Celebrating Our Journey Ahead
By Carley Barbee, America World Adoptive Mom
We each have been drawn to adoption since we were children, Trey by having four adopted siblings, and me by seeing families like Trey’s who have been adopted and hearing the testimony of these experiences and the need. By the Lord’s sovereignty, we stumbled across America World on a Google search to see if India was still open for adoption and knew that we didn’t need to look further to find our agency. America World is so organized with everything, they are so caring, and they make this complicated and seemingly never-ending process, at times, so much easier with their help, prayers, and support.
We started our adoption journey in October of 2022, and we were contacted with a potential referral match in October of 2023. The sweet girl we were matched with had, in all honesty, a complicated and intimidating-looking file, but we kept feeling the Lord drawing us to her and knew that she was our girl. At one point, we even relinquished her file due to fear and taking our eyes off of the Lord’s provision; however, we very clearly heard the Lord telling us to trust in Him and that He was the one to equip and prepare our family, as well as carry us through this lifelong journey with her.
We contacted America World, telling them we actually wanted her file back and that we felt that she, indeed, was our child. In July of 2024, we were able to travel to India, take our sweet girl into our arms, and welcome her into our family. Yes, there are still unknowns about her health, but she is so much better off than the medical information alluded to—she truly is such a fighter, so resilient, and just incredible. She isn’t defined by her genetic malformation, her size, or what she can or can’t do—but is OUR DAUGHTER, which is all that we see her as, as OURS.
We do have a journey ahead as we figure out how to help her prosper and thrive in the midst of her different medical complexities, but we are so excited to see how the Lord carries us, what He teaches us, and how He uses her in proclaiming His glory. America World has made our family feel as though it’s their own as well, and we have told multiple families who have asked about our adoption journey to look no further than America World—their support and care are unmatched.
Welcome home, sweet Vinia Hope! We are so excited to see the joy in everyone’s faces as the Barbees become a family of four! And thank you to Carley for her willingness to share their adoption journey.
When Carley sent in the story and photos, she wrote, “During our adoption process, whether it was via Facebook, Instagram, the America World blog, or emails, we would look forward to seeing families united with their child finally in photos. It gave us hope that it would eventually happen for us one day, and in the biggest moments of doubt and frustration in the waiting, it would help us see there indeed was a light at the end. It was also a great reminder to pray for those families. So, we definitely want to encourage other individuals/families that it will eventually happen and to look to one another for support!”
Therefore, we pray this post gives hope to all our waiting families and inspiration to those who haven’t taken that first step yet. If you are considering adoption for your family, we’d be honored to explore the possibilities with you. Visit our Learn About Adoption page today!