The Beginning

We lived in a little eight hundred square-foot house on seven acres, straight out of Mother Earth News. There was a garden, an outhouse, a chicken coop, and a goat shed. Life was good, we had realized our dream of leaving the big city and moving to the country.  We named it "Goat Hill Farm".
We barely had room for the four children we had brought to the little house through our marriage, but had a desire to complete the circle, and adopt a child that would grow in the love and laughter we had in abundance. 
I remember the conversation so clearly. The message at church that Sunday morning was on 1John3, 17-19.....if anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
God's love for us and in us will give us the will and ability to pass it on to others. Basically, it was a call to "Put your money where your mouth is!"  The word seemed so clear to me, so while we were all changing into work clothes to put up a field of hay, I asked Michael "How do you feel about adoption?"  With his usual humor, and without missing a beat, he replied, "Fine...adopt 'em all out!"  
We were still laughing as we all went out the door to stack hay bales, with no clue where the road would lead us.
This was the beginning of our journey.