Shawn and I are adopting! We are so excited about this journey that God is preparing us for and would love to share it with you. Below, Shawn shares the desire we have to grow our family and how God has confirmed the calling to adopt in our lives.

Ever since I was a young boy I imagined myself as a dad. I pictured myself married to a beautiful bride that would be the mother of our children and I have looked forward to all that being a dad entails; playing catch, swinging at the park, helping with math homework, taking pictures before prom, and teaching my children to be kind, loving people.

These are all things I thought would come naturally once I was married. These are also things that may be common to a "normal" family, but what I didn't realize at the time was that God wanted me to have something other than the norm. Let me explain.

I am a children's pastor. I get the privilege every weekend to share Jesus with kids all around my community. I love children and they are what I live for. My wife Megan is a nurse in the E.R. She is beautiful, hospitable and a light to the world. There is nobody I would rather see my children call mom. We have been together now for 5 years and are ready to start our very own family. The idea of starting our own family has changed a bit from what we first imagined.

Shortly after Megan and I got married we had to make a few doctors visits as Megan was experiencing some medical problems. What we thought was going to be a quick check up, maybe some medications and a couple of weeks of rest, turned into much more. After many tests, bills, and doctor appointments we found out that Megan was diagnosed with premature ovarian insuffiency, a diagnosis that would change our lives forever. The doctors explained to us that she was no longer producing estrogen and that her egg count and health were almost non existent. Ultimately, we were told she was infertile. As we learned, many women are diagnosed with infertility, but still have a chance of pregnancy, however, we were devastated to find out that this diagnosis was an absolute.

After finding out this horrible news, we went through a hard and dark time. We asked God many questions such as, "Why? Why would you do this to us?" Our hearts hurt for so long and very much still do, but we believe after a lot of prayer and conversation that God has placed a special calling on our lives and is trusting our strength and faith to pull through. As much as we believe in miracles and refuse to accept a diagnosis of infertility, we believe that right now God is calling us to adopt a child. To adopt OUR child. God has a plan that is better than any plan we could have dreamt of and are thankful for just that.

As we go forward with the adoption journey we understand that it will be an emotional and financially heavy one. We are asking if you feel you could, to please help support us, whether that be through prayer, friendship, or a financial donation. Adoption typically costs $25-30,000, however, we have complete faith that God will provide. This money is an investment to begin the family we have dreamt of and prayed for. We cannot thank you enough in advance for the love and support. This truly means the world to us. God bless.

With Love,
Shawn, Megan, and Buster Roesch