Dear Friends and Family,
“The Lord is righteous in all His ways. Gracious in all His works. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. The Lord preserves all who love Him.” Psalm 145:14-20
This is the post we've all been waiting for!
Yes! We're adopting!
It's crazy, it's scary but it's wonderful! We want to share our story with you.....it's great!
Yes! We're adopting!
It's crazy, it's scary but it's wonderful! We want to share our story with you.....it's great!
Sixteen years ago, we (Steve and Kara) were married in Houston, Texas on a warm November day. Soon after that we began to talk of having children and found ourselves longing to fill our home with love and laughter. As those desires began to manifest with the birth of our first three children, we knew that our family wasn’t complete. So, for about two years, we entertained the idea of a fourth child. Our conversations began to include the idea of adopting another child and although that resonated within both of us, we also felt that it might be possible that we were to have another biological child. So, we began to pray about it. Considering we were getting later in our years, we knew that we needed an answer quickly; therefore, we asked for one and God answered. Nathan was born nine months later.
As our home quickly filled with sounds of growing children, our hearts still yearned within us for more and we knew that God was calling us to adopt. But when and how? For those of you who know our story, our lives weren’t working out as planned....God had a different path and at the time, it wasn’t easy. Yet, still we waited on Him.
Four years ago this week, everything changed. We were in Oregon visiting family when one afternoon Anna and Nathan came up to us weeping. As Anna held Nathan, with tears streaming down her face, we all listened to Nathan tell us about what had just happened to him. He said, “I was sitting on Grammy’s green carpet and God spoke to me. He said it’s time to move, get a new house and go get our two babies...a boy and a girl.” Anna spoke up and said, “It’s true. When Nathan came and told me this I knew it was a word of the Lord”.
For those of you who may not know this about us, we believe God still speaks. We also know that if you believe and listen you will hear Him also. Nathan was listening that day and what he heard changed our lives forever. The word of the Lord that came to our home confirmed every desire that we had for adoption but it also established that it wasn’t just our idea but it was God’s. However, here was a little boy about to be four years old and his sister, who expected us to leave at that moment and fulfill everything that God had just spoken. As we carefully explained how it works when God speaks, we realized the enormity of that word and also our inability to do anything about it. Sometimes you can obey God’s word and your obedience brings it to pass and other times you just have to let Him be God and do the work for you. This was one of those times. So we waited.
As time rolled on, we felt the call of God to move to Colorado and attend a Bible college there. Knowing that this was where we were supposed to be, we started to put down roots. The children began to make friends, we began to make friends and even found a cute little house to rent just two blocks from church. Soon after the move, the Lord took the whole Rosen family to the Baja for a month’s work at an orphanage and life was moving along. However, we still found it difficult to be settled. Shortly after returning from our first trip to Mexico, we were asked to move out of the home we were renting due to the owner’s personal situation. Thankfully, dear friends let us live in their home for a few months until we could find something else. Then we found our dream home......
Actually, it was a foreclosure that was 4” off plum on a six foot level on more than one wall! Not exactly our dream home but it was in a high mountain valley on four acres and God was calling us there. We knew it with every fiber of our being. So, the process of remodeling began. As construction started, we had to move out. So, we spent our time going back to the orphanage in Mexico to serve, attending my sister’s wedding, visiting family all over the country and living with our wonderful friends.
A couple of months ago, on just another Sunday, a friend of ours announced in church that he had just begun working for an adoption agency and was going to be bringing approximately 40 children to Colorado for a hosting program with the intent of having them exposed for the purpose of adoption. If anyone was interested in the hosting program they could see him after church. The price for this three week time period was normally between $3,000-$5,000 but through anonymous donors and the aid of the Colombian government, the cost would be $250 per child. WHAT? This was a miracle! We could do that! We wondered, “God is this the beginning of you bringing your word to pass?” We couldn’t wait for service to be over so that we could sign up! Our friend replied to our fury of questions, “ Yes, there are sibling pairs in the group and yes, you can look at the list and choose the children you want to host”. We scrolled down the page. Face after face appeared. Sibling group after sibling group went by but we didn’t see them. Then, as the numbers 40 and 41 graced the top of the screen, there they were. *J&J (as we affectionally call them). When we saw their names on the page we couldn’t believe our eyes....her name was the name we always said we would name another girl if we had one and his name is a Rosen family name. Their ages are what we had prayed for.
There they were, brother and sister, side by side. We were overwhelmed.
There they were, brother and sister, side by side. We were overwhelmed.
It seemed as though a holy hush fell over us and at the same time a joyful noise rang forth as we all exclaimed that these two were our son and daughter, brother and sister. It was decided. We would get them for the month of December for the hosting program and then they would go home and we would just continue with the waiting until all the paperwork went through. Our family was overjoyed. God had done it!
Our excitement was short lived as two weeks later we received a call that there had been a mistake and *J&J had already been placed with another family. It felt as if we had just lost two children. As we grieved and the tears came, so did a strong sense that this wasn't right. These were our children and we were certain God had made that clear to us. It was amazing how we knew that after just a short time.
That same weekend at a church meeting, Steve shared that *J&J had been placed with another family but that we were going to stand in faith and believe God for those children. We never felt a release in our hearts from the Lord and so while we couldn't do anything, we chose to remain steadfast and trust the Lord. These two children, on another continent, were still tugging at our hearts and wouldn’t let go. As husband and wife we began to ask the Lord how to pray concerning them and finally decided to pray for the other family that they would realize that *J&J weren’t the right children for them. It sounds strange to pray that way but we really believed that they belonged to us and unless God changed our hearts we were going to believe that way.
As time went on, the house remodel was progressing, we continued to live with our friends, homeschooling continued and the holiday season came upon us. It was Hanukkah and although we were busy from sun up to sun down running up and down the mountain working on the house, the beauty of this celebration, once again, gripped our hearts. Each night, for a week, we would read about the history of Hanukkah, have dinner, exchange gifts, sing, light the candles and share about our Savior, the Light of the World. Regarding *J&J, there was no news. They were out of the system, placed with another family and very much a part of ours.
It was the last night of Hanukkah and two weeks ago today. We were working on our house when the phone rang. It was the call that changed our lives. Our Florida contact for the adoption agency was on the phone. She was at a company picnic and had just received word from Colombia. For whatever reason, the family who was going to adopt *J&J pulled out of the adoption and the children were now available. She asked if the Rosen’s were still interested. “YES!” As we gathered more information, our hearts pounded and our minds raced a million miles a minute. The joy was unspeakable and our emotions ran high. All we could do was praise God! There were so many questions to ask and yet we knew all we needed to know. God had done what was impossible for anyone to do. He came through and proved that He is able to do what no man can.
Each night of Hanukkah it was someone else’s turn to light a candle. It was appropriate that it was Nathan’s turn to light the last candle of Hanukkah. Here we were exactly four years later from when we were in Oregon when God had used Nathan to confirm to our hearts that we were to adopt. As we sat around the dinner table, we spoke of what the miracle of the holiday was and how Christ was the fulfillment of this wonderful event. We ate dinner by the candlelight and then passed out the remaining gifts. As the children opened up their last present, we told them that there was one more. We asked them to close their eyes as we began to tell them of God’s faithfulness and how He could be trusted with the smallest and the greatest details of our lives. They listened as we shared about His goodness and His power. Each child was challenged to remember this night for the rest of their lives and to look back on it whenever anyone would try to sway them concerning their trust in the Lord. It was a night that would stand as a memorial stone in their hearts forever.
As they each sat there with their eyes closed, listening to their father speak of God’s greatness, a folded piece of paper was placed in front of each of them with their names on it. Under each name was written, “Your God is good”. Finally it was time. They were instructed to open their eyes and look at their final present. As they all opened the piece of paper, they beheld a picture of *J&J. Tears began to fall, mouths fell open, gasps were heard around the table, sobs soon filled the air as the story of this great miracle began to be told. Kate’s face was buried in her hands as she sobbed. Anna’s tears fell one after the other as she just sat there staring at their picture. Stephen was chattering incessantly about how incredible this was and Nathan chimed in with his exclamations of joy about our pursuing the adoption of *J&J.
As each candle burned down further and further and the darkness of evening slowly began to encroach upon us, as parents we sat there watching each of our children bask in the light of God’s love. No one would ever be able to tell them there wasn’t a God, that He didn’t love them and that He didn’t care about every little detail of their lives. He had proved it. He was a God of miracles. He loves *J&J and has a plan for their lives as well. He has seen their plight. He knows their story and ours and He has a purpose in joining our hearts and lives.
So, here we are. Looking back on the last couple of years, we see where God has been setting us up in order to keep His word. He brought us to Colorado in order to keep His promise. “It’s time to MOVE.” Then He spoke very clearly about the little foreclosure in the mountains and miraculously provided for our home and is now fulfilling “It’s time to get a NEW HOUSE”. Now He has begun the process of bringing to pass “It’s time to get OUR TWO BABIES”. Truly, our God is good.
Lastly, we want to thank each of you who have been a part of this journey with us. Many of you have seen us walk through some difficult times and yet you’ve watched the faithfulness of the Lord in our lives. He has chosen to move in supernatural ways (as with this situation) at times but mostly He has used people, His hands and feet in the earth to minister to us and to teach us of His unfailing love. He’s used each of you to love us with His love.
God has taught us to trust Him with the smallest of things and with the greatest. This adoption is one of the greatest areas of trust that God has called us to. Once again, we are in a position of need and have nothing to bring to the table but love....yet we have a Father who owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He will choose to provide for *J&J and for us how He wants to.
Please join us in praying for *J&J. Even though they are siblings and have a close relationship, they live apart from each other. Pray that this will be a quick process for their sakes. We want to reunite them as soon as possible. We are just at the beginning but if all goes well, and we believe it will, we should be bringing *J&J home by the end of 2013. Pray for their safety, their health and the mending of their hearts. We don’t know their story but God does. There's a lot we don't know, but what we do know is that God can heal any wounds and we believe He will.
Also, please pray that God will give us creative ways to fundraise. Adoption is expensive but we’ve been blessed with an agency that truly has the Father’s heart. We are also blessed that Colombia is a country eager to place their orphaned children and are doing what they can to make the process go smoothly. We would love to be able to fund this with our own resources but once again, God has called us to something greater than we can pull off on our own. WE NEED HIM TO PROVIDE! Please pray for us to not waiver in our faith concerning what He can do.
As you pray, please feel free to drop us a word of encouragement. You would be surprised at the negative comments people make concerning adoption. Things like, “What if they have baggage? Isn’t that expensive? How are you going to provide for six children in this economy? Do you have some love void you’re trying to fill?” and so on. If you are moved to encourage us.....please do! :)
Our new address is below or you can reach us at:
thevalleystudio@mac.com (Steve) or rosenfamily6@yahoo.com (Kara).
We will continue to post updates as we get them. Please check here often!
Thank you for enduring this long letter. Sometimes a story is so good you have to share all of it! We love you and wish you the most joyful New Year!
For those of you who may not know the God we have spoken of, our heavenly Father....He is so good! His greatest act of Love towards us was to adopt us into His family! He did this by sending His only Son, Jesus/Yeshua (His Hebrew name), into the world in order to die for the remission of our sins and to raise from the dead that we might have access to His LIFE! We no longer have to live in bondage to sin and suffer the effects of it in our lives. God then sent His Spirit that we might be filled with His power. He did this so we would be able to live this Life by loving the way He loved us! In order to be one of His children and to have this amazing Life, all you have to do right now is call upon Him. He will answer! He is faithful. He loves YOU!
“The Lord is righteous in all His ways. Gracious in all His works. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. The Lord preserves all who love Him.” -Psalm 145:14-20
Steve and Kara Rosen
P.O.Box 12
Drake, CO 80515
970-667-4477 (home)
*For legal purposes, we cannot share the names of our Colombian children or post photographs.
