C'est fini! Our adoption is finished!!

In November of 2009 we began the process to adopt a son.

That was over five years ago.

Five years.

Five years of meetings, classes, paperwork, background checks, home studies, home study renewals, moves, new continent, new agencies, new case workers, countless checks paid, tears, unimaginable grief and setbacks and challenges, unimaginable joy in small triumphs and baby steps forward, applications, interviews, and every major and minor detail in between.

We have experienced so much. More than what we bargained for. More than we thought we could handle. This process has been very long, and very complicated. And started long before our feet landed on Burkina soil.

The Lord, in His divine wisdom planted the desire to adopt in our hearts over five years ago, while we lived in the United States. That desire led us to sign up for a domestic adoption with an agency in Nebraska.

I remember those years in Nebraska, going through the adoption process, wondering year after year whenever the phone rang if it would be our case worker calling with news that a birth mother picked our profile. Wondering when we would be selected. If we would be selected. We were told to be patient. We were told the number of prospective adoptive parents wanting children far outweighed the number of children available for adoption.

So we waited. And waited.

I remember praying during those years of waiting. Praying for our son. Praying, specifically, that no matter where he was in the world that the Lord would bring us together, somehow.

In my limited narrow focused view of life, however; I thought that the Lord would bring our son and his birth mother from wherever they were....to Nebraska, where we lived.

But in a turn of events that only the Lord could foresee, He didn't bring our long prayed for child to us. He brought us to him. 

He presented us with an opportunity to move to Burkina Faso, a place where the number of children in need of a family far outweighed the number of families lined up to adopt them.

And in doing so he led us straight to the boy who would become our son.

Three years later and five thousand miles away from where we started, he moved us to him. He brought us together. In the most unexpected and unconventional way that I ever would have expected.

I'm so glad we chose to say "yes" to God. Yes to adopting. Yes to moving. Yes to doing hard things that led us into the great unknown but turned out to be more satisfying and exciting and hard and gut wrenchingly beautiful than we ever imagined.

His plans are always better. Always.

And this plan, His plan, His path for answering this prayer....far far exceeded my expectations. It was harder. It was longer. And it was more costly in every imaginable way.

It brought us to the brink of despair. Unknown depths of discouragement and frustration. But also overwhelming joy. Unshakable trust in His provisions. A deep assurance in His love for us. And a peace that transcended all understanding. We are more fearless. More faithful. More trusting. And more steadfast in our faith now than when we started. We've toed the line with discouragement and mounting obstacles and watched the Lord bulldoze every single one of them down that stood in His path to place His child in the arms of a family.

What a journey. What an honor it has been to walk this path. Difficulties and all. He saw in us a willing heart, and from that willingness and desire to follow Him and have faith that is authentic He allowed us to face trial after trial after trial....so that in the end we would be stronger. To learn to a greater degree how to lean on Him and draw strength from his unlimited supply. To be more reliant on Him. To be more assured of His presence and care over us. Less afraid to follow Him when He calls again. More willing to leave it all behind for the glory of His name.

He is better than good. His love is unmatched. He is faithful beyond measure. His timing is not our timing. What He allows us to face is for a greater purpose. The path He urges our feet to tread is not going to be walked in vain.

The Lord delights in us. And my soul delights in Him.

And it was an honor being called to walk this walk. Because at the end of it was not only a little boy that I get to call son, but a God I have the intimate pleasure of calling Father.

So after five years of laboring, the wait is finally over. It is with great joy and relief that I can say our adoption journey has finally come to an end. Praise. the . Lord.

On December 2nd, 2015 we were given the last of the paperwork signifying the completion of this process.

Finley Steven Kaboré Brooks is our son.

And to celebrate we had ice cream from Festival de Glace. We took a real life picture with no cute posing, matching clothes (except now that I look at it Syd and Marvi are actually wearing the same shirt-ha ha!), brushed hair or makeup. We set up the timer on the point and shoot and hurried together to quickly commemorate this day before digging back into our ice cream and reveling in the joy of being done. Sydaleigh and Marvelly were so cute, while Isaak and Steve went to pick up the ice cream they washed the table, Sydaleigh swept the floor and cleaned Steve's chair so everything could be nice and clean for when he got back. Sydaleigh recommended that we sing "Your adoption is done" to the tune of Happy Birthday to you. This has been a long process for them too. And they were just as ecstatic as we were to hear that it was finally over. I sure do love these kids of mine.

So, welcome to the family forever, my little Stevie Wonder boy. We're so glad we have you.



*And to every person who ever prayed a prayer on our behalf during this process, my sincerest thanks. Your prayers sustained us during this time and your support and encouragement was life to this weary soul. May the Lord bless you for your faithfulness to carry this burden with us in prayer.