The Snow Family

As a child I always wanted to be a mother and have a large family. When people asked me what I was going to do when I grew up I’d often answer by saying that I was going to have many children. They would laugh and tell me that after a couple I’d probably change my mind. What they and I myself did not understand is that I felt a calling on my life even as a child.

When I met my husband, having the same love and passion for children as I, we agreed upon having a large family. We were married in our early twenties and about six months later began trying to conceive. Infertility was an unexpected obstacle, but I still strongly felt that I was to be a mother. It seemed impossible that two individuals who adored children so much would not be blessed with our own.

Months later we saw an ad in the paper for foster parents. Infertility had not crushed my hopes of having a home filled with children so I decided to pursue this possibility. We quickly became licensed and began taking foster placements. We had no idea how much this decision would impact our lives, but our passion for children was still alive and we poured ourselves into this cause.

Adoption came into our lives mysteriously. One of my foster children’s mothers became pregnant and had talked with me about her desire to place the baby for adoption. My husband and I had only briefly begun to consider this option and were so busy with our foster children we somewhat forgot how desperately we desired children of our own. Infertility was a painful struggle and not an avenue where we wanted to explore many options. Although doctors said that in our case it may be very treatable, our eyes were now opened to the need of the children all around us who were already here. It was then that I made a commitment to God that if He could use me greater by bringing children into my family who needed homes rather than from my flesh, than I would be that one, I would stand in the gap for these children. My husband embraced the idea and miraculously months later we became the adoptive parents of our first daughter.

Over the next seven years we adopted six more children including two daughters from Ethiopia. We have now done domestic infant, state special needs, international and foster care adoption. We also had many failed adoptions along the way. Our choice was never a sacrifice to us, but there were many sacrifices along the way and we endured a great deal of pain. Adoption can be a very difficult road, but the end result is a blessing I am thankful for daily.

I never expected we would adopt internationally. Working with so many US children there was a time when I felt that we focus on those here. After my niece took a missions trip to Kenya I realized that the children she encountered were no different than those we had been caring for. God opened my eyes to see that all children need and deserve homes. My husband and I began to explore African adoption. That is when we discovered Christian World Adoption. We studied the county of Ethiopia and it quickly grabbed our hearts. The culture and history is rich and beautiful. We applied to CWA and started the process.

Working with CWA was a wonderful, rewarding experience. Having worked with so many agencies it was an added blessing to know that the staff at CWA was supporting us in prayer. During the process I truly felt like they were going through it all with us. Although we would never change any of our adoption experiences we found the Ethiopia program to be exceptionally beautiful. There are many differences in the different types of adoption. All have risks, but the international experience felt very positive. The financial expense is much less in our opinion than the emotional cost involved in some other types of adoption. With tax credits, job benefits, and grants available I believe it is possible for many families to adopt internationally.

Fifteen months after registering with CWA we traveled to Ethiopia and brought home our two new daughters, then ages four and ten months. What an experience! It was life changing in the best of ways. The greatest part was our first experience of knowing the child was ours the first moment we held them in our arms. With our other adoptions we often had to parent the child for some time before they were legally ours. We also very much enjoyed visiting other children and orphans in Addis Ababa. God has now given us a world view of the great need.

The girls have adjusted very well. I am trained in attachment and have parented many children who have endured multiple placements, traumatic life events, or have unhealthy attachments. I am amazed by the resilience of the Ethiopian people which is also evident in the children. Kids are kids, but there is a presence of beauty, strength, and endurance in the children that I know comes from their culture.

Through adoption God has blessed us with seven children of our own. Neither my husband nor I have ever had a harder job than this. Our children are all still young and we are very busy, but it is the best kind of busy! I feel so fortunate to be the mother of a multicultural family. We were never mistaken that God intended to make us parents; it just came to us in another way. God paved the way by creating us with adoration for children, a love for diversity, and putting us through seven years of training as foster parents. He’s been preparing me for twenty years.

I believe adoption is a calling, but many who feel the call do not answer it simply out of fear. If you are feeling the tug on your heart to adopt a child, know that before God takes you there He will lead you in the right direction and equip you, but He cannot begin this process until you open your heart to it.

— Julie Snow