“Even before we were married, Sean and I knew we wanted to adopt a baby regardless of whether or not God gave us biological children. Several years after we were married, we were blessed with two biological children, Elijah and Jadon. When we were ready to grow our family again, we felt a leaning from the Lord that we should do so by adoption. We prayed and asked God to point our hearts in the right direction and provide.
“After our dossier was submitted to Ethiopia, we began waiting for our baby girl. When we received a referral for a 5-week-old girl, we began to cry tears of joy…they told us her story, and we were awestruck that God would entrust us with this baby. Even her name, Bethlehem, was a reminder of Bethlehem Baptist Church, where we first met multi-racial families with adopted children and began deeply desiring for our family to resemble them. We later decided to name our daughter Mercy Bethlehem, because “Mercy” reflects the character of God in adopting us.
“The week that we found out we were receiving a Show Hope adoption aid grant was very humbling to us. God was showing us all along the way that He was the provider! As we have walked this road of adoption, we have been reminded of God’s pursuit of us, His undying love, and His matchless mercy.
“All of the months of waiting, the tears of longing, the fears when she was sick, the questions about what she was like…it all fell into place as God took us across the globe to meet our daughter. When they placed Mercy in my arms I felt like I had always been with her. She just fit!! Thank you, Show Hope sponsors, for being faithful to God and serving our family by helping make our dream of adoption a reality.”
-Dana Cordell
