Our Story

We are a fun-loving family living for God in Northern Colorado. We are parents to seven beautiful children (three through birth and four through adoption), and are foster parents.  We have a huge heart for orphan care and are challenged every day by God's plans for us! 

 

Our Adoption Story:

Our family began the beautiful snowy day we were married in Dec of 2004. Before we were married, we knew having children was going to be a challenge for us as I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and so we started trying for a child as soon as we were married. After about six months of constant appointments, one doctor told us he didn't think we would be able to conceive.

Growing up we both had thought about adoption but didn't consider it would be due to infertility.  At this point, we were quite disappointed but started to look into adoption....a few months into reading and researching, we found out we were pregnant with our first child, Eli. He was born in 2006 and after his birth, we were able to conceive three times (a miscarriage in 2007, Ayla in 2008, and Owen in 2010).

I had always wanted a large family and shortly after Owen's birth, we started discussing another child. Bobby was adamant that if we had another child it would be through adoption. As much as I had always wanted to adopt, I was hesitant that I would be able to love another child as much as my own and didn't think there would ever be a way we could afford an adoption. I was yearning for another pregnancy and secretly wishing a "mistake" would happen. Little did I know that God was working in my heart and He totally opened my heart and mind to orphans. In one short night, my yearning to get pregnant was drastically changed. God made me realize that I would have "one of my own" that He had chosen for us.

In February of 2011, I picked up the book Choosing to See. One night while reading I was completely moved! I got out of bed around 11pm and started researching Show Hope. Living in ND we knew no adopting families but God was definitely stirring our hearts! The numbers we read were astounding. The desire and peace we felt toward adopting was nothing we'd ever experienced before. In that one night, God took away every fear I had toward adoption and I KNEW God was urging us to move forward.

A few months later we signed paperwork for adoption through America World Adoption's Ethiopia program. Our dossier was sent to Ethiopia on November 4, 2011. Shortly after sending in our dossier, we found out our wait time will be much longer than we had anticipated. We started praying that God would please move mountains in Ethiopia to speed up the process and that He would show us some way that we can do something in the meantime. We NEVER considered a concurrent adoption and were in huge disbelief and doubt when God laid it in front of us. We prayed and prayed that we would have discernment about the second adoption and we both know that is what God has planned for our family. On January 20, 2012, we signed paperwork for a concurrent adoption from the DRC (Congo) through A Love Beyond Borders. We took a huge leap of faith as the monetary concerns were frightening, but we trusted in his provision.

In October 2012 we brought Addy home from Congo.  We had no clue how much joy she would bring to our lives...and can't imagine life without her!  That leap of faith was one of the best decisions we've made.

After bringing Addy home our plan was to focus on our four and settle down a little bit while we slowly crept up the long list of families waiting in the Ethiopia program.  BUT.....

Through Addy's adoption and through our obedience to care for orphans, our hearts began to open toward adopting older children.   We had a lot of fears in bringing home an older child but began talking, praying, and seeking advice.

Our biggest concern was Eli.  We felt he had clearly marked his place as the oldest child and weren't sure it would be best. Then one night Eli and I were visiting and out of nowhere, he asked, "Mommy, what would you do if God asked us to adopt an older boy or girl.  Like bigger than me??"  Dumbfounded, I asked what he would think about it and he responded by saying how "cool" and "special" he thought that would be. 

As so, we got our home study and dossier updated and as of March 2013 we were officially waiting for one or two children ages 0-11 from Ethiopia. 

...in June of 2013 we received the call for TWO boys ages 9 and 11.   On October 1, 2013 we returned home from Ethiopia with Detcho and Nagi.

Fast forward a couple more years and we had a couple of hard situations through foster care.  The joy and loss are so intertwined and we had experienced our share of both.  We had been mildly discussing adopting again and had a nagging daughter constantly asking for a big sister.  Well, one evening I was going through the mail and stumbled upon a ND waiting children's list that included a photo of a girl from Ethiopia (strangely enough we had discussed adopting another older child from Ethiopia, but their doors were closed...now there was an older child, from Ethiopia, in our state?!??!). 

We inquire about Hannah and waited a year before she was ready for adoption, at age 15. 

Today, we continue our foster journey, willing to be broken and praying daily for God's peace and strength. 

It's amazing how God opened our hearts and minds to be willing to follow HIS plan for our family, rather than our own. 

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Bobby and Courtney would love to chat with anyone about adoption, foster care, or orphan care. 
They can be reached at bobandcourtwilliams@gmail.com