family update: the mowens

today we’re checking in with one of the previous Give 1 families. remember the mowens? they adopted little jacob in may. when they were in ethiopia to finalize the adoption, brad (the dad) spent a lot of time playing soccer with the older boys at the care center. they got to know a boy named isaiah who was 10 years old. they talked to the in-country staff about him and found out he had a baby brother named kaleb. but the mowens were told the boys were not adoptable at the time. they were saddened by this news, but they were determined to adopt again.

when they returned home with jacob, they started the process of having their home study updated. it look longer than they expected, but they trusted God’s timing. when it was finally updated, they immediately looked at their agency’s waiting children list. i’ll let tara mowen tell you the rest: “I about fell over to see THE BOYS that we knew and loved on the computer. We were told that they might not ever be adoptable and HERE THEY WERE. I sent Brad a text message about checking the waiting children list, and I quickly got a phone call back from Brad. He was sobbing saying ‘They are our sons. They are really on the waiting children list.’ God's perfect timing- they were paper ready THE SAME WEEK we were approved!!!!”

since accepting the referral of isaiah and kaleb, the mowens have been faced with the challenges of affording not one, but two adoptions… within months of completing the process for jacob. they needed to raise a lot of money, and they knew they would need to do something drastic. so they sold their house! seriously. they cut their housing expenses in half and used the equity for the adoptions. and get this, their house sold the day after they accepted the referrals.
they are eagerly awaiting their court date, which is Dec 21. but until then, they are hoping that God will continue to provide, just as he has through this entire miraculous story. they need to raise more than $20,000 for travel and other fees. if you want to give the mowens the best Christmas present ever, send your gift to:
Lifesong for Orphans
Mowen Adoption #2363
PO Box 40 / 202 N. Ford St
Gridley, IL 61744

(even better, your gift is tax-deductible, so you can squeeze in another deduction before the end of the calendar year.)

we are in awe of the mowens and their incredible faith and fortitude. but as tara mowen said, “…if there is anything we have learned in this process it is that God is bigger than anything we think might get in the way!”