We are Tom and Brooke Harshberger, Americans living in Northern Ireland. We work for a missions agency, do children's work across Ireland, and we are adopting a child. :) 

We have always had a desire to adopt a child, even before we met. We talked through plans for adoption or fostering throughout our engagement and early years of marriage. However, upon moving to Northern Ireland, we quickly learned that adopting as non-citizens was not possible for us. With this door closed, we decided that God must have other plans and that this desire would come to pass at another point for us later in life.

 

A few years into life in Ireland we had our first biological child, Lydia, in January of 2020. She passed away due to her extreme prematurity. We were completely devastated and doctors had no explanation. Later in 2020, our son Reese was born but passed away shortly after his birth to the same cause as his big sister. Both were healthy babies and healthy pregnancies and we were unable to find answers.

 

Seeing the doors to adoption close to us in Northern Ireland, then losing our first two biological children to premature labor, we were left confused, hurt and unsure of what to do next. After healing for several months, God has provided a way to make an adoption possible while living in Northern Ireland!

 

We are now in the process of adopting an American infant through two US-based organizations that specialize in adoptions for Americans living abroad. What once seemed impossible is now possible! God is so good.

 

As many of you reading this already know, we have been in this process for nearly two years. We are now home study approved (yay!) and are currently applying for funding grants. We did not intend to set up a GoFundMe Page for our adoption as we regularly receive incredible gifts from friends worldwide to support our work and ministry here in Ireland. However, we have had many friends and family ask us how they can better support us on this journey in terms of finances. 

The cost before us is great (between $50k-$80k in total) but we serve a God who provides! Some of the costs included in that number are: birth mom's medical expenses, home study payments, consultancy and agency payments, baby's passport and visa, various clearances, creation of the profile book, etc.

We thank you for your prayers and support!

Love and thankfulness, 
Tom, Brooke and Baby Harshberger #3