Peace in the Process - Kristin Hill Taylor

The first-year teacher was discussing the life cycle of a mammal with a dozen first- and second-graders when she drew upon comparison to shield the bulk of the bird and the bees talk: “You know, like you were born from your mom.”


My daughter Cate decided to inform her class: “I wasn’t in my mom’s belly. I’m adopted.”
I’m sure she caught her teacher, who was just twenty-two years old, off guard. But that was that.


But the story said more to me.


It made me thankful Cate recognizes her birth story is different than most of her friends yet she isn’t ashamed to share it. Being adopted is normal for her because we’ve talked about it since the day she was born. These are the conversations we have regularly, each time revealing more details about her birth mom, our time with this young woman who helped us have a family, and her birth we witnessed.

In 2013, Cate wanted to know more about the seven nights we spent in the hotel waiting for the interstate adoption paperwork to be approved by folks in Indianapolis and Frankfort, Kentucky. I showed her pictures of her birth mom for the first time on her sixth birthday. It was the sweetest, most revealing adoption conversation we had shared up to that point.


This topic is an ongoing dialogue around our house. The word “adoption” has long been in Cate’s vocabulary, but we gradually elaborated on the details of her story with her. From the time they were just days old, strangers have told us how much Cate looks like me or Ben resembles my husband’s family. Sometimes we grin and nod. Other times we let them in on this story of ours.


My husband and I are raising a girl who remembers details and isn’t afraid to tell the truth along with a boy who embraces life to its fullest. We’re bringing up two of the best things God has ever done for us. Adoption is the story of how we became a family. It’s one I will tell over and over as long as someone listens. And now I’m glad to know my girl will tell it, too.


*****


Cate is my oldest of my three kids, all of whom were adopted as newborns through domestic, private processes. She’s 10 now. Her brother is Ben, who turns 8 this month, and Rachel, who is 2. I tell the story of how God made us a family – and built my faith through doing so – in my book, “Peace in the Process,” which is available on Amazon. This post is an excerpt from that book.

Kristin Hill Taylor believes in seeking God as the author of every story and loves swapping these stories with friends on her porch. She lives in Murray, Kentucky, with her husband and three kids and shares stories at kristinhilltaylor.com.

Book link – bit.ly/PeaceInTheProcess

Our Next Adventure...

     We are so excited to share what God is doing in our lives! Over the last couple years, God has really been impressing upon our hearts to shift our focus solely on student ministry. Of course, this was a little bit scary to us, as there have been so many unknowns and lots of giving up control to God. We spent a great deal of time praying for guidance, direction and the right timing. 

     Jason has been called to be the student & college pastor at Woodburn Baptist Church, right outside of Bowling Green. Please pray for Jason as he begins this new ministry and also pray for our new students. We have already meet so many wonderful people at Woodburn and they have made us feel right at home. 

     

     Last week, Caitlin was hired as an 8th grade math teacher in the Warren County School system. She is very excited to begin her career in education, especially as a math teacher! Please pray for her as she begins work tomorrow and will be traveling quite a bit until we find a home in Bowling Green. 

     Charleston has already made lots of friends in Bowling Green, which we are very thankful for! She is now almost two-years-old (so hard to believe) and full of energy and excitement! Please pray for her as this will be a big change, since Marion has always been her home. Also, remember our parents during this time--this will be the farthest we have lived from them. 

     We absolutely love our MBC church family and this community and will miss you all terribly! (So please stay in contact!) Our MBC students are truly like a part of our family and we cannot imagine how difficult it will be not to see them on a regular basis. However, we know this is exactly where God is calling us at this time in our lives and we are excited to begin this new adventure! Please pray for us during this time of transition, especially as the month of August will be a bit chaotic. As always, thank you so much for being our prayers warriors and an awesome support system! We love each of you and cannot say "thank you" enough!

Lamentations 3:22-23 - The faithfulness of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.