We at Wild Olive are a passionate crew. And one thing that we are exceedingly passionate about? ADOPTION.
In an effort to help others who are in the process of adoption, we have started an adoption fundraising program to help families raise support to bring their children home. We would love to introduce you to some of the families who are participating in our program… and we will continue to post about other featured families in the weeks and months to come.
Without further ado, meet the Teunis Family.
Our Journey to Adoption
Isaiah 43:5-7
We are Steve and Jennifer Teunis. Our hearts have been on a journey to this place for longer than we have known. When God revealed this to us, we just knew without a doubt that our hearts and our family were created for this.God has blessed our family beyond measure. Honestly, it would seem that we have it all. We have a wonderful love story, we have 4 healthy children; a beautiful home in a wonderful, safe Midwestern community. God has led us as we have triumphed through our own personal heartbreak and He held the wheel that helped us navigate our children through the heartbreak of divorce and then the stress and adjustment of a blended family. We have laughed and cried and prayed our way to this wonderful place of peace in our lives.
It would seem strange perhaps then, that we would each feel this longing for something more. Not in a way of needing something else, not discontentment….but that God might HAVE something else for us? Something to learn or to experience, to share or to Praise Him in; that our lives are not just about getting to this place and this is IT. Is there an opportunity to serve, to enrich, to bless, or to discover a closeness to Him that we haven’t even been able to conceive of? Maybe any of those, maybe all of them, maybe more that we can even imagine.
We blended our family of all boys, 7 years ago. I guess you could say we were ‘almost done” as our kids are aged 13-24. We have a college graduate, a college sophmore and 1 each in high school and middle school. Now, we are starting all over and there isn’t a big enough font to type and tell you, just how EXCITED we are to bring home a baby girl from Ethiopia. We never imagined this path for oursleves really, but we are so grateful that God has laid adoption on our hearts. We are so excited to see how He leads us on this road. We are very mindful that HE is in control and this journey and it will not take one day longer, or come one day sooner, than He sees fit. He is preparing every situation for us to bring home the the exact little girl He has for our family.
At times this process does get tedious and wary, but I firmlly believe that it is in those times that He is doing mighty work. We are growing spiritually and learning more and more about waiting on and trusting The Lord. It isnt right to say that we are waiting on God’s timing, and then get frustrated when it takes so long. So we wait with hopeful hearts.
Please pray for us and for our new little munchkin. We are already falling in love with her and don’t even know who she is yet. He is knitting our hearts together accross time and miles. If you feel so moved, you can help us on our journey by purchasing an adoption Tee Shirt through our TEAM TEUNIS family store, as a portion of every sale, will go directly towards the adoption costs and the travel costs (which just got bigger ~ 2 Trips are required now ;-/)
Thank you for stopping and reading our story.
~ PEACE
Jennifer Teunis
Our blog: Cry of My Heart
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