My husband, Tommy, and I were married in 1999. We were both 29 years old. We had season tickets to LSU football and baseball games. We went to every home game and several away games. We decided we would wait one year then get pregnant. We planned the month we would conceive and the month between seasons we would birth our first child. Neither happened. Days turned into months and months turned into years, and we eventually sought fertility treatments. Through the years of infertility, I experienced deep heartache. I was devastated. I was embarrassed. I felt like something was wrong with me. Ever since I could remember, I dreamed of being a Mother one day. And here I was broken and barren.
But God has a way of taking a broken barren woman and wrapping His arms around tight, letting her know He had a plan and everything was going to be ok. To trust Him.
Tommy and I started talking about adoption. I looked at children here in Louisiana and around the world that were waiting to be adopted. My heart discovered a new kind of brokenness birthed out of compassion for the fatherless. My desire was changing. I longed to hold one of these children and have them call me Mom.
We started pursuing international adoption after much prayer. During our wait for our daughter in Peru, we were blessed with adopting our first son from birth through a private domestic adoption in Louisiana. We were able to watch him grow in another woman’s womb and pray for his name. God gave Tommy the name Asa which means healer. When Asa was placed in my arms in 2003, my desire to be a Mom was fulfilled. God used this child to heal and fulfill our deep desire to be a Mom and Dad. Three months later we were matched with a beautiful 22-month-old little girl named Zoë. Her name means Holy Spirit life.
While in Peru adopting Zoë, we met her three siblings ages 13, 9, and 6. When we got home from Peru we started praying about adopting the three older siblings. Tommy had no peace to do so.
Seven months later to my surprise I got pregnant. Six weeks later I miscarried. Emotionally it was too much to bear. This pregnancy stirred up the desire to be pregnant again. Through the tears, I cried out to God and asked “Why? Why did You let me miscarry because now my desire to get pregnant is stronger.” As our Heavenly Father does, He gently whispered to me, “Aimee’, I give and take away whether you understand or not. I never told you to give up the hope to get pregnant because both adoption and birth are miracles from me. I will give you both.”
I felt His peace again. We named the baby we miscarried Hope Joy. Hope that we could get pregnant and Joy because God heard my cries.
Two months later we got pregnant again. Six months later we received an email from our attorney in Peru telling us they found another of Zoë’s siblings and because we adopted Zoë we get preferential treatment. I opened the attachment to this beautiful 22-month-old Peruvian girl. My heart leaped! Our attorneys then asked if we were still interested in adopting the older three siblings. I quickly brought the email to Tommy and as soon as he saw that precious 22-month-old face the peace of God fell on him and he said, “Let’s go get them all.” At seven months pregnant, we boarded a plane to go adopt the four: 15-year-old Heidi, 11-year-old Henry, 9-year-old Anthony, and 22-month-old Rose. One month after coming home with the next four, I birthed Grace.
In under two years from the time God asked me to trust Him to multiply our family, we had seven children in our home. One year later we were surprised again by being pregnant for Elijah. He made number eight. Our precious miracles from God, through both adoption and birth, are Heidi (not shown), Henry, Anthony, Zoe, Asa, Rose, Grace, and Elijah. Today, we thank God that He used infertility to turn our hearts to the fatherless and teach me how to trust Him.
We thank God for multiplying our family through adoption and birth… both being His miracles!
Aimee and her husband, Tommy, have eight children God blessed by adoption and birth. She and her husband lead His Heart for Orphans adoption ministry at Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Aimee is the Director and Founder of the statewide initiative Louisiana Heart Gallery (www.louisianaheartgallery.com) where she and others advocate for children in the foster care system that are available for adoption. She also began an online support website Adoption Strong (www.adoptionstrong.com) for families who take the journey on the adoption and foster care path.
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