My wife and I had felt God calling us to adopt for several years. We had served as foster parents for 2 ½ years, seeking to adopt domestically, but God chose to close that door for us. Discouraged, and frankly a little jaded, we pushed back from the idea of adoption for several years.
After the birth of our third child, we again began to consider the idea of adoption. For us, it was not the idea that we were going to “rescue a child”, but that there were children out there in the world who deserved to love, and be loved. We began to consider adopting internationally, but knew the costs were significant. We weren’t sure where the money would come from, but after prayer and reflection, we felt that this was the direction we were being drawn in.
…children out there in the world who deserved to love, and be loved…
At the same time we were walking that path, we began attending church at Fairfield Baptist Church, Cypress, Texas. We had recently moved into the area and were seeking a new church to get plugged in to. We were both amazed and excited when we discovered that Fairfield had a ministry devoted specifically to orphan care. This was the first church that we had ever attended that devoted so many resources directly to orphan care, and we were thrilled! We felt that God had led us to this church, and this ministry, “for such a time as this” in the life of our family.
We got involved in the orphan care ministry quickly, and were happy to volunteer for the 7thAnnual Running for Greater Things Race as our first opportunity to help out. Little did we know how much RGT would end up helping us! As we pressed forward with our plans to adopt, expenses began to mount. Though we were diligently applying for grants and contributing as much of our own funds as possible, we still had a long way to go, and there were no guarantees that we would meet our goals.
Little did we know how much RGT would end up helping us
It was at that time that Fairfield’s Orphan Care Ministry stepped in and, with funds generated through RGT, assisted our family with meeting the financial milestones that were required to continue to adopt.
We’ve been back from China with Emma Ai Zhen for around 3 months now, and we can see the faithfulness of God’s hand throughout our journey. The RGT team, as well as the staff at Fairfield Baptist played a huge role in being the hands and feet of Jesus to a little girl in an orphanage in China. Our family is beyond blessed and forever thankful for Running for Greater Things!
