“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.” Matthew 18:5
As you open your heart to adoption, there is much to consider! While children of all ages and levels of need are waiting for their forever families, whether or not you’re open to parenting a child with special needs is one of the decisions you’ll make on this journey. To help give you a little more insight into what this journey can look like, we’ve compiled quotes from families who have been there!
“One year home with us! I’m so incredibly glad that we said YES to Down syndrome adoption!…When we first felt the call to adopt Lian, we were scared, but what an incredible blessing he has been to our family. I don’t know what we were afraid of…just the unknown, I guess. The best yes ever.
These children are so deserving of a loving home and a chance to thrive in a family. If we ever adopt again, I’ll adopt [a child] with Down syndrome again in a heartbeat.”
–Cady Driver, AGCI Adoptive Mom to Lian.
“Cerebral palsy can feel like a scary diagnosis. On paper, CP can feel like too much to handle, but when it’s your child, it’s beautiful,” as Quinn Mulvany put it.
–Lisa and Quinn Mulvany, AGCI Adoptive Parents to Olivia and Ezekiel. You can read their full story here.
“At first we were just open to very mild or correctable needs. We did not go into this thinking we would adopt a child with Down syndrome,” Stephanie said.
And then, Stephanie saw a photo of Bo (her soon-to-be-son) on AGCI’s waiting child page, and was instantly drawn to him. “I feel like God just puts the child that’s meant to be yours on your heart. If you’re obedient to God He’s going to start changing your heart,” Stephanie said.
–Stephanie and Todd Huffine, AGCI Adoptive Parents to Bo. You can read their full story here.
“I can see God’s hands all over our journey—from the very day we first spoke out loud about adopting a child. I will never forget the day Jennifer called to tell us about a little boy…Charlie, a 5-year-old boy in China who was fighting leukemia. I won’t lie; I was scared! My brain said this is too much. But God was already at work on my husband and immediately he said he wanted to learn more. Today he is home and truly thriving in our family and at school. And he’s just a few months away from reaching the end of his 3-year treatment plan. At first cancer scared us in a big way. But now I see God used even his cancer to be a blessing. We’re just in awe at how the past 18 months have unfolded and feel so blessed to be Charlie’s parents.”
-Luke & Jamie Brocki, AGCI Adoptive Parents to Charlie
*Photo credit to Sarah Seay Photography
