April 1st is no longer “April Fools Day” in our family; it is our daughter’s “Gotcha Day”!

Before we even started dating, Nicole and I dreamed of adopting a child. Four years ago today, our dream came true when we met our daughter for the very first time. We had traveled to Taipei, Taiwan to adopt Szu Yu Chen (Emma Szu Yu). I remember pulling up to the orphanage, stepping out of the cab, and taking a deep breath. My soul was flooded with anticipation, anxiety, and questions. How will this 4 year old little girl react? What will she think of her new family? How will she get along with her brothers? Will she love us?

Looking back four years later, I’m SO thankful Nicole and I took the risk to adopt Emma. We have a beautiful, precious daughter! Our boys have an amazing sister! And Emma has her forever family!

My prayer for Emma has always been that she will never doubt her place in our family, that she will always have a sense of belonging, & that she knows that she is deeply loved. Over the past four years, God has far exceeded my expectations in the ways He has answered my prayer. It’s as if Emma has been a part of our family since birth. Emma and her brothers get along with very little sibling rivalry. She clearly loves her family and knows that she belongs with us. And she has no doubt that she is loved!

For us, adoption was clearly God’s idea. God placed the desire deep within us and then he brought us together so we could fulfill his plan for our family and our kids. Emma was conceived in our hearts before she was born and added to our family by God’s design. God clearly hand-picked our daughter to join her forever family. No, Emma was not born to us like Samuel and Wilson. However, Emma was and always will be a special gift from God!

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. – Ephesians 1:3-5