God’s Light Leads The Way

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The Hartzler family at the airport!

This holiday season, our hearts are with the many adoptive families, who due to circumstances beyond their control, have had their adoptions delayed for months due to the pandemic.

The only way through the heartache of being unable to unite with your child is by leaning on Jesus. He is the only one who can truly carry this load. 

Lena and Neil Hartzler are all too familiar with this heartache—and God’s ability to light the path ahead. 

Adoption had been on Lena’s heart for most of her life. “The catalyst for finally pursuing adoption came after Neil sensed God saying, do you really trust me? What part of your life really requires faith? This was a fundamental starting point for us and part of the reason why we went into this fully trusting God to provide financially.” Lena said. 

The Hartzlers applied to AGCI in May 2019 and just two months later were matched with sisters Maureen (9) and Yury (11) in AGCI’s Waiting Child program in Colombia. Their dossier was registered in April 2020, just as Covid-19 hit around the world. Their plan to bring their girls home over the summer was put on an indefinite hold. And yet, God was there.

“The delays actually were a blessing in some ways. We were not planning to fundraise at all, but over the summer we received a matching grant from Brittany’s Hope. The grant specifies that families are to share about the orphan crisis and fundraise so that others can be part of the journey. We quickly discovered that people want to be part of adoption because it’s close to God’s heart. It’s beautiful and not everyone can be an adoptive family.”

By trusting God’s timing and His process, while they waited the Hartzlers raised enough funds to fully fund their adoption! 

“The extra waiting time also allowed us to bond through video calls. I’m a Spanish teacher so language isn’t an issue for our family,” Lena said.

As of this writing, the Hartzlers have just returned home from Colombia with their beautiful daughters! This is such a testament of God’s provision. When we put our faith in Him, all things are possible. 

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