When people learn that we are in the adoption process, one of the first questions they often ask is, "Where from?"

The short answer is that we are adopting from somewhere in the United States (also known as domestic adoption).

But there's much more to the story.

When Bryan and I were first getting to know one another, we both expressed a strong desire to adopt someday.  I can't speak for Bryan, but I know that I always imagined adopting internationally.  I knew a number of families who had adopted children from overseas, and I thought it was so incredible to see these children taken from orphanages and placed into loving families.  After spending a summer at a baby shelter in South Africa, I could so clearly imagine myself bringing home one of those little ones someday.

But that all changed when a young mom placed her newborn son in our arms.  As you may have noticed on our Adoption Timeline, we had the unique opportunity to love on a precious baby boy for 11 days last summer.  We thought he was to be our son, but God had other plans for him.

Those 11 days opened my heart to the idea of domestic adoption.  We recognized the need for families willing to open their hearts not only to a baby, but also to a birth family.  In the past year, we have had the privilege of getting to know several women in crisis situations, and although they did not choose to place their babies with us, we are thankful for the opportunity we had to get to know them, to learn from them, and to love and serve them through a tough season.


As we were researching domestic adoption last summer, we also realized the need for adoptive parents open to babies of any race.  Did you know that only 14% of couples adopting domestically are willing to consider an African American infant?  We were stunned by this statistic and hoped that our openness to a child of any race would make a difference. 

So there you have it...Part 1 of our FAQ series!  Do you have a question you've been dying to ask?  Leave us a comment and you might be featured in an upcoming post!  :)
 
Well, here goes...  We've decided to start an adoption blog.  But "What's the point?" you might ask.  Is it really necessary to chronicle our adoption adventure online so that all of the World Wide Web can follow along?

Here are the 3 main reasons we decided to create this space:

1.  To give God the glory

We believe that God has proven Himself faithful again and again along this crazy journey, and this blog gives us a greater opportunity to proclaim His goodness.  We want you all to know the ways He provides and encourages and loves us along the way.  He has been so good to us and deserves some recognition!

2.  To ask for prayer

We've sent out quite a few emails and text messages asking for prayer over the past year, and this blog would be a much more effective way to ask a large group of friends and family to be praying for a particular situation or need.

3.  To share our fundraising efforts

We have several upcoming fundraisers planned, and we want to be able to get the word out so that those who want to get involved in this adoption process either by volunteering their time or by supporting us financially can do so.

We are excited to begin sharing this journey with you!  

    Bryan & Samantha

    We'd love to hear from you!  You can email us at mrs.schoe@gmail.com.

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    May 2013