Steps of Faith
By Faith Ferrante, America World Adoptive Mom
In 2017, my husband, Frankie, began to feel that we had room in our hearts and our home for another child. At the time, we had three boys, all six and under. We knew we didn’t want to have any more biological children, but adoption wasn’t something we had seriously considered before.
I began praying about what this might look like for our family, and I felt God calling us to adopt a girl internationally. Honestly, the thought scared us! Financially, it didn’t make sense. We couldn’t see how we could afford an international adoption, but I remember standing in my kitchen when God spoke to my heart: “Take the steps, and I’ll provide the resources.”
So, in February 2018, we took that first step and applied to adopt.
A Change of Plans, but Not of Purpose
We originally began our adoption journey through America World’s China program. Two years into the process, COVID-19 halted international adoptions, and we found ourselves waiting for China to reopen its program. We waited another two years, hoping for movement, but nothing changed.
Our caseworker eventually suggested that we consider transferring to the India program. We had never considered changing programs, but we had learned to trust God and take the next step, even when we couldn’t see the whole picture. In May 2022, we officially transferred to India.
As the years passed, waiting became increasingly difficult. We grew discouraged and tired, and we began to wonder whether this journey was simply a test of our obedience, without the outcome we had hoped for. In the fall of 2023, we completed another home study update without having received a match.
After prayer and counsel, we decided to give the process one more year.
In January 2024, our church participated in a churchwide fast. My prayer during that time was a very weak one: I simply asked that we would be matched by the end of the month.
On January 25, 2024, we finally received the call.
Lisa sent us the file of a 15-month-old little girl named Akshara. When we watched her video, the first thing we noticed was her shirt. It said “New York Fashion.”
My heart leaped. We are from New York, and in that moment, we felt like God was giving us a little wink, a reminder that He knew exactly who we were and that this little girl was meant to be our daughter.
We accepted her referral, and today, she is Dahlia Akshara Ferrante. We chose Dahlia as her first name while keeping Akshara as her middle name, preserving a piece of the name she was given before she joined our family.
Watching God Bring Dahlia Home
We accepted Dahlia’s referral, and in September 2024, we flew to India to take custody of her. Looking back over the six years of our adoption journey, we can see God’s provision woven throughout the entire process.
He opened doors at just the right time. After we applied, we received our No Objection Certificate (NOC) in less than two weeks. Three months later, we had a signed adoption order. What had once felt like an endless season of waiting began to move forward.
Although we started in a different country’s program, we can now see how God led us toward Dahlia all along. The detours, delays, and unexpected changes were part of a story we couldn’t yet understand.
We had spent years wondering how and when our daughter would come home. Now, we can look back and see that God pursued this little girl and brought her into our family in His perfect timing.
The Joy of Being Dahlia’s Family
One of the sweetest surprises was how quickly Dahlia began bonding with us. Within 24 hours of taking custody, she was already bonding with me. By the time we had been home for a week, she had bonded with her dad, too.
Aside from a minor cosmetic surgery, Dahlia was completely healthy. She also began speaking English soon after coming home, even though she hadn’t been exposed to English while in India.
Today, she is sweet, smart, sassy, and funny. She loves to dance, sing, and play with her many cousins. She has brought so much joy to our family, and we love watching her personality emerge as she grows.
Of course, we face the typical challenges of raising a toddler or preschooler. Some days we are tired, and some moments are hard. But the joy outweighs it all. We truly cannot imagine our life or our family without our Dahlia.
Taking a Step of Faith
If I could encourage a family considering adoption, I would tell them this: If God has placed adoption on your heart, step out in faith and obedience.
That doesn’t mean you won’t feel afraid or that you will always understand what God is doing. We certainly didn’t. Many moments felt overwhelming, with financial obstacles, waiting, and uncertainty. We couldn’t see how everything would work out, but we kept taking the next step.
God was faithful to everything He promised us. Through grants and the generosity of people around us, we were able to complete our adoption without any adoption-related debt. He provided the resources we needed, often in ways we could never have planned ourselves.
Our faith has grown tremendously over these past several years because we have had a front-row seat to miracles. We have watched God work through closed doors, unexpected changes, long seasons of waiting, and, finally, the moment we met our daughter.
Most of all, we have had the privilege of watching Him pursue Dahlia and bring her home.
We don’t know everything He has planned for her life, but we cannot wait to see what He has in store. We are so grateful that He chose our family to be part of her story.
There are still tiring days and hard moments, but when we look at Dahlia, we remember the journey was worth it. We can't imagine our life without her, and we are so thankful we took those first steps of faith in 2018.
