Adoption has always been a consideration for us and it was something we would discuss even while still dating in college. After three biological children we found ourselves friends with many adoptive families and were able to see both the challenges and beauty of adoption. Our eyes were opened and our hearts were broken for these children. There was no turning back for us.
We were blessed to bring our fourth child home in 2017 through adoption and it grew our faith in the Lord like nothing else had before. We know that God will continue to stretch our faith through this adoption as well and are so looking forward to all that God has planned for him and our family. As believers we have been adopted into sonship and are called to care for the orphan. There is no greater privilege than to extend that reality to provide and care for the fatherless.
How did you meet?
Jessica – Paco and I first met in the gym at D’Youville College and quickly become friends. I was drawn to his kindness not only to me but to everyone he met. We found ourselves spending all our free time together and eventually we began dating. Two years later we were engaged in a garden at Niagara Falls and were married in Elmira, NY in 2006. This June we will be celebrating our 13 years of marriage.
Paco – It all started my sophomore year and Jessica’s Freshman year of College in Buffalo, NY. We met, became best friends and eventually got married in 2006. After graduation we moved back to my hometown, Elmira NY, and started our family.
Jessica and I make a great team and complement each other well. We make up for each other’s lack and together we are able to utilize our strengths. We have a solid Biblical worldview and trust in the Sovereignty of God in all things, including adoption.
Why now?
Jessica – Once we brought our son home in 2017 from Vietnam and became a family of 6 we spent a good part of a year adjusting and bonding. Our son has multiple special needs so we were learning to navigate that world too. I’d say about a year after coming home we starting considering the idea of adopting again and would look at the waiting children through our agency.
We wanted to adopt an older child because we knew they are less likely to be adopted and/or they tend to wait much longer to be adopted. We had lots of questions and contacted the social worker through Holt for recommendations of books so we could learn more. Over the next few months we read all we could, asked lots of questions, and prayed.
We would frequently look through the waiting children list and found that we kept coming back to our soon to be son- we could envision him being part of our family. We both prayed and confirmed with one another pretty quickly that we were both fully in and were excited to begin the process.
Paco – We are grateful for the ability to parent with love, compassion and intentionality and for the opportunity to pour into our children. We are saying yes to life in a time when our culture says otherwise. We say, why not now? We know God’s heart by what he has reveled in his word and we trust him in all things.
As believers we have been adopted into sonship and are called to care for the orphan. What a greater privilege than to extend that reality to provide and care for the fatherless.
Jessica
I am a wife to the sweetest man alive (I’m convinced), mom to four amazing kids, and follower of Jesus. I met my husband at D’Youville College in Buffalo, NY where I was going for nursing. We were married in 2006 and after graduating in 2007 I briefly worked as a registered nurse in pediatric oncology/hematology before graduating again in 2009 as a Family Nurse Practitioner. I worked in that field for a couple years before realizing my deep desire to be home with our then two children.
I’m most fulfilled and so grateful for the opportunity to be home with our four beautiful and unique kiddos. It is a privilege and a great joy of mine to be able to homeschool – I love watching them grown and learn and I equally love that I get to be right alongside them as they are doing it. We try our best to take life more slowly, enjoy the everyday blessings, and take the path less traveled.
When I can squeeze in a few minutes to myself I enjoy reading, drinking coffee, cooking, and spending time with my love. Last year we moved into a home that already had a lot of beautiful landscaping so I’m trying my best to have a green thumb…mostly I’m just trying not to destroy the existing plants but I’m finding the journey of gardening enjoyable. Our life is loud, full of joy, fun, and some might say a bit crazy… but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s a life worth loving.
Paco
I am a follower of Jesus, a husband to my beautiful wife Jessica, and the father of 4 energetic children. I spend most of my day working as a Physical Therapist, but when I’m not working, I enjoy quality time with my family, eating good food, and staying active. I like to be active and doing things while at the same time balancing that with a simple way of living where our lives are not filled with clutter and busyness.
My focus during this season of life is to disciple my children in the ways of Jesus and to build solid Christians who stand on His truths. I look forward to family vacations or weekends out of town and love the beach and warm weather and desire to make a Southern state my home sometime in the future!
Jul
6
One Step Closer
We went to the mailbox Friday just like every other day.There was a piece of mail from U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and I immediately thought, “It isn’t yellow!”We are familiar with the yellow letter, the one requesting more information.The one that delays the process.I ungracefully tore open the envelope to discover our approval letter for suitability to adopt from a Hague country.(Insert sigh of relief here!)
Friends, this is the final piece of the puzzle before we are able to send our dossier documents to Vietnam for review.Things are moving along!
We know that God will provide for this adoption.We know it because we’ve seen it before.When we stepped off the plane with Levi we had less than $100 left in our pockets.That was after three weeks of staying in country, unsure of how much we would need while we there.He provided nearly to the dollar for our needs.Miraculous, really!
We’ve planned financially and saved in preparation for bringing our sweet son home.In being transparent though, we can’t do it on our own.We need people others to partner with us to change the life of this child.Thank you for coming alongside us financially or through prayer and holding us up on this journey.A journey that can, of course, be exciting and joyful but also sometimes lonely and long.We ask you to please continue praying for us.We love and appreciate each of you!
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6
