Adoption Grant Ministry Continues to Grow:
Several years ago, HOB amended its Bylaws to include Adoption Funding as a primary part of our mission. Although our beginnings took us to other parts of the world, the exposure to the needs of orphans began to lead many of us to open our own homes to orphans from the international community and from within the US. It is amazing to consider how many families directly associated with our ministry have adopted children. Entering the adoption community has also made us very aware of the great expense and the overwhelming need for financial support in the adoption journey. Now families from all over the country apply for grants each year and because of this fund, we are able to help bring more and more children home to loving, Christ centered families!
An encouraging story from a Pastor’s family who received a timely gift from our ministry this year:
We are tremendously grateful to God for the ministry of Heart of the Bride (HOTB), and the generous grant we received. We have adopted children three times now. In the previous two adoptions we did not apply for grants, believing that we were not qualified and that there were so many other families in greater need than us for financial assistance.
This time, however, we decided to apply because our three adoptions have drained much of our savings, and we were praying that God might provide for what we consider to be our final adoption.
We applied quite late in the process, and had already received a referral. We were due to travel in less than a month, so realistically, we were not expecting anything from HOTB. Little did we know that Carol Boykin and her team would expedite our application and come to a quick decision!
When Carol called to inform us that we had been approved for a grant, we were elated and stunned! It was indeed the grace of God to receive a grant so late in the process. Needless to say, the grant made a huge difference in our financial picture, as our travel fees to China were due almost at the same time. Like manna from heaven in our time of need, the Lord provided!
As for our adopted child, Selah, God has been working in and growing her. In the four months we have been family with her, she has changed so much for the better. She is no longer the shy and intimidated child we met in China. She is much more confident, happy and adventurous. She loves to explore her world, whether at home, at church or the park. She is smart, witty and laughs easily. She has attached well to our family, and we love her so much.
Medically, Selah has been undergoing physical and occupational therapy for two months now. Her hearing was recently tested, and thank God her inner ear is normal (recall that she has bilateral external auditory canal atresia [EACA] and bilateral microtia). She is eligible for a bone-anchored hearing aid, which will open up a whole new world for her and us! We pray not only for her hearing, but also for language and speech development.
We have also been working with her on eating issues…which may be somewhat related to her speech disability. We pray one day she will begin to eat solid food. Ultimately our prayer for her is that she will grow in physical and spiritual stature, becoming the woman of God she was created to be.
We praise God for Selah and for the ministry of HOTB! May He continue to bless her and you, and bring much glory to the name of Jesus through your compassionate work with orphans.
