Daddy's God Story - Joshua's Adoption

Daddy's God Story - Joshua's Adoption

This story is about how God works in mysterious ways that we don't understand. We have a God story for Amber's adoption too! Raeann explained it in her Adoption story.  Joshua's adoption was a work for me to see what God can do, if we just let him.  I have told this story many times from Houston, to California, to New York, to Fort St. John British Columbia, to Calgary, to Germany, France, and Italy.  I had to share it with you too!  If you ever wondered if God is at work in our lives, I hope this answers the question.

It all started because I wanted to do something different, so "I" was looking for a new job.  I wanted to go to work for BP and follow in the footsteps of one of my rotating equipment engineering hero's.  I had spoken with the manager, was trying to line up the interview, but stuff just kept getting in the way.  A headhunter called me to offer an interview at a refinery in Big Springs, Texas.  Small refinery, close to our parents in Lubbock, Amber was almost 3 years old, and thought it would be good to be close to family.  So I went on the interview, got the job, and started to make preparations to move.  

The U-Haul was packed, hooked up to my pickup, snacks onboard for Amber and I to drive 8 hours to Big Springs in my old green truck.  Amber was a good traveler and I was looking forward to a new season.  I'm not sure Raeann was ever onboard with the move, but she supported me anyway - just like she always does after giving her perspective.  Minutes before departure standing in the driveway, I got a call from BP asking me to come for an interview and they could almost guarantee me the job.  Decisions, decisions, decisions… I had already committed to Big Spring.  We sold our house in less than a week and found a great house 5 minutes from work which was already under contract.  Just too much had come together to turn back now.  So, I declined the BP interview on the spot, loaded up Amber, and off we went.

I had been working in Big Springs for a couple months when we got the call from the agency asking if we wanted to adopt a bouncing baby boy!  His parents requested a white family with adopted Vietnamese children.  Since this agency did our home study for Amber's adoptions, they thought of us and called. We had about 12 hours to make a Yes or No decision. We asked our family, old church family in Friendswood, and friends to pray and call us back.  They did and we called to let the agency know that YES we wanted that boy!  

As part of the adoption, the parents wanted to meet us, and since Joshua was to be born in 7 days, we packed up and drove to Houston to be interviewed.  Work was gracious enough to let me take time off, even though I didn't have any vacation.  Of course, the parents loved us! And said YES, we could adopt Joshua.  We drove back to Big Springs and setup the baby bed in a nasty guest room that was wall papered in an ugly dingy pink flower pattern. (Sorry buddy!)  Sure enough, we got the call several days later that mom was in labor and Joshua was on the way. 

We packed up and headed back to Houston to wait on that stubborn boy to finally enter this world 5 days late on August 1st.  Then we had to wait two days for the mandatory adoption waiting period before the August 3rd Gotcha Day.  After all this, we had a very nice ceremony at the agency with our pastor Mike, his wife Celeste, Peter's (Joshua's birth name) parents, and us.  Joshua was handed to Raeann through the tear filled eyes of his parents and they left.  We talked a bit and were walking out the door with Joshua in our arms when it donned on me that we NEVER discussed the cost of adoption.  

I just adopted a baby boy right after a move to a new job, spent money on renovations, relocation, and all the stuff you have to do when moving into a new house.  We had not planned to adopt any time soon.  We did not have a savings account since we had just paid off Amber's adoption. Raeann was no longer working and now a full time stay-at-home mom. I did just change jobs and negotiated a signing bonus, relocation expenses, etc.  I had a small amount of money left over from all the buying, selling, moving, utility setup, paint, carpet, etc, but I wasn't rich and I knew from experience that adoption was expensive. I start to panic.  

I blurted out a direct question to Celeste, the agency director; "How much do we owe?" She says $7,000.  You want to guess how much was left over from taking a job in a new city, buying and selling houses, relocating, sign-on bonus, and everything else that goes with setting up a new home in a new city?  Well, exactly $7,000! 

You see, God was in every action and every decision from me getting restless in my job, the headhunter calling, taking the job in Big Spring, rejecting the BP interview, selling our house, relocation expenses, buying a house, sign-on bonus, Joshua's parents going to the right agency, asking for a white family wth Vietnamese children, and them calling us - EVERYTHING!  GOD WAS IN EVERYTHING!  

People tell us that we chose Joshua and that we are lucky to be his parents.  But you know what - we didn't choose Joshua - GOD choose us to be Joshua's parents.  God was the Maestro!  We had no idea what was planned or even happening, but He did!  

It has been 4 weeks since his death and I just finished a good cry.  Raeann and I discussed how we were lucky to be his parents.  I questioned this (in my mind) and wondered how we were "lucky" walking the path we are on today?  And then I thought of my God Story!  And I thought of:

• The legos we built

• The Lego bed we made

• The fence we built and trenches we dug

• The bulldozer we drove

• The pier we built over the pond

• The sand pile tunnels

• The trim we painted

• The four wheeler rides

• The mud fights in the pond

• The grass we laid

• The polar bear swim

• The whittling we did

• The lacrosse we played

• The air soft wars

• The pistols, AR's, AK, shotguns we bought, modified, shot and cleaned

• The knives we held, sharpened, shaved with, and traveled to Atlanta to see

• The hamburgers, pizza, pancakes and Panera Bread we ate 

• The coffee he made me

• The hugs he gave me

• And my all time favorite from the balcony above my chair after his nap - "Dad, wanna go get some ice cream?"

I am the luckiest Dad alive to have been a part of Joshua's life for 18 years, 8 months, and 12 days!

God tells us that he will direct our paths, and did He!  There is NO question that Joshua was meant for us at that exact time!  There is just NO other way to explain it.

Joshua, Daddy misses you terribly! I would not trade one single day of our time together, not one! I know where you are and I know that you are OK!  I love you forever!