“Do What It Says”
by Kacie Nicoson, America World Adoptive Mom
Adoption Wasn’t Part of Our Plan
When my husband and I married in 2013, adoption was not really on our radar. No one in our close circle of friends or family had adopted at the time. We were quickly blessed with three healthy, beautiful girls and were living a quiet, comfortable life. The brief conversations I had with my husband, Andrew, concerning adoption had been with the attitude that if someone handed us a baby that needed to be adopted, we would do so without hesitation; however, we did not envision adoption in our future.
That was until one evening, when I sat on the couch with coffee in hand to do my evening Bible reading. While reading James chapter 1, I immediately realized God had other plans for our family.
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22)
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…” (James 1:27)
“Do what it says” — I knew right then we were to wholeheartedly pursue a child in need of a loving family. My former passive thinking of adoption had evolved into a fervent call to step out in faith and take action. Even though my heart was ignited with a sudden passion, I decided to compose my thoughts and pray on it for a few days before frantically blurting them out to my unsuspecting husband. Thankfully, as God does, he had been working in Andrew’s heart and gave him a desire to adopt before I even said a word. With hearts aligned, we sought out families who had adopted to glean wisdom and direction. America World was recommended to us, and thus began our journey to Silas.
Finding India through America World
America World promptly answered our questions and led us to their India program. With India having a high orphan population and our family already having close relationships with families from India, we felt at peace with our decision. As everyone knows, the process of adoption is long and extensive. However, the America World team paved the way for us and absolutely worked to make the process as smooth as possible. Each day, we worked to make progress on the paperwork. One day it may be only a small amount, and the next we will accomplish hours of work. In my mind, if I could do anything to bring our child home even one day sooner, I would. The awaited day arrived when we received a call from Mindy at America World, stating that our family had been matched with a one-year-old boy and inquiring if we would like to review his file. I could not open the email fast enough, and when we saw his precious face, we immediately said he was perfect.
Our trip to India came ten months after seeing his precious face in the email. Although it was incredibly hard to wait and have so many unknowns, it allowed us time to pray and prepare for the journey ahead. In that time, our boy was prayed over more than he will ever know by our family and friends, and for that I am truly grateful. Prior to our trip to India, Andrew and I had not been out of the country, and we thoroughly enjoyed growing up in our small, farming community. Landing in Delhi was a major culture shock to us both! However, we truly felt peace throughout our time there. During the three-hour drive to the orphanage, horns blaring, weaving around colorful rickshaws and countless overcrowded motorcycles, and sharing the one-lane dirt roads with nomadic cows, I was able to take in the place that had been our son’s home. Looking around at all the unfamiliar, beautiful, and at times, heartbreaking sights, I kept repeating to myself, “God is also here.” God’s presence was felt in every situation, especially when we were able to finally meet our little Silas.
Life with Silas: One Year Home
Now, it has been a little over a year since we brought Silas home. He is a light wherever he goes, leaving an impression on everyone he meets. Our small town has embraced him in such a way that it feels as though he has become a local celebrity. Everyone, from the elementary school staff to the little league kids to our small local grocery store, knows his name and is eager to hear the latest update on Silas. The child we met a year ago, who could only take a few wobbly steps between Andrew and me at our hotel in India, is now chasing his sisters and scaling the playset in our yard. The decision to step out in faith, fueled by the calling God placed on our hearts four years ago, by His grace, led us to the incredible joy we have today in our son, Silas.
God has blessed us with such an incredible adoption experience. We could never have imagined it going so well, and we pray others will experience a similar blessing as they go through this process for their own family.
If the Nicosons’ story has inspired you and you dream of welcoming a child into your family like they did with Silas, we’d love to walk with you on that journey. Visit our Learn About Adoption page to take your first step today!
Also, check out the Nicosons’ gorgeous family photos below.
