The Vagnoni Family
We attended an America World seminar in March 2008, broken hearted from years of trying for children, infertility testing, being told there was a 0% chance we’d get pregnant, miraculously conceiving only to miscarry at 12 weeks, surgeries, and an unsuccessful domestic adoption. We attended the seminar because it was free and we needed training hours to keep our home study active, not that we were even considering pursuing another adoption. And the Lord touched our hearts, healed them, taught us that He was not surprised by infertility or orphans, and revealed what His amazing plan for us had been all along! I knew right away but Mike wasn’t so sure, so I simply stayed quiet and prayed. About 2 months later, Mike was ready and we sent in our application. There were two children waiting for us in Ethiopia!
And God’s timing in the waiting process was perfect although it didn’t seem like it at the time! We paper chased for almost 9 months, having to redo some paperwork due to requirement changes, waiting longer on several government agencies than we expected, and making two different attempts to get our paperwork certified but were finally Date to Ethiopia on May 29, 2009. All this was in His plan to put us in just the right place “in line†for our boys. When we received our ‘On Deck’ email from America World in August 2009 stating they believed our referral would come within 1-3 months and asking us to reaffirm our request, we emailed back that the Lord has placed a larger age range on our hearts than originally stated. Literally right after we sent that email, two little boys, aged 3 and 4, came to an orphanage in Addis Ababa where they stayed for only two days before being taken to the America World Transition House and referred to us.
When we first saw those two little faces, the empty hole in our hearts that longed for children was completely filled – these were the children the Lord had chosen for us to raise before the beginning of time. The adoption paperwork process was a challenge, which we knew it would be from the beginning. But holding those precious babes in my arms for the first time on February 15, 2010, we knew we would walk through everything we did and more for them.
“For I know the plans I have for you, “ declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you; to give you hope and a future.â€
To read more about our adventures please visit our adoption blog.
