the end of time. In your love you see only your two selves in the world, but in marriage you are
a link in the chain of the generations,
which God causes to come and to pass away to his glory, and calls into his kingdom.                                                                                                                            DIETRICH BONHOEFFER, Letters and Papers from  Prison, 27

We were doing the usual, discussing the weekly chapter on the way to our small group one Monday evening.  The book – John Piper’s This Momentary Marriage, the chapter – Marriage is Meant for Making Children…Disciples of Jesus:  How Absolute is the Duty to Procreate.  Awkward?  A little…considering we had only been married for two years and were clinging hard to that “five year plan”.  You know, the plan all of our married friends had to live the honeymoon years to the fullest before shackling ourselves to the ruiners-of-fun: children.  That’s what we thought, at least.

            He was the first to say it, that night in the car, “I think we need to start ‘trying’”.  I wasn’t as eager in my obedience.  I couldn’t deny God’s Word as we studied it together.

This was God’s original design. Marriage is the place for making children and filling the earth with the knowledge of the Lord the way the waters cover the sea (cf. Hab. 2:14). That has never ceased to be a good thing. “Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate” (Ps. 127:4–5). (pg 140)

            But my flesh put up a battle.  We had plans right?  For the next eight months John Paul’s unwavering faithfulness to the Lord put mine to shame.  His confidence in the Holy Spirit’s leading toward growing our family was absolute.  Me however, not my proudest moments.  Ultimately, His challenge to trust Him couldn’t go unanswered.  And this journey – a journey three years in the making – began.   

Because Mercy Found Us

Once upon a time a dashing young man caught eyes with the fairest maiden in the Land of Dixie.  Immediately, he knew that any fate without her would be too unbearable to endure and he vowed to win her affection.  Over time, their love for one another grew, their desires for self turned to concern for one another, and their hearts seamed to beat in unison.

One day, the young man revealed to the fair maiden the journey that was before them if they were to continue on together.  He told the maiden of an agreement he had made with the Great Master and how the Great Master had called him to His service for the rest of his life.  For the maiden to serve alongside the young man in his commitment to the Great Master would mean a life full of adventure, and with her heart swelling in excitement, she happily agreed!

The day soon came that the two would be betrothed to one another and all the people of the land were rejoicing in the love they had found.  Before the Great Master and the people they swore their undying devotion to one another and hand in hand embarked on the greatest adventure of their lives as they journeyed to the Land of Lovers.

Our life in ministry together has truly been one of incredible and undeserved blessing. The past five years have yielded some of the sweetest times in our walk with the Lord, and we thank Him for His continued grace in our marriage. When we began our lives together, we were certain that the Lord had called us to join Him in a great adventure. This adventure, although full of joy, has recently included a season in which God has seen fit to deepen our faith in Him through trial.  In his book, the Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis writes, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."  Over the past two years, God has carried us through two miscarriages and months of fertility testing.  In what seemed to be unending heartbreak, God has proven Himself to be our Comforter and Provider even in the darkest times.  And He has roused us to love Him, to trust Him, and to hope in Him, because Jesus is faithful.  

As teenagers in love we dreamed of having a family and raising children in God's Word and to be disciples of Him.  Even then, we hoped that our family would include both biological and adopted children.  Like many, we never imagined the journey that He had ordained for our lives.  As He has strengthened us over the past two years, it has, at times, seemed as though He were "shouting in our pain" to hope in Him, no matter where He leads.  We know that our journey with Him has just begun and in His faithfulness, we are following Him as He calls us to adoption.  

We would love for you, our friends and family, to join us on this journey.  As we have sought the Lord in prayer, He has continued to remind us of our own adoption in Him -- adoption as His sons and daughters, making us heirs with Christ.  God has used the truth of Hosea 14:3 to mold our hearts during this journey.  Before Jesus, we were orphans -- fatherless -- but by His grace have found mercy and forgiveness.  Because His mercy has been poured out in our lives, we, having once been lost, are found in Him.  Adoption is a powerful display of the Gospel -- that He would purchase us with His blood, allowing us to have a relationship with our Father.  It is our deepest hope that as He allows us to bring a child into our home through adoption we will one day be able to teach our child about true adoption that comes only through Jesus.

We covet your prayers during this journey.  We ask that you pray for the child that He will bring into our family -- for their protection, their health, and most importantly, that their hearts would be softened to us, and one day, to Jesus.  Please pray for our child's family as they make the difficult choice to trust us with this gift.  Please pray that God would grant us wisdom and discernment throughout the process and that He would strengthen us daily as we wait patiently for Him.  And finally, we ask that you pray that God would provide financially for our child to come home.  We believe that He can do exceedingly, abundantly more than we can ask or imagine and trust that He will do so for His glory.  As you pray, please consider financially supporting our adoption fund as we trust the Lord to provide $20,000 to pay for the costs of bringing our child home.

We would be honored if you would follow us as we walk this road with Him.  We will keep you up to date on our adoption progress and share as much of this journey with you as we are able.  We have included a link on this blog where you can donate to our adoption fund.  Prayerfully, in the near future, we will have updates on other opportunities for fundraising.

Thank you for your love, support, encouragement, and prayers in this process.  We wait in anticipation for God's plan to be revealed.  And in the meantime, we cling to Him, trusting that He alone is faithful.

Because Mercy found us,

John Paul and Crystal