Sarah and I struggled for four years to conceive a child. We went to various fertility specialists, and we tried various methods to increase our chances of conceiving. When it seemed that God had a different plan for our lives, we started to consider adoption.

     We knew that we did not want to adopt domestically just because of all the potential problems that we did not wish to face. Granted, international adoptions have a whole set of problems and concerns of their own, but we felt that international adoption was right for us.

    We began by going to an adoption meeting for an agency which specialized in Chinese adoptions. We then went to an adoption fair in Louisville and met several families and heard their stories. We also met their children. It was then that we started moving forward with our adoption process. This was March 1999.

     We then began to research what country we wished to adopt from. We chose the Marshall Islands for several reasons. First, we were really touched by the stories we had heard from others who had adopted from RMI. Second, we liked the idea of getting a baby that was only a few weeks old. Since this would be our first child, we wanted him/her to be as young as possible. Third, we liked the openness of the RMI adoptions. It made us feel good to know that these children are not simply "given up." Their parents agonize over placing thier children with families who can care for them.

     Once that decision was made, we began our home study process. We used Chosen Children in Louisville. They have been wonderful. They worked very quickly on our home study, and when we thought that the moratorium would shut the whole process down, they told us that they would help us in any way they could. Judy was especially helpful. We also cannot foget Linda. Thanks to you both.

     Once the home study was finished, we chose an agency. We chose Hope International in Dallas. Hope is a licensed agency with a caring staff. Susan, our agent, treated us very well. She was helpful and always kept us informed of what was going on. This was especially important when the fear of the moratorium hit.

     We attended the first annual RMI reunion in Indianapolis in the summer. It was wonderful, and we cannot wait until this year's reunion which will be in Ohio. If you want information on it, contact us. It was there that we knew we had made the right decision regarding our adoption. The people we met were so wonderful, and their children brought smiles to our faces that took several days to wipe clean. We are truly greatful for each person's willingness to share.

     As many of you know, the moratorium did go into effect. It broke our hearts, but Susan and her team stuck by us. They researched other scenarios, and to make a long story short, we were able to adopt our daughter in October in Hawaii. I make this process sound so simple, but Hope put a lot of time, energy, and resources into making this adoption happen. There were many lawyers who looked over the law to ensure that nothing illegal was being done. We feel confident that our decision was justified and right.

     Many may ask if we snubbed the wishes of the RMI government by pursuing the adoption. It was a difficult decision to make, but we are able to sleep at night because we feel that we made a moral decision that benefitted Lydia's mother as well as Lydia herself.

     There will be those who disagree, and we will never be able to convince them that what we did was the right thing to do. That is OK. At the end of the day, I am certain that Lydia is where is was intended to be.

     Now that we are back from Hawaii, we are settling into our new lives. We still have to complete our mandatory supervision sessions with Chosen Children, and in April, we must return to Dallas to finalize our adoption.

     We are now getting ready to celebrate the first Christmas with our new daughter. We are very excited. She has added something to our lives that we didn't know we were missing. She is our reason for being.

     Sarah and I wish to thank all the people that prayed for us and cried with us during this whole ordeal. Without your support, we would not have gotten through this. Now, you can celebrate with us the joy of our first child. Come by and have a look at our beautiful baby girl.