How we met Cate

After many years of prayer, Greg and I decided that we would start the process of domestic adoption. International was not a choice for us, we thought, because Greg cannot take the time off from work. Last January we found a wonderful Christian agency in our state and started the process. In December, we both agreed that maybe we should not renew our home study, and although I still wanted another child, it didn't seem like it was going to happen, and I started to accept that fact.That's when my friend, Jan, called to tell me about this little girl in China. It was Christmas Eve and a busy day, and when I finally had a chance to look at her, Jan called to tell me she had a family. So, two weeks later Jan called back to say that she was back on the waiting list again. I went straight home to look at her, and she melted my heart. Jan informed me that only one parent must travel, so we asked for more information on her and that's when we were told that her agency had a recent video of her. They overnighted the video and.....well, that's all it took. Greg was much more hesitant since we were completely switching gears; we talked and prayed and talked and prayed. It was a scary step for me too- I mean, China- across the world. But her little face kept popping up, and I could envision her running around our house-and the thought that she was 2 years old with no mama and daddy. I prayed to God one morning and said Lord, I'm going to need a solid answer for this, I'm scared and I just want to do your will. I called the agency after work that day , and Cheryl told me that another family had accepted her. My heart broke, and it was that afternoon that I realized how much it was Her that I wanted- not just any child. So, the next morning, I e-mailed the ageny to tell them that if anything happened with the first family, we wanted her. Ten minutes later they emailed us to call the office-that she was available, and the rest is history. I knew in that moment that she was suppose to be with our family.