Ever since I was little, the Lord has put the desire to adopt in my heart. I believe that having the heart for adoption is something that the Lord gives certain people. My dad was adopted from Brazil by two missionaries from Kansas. His birth mother already had eight boys and wanted a girl. She said that if it wasn’t a girl, she didn’t want him. So three days later, Gerald and Amy Bergen named this little boy Timothy. Timothy Bergen. Without them, who knows what would have happened to him. He for sure wouldn’t have met my mom at Bible College. My siblings and I wouldn’t be here. But guess what? The Lord’s plan surpasses ours by a long shot.

My grandma had miscarriages, but she never lost her heart for having children. A few days after they applied for adoption, they got the call they were waiting for. There was a little boy who was three days old who needed a home. When I would talk to my grandma about what this whole experience was like, she would have a big smile on her face. She would tell me, “Even through that difficult time, the Lord had a plan. And I held on to that because that’s how we got Tim and Rachel. We trusted and prayed on the Lord. And He provides for what we need. They are our greatest blessings.” I can’t even begin to describe the joy she radiates when she talks about how they were when they were young.

When I think of their story I think of Isaiah 40:31 where it says, “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” It can be hard to wait on the Lord, but it is so worth it. He renews our strength even in times of waiting. And this is what the adoption of my dad has taught my grandparent.

According to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, there are 114,556 children available for adoption from the foster care system in our country. And thousands upon thousands of children abroad who need and deserve love. It is hard to go through the adoption process with the paperwork, the waiting, more paper work and more waiting. It can be painful and stressful, but the Lord’s plans will always prevail.

There is a verse in Ephesians 1:5 that says, “He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.” I want the chance to show the love of the Lord through adoption like the Lord adopted us into His eternal family. To have the opportunity to let a child be with a loving family who wants them and is for them. Many think adoption is supposed to change just the child’s life, but it changes everyone involved for the better. Children are such a blessing. I think it’s time we shine a light on adoption. In whatever sense of the word.