Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Newest couple for Because of Isaac

We are incredibly excited about where the Lord is taking Because of Isaac. Our first couple, Grant & Elizabeth are now officially on Bethany Christian Service's website which means they could become parents at any moment. They have not raised all of their required money, but the finish line is within their grasp! Our second couple, Steve & Teri have raised more than half of the $10,000 that they need to become the parents of Abule and Alaowei.

And now it is time for our third couple. Unfortunately, my husband (a former graphic designer) does all of our website work for Because of Isaac. He does that on our IMAC which was recently fried in a power surge due to some faulty electricity lines in our house. And as a result, we cannot update the Because of Isaac website until we get a new computer. We don't want to put Ryan & Brianna's unveiling on hold for too long so I have decided to put them on my blog for right now until we can update the website.

So, without further ado ... here are Ryan & Briana! Please consider supporting this couple with a one-time donation or a monthly donation. They need to raise nearly $25,000. Ready ... get set ... GO!!!!

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Ryan and Briana were married on May 30, 2009 in Battle Ground, Washington. "We knew we wanted to start our family right away," Briana recalls. "We were so excited to be finally at that place in our lives where we could become parents!"

Like most couples who deal with infertility, it never occurred to either Ryan or Briana that a baby wouldn't just happen right away. It wasn't long before people started to inquire about when they planned to start their family. "We said and believed with our whole hearts that we were simply trusting in God and his timing and that it would happen when it was supposed to."

But with each passing anniversary, the absence of the child they'd both so strongly desired left them feeling sad and broken. "I felt like I had failed in what I considered to be one of the most important areas of my life. It didn't seem like my dream to become a mommy and Ryan's dream to become a daddy was ever going to happen."

But God knew better. He is able to do exceedingly more than we can ever hope or imagine1 (Ephesians 3:20).

At the end of October 2011, Ryan and Briana made the decision to fully release their dream of becoming parents and to completely give their desire to God. They weren't giving up. But they had decided that it was time to trust that God would make them parents in His time and not their time. 

But before they would begin the process of adopting a child, they first decided to adopt a cute little furball named Sophie. "Talk about a crash course in parenting! Sophie really kept us on our toes from the get-go!"
"And then, one week after Sophie came into our lives, we received a life-changing email from Wendi with Because of Isaac. If we were open to adoption, they wanted to sponsor us and help us raise the money to become parents.The amazing thing is that although Wendi knew of our infertility, she didn't know of our desire to adopt. We hadn't told anyone that the months of failed treatments and years of disappointment had led to more and more conversations about adoption. It just had never been financially feasible. Needless to say we were overwhelmed by God's timing and his faithfulness to us. HE knew!"

Just a few minutes spent with Ryan and Briana, it is obvious that they will be fantastic parents. "I see how children are drawn to Ryan and how good he is with them, and I know that he will make a wonderful daddy. And I know that God created in me a mother's heart, and that I can love a child not born of my body, as my own."

Would you help us in supporting Ryan and Briana's adoption? Checks can be written to Bethany Christian Services. And mailed to:

John & Wendi Kitsteiner
PSC 76 Box 669
APO, AE 09720

1 comment:

Stacie said...

Sob! I am so, so happy to support Ryan and Briana...she was one of my midwives when I was pregnant with my daughter after three losses. I will never forget falling in the bathtub, panicking, and running in to the birth center because I was SURE my baby had died. Briana sat with me, checked FHT's, and was so compassionate and wonderful. She is going to be the BEST mother.