18-year-old Randall had almost forgotten what it was like to have parents.
Reason being? He spent all of his teenage years in the foster care system. He was raised by his grandmother until age 11, but after she fell ill, there was no one left to take care of him.
As Randall approached his late teens, he figured he would just be another product of the system, raised by the state and then dumped out into the world to fend for himself now that he had reached adulthood.
Although, one amazing Christian couple had other plans in mind.
Against everyone they knew’s advice, they decided to adopt a child older than 13, a move that is practically unheard of in the adoption community.
The couple shared their touching story with Love What Matters:
“We worked with students in a low-income area, most of which had sub-par parental figures. They were hurting and lost. After 3 years of marriage, we decided that Sundays and Wednesdays weren’t enough. We had to be all in. Slowly we started introducing the idea of fostering and adopting. It didn’t go well. We were met by many people who wanted to offer their advice on how we should start a family at the tender ages of 24 and 26.
‘You need to have your ‘own’ children first.’
‘Your husband needs to carry on his legacy.’
‘I would never adopt a child I didn’t raise, they have so much baggage.’
‘God will bless you with a child of your own. (insert information on infertility)’
So, like any reasonable couple in the face of that advice, we called and scheduled our classes with CPS and got a vasectomy. We chose to end our fertility to reduce the stigma that our children would be plan B or a result of not receiving our blessing from God.”
In the face of all these negative comments from others, the couple decided to go as far as to end their own fertility.
They went all in with the idea of adoption, it didn’t matter to them what anyone else thought. They wanted their children to know they chose them first and that they weren’t the backup option.
“After we announced that we would only be taking children above the age of 13, the comments became more hateful and misguided.
‘Are you sure you don’t want younger kids? Teens will kill you in your sleep.’
‘You won’t even give your husband children; how could you raise someone else’s kids?’
‘You’re a waste of a good uterus.’”
Yet, the couple continued on with their plan. It was their mission to become parents, and no one was going to stop them. One faithful day a few years ago, they got they finally got the call. CPS had a 16-year-old male that needed a “home by tonight,” the agents told them.
Their prayers for a child were finally answered, and the couple invited the young man into their home.
“Three hours later, I met my son. He came through our front door with his little fishing pole. It wasn’t in a hospital, not with hugs and kisses, but with a soft smile and a handshake. Nothing could have ever prepared me for the pain of a desperate child showing up on my doorstep.
In that second I knew he was mine, and the love I had for him was completely indescribable. He was far too small to be nearly 17 and he came with two bags of clothes that were ripped, stained, or too small. I wept as I emptied his bags into my washing machine.”
From the moment 16-year-old Randall walked through the door, the couple knew that they were going to adopt him.
Although all the paperwork and formalities took some time to sort out, eventually, at 18, they were able to officially make Randall a part of their family.
Better late than never!
Randall never thought he would have real parents in his life again, but this loving couple welcomed him into their family with open arms. Now, the couple will always be there for him, and he never has to worry about being on his own again.
Watch the heartwarming video of the adoption ceremony below or head to Love What Matters to read the full story.
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