James and Rachel's Adoption Blog

I have written before of dear friends... James and Rachel... who want nothing more in their lives than to have the opportunity of being parents. They have been ready for years... yet have not been blessed with a child of their own. For the past year they have been hoping to adopt... recently they have put together a blog... (along with the other websites that they already had) that I would love to share with you. These two people will make the best parents... and there are so many people praying for them to receive this blessing. This post is my plea to anyone who may want to learn more about this couple.

Let me tell you what I think of James and Rachel... They are the BEST! They are two people that I could not say ONE thing bad about... They truly love each other... I have NEVER once heard either of them speak unkindly about the other... They have amazing faith... the kind of faith that I am in awe of... They LOVE children, there is no doubt of that. I think that all 25 children on our street would count them as their closest "adult friends." I know without a doubt that my children would. Whenever our kids aren't "out in the yard" we know where they have gone... to Jimmy and Rachel's! It doesn't matter if Rachel is cleaning her bathroom... my kids are willing to help just to be with her. Kenna has an especially sweet relationship with them... when asked who her friends are... she names kids from Kindergarten... then always adds Rachel. Their house is where the "popsicles are handed out freely." (That is no joke I think we all owe them 20 boxes for just this summer!) Jady even referred to her as "Pok-key" (for Popsicle) all summer long. They are happy... always smiling and upbeat. They are "hip"! I joked with Rachel that the other day I drove up the street and saw her standing with a few of the teenagers on our street (who also LOVE her as their YW President)... and I wondered who the other girl was with them... then I realized it was Rachel!! I trust them fully with my children. We even had them tend them while Shane and I went out of town for the weekend. They were awesome... they showed us up! I wondered if our girls would trade us in for them! I didn't dare ask...! But most of all ANY child would be beyond lucky to have them as parents. And they so deserve to have that blessing in their lives.

Adoption to me is true love at its greatest. I think that a young women who carries a child to term and then allows another couple to raise that child is truly an "angel". Placing a child is the ultimate sacrifice... that sacrifice brings inexpressible joy to the couple who is not able to have children of their own without that gift from someone else. I realize that I cannot truly sympathize with either side on adoption... because I will never fully know the heartache of a couple longing for a child or the heartache of a grieving birth mother. But I see the longing in James and Rachel and I along with so many others ache for them.

A few years back I saw the other side of adoption... I had a dear friend whose beautiful daughter was faced with the decision of placing her unborn child with another family. I saw her heartache... and her longing for a better life for her child... I saw a complete transformation in her... she became a selfless person who although exremely sick complained LESS about her pregnancy than mothers who planned their pregnancies... she had incredible faith... she was heartbroken... yet at the same time spoke of the "indescribable peace" that she felt... she shared profiles with me of couples that she was considering for her child... she had a HUGE stack of them yet she knew as soon as opened up one in particular that this was the couple she would give her daughter to... she knew that what she was doing was right... for everyone. Her deep love for this little girl was as strong as any mothers' love... yet she blessed the lives of so many others with the gift of her "Hannah"... could anything be more selfless? I was able to hear about the joy and love that this "adoptive couple" had for both this little girl and for her "angel" mother. Within a month my sweet friend met a wonderful young man... not soon after they were married in the temple... and ironically were unable to have children of their own. They now have a little boy... through adoption...

There are so many other stories of people like James and Rachel. But since this week is the election... I am putting in my vote for JAMES AND RACHEL as "most deserving parents." Please do the same... share their blog (http://www.jradopt.blogspot.com/) with anyone that you may know by adding a link to your sidebar, or sharing it with someone considering adoption. We love you James and Rachel! And will continue to pray that, "your dreams come true", and that you get your.... "photo finish!"