Monday, September 20, 2010

God Answers Prayers- And not always in the way you expect him too!

This story will warm your heart, make you cry, and maybe even see how truly amazing our God is. He hears our prayers and I am so thankful for stories like this because it reminds me that even when we are part of a world who has turned our back from Him, forgotten Him and lived our lives without Him in our home he still loves us so much and gives us pieces of Him to remind us of the unconditional love He shares for us.

Meet baby Kyler.
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He is a gift from above. He is perfect, beautiful and everything you could ever ask for in a son. He is sweet, innocent and so well loved. God placed him in a loving Christian home with a family who will love and support him as he grows. He will have more love then you could ever imagine and probably get a little spoiled in the process too!
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Families take for granted how lucky they are to have the children they have. This family was reminded daily that they would never be able to have a baby of their own. It was devastating and tore their marriage apart for 5 years. It was an emotional roller coaster for them. They often broke down emotionally wondering why God would do this to them.


Every time they had "HOPE" it was taken from them. Time after time adoptions fell through and the thought of ever bringing home a baby just seemed impossible. Watching friends suffer, lose hope, and begin to lose faith was a hard thing to watch. Seeing turmoil in a marriage because a unquenchable desire could not be fulfilled. I cannot pretend for an instant to know how they must have felt but I can't imagine what life would be like without my kids. I imagine they felt a hole in their hearts constantly. I imagine it made them angry inside to watch the news of abused and abandoned children. I imagine it was hard being friends with those around them who were pregnant or had babies of their own. I imagine they blamed themselves inside for not being able to have children of her own. The shame, the guilt, the void...


When they hit rock bottom they finally decided to completely turned it over to God. They couldn't handle it anymore. It was too much for two people to bare and their marriage would not make it if they continued on this way. They prayed that if God wanted them to have a baby then He will provide one.

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If they could have pick the outcome of their fate they wanted a boy and then a girl. Of course they would have been thrilled with either. They prayed constantly. They would send emails, text messages and updates to those around them asking for prayer when they needed it. I don't think they even realize the lives they have touched along the way and changed.


God did not answer their prayers right away. And I believe at points everyone lost faith temporarily. It seemed an impossible dream and there was so much heart break along the way. But this family never gave up. They held on to the only hope they had and that was that God answers prayers. One day they got that call that changed their lives. God had finally put a baby boy into their hands and in their lives. Baby Kyler was due in 6 weeks by a young mom who loved baby Kyler enough to adopt him to a family because she didn't have the resources to provide a home for this little man. It takes an amazing, loving mother to be able to do that and my heart truly prays for her right now because I cannot imagine how she must have felt to have to make a decision like that.


At this point everyone was still praying their hearts out because there was still no guarantees that they would bring him home. There were still so many hurdles to get through from financials, to legalities, to birth, and health of the baby. They had been through this road before and it ended in tragedy, but for some reason this adoption was different. I have talked to many that just felt at "peace" about it. It felt like God had prepared every one's hearts for this. He provided them both with unexpected career changes right before the big news came home. He gave them financial freedom without expecting it and it just seemed too perfect to end in failure. It just seemed that only someone from a higher power could have put this perfectly into place.


And just when you thought that God couldn't perfect the situation any better... He does. Just a few weeks after they announced they were adopting a baby boy, they found out from their agency another family wanted them to adopt their baby girl. She will be here in just a few weeks!


It was everything Beth and Justin prayed for. It was exactly what they prayed for. We joke that the timing was not as planned... but of course they weren't very specific on timing so God threw in that extra twist. But only God could have planned this. This is His work. And I believe He does this so that we know He did this. He not only gave them two beautiful babies... but He also gave them a story... a testimony... and I believe it is one to be shared and not kept to ourselves.


Yesterday I got the honor of seeing God's miracle first hand. I got to capture these sweet memories for this family who endured so much. Baby Kyler you have brought so much joy to this families lives. I got to see your mommy look at you yesterday and her eyes lit up. Daddy was so proud to talk about you and about all the things he can't wait to do with you when you get older.


We are now waiting for God's second miracle to come home. They still need prayers since this adoption hasn't been finalized. I believe that not only do they need prayer... these birth mothers need prayer also.


Beth and Justin... you are so blessed and I praise God for answering your prayers. I can't help but laugh a little inside when I think about your situation in a few weeks with two brand new babies in your house. It is definitely not how we pictured it, is it? But it really couldn't get better then this either. We love you and in our prayers always.


Isn't God good? Don't forget to praise God for all the little blessings he has given you!

7 comments:

Stephanie @ dirtandlace.com said...

How wonderful! They are so blessed. I can't wait to read about their upcoming addition.

I can't remember if I have commented on your blog yet, but I have to say, you take the BEST pictures!!

Taylor said...

Prayers and love to everyone! He is perfect and precious. I'm so thrilled for them, what an amazing story!!

Unknown said...

Oh! I love this post. I got chills. God is good. And so is that baby. I will pray that God will give them this gift of immeasurable worth. And I will pray for the birth mother too.

Beautiful baby boy!

J said...

That is so sweet! I will definately keep the next adoption in my prayers too, what a blessing to have both of these little miracles so close!
I love it!

Unknown said...

Beautiful post Steph...what a story to be told, and oh what a blessing!

Unknown said...

I miss you Stephanie Marie Roper : ) Hope you are having a fabulous day shooting OR watching your team : ) Either/ Or!

Jeff and April said...

What a beautiful post. A sweet story, sweet pictures, and whenever you talk you radiate faith and gratitude. You are an amazing person. So- I was wondering if you would take some pictures for me. This year I don't want plain old school pictures, I want something I love to see on my wall everyday. Your photography is just the thing! Do you have a web site or something? I will be tracking down your # soon.

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