Motte and Beth Brown had always talked about adopting, even before having their first two children biologically. During their lengthy process to adopt from China, Motte and Beth soon became convinced that they were actually being called to pursue a sibling group from Ethiopia while continuing to wait for a match from China. They were quickly matched with two Ethiopian siblings between the ages of five and eight. Two weeks later, however, they were astounded when their agency called to inform them that this was actually a sibling group of four and that twin infant siblings had just been found. If they wished to continue with the adoption of these two children, they would have to adopt all four siblings together.
The Browns went through weeks of praying and seeking the counsel of people in their church, and while they were a bit scared and unsure of how they would fund this adoption, they decided to move ahead and accept the placement of all four children. Two families, who each had adopted sibling groups, were of particular inspiration to the couple. The Browns recall,
“There was really nothing extraordinary about these two families or their circumstances that uniquely qualified them to adopt a sibling group…I suspect that mainly, they were just willing. These families prove to everyone around them that children are a blessing from the Lord and that adoption is close to God’s heart. We realized that despite our fears and feelings of inadequacy as parents, God was calling us to this – to lay down our lives for these orphans; and to trust Him to be our provider.
“Before we even began applying for grants, we knew God would raise up his saints to cover the expenses to adopt four orphans from Ethiopia. And by far, our biggest gift came from Show Hope. It is our great privilege to be able to thank you, Show Hope sponsors, for helping give our adopted children a new chance at life and for giving us a new family.”
