Waiting for Mia: Anglen family story
Adoption is a calling that requires a great deal of faith and surrender in the process, but through it, God weaves some of the most beautiful stories that we have seen or heard. We love hearing how God has worked and is working in stirring hearts, directing paths, and meeting needs for our families in miraculous ways through their adoption journeys. Ross & Rachel Anglen recently reached out to share their unexpected road to adoption, God’s provision for their family at every step, and their excitement for all He has in store for their future. We pray their story encourages you as it did us! (And speaking of prayer be sure to hop over and join us for 21 days of prayer after you’ve read this beautiful story!
We are the Anglen family! We were first introduced to international adoption through Steven Curtis Chapman and his family’s journey of adoption. We are both musicians and have always been inspired by Chapman and his music. What led us to our first consideration of international adoption was their struggle with infertility. At that time, we did not meet the adoption criteria for most international adoptions, so we continued to pray for the blessing of children. God answered, and He blessed us with 2 wonderful children. Even through our first and second pregnancies, adoption remained something we desired for our family. But God had other plans for our family first. Our son has Asperger’s and Sensory Processing Disorder. We have witnessed both trials and miracles through his disability. The valleys were tough, really tough…but the mountain views we experienced on the other side have been worth every moment of trial and hard work. Our son is now proactive and diligent in his academics and making straight A’s. He is a respectful young man and has the kind of creativity one could only dream of having. Because of her brother’s journey, our daughter has the most beautiful, pure heart of anyone we have ever known and has always friended the outcast due to her extreme passion for children with special needs or social troubles.
As a result of our personal therapy experiences with our son and the open hearts of our two children, the Lord has uniquely prepared us to adopt a child with special needs and fulfill the calling and desire of our hearts in a way we never could have imagined. We are now in the AWAA China Waiting Child Program in the process of adopting “Mia,” a 4-year-old little girl with Down syndrome and CHD. We can’t wait to meet her! In conclusion, we are just a middle-class family who took a leap of faith to adopt a little girl with Down syndrome from China…following what we felt God calling us to do. We didn’t know how we were going to do it, but we believed He would show up…and that He did! We are now fully-funded with no debt toward the adoption and travel ready to go get our girl! We hope to be able to give to all of the wonderful foundations who gave to us to be able to help others with adoption! We cannot wait to get our little wildflower home, and we are looking forward to the day we get to hold her in our arms…which is hopefully not too much longer away!
We would be honored to share your adoption story and photos of your family on our blog. Any family is welcome to share their adoption story, whether you are home with your child or currently in your adoption process. We are continually amazed and encouraged to hear how God has provided a unique testimony and experience for each family. Families interested in submitting their story, photos and blog link can email waitingchildren@awaa.org