Nathan and Casey

Nathan was a planner. Casey was set. They had a beautiful girl named Kennedy. Years into their marriage – things were good. Adoption wasn’t even in the periphery of their mind. And then, one day, when they were all separated by hundreds of miles, God gave them a calling so evident and compelling there was no option but to follow. But, like most of us who choose to follow God – we do it after first questioning and wondering and worrying and fretting.

It was on the way home from an out-of-town work convention, moving 60 mph on a highway surrounded by traffic and with a hundred things on his mind that Nathan heard God speak. He turned on a podcast about being called into service. A lot was said in that podcast, but what Nathan heard was that there were babies out there that that needed families, there were birth mom’s out there that needed help and ministering, and that his family was called to do something about it. With a heart pounding equally from the excitement of the call and the anticipation of announcing something so big to his family – Nathan prayed.

Back home, without Nathan even knowing, it was adoption Sunday at their church. Casey went as usual, excited to hear the message as she would any other Sunday. An hour later, she left the service and – with a heart-pounding equally from the excitement of the call and the anticipation of announcing something so big to her family – she prayed.

After lunch, Casey watched their daughter Kennedy play, and wondered how she was going to take the news. She wondered what Kennedy would understand about what it meant to adopt and whether she would be excited about having a sibling. She was worrying about a lot of things when her little girl stopped playing and looked up at her and said “Mom, there are kids out there without mommies and daddies. Why don’t we bring someone home and we can be their family?”

God was working and revealing His will and it was evident, but Casey knew there was one more hurdle to cross. Nathan came home later that night and after Kennedy went to bed, he told Casey they needed to talk. He said a quick prayer in his head and laid it all out there – detailing the road he felt they were on, the calling they were headed towards, the mission he felt they needed to complete. He was prepared for confusion, befuddlement, utter shock, a long talk, and months of praying together before the whole family came to a cohesive decision. What he wasn’t prepared for was Casey saying “Yes. Let’s do it,” immediately and with a smile.

So Casey set to work prepping meetings, getting home studies scheduled, and finding the right adoption agency. Nathan set to work, planning the financial aspects and getting a savings schedule set to have the funds together. Knowing the adoption process takes a year or longer for most couples, they had everything in place.

Less than a month after signing with their agency, they were matched.

More worry, and questioning, and wondering followed that exciting and terrifying news. All their planning was thrown out the window. The only way to make this match work would be to take out Nathan’s 401K, which meant he would have to leave his position at work and switch jobs. He was days away from that when it became apparent God saw things differently.

A friend told them about the Forever Home Grant, and they applied. God worked the rest out and they brought their new son home a short while later. Now whenever they look at Lincoln, they’re reminded of how capable God is to answer any prayer.

When asked what advice they would give to other couples thinking about adoption, they said, “when God calls you to do something, there’s nothing to worry about. He’s got you.”

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