In October of 2006, Eric and I experienced the tragic loss of our second baby through a miscarriage. It was a life-altering experience, awakening us at a whole new level to the amazing value God places on little lives that the rest of the world doesn’t value. It gave us new passion not only for the unborn, but also for orphans around the world. And it redirected our ministry focus toward these precious little ones that so desperately need advocates. During our research on the orphan crisis, we met with a local adoption agency that specialized in Korea and China adoptions. Not thinking that we’d be personally adopting anytime soon, we were just there to collect information and become more aware of the needs of these children overseas. But then we heard about a newborn baby girl in Korea who was missing her fingers and had deformities on her feet.
When we saw a photo of her tiny, misshapen baby hands, our hearts were gripped. We learned that she had been given up at birth because of her deformities, and had been overlooked by many families wanting to adopt a healthy child. We left the agency with the images of those deformed hands and feet impressed upon our hearts and minds. On the drive home, Eric began to weep for this little girl. (And crying is not something that comes easily to him!) We asked God to give us His heart for this little child. Eric attempted to pray, but the only words that would come out of his mouth were, “God, you are a Father to the fatherless, and you set the solitary in families.” (From Psalm 68:5) As we continued to drive, we felt a clear sense of God’s presence with us in the car. When we arrived home, an email from a friend was waiting for us in our inbox. She had no idea that we were even checking in to adoption, but in her prayer time that morning she felt that God had given her a scripture for us:
A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land. (Psalm 68:5-6 KJV)
Needless to say, God had our attention! We spent the weekend praying for this baby girl, and asking God if we were to bring her into our family. We were able to see a photo of her face online, which further stirred our hearts. By Monday morning, we had very little doubt that this was God’s leading, though we still had no idea where the money would come from, we believed that He would provide. We called the agency and said we would like to pursue her. After a series of amazing miracles, Harper Grace Ludy arrived home after only three months. Normally international adoptions take much longer, but one of my prayers was that this would be the fastest adoption our agency had ever done. And God is a God of answered prayer!
Watch Harper’s Coming Home Video