China Adoption: Richard & Starla
My husband and I have been blessed with 7 children, 4 through birth, and 3 through adoption. As we were raising our 4 older children, we were the typical, busy household. Homeschool, sports, church friends and activities filled our days. At one point we discussed adoption when we knew of a young boy who needed a family, but that opportunity didn’t work out. A number of years passed before God again turned our hearts towards adoption. Our older three were off to college and we only had our 14 year old daughter still at home. Perhaps it was the quiet in the house for a change, but when a friend lent me a book that told the story of a Chinese adoption, I heard God’s voice calling me. I shared the thought with my husband, and we began to talk and pray about it. It wasn’t long before we realized that God was asking us to step out in faith to adopt a little girl from China. Our house was almost empty, and some questioned why we would want to start over when we were almost “free” to do anything we wanted to. But what better to do than to love a child?
Just a bit less than a year later Richard and I were in China to meet a little 15 month old girl who quickly claimed our hearts as she was placed in our arms. We were home only a few months when we decided that we would definitely head back to China for another child…..and 18 months later we met a little 4 ½ year old boy who became our son and a big brother all in one day. We thought we were done, but God had other plans for us, and sent us back to China one more time to meet our next child, a 13 year old girl.
We have been blessed beyond measure with all 7 of our kids, and daily thank God for them, and for our 5 grandkids. Homeschool, sports, church friends and activities fill our days. But God has not called us to be idle, but to be busy about His Kingdom activities. In January of this year we became foster parents here in Casper. We have enjoyed getting to know a number of precious children when they have been in our home for respite care. We are blessed to be caring for a sweet baby girl. I’m not sure how many times people have told me that they couldn’t do foster care because they could never give a child back to a not so perfect biological family. Another foster mom once told me something that sticks with me everyday: God doesn’t ask me to change a child’s past, nor to control their future, but to love, guide and teach them today….and to leave the future in His hands. That’s what we try to do each day…..
My husband and I have been blessed with 7 children, 4 through birth, and 3 through adoption. As we were raising our 4 older children, we were the typical, busy household. Homeschool, sports, church friends and activities filled our days. At one point we discussed adoption when we knew of a young boy who needed a family, but that opportunity didn’t work out. A number of years passed before God again turned our hearts towards adoption. Our older three were off to college and we only had our 14 year old daughter still at home. Perhaps it was the quiet in the house for a change, but when a friend lent me a book that told the story of a Chinese adoption, I heard God’s voice calling me. I shared the thought with my husband, and we began to talk and pray about it. It wasn’t long before we realized that God was asking us to step out in faith to adopt a little girl from China. Our house was almost empty, and some questioned why we would want to start over when we were almost “free” to do anything we wanted to. But what better to do than to love a child?
Just a bit less than a year later Richard and I were in China to meet a little 15 month old girl who quickly claimed our hearts as she was placed in our arms. We were home only a few months when we decided that we would definitely head back to China for another child…..and 18 months later we met a little 4 ½ year old boy who became our son and a big brother all in one day. We thought we were done, but God had other plans for us, and sent us back to China one more time to meet our next child, a 13 year old girl.
We have been blessed beyond measure with all 7 of our kids, and daily thank God for them, and for our 5 grandkids. Homeschool, sports, church friends and activities fill our days. But God has not called us to be idle, but to be busy about His Kingdom activities. In January of this year we became foster parents here in Casper. We have enjoyed getting to know a number of precious children when they have been in our home for respite care. We are blessed to be caring for a sweet baby girl. I’m not sure how many times people have told me that they couldn’t do foster care because they could never give a child back to a not so perfect biological family. Another foster mom once told me something that sticks with me everyday: God doesn’t ask me to change a child’s past, nor to control their future, but to love, guide and teach them today….and to leave the future in His hands. That’s what we try to do each day…..