A Child Waits Foundation
Adoption Grants & Adoption Loans
International and Domestic Adoption
Family Stories
Domestic Adoption 2020
In 2020 we awarded grants to help 152 children to be adopted from 22 different countries and 25 states in the USA. Some of their wonderful pictures and adoption experiences are recounted below in the family's own words.
August - Wisconsin
“This little (big) guy made it into our lives after all!
Meet August (Auggie) John born on 3/12/2020 @ 12:18am, weighing 9 lbs 5 oz. and 21” long .
It was so surreal to be sending that announcement to our family from a hospital room. Just the day before, we were trying to wrap our heads around the idea of having to start over in our search for a match. Our Social worker had informed us the expectant mother we were matched with decided not to proceed with the adoption plan. Needless to say, when our presence was requested at the hospital on March 12, because the mother we had been matched with changed her mind again, we were in complete shock!
The moment we met August will forever be etched in our minds. Our love for him was stronger than we could have ever imagined it would be. That love for him has only continued to grow and we couldn’t be more grateful to have him in our lives, as a member of our family.
Adoption is hard. It is hard for all involved and is not for the faint of heart. The questions, the conversations, the emotions and stress, there is so much that “Adoption Education” can’t prepare you for. We are so thankful to have found A Child Waits and be selected as grant recipients. The grant we received helped us breathe a little easier as we approached our Finalization date, during a time of so much uncertainty, amidst a pandemic. To finalize August’s adoption this past September was a dream come true. We never could have predicted this dream would be fulfilled during a pandemic! Thank you for the wonderful grant, we appreciate it very much!
Annette - Louisiana
We have talked about wanting adoption to be part of our family's story since the beginning of our marriage (almost 10 years ago now!) but back in February 2020, we felt like God was dealing with us about taking some steps toward adoption. After discussing it together at length, we made a list of steps that we felt led to take and started tackling them. Then COVID-19 hit and everything around us was pretty much shut down. It seemed that any movement toward adoption was shut down as well.
About 8 weeks passed and we came across a local adoption attorney that was doing consultations over the phone. We set up an appointment and discussed the various services that he offered. He told us that the process would take at least 9 months to a year but likely longer because we desired to adopt a girl. He told us about the extra hardships of specifying a gender but we felt God was strongly telling us to hold out for what he was promising. We told the attorney we would pray and get back to him.
THREE DAYS later we received a call from the attorney’s office and a match had come up that they needed to move quickly on and they wanted to present our family for. We hadn’t yet retained their services but they said they felt our profile fit perfectly. It was a newborn GIRL due in only a few short weeks.
We were completely overwhelmed but jumped right in! We talked with the birth mom over the next few days and she was ready to officially match. We started right away on a home study and got it fully completed in ONE WEEK. In a total of two weeks’ time, we had our bags packed and were on call to travel out of state for the birth.
Just a few days later we loaded everyone up and started our travels. Things continued to move quickly but we were able to spend amazing quality time with the birth mom for a couple of days and a relationship that only God could have arranged began to develop. We truly all became family right from the start!
And then our beautiful daughter arrived - sweet Annette! There were lots of hospital restrictions still in place due to COVID, but God arranged things so that Bekah could be in the delivery room when Annette was born and Brian was able to join soon after. We spent a few more days with the birth mom and Annette and made lots of sweet memories to share with her later.
We are now home and adjusting to life as a family of FIVE! We are completely overwhelmed by God’s grace and favor - which is actually what Annette's name means. We felt God was calling us to take a step but we had no idea how big that step was going to be.
Back in February, when we made our list of things to do, we also made a list of things that we wanted to be true about our daughter’s life. We wrote down that we wanted her story to be one that had God written all over it – a story where NO ONE could deny that it was God that had orchestrated it and a story that she could hold on to and know from it how much she is loved. And we feel that is EXACTLY what God is doing.
Ike - Florida
Our little guy has been home almost five months now! COVID-19 made the adoption process more difficult than what was expected, but we are thankful that our family has had a lot of quality bonding time with few other distractions.
We are tremendously thankful for A Child Waits Foundation and the generous grant you have given. After many doctor appointments with the heart failure team, we are grateful to announce that our little guy’s heart has reduced to its normal size and is on less and less medication. Helping families who take risks to help children who might otherwise languish in unsustainable circumstances is so encouraging!
Thank you for all you’ve done to bless our family!
Myla - New Jersey
Hello, again thank you so much for our grant assistance. We are so thankful!
Myla just turned one month old; the time is flying. She is healthy, beautiful and perfect in every way! My husband and I couldn’t be happier.
Todd- Utah
A Child Waits Foundation,
First of all, THANK YOU! We are so grateful to have been selected for a grant. This journey has been incredible, this is another stepping stone to make this miracle baby enter our lives!
Todd was born Feb 26th and this was a last minute ‘stork drop’. From the birth mom selecting us, to birth, we had less than a week! We have seen countless miracles, receiving this grant being one of them! We can’t imagine our home without him!
Boone - Kansas
We started the adoption process in August 2019 after trying for biological children for five years. I am a teacher and my husband works in construction. We didn't know how we would pay for domestic infant adoption, but we knew this was the path for us, so we would make it work no matter what! We spent the next several months saving, holding fundraisers, and applying for grants to be able to do so. We went active with our consultant on February 3rd and were quickly matched with a baby due in May. Just 2 hours after we were fully funded for our adoption, the baby was born early and we traveled to go get him. We spent 18 days in a state and city where we didn't know anyone or anything and during a global pandemic. After 18 days of being in total limbo, we returned home with an empty car seat. It was devastating. Not only did we have a disrupted adoption, but we lost $8,000 in the process, not including all the money we spent on travel and lodging for those 18 days. Two weeks after we returned, we were matched with another expectant mother who was due in August in the same city. Our sweet Boone was born a few weeks early on July 21st, 2020. We spent another 18 days in the exact same city, but this time coming home, we had a full car seat and full hearts. We are so thankful to A Child Waits Foundation. They were able to gift us with our travel expenses for our adoption which was a huge burden lifted off of us during that time. Adoption is hard, but SO worth it!
Elias - Indiana
We could not be more grateful for receiving a grant from you guys. You have no idea how much this means to us and how much A weight has been lifted from our shoulders. You guys were amazing to work with. I felt your passion to help others when talking with you all and We couldn’t be happier!
Thank you & God Bless!
Miles - Arkansas
We are so thrilled to finally announce that by the grace of God, our son, Miles Anderson, was born on May 23rd, 2020. We cannot say “thank you” enough for giving us the opportunity to bring our boy home. We know that the Lord deserves all of the glory; but we saw time and time again, how He chose to use people to provide for us and encourage us in a variety of ways. Thank you for being one of those ways. We wish that we had an opportunity to meet you “face to face” so that we could hug you and thank you in person. We wanted to give you all an opportunity to see his precious face, so that you could see how the Lord provided through your generous and gracious gift.
We cannot wait to tell Miles someday how complete strangers wrapped around us; so that we could literally wrap our arms around him. Those amazing strangers would be you! The generous people who deserve more than we could ever give back in return. Thank you again for walking this journey alongside us. We hope that Miles’ story encourages you to never lose hope and to remember that nothing is a failure in the hands of the Father.
Eilee- Arizona
We are so very thankful for the adoption grant you awarded us. We have desired to start a family for many years, but have struggled with infertility, which is what ultimately led us to adoption. However, we are grateful for the journey. It's been very difficult, but we firmly believe that God uses difficult trials to draw us closer to Him, strengthen our faith, and build our testimony.
God answered our prayers to become parents in March, when we were matched with a baby girl in Arizona. We are excited to say that she was born June 24, 2020 and she is doing so well! We are now back home with our baby girl, just soaking in this sweet and precious time. You, A Child Waits Foundation, helped to make that possible. Your gift was a tremendous blessing and an answered prayer to us. The journey of adoption is difficult and the cost can be overwhelming! We prayed for God to provide financially for what we could not save and He has been faithful in that. Thank you for your generosity to help us bring our daughter home. We cannot fully put into words how grateful we are.
Elsie- Utah
It is with a humble and joyous heart we thank you for awarding us with a grant. This grant will go a long way in helping us relieve the financial burden we accrued during our adoption journey. A Child Waits is doing amazing work and we only hope that, because of your generosity, one day we can return the favor to another waiting family.
Thank you again,
Conner & Mysteree
Beckett - Nevada
Once upon a time, there was a boy and a girl named Joel and Lana. You know us as Mom and Dad. Your Mom and I loved each other very much and wanted to be with each other forever, so we decided to get married on July 29th, 2017. It was a magical day filled with God’s Word, family and friends and was the beginning of our life together.
Your mom wasn’t the only one I was starting a life with. I was also starting a life with your brothers and sister, Jered, Jacob, and Maddie, Mom’s kids from a previous marriage. We were a family of five, but your Mom and I agreed that something was missing: you.
Fast forward to June 2019. Mom and I were at a wedding. While we were waiting for dinner to start, your Mom and I were watching a little boy run around on the dance floor. I leaned over to your Mom and made the comment, “If we had a little boy, could you imagine him running around on the dance floor, all dressed up?” It was at that moment that your Mom turned to me and said, “Let’s do it. Let’s adopt”.
As I look back on this time and get to reminisce on our journey to you, I can’t emphasize enough how much the Lord was with us during this time. Looking back, it is so easy and clear to see how he was with us, by our side the entire time. The Lord knew we were meant to be together, and he brought us together in the perfect way. Beckett James, your Mom and I love you so much and thank the Lord each day for you.
Astoria - Texas
Sarah and I adopted baby Astoria right at the outset of the pandemic. As we made the drive down from Minnesota to Texas we found that grocery stores were running out of items, major downtown areas of cities we passed through became ghost towns, and hotels had a lot of vacancies (which was our one silver lining along with a definite lack of traffic on the highways). There was a lot of stress leaving our two boys behind with their grandparents, especially since both of them had colds and we weren’t sure how comfortable people would be taking care of them. But, when we arrived at the agency and were able to hold baby Astoria in our arms for the first time, everything was worth it. She was worth it. Immediately she became part of our family. Immediately she was wrapped in our love. When we arrived back in Minnesota our boys fell in love with her too. Our oldest became her biggest protector and our second born will shout her name with glee when he sees her every morning. She is so well loved and she is such a natural addition to our family.
Liliana - Texas
I'm a single woman, and I wanted nothing more than to become a mother. When I decided that I was ready to raise a child, I knew that I wanted to adopt. While the process was full of ups and downs, I wouldn't change a thing. It all led me to the most perfect baby girl... Liliana.
After Lili was placed in my care, expenses continued to pile on because of travel for ICPC, post-placement visits, legal costs for finalization, etc. The grant I received from A Child Waits Foundation took that stress away and let me focus on spending time with Lili.
Lili is the happiest baby! Nothing brings me more joy than watching her smile, laugh, and enjoy the world.
Felix - Missouri
Although we have wanted to adopt since we married each other, we had been waiting to adopt a child for about a year. We had two potential situations last Summer that did not work out, and going into the Fall we were a little discouraged. We got a call on a Thursday evening about a baby boy being born on the following Monday! After an emotionally challenging weekend, we learned on Monday that the mother had picked us after the baby was born. We rushed home from work, gathered some items for the hospital and made a few calls about needing a bassinet. We were able to spend the week in the hospital with the little boy that we would name Felix. It took several scary days as the mother gradually became sure of her decision to choose adoption. We brought him home on Thursday, so the whole event happened in less than a week's time.
We are incredibly thankful to our friends, family, and strangers who helped support us through our fundraiser, as well as the grant award from A Child Waits. In addition to the uncertainty of being matched as adoptive parents, the financial burden is massive and we knew we couldn't do it on our own. We feel like this confirms the belief that God really is for the work of adoption, as He allows lovely people to give and donate in support of us. Felix is just over a month old now and eats (and does everything else a newborn does) like an absolute champion!
Layla - Pennsylvania
We started our adoption journey wanting to adopt a child with Down syndrome. Our middle son has Down syndrome and we are huge advocates for people with disabilities. We presented our profile two times, once for a 2 year old with DS and once for a 4 year old with DS. We were not matched with either, and decided we wanted to pursue adopting a baby girl and adopt an older child with DS in a few years.
Brian and I received an email on Tuesday, August 4th about a baby girl due on September 20th. She was the only girl we had heard about since starting our adoption journey, so on Thursday the 5th, we presented our profile to her birth family. We were also pursuing a 1 year old girl that has Down syndrome, but we wanted to see what God had to say about this “baby girl”.
On Friday the 6th, Brian and I both had missed calls from the same number and a text immediately following asking if we could call a women from Heart to Heart Adoptions back ASAP. We were told we were chosen by the birth family, along with the news that her birth mother’s water had just broken!!! We had A LOT of scrambling to do to get our two boys cared for, our finances in order, flights, hotels, all the things. It was a WHIRLWIND of a weekend.
Layla was born Sunday night and Brian and I got to meet her Wednesday August 12th in the morning, one week after learning about her!
The most special piece to our story is Layla’s name. We had the name Layla on our list of girls name since we were pregnant with our first child. When we met Layla’s birth mother we asked if she had thought of any names for her. She named her Layla! Everyone at the table looked shocked, then at ease. God had this planned out from the beginning!
We’re so thankful we said yes and Layla’s birth family chose us for her forever!
Liam- Kentucky
"Thank you so much for your assistance with our adoption. Blair, Liam and I would like to thank A Child Waits for providing us with a grant to help us complete our adoption.
Blair and I have been on this adoption journey since 2018 and Liam was born on 1/15/20 in Louisville, KY. He became the biggest blessing that we have ever received. No one will ever know the true joy he has brought to our lives but we plan to make his as magical as possible."
Malachi - South Carolina
Our path towards adoption started with God placing adoption on our individual hearts before we were even a couple. When we started dating, adoption was a topic that we discussed often. Once we were ready to add to children to our family, we continued to feel God telling us to do so through adoption. We were nervous to take this leap, however, due to the financial commitment that we knew we would also have to endure. We continued to trust God and He provided!
Just two weeks after going active with our agency we were contacted by our son’s birth mother and were told that she was due in less than a month. We were shocked yet excited that everything was happening so quickly. This quick timeline, however, meant that we had an even shorter amount of time to gather funds. We were concerned about the debt that we may have had to endure. We had been saving for this moment for several years but due to the cost of adoption we were still in need of assistance. We immediately began to fundraise but knew that fundraising would only be able to fund a certain portion of what was needed to bring home our son. A Child Waits Foundation was an answer to prayers as their grant helped us to make up the difference that we needed. We were humbled and blessed by A Child Waits Foundation’s generosity. Everyone that we talked to at the foundation was incredibly kind and helpful. They showed that they truly cared about our family. Thank you, thank you A Child Waits Foundation. You helped to make our family of three possible.
Noah - Michigan
Happy TWO months home, Noah!
What a wild ride it’s been! You are sassy, opinionated, loving, athletic and outgoing. You are the exact opposite of what I imagined you would be and yet you are perfect. The last two weeks have been amazing. I’m exhausted beyond belief, but you are so worth it.
You have learned a lot in just two months. You can buckle yourself in and out of the car, ride a big boy bike and sleep in a bed! You also have learned that it’s OK to make mistakes and how to apologize and repair things with others. You are learning that your mom and brothers will always love you, no matter what. The last two weeks have been a blur. In many ways it feels like Noah just got here. Learning all about him is what consumes my day. I missed a lot of his past. Yet, we get to work through it together. Making sure each encounter we have is grounded in attachment and is helping us to bond - is exhausting but necessary. Offering high-structure and high-nurture is just what you needed. You are thriving.
You’ve taught me that even though I’ve done this twice before, the third time is just as hard. There is loss, trauma, and grief that rears its ugly head any chance it gets. You’ve shown me that I must continue learning how to be a therapeutic parent so you and your brothers can continue to grow and heal. Noah, my dear, thank you for sleeping through the night the last few nights. Thank you for kissing me throughout the day. Thank you for running to me when you fall down. Thank you for teaching your brother to play in the mud and for catching all the bugs in the house. Thank you for trusting us to be your new family. Thank you for coming to me today, turning around and farting on me. That’s how I knew we were meant to be together, forever.
I love how you still call Auntie “Andy” and how you say ‘gecko’ when you want a tickle. I love how you say “Ats kay” when it’s OK. I love how you want to make your bed each morning but not before you come in for snuggles. I love how you play outside for hours with the most amazing imagination. I love how you pick me flowers everyday and tell me you love me. Noah you have changed your brothers too. Thank you for turning Ian into an incredible big brother who constantly wants to make sure he’s taking care of you. Thank you for melting Daniel’s heart each night as he kisses you goodnight and adjusts your blankets.
You are loved son. Buckle in. This is going to be an adventure. 💙💙💙
Gus - Ohio
Our son, Gus, was born on March 14th 2020. We got a call the next day from neighbors of Eileen's parents that they had a connection with this birth mother and she was looking to give her son up for adoption. Gus was transferred to our UH Rainbow Babies and Children's for 16 days after he was born. Eileen had the opportunity to live there with him and spent 14 total days with Gus in the hospital never leaving his side. Because of COVID, they allowed Jason to come up to the room when Gus was five days old. Gus is now doing beyond what anybody could have ever imagined. He hasn't missed a single developmental milestone and his doctor says he is doing phenomenal! We are so grateful for Gus. He has been such a huge blessing to our lives. We can't thank A Child Waits Foundation enough for the support they have provided to our family. Three weeks before Gus was born, we experienced our first failed adoption in another state. The financial burden that failed adoption placed on our family was heartbreaking. As soon as we shared with A Child Waits Foundation that we received a call for a potential child and we were struggling for the funds to make it happen, they were there for us. We can't thank this beautiful foundation enough!
Thank you so much
