By: Roger and Stephanie Poorman, Anglican Adoption Fund Grant Receipients 

On Wednesday, June 26, we received an email about a baby boy born in Florida on June 8. He was born a little early and was in the NICU, waiting for a family to adopt him. We waited anxiously over the weekend to find out whether or not we might be chosen. The following Wednesday, July 3rd, we received the call that changed our lives forever. By the following Monday, July 8, we had taken legal custody of him; by that Friday, July 12, we were back home together in Pittsburgh. A process that had officially started 620 days before we took custody began and ended in two and a half weeks when it was all said and done: it was, as a friend of Stephanie’s once said, simultaneously the longest and shortest pregnancy ever. 

On paper, it might look like our adoption journey was pretty easy. However, those 620 days saw plenty of disappointments and heartaches along the way. We had two exceptionally painful disruptions, one especially egregious because of the fraud perpetrated against us. Friends and family prayed and loved us through every step of the way; they grieved with us in our losses and encouraged us with reminders of truth. They gave generously to our puzzle fundraiser and to our Both Hands project. Our church family was especially supportive as they prayed intentionally and specifically for us and over us. We simply could not have endured without such a rich community lifting us up. 

In it all, we have learned to trust in the Lord more deeply. He has proved His faithfulness over and over. He has sustained us when we’ve been weary, cast down, and sorrowful. He has shown us how to trust in His goodness, especially in the midst of circumstances that are anything but good. He has reminded us over and over again that He is for us and He cares for us. We have learned lessons we never would have learned in an easy adoption process, lessons we will teach our son and we pray they will have Kingdom impact for generations to come. 

We are still figuring out our new life as a family of three, and we both have moments where this still doesn’t quite feel real. We have gone from pleading with God to add a baby to our family to praising and thanking Him for all He’s done to bring THIS baby, our son, to our family. We are forever grateful to Anglicans For Life for the role they played in bringing him home; adoption is costly in many ways, but for us, the financial cost never stood in the way of moving forward. That is an incredible gift, and a testimony to the values and priorities of the ACNA. Thank you.