Twins, Timing, and Trust
by Stephanie Culpepper, America World Adoptive Mom
God called my husband and me to adoption even before we were married. While working in a homeless ministry, we saw the need for raising children to know and follow Jesus from an early age. We began our adoption process through America World in 2010 and submitted our dossier to Ethiopia in December 2011. We already had one biological son and had recently found out that we were pregnant again. We were excited about the ways that God was building our family.
A Dream That Kept Us Waiting
In 2015, after a few years of waiting, I had a dream telling me that we would be adopting in December. December came and went, and even though it did not bring our adoption to completion, my husband took his first mission trip to Ethiopia with a friend from church. The waiting was hard – I knew that if my dream were to come true, it meant another year of waiting.
In the spring of 2016, we began preparing to move to Singapore for a 3-year work assignment. We did not know how this would affect our adoption process. Although rare, we were assured it could be done. We said “Yes” to the move, and two weeks later, we got the long-awaited phone call from our family coordinator. She said, “I don’t think it’s what you’re expecting.” Twin girls! We were beyond amazed at God’s plan.
We packed up and moved across the world in June, and we renewed our documents and home study. During this time, Ethiopia was experiencing difficulties, and we were not getting regular updates on our girls. We weren’t sure if this would delay the process. We got a call on December 23, 2016, asking if we could be in Ethiopia on the 26th. Normally, after the paperwork was completed, the agency would request a court date. America World had not requested one yet, but we were assigned a date – December 29, 2016 – the last court date of that year, weeks before Ethiopia closed international adoption. Our God makes the impossible happen.
Life with Our Twins Today
Today, the twins are healthy, active ten-year-olds who love swimming and gymnastics. Their smiles light up a room. During the adoption process, God increased our faith, deepened our longing for Ethiopia, and prepared us in ways we never could have imagined. The song that God gave me during that time was Oceans by Hillsong:
“Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander, and my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior.”
God cares about the details, and He is working all things according to His plan. Let us continue to hope in Him!
If the Culpeppers’ story has inspired you, and you dream of welcoming a child into your family as they did with their twins, we’d love to walk alongside you on that journey. Visit our Learn About Adoption page to take your first step today.
We also know that not everyone is called to adopt, but everyone can make a difference! You can help more children find loving, Christian families and provide care for those who are waiting — or who may never be adopted — by making a year-end gift. Every act of generosity brings hope and changes lives.