Break Our Hearts for What Breaks Yours!

Oh my, where do I even begin with how this prayer has impacted our lives?! It is has changed everything...and we are so thankful!

Last fall, God led me to Kristi's blog, and He started to reveal to me that this was His plan for our family as well...to bring home our baby girl from Ethiopia! Well, I had never seen a family that had adopted from Ethiopia before God leading me to their blog. Honestly, I don't think I even knew you could adopt from Ethiopia. Before I came to Jody with what God was laying on my heart, I emailed Kristi to ask her if she knew of any families in Mississippi who had adopted from Ethiopia. She did not, but she included something in her email that God used to changed our hearts forever.

This was the last line she wrote in her reply to me, "keep me posted...and May God keep breaking your heart for WHAT breaks HIS!!"

That line hit me so hard because I realized that was EXACTLY what God had been doing to my heart for the past 4 months.


He was breaking my heart for a baby girl who would be born in Africa, but would come home to Mississippi to be a part of our family...our fourth child, our third daughter.

So, on the night of March 17, 2010, I came to Jody and told Him what I believed God was calling us to do. We watched Lucy Lane's Gotcha Day video together, and then I showed him the email that Kristi had sent. Jody was not sure at all that adopting from Ethiopia was God's will for us, BUT he agreed to pray about it. And we both agreed to start praying that simple, yet life-changing prayer..."God break our hearts for what breaks Yours!"

We started praying. And everything changed. Our hearts began to break for orphans like never before.

You see, early in our marriage before our three kids were born, we used to talk about how one day we would adopt a baby girl from China. We have wonderful family friends in my hometown who had adopted a baby girl from China...she is now a beautiful teenager! But then, life happened, and 3 kids came in 3 1/2 years. The word "adoption" was not mentioned again. When asked if we were planning on having more children, we were both very quick to say those infamous words, "We're done!" We were done having kids, our hands were full, and our family was complete.

But here's the problem with that statement. WE decided that we were done. We never asked GOD what HIS plan was for our family.

We are just so thankful that He began to stir our hearts once again to adoption. We're so thankful that He began to break our hearts for orphans. We're so thankful that He has called to our baby girl, Caroline Faith.


We're so thankful that He did not leave us as orphans. He adopted us as His sons and daughters when He sacrificed His one and only Son. "He chose us in Him before the creation of the world." (Eph. 1:4) Isn't that so amazing?!

And now He has allowed us the pure JOY of being on this journey to the daughter He has chosen for us! Oh, it just overwhelms me when I stop and really think about it! Thank you, Jesus!

God walked with us so faithfully through every detail of the paperwork process, all bringing us to that wonderful day that we got on the waitlist for our adoption agency. September 17, 2010 ...EXACTLY 6 months to the day after we started praying this prayer together, "God break our hearts for what breaks Yours!" My heart is filled with peace knowing that September 17, 2010 was the perfect day that He chose to put us on the waiting list at #93 to align us with our precious daughter!

When people ask how we decided to adopt from Ethiopia, I always have a one word answer, "GOD!" This is all about HIM. I pray that He is glorified in every step we take.


And look at who's name is on this shirt!! Yep, that's our sweet Caroline!

I still pray this prayer. I pray that God will help me to love like HE loves, and that He'll continue to break my heart for what breaks His!

"...for in You the fatherless find compassion." Hosea 14:3