My wife and I met on the Amazon in Brazil. We didn’t know each other, but we separately signed up to spend a week traveling down the river delivering medical supplies, painting houses, and playing soccer with Brazilian children. It was during that trip that we connected on our desire to adopt in addition to having biological children.

Two years later, we got married. We walked into a Los Angeles county foster care and adoption orientation class two months after that. We entered knowing virtually nothing about foster care except that thousands of children needed safe, loving homes, and we wanted to help.

That class was the beginning of a journey that changed our lives. Soon after we got certified as foster parents, we welcomed our first foster son into our home. We planned on adopting that little one, but God had other plans. Eventually, he went to be with a birth family member. A month later, we opened our home for another placement and soon after welcomed a baby girl into our family.

A few months after our daughter turned one, my wife got pregnant – with twins! The surprises didn’t end there. A month after our twins turned one, we got a phone call. Our oldest daughter, who was now in the adoption process, had a biological sister. We welcomed our fifth newborn in two years into our home.

We went from being a couple to being a family of six in less than twenty-eight months! Having four children under two and a half years old was an adventure, but we wouldn’t change it for anything. My wife and I have learned a lot since the first time we naively set foot in that foster care orientation class eight years ago. We have felt love and loss, seen struggle and strength, and are still learning daily. We love to share the story of our family journey because, through everything we’ve experienced building our family, one thing shines through: it has been worth every moment.

We want to use our story and experience to encourage and help other families in their journey. Please let us know how we can help you and your family.  You can learn more about foster care and adoption by visiting www.adoptuskids.org.