Addy's Hope

A year and a half ago our family was blessed to begin our adoption journey working with a wonderful ministry called Addy's Hope.

The Lord had placed a burden on the hearts of a wonderful Christian couple in Texas to minister to orphans in Liberia and to prospective adoptive families by providing resources to children in Liberia and providing ethical, loving, and extremely knowledgeable adoption assistance to families wanting to adopt from Liberia. The Lord had also placed a burden on the heart of a dear Liberian man named Pastor Wesley to care for orphans in his country after he saw the devastation that the 14 year civil war had wreaked on Liberia and he began the Greater Love Children's Home and School.

We had been considering adoption for many years and, in His own perfect timing, the Lord placed on our hearts the burden to pursue international adoption at that time. Through a photo-listing, a phone conversation, and much prayer, we joyfully joined with Addy's Hope in pursuing the adoption of three young Liberian siblings. I can honestly say that all of this was entirely the Lord's working. We were the first "official" Addy's Hope family and were soon joined by another. It was an incredible joy to be able to travel to Liberia with this other family and with Holly Ann (Addy's Hope founder) to meet and pick up our three beautiful children last April (07).

Working with Addy's Hope and Greater Love was a complete joy and was incredibly wonderful due to the extreme honesty and integrity shown by both Holly Ann and by Pastor Wesley. We were impressed at the ministry and care for the children in Greater Love Children's Home and were glad to see that Addy's Hope had been working (and continues still) to improve the conditions for the children still living at GLCH. Holly Ann was incredibly thorough and precise in all of the paperwork and worked hard on our behalf while we were in country as we completed the last steps of securing Visas for our children. We knew that we were in the presence of a godly man as we spent time getting to know Pastor Wesley and saw the incredible amount of work he does as he ministers to many people in Liberia.

We knew while we were in Liberia that the Lord was doing something great and awesome and Holly Ann and I wondered at where it would all lead. . .

In the 10 months that have passed since we "carried home" our children, many more children have come home to their adoptive families through Addy's Hope and GLCH and many more are about to come home! (I'll try to get the real numbers if I can, but believe me - it is incredible how many children now have loving adoptive families!)

I say all of this to encourage the Addy's Hope staff and families currently waiting to pick up their children in Liberia. Do not believe the reports made by the Deputy Minister of Liberia. Both Addy's Hope and Pastor Wesley have always been above reproach in every situation we have ever seen them in. I believe it is truly their desire to lovingly and legally join together orphans and families for the glory of the Lord!

AND,

PLEASE PRAY!!! Pray that the truth would be made know to all. Pray that the Deputy Minister's heart would be changed or that the Lord would put someone into that position who desires to see the Liberian orphans adopted into loving Christian homes and will work on behalf of the children and families. Pray for the people who are already in positions within the Liberian government and at the US Embassy who have been doing the right thing. Thank the Lord for them and continue to hold them up in prayer. Pray for Addy's Hope and for the families who just arrived home after a very long and emotionally exhausting journey. Pray against the schemes of the enemy who desires that these children die rather than be exposed to the gospel in loving, godly families. This is a spiritual battle that is raging right now and we must be on our knees in prayer!

May the Lord be glorified as Christ-followers share his love with orphans through the ministry of adoption.