Before about 2 years ago, I had never really given the county of Ethiopia much thought.  I had heard of it, but given a map of the countries in Africa, I would have never been able to point out where Ethiopia is.

Well, things have changed in a HUGE way.

My wife Kori and I have talked about adoption ever since we began dating in 2002.  We both have a passion for this ministry, and we contemplated God’s timing on the manner.  Over the past year, we have felt a strong urge to pursue this even more.  We began getting information, we attended a seminar on international adoption, and I think my wife has watched more adoption YouTube videos than humanly possible.  We also began to research countries in which we were interested in adoption. We were immediately drawn to countries that we had previously visited on mission trips (Guatemala, Romania, the Philippines, Thailand) but many of them had roadblocks or issues that kept us from pursuing that route.

America World Adoption Associates immediately stood out to us for their strong Christian foundation and attention to the well-being of the orphans and adopting families.  They offer services in several different countries, and as we did our research on those options, we came across Ethiopia.  Immediately Kori and I both felt a connection to this previously unknown country.  We made certain that we worked, researched, and prayed both together and individually so that God could guide us.  In the end, Ethiopia was the resounding choice.  (Over the next few posts about adoption, I hope to share a little more about Ethiopia and why we chose it.)

We are excited to announce that we are in the process of adopting a baby girl from Ethiopia.  We know that the road will be long and bumpy, full of ups and downs.  With each passing day, we are learning more about international adoption, the adoption process, and God’s love for all people.  I look forward to sharing this journey with you and appreciate your prayers and support.