John & Samantha's Adoption Journey
We go way back with Jason and Cheryl, to our early days serving together in children's ministry at church. Not long after, we were in a small group together. At the time, they were still waiting to adopt Aaliyah, so we got a front-row seat to their journey.
"We saw the waiting. We saw the heartbreak. We saw the faith it required. And we saw the joy."
John and I were married in 2011. John had already been blessed with Johanna and Gabe, and we were so excited to grow our family together. We tried for years to conceive naturally. We walked through multiple infertility treatments, culminating in IVF.
It was exhausting. It was heartbreaking. And it didn't work.
But from the very beginning, we had always known we wanted to adopt. Even during our infertility journey, that desire never changed. Looking back now, I truly believe God placed Jason and Cheryl in our lives before we even knew how desperately we would need them. What felt like doors closing through infertility was really God opening a different, more beautiful door for our family.
Adoption was never our backup plan. It became our calling.
"We saw the waiting. We saw the heartbreak. We saw the faith it required. And we saw the joy."
John and I were married in 2011. John had already been blessed with Johanna and Gabe, and we were so excited to grow our family together. We tried for years to conceive naturally. We walked through multiple infertility treatments, culminating in IVF.
It was exhausting. It was heartbreaking. And it didn't work.
But from the very beginning, we had always known we wanted to adopt. Even during our infertility journey, that desire never changed. Looking back now, I truly believe God placed Jason and Cheryl in our lives before we even knew how desperately we would need them. What felt like doors closing through infertility was really God opening a different, more beautiful door for our family.
Adoption was never our backup plan. It became our calling.
A Long Season of Waiting
We officially began our adoption journey in 2015, and it was not all rainbows and butterflies. There were so many "no's." So much waiting.
There were seasons when my heart hurt so deeply that I pulled away from friends who had children. I remember being short and snippy with Cheryl for weeks. Eventually, I poured my heart out to her in a message, just raw, unfiltered grief about how badly I wanted a baby and how unfair it all felt. I hit send and immediately wished I could unsend it.
But she responded with grace. And we are still friends today.
"That's what LoveMoves.Us has been for us from the beginning, a place of grace in the middle of brokenness."
During our waiting, Jason and Cheryl started LoveMoves.Us. We supported them from the very beginning, attending Family Gatherings before we had even adopted, just to learn. We wanted to understand birth parents. We wanted to understand the realities of adoption, because adoption, at its core, begins with loss and brokenness. We needed to understand that.
There were seasons when my heart hurt so deeply that I pulled away from friends who had children. I remember being short and snippy with Cheryl for weeks. Eventually, I poured my heart out to her in a message, just raw, unfiltered grief about how badly I wanted a baby and how unfair it all felt. I hit send and immediately wished I could unsend it.
But she responded with grace. And we are still friends today.
"That's what LoveMoves.Us has been for us from the beginning, a place of grace in the middle of brokenness."
During our waiting, Jason and Cheryl started LoveMoves.Us. We supported them from the very beginning, attending Family Gatherings before we had even adopted, just to learn. We wanted to understand birth parents. We wanted to understand the realities of adoption, because adoption, at its core, begins with loss and brokenness. We needed to understand that.
The Courage to Honor Our Kids' Whole Stories
One of the biggest things LoveMoves.Us has given us is the courage to embrace our children's whole stories.
We have a relationship with Felicity's biological father, Jackson. We text multiple times a week. We share pictures. He has stayed at our home, and when Felicity asked for him to come for her birthday last year, he came. With Cooper's biological family, he has two brothers who are also adopted, and we have relationships with their families too.
It's this big, beautiful, blended web of people who might never have known each other otherwise. Our kids get the gift of knowing where they come from. They get the gift of connection.
"I truly don't think we would have had the courage to pursue those relationships without LoveMoves.Us."
LoveMoves.Us taught us that it's not our place to judge, or to draw conclusions about someone else's story. It's our place to show grace, to listen, to keep doors open. Our kids need to know their story, and that story deserves to be honored, not hidden.
We have a relationship with Felicity's biological father, Jackson. We text multiple times a week. We share pictures. He has stayed at our home, and when Felicity asked for him to come for her birthday last year, he came. With Cooper's biological family, he has two brothers who are also adopted, and we have relationships with their families too.
It's this big, beautiful, blended web of people who might never have known each other otherwise. Our kids get the gift of knowing where they come from. They get the gift of connection.
"I truly don't think we would have had the courage to pursue those relationships without LoveMoves.Us."
LoveMoves.Us taught us that it's not our place to judge, or to draw conclusions about someone else's story. It's our place to show grace, to listen, to keep doors open. Our kids need to know their story, and that story deserves to be honored, not hidden.
Why Community Matters
In the adoption world, people often say things like, "They're so lucky to have you." Every time we hear that, we cringe. No child is lucky to experience foster care or adoption. Adoption begins with loss. What we can say is that we are grateful, grateful to be their parents, grateful for the families who love them too.
LoveMoves.Us has provided a safe place, not just for us as parents, but for our kids. For them, adoption is their normal. It's something we talk about openly, not something they have to whisper about. They know their story is safe here.
When we look at our family now, it doesn't look like what we originally imagined. It looks better. It looks bigger. It looks richer. It looks full of relationships we never would have had the courage to build on our own.
"Love truly moves us, to courage, to grace, to connection, and to family in its most beautiful form."
— John and Samantha
LoveMoves.Us has provided a safe place, not just for us as parents, but for our kids. For them, adoption is their normal. It's something we talk about openly, not something they have to whisper about. They know their story is safe here.
When we look at our family now, it doesn't look like what we originally imagined. It looks better. It looks bigger. It looks richer. It looks full of relationships we never would have had the courage to build on our own.
"Love truly moves us, to courage, to grace, to connection, and to family in its most beautiful form."
— John and Samantha
Join Us in the Work
Stories like John and Samantha's aren't meant to be read and forgotten, they're meant to invite others into what's happening in families like theirs. If their journey resonates with you, there are meaningful ways to step into this work alongside foster and adoptive families and the children they serve.
You can:
You don't have to do everything, but you can do something, and it matters more than it may seem.
You can:
- Give to help provide the resources families need for community, connection, and care as they build relationships that honor their children's whole stories.
- Volunteer your time, skills, or presence to support children and caregivers navigating this journey.
- Attend Family Gatherings or events hosted by LoveMoves.Us to learn, connect, and better understand the realities of foster care and adoption.
You don't have to do everything, but you can do something, and it matters more than it may seem.
RSS Feed