Adoption is not for the faint of heart, but totally worth every minute of work, joy and struggle that the process involves. For years, my husband David and I longed to have children. Yet the Lord chose to close my womb at that particular time, and He used those years to give us a longing to adopt. In His sovereign grace, He led us to a little boy in Kazakhstan. Having just moved to Birmingham, we needed an agency to update our home study and get us prepared to travel. Lifeline went above and beyond to make our quick travel plans happen with the appropriate government paperwork. This was no small feat! In just a few short weeks, we were on a plane to Kazakhstan to meet our child for the first time, and we officially become parents of an 11-month-old baby boy!
Again, in the Lord’s perfect plan and timing, two weeks after we arrived home from Kazakhstan, we found out I was pregnant with our second son! Imagine that?!? Caleb, our newly adopted son, adjusted beautifully to his new family, in large part due to the helpful follow-up visits from Lifeline. The social workers were diligent to check on our attachment progress and be a resource for us when questions arose (and there were many!). Our first Christmas home from Kazakhstan, after nine precious months of intense bonding with our son, I had not one blessing to share the birth of Christ with, but two!
At this point, my husband and I were certain that we would adopt again. The Lord had put a clear burden on our hearts to begin an adoption process to Nepal. Through a series of discouraging events, our Nepal adoption was put on hold and eventually fell through. By God’s grace, Lifeline was there to hold our hand and help us make decisions regarding what to do next. Lifeline’s China Program seemed to be a perfect fit for our family and stage of life. After more paperwork, home study visits, and much prayer and discussion, we had the privilege of being matched with a tenacious 9-month-old little girl through one of Lifeline’s partnership orphanages. In a few short months, we were on a plane again, this time with a 3- and 5-year- old, ready to bring home their little sister, whom they had prayed for for years!
While we were in China, Lifeline partners were nothing short of amazing. They took such good care of all of our needs, fears, and concerns. They made the transition with our newly adopted child as smooth as possible, and they loved on our boys in a special way. When we arrived home, our follow up visits with social workers were equally beneficial. We appreciated the hours of training and reading material that Lifeline had supplied us with as our family “cocooned” and bonded with our newly adopted child. A few short months after being home, we had another surprise, I was pregnant again! The Lord brought Psalm 113:9 to mind: “He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord!”
Lifeline has been such an intricate part of our family. We believe wholeheartedly in the work of Lifeline and what the Lord is doing in and through this agency. We are grateful for the loving social workers and staff that labor long hours to bring families together and be the hands and feet of Christ to the orphan. The Platt family is forever grateful for the efforts of Lifeline Children’s Services!