Gotcha Day // 1 Samuel 1:27

It’s Gotcha Day! Today we will finally hold Brighton (often affectionally referred to as, Baby B) in our arms like we have our hearts.

It’s been quite a road. We got into the adoption process some three years ago and experienced such unusual ups, downs, twists, and turns. We almost quit in May 2023 after Taiwan severed a match with two sisters without offering us any explanation. Tiffany and I decided to take some time away from the process. We went out west to visit family for some time of rest, play, and prayer intending to ask the Lord if we misunderstood the call or missed our window. Then, we got word on June 27, 2023 — before our vacation really even began — that there was a baby girl in Taiwan who needed a family, and they chose us for her. We enthusiastically accepted the referral and began the process that led us to today when it all comes full circle today as we take custody of our little girl…the one for whom we prayed and thank the Lord. It’s Brighton’s Gotcha Day and we will get to tell her, “We are yours.”

Brighton’s name has a special meaning. It starts simply with the fact that we were in Brighton, Colorado when we got that call. Tiffany’s sister picked us up at the airport and we stopped off at an Arby’s to take the call and grab a bite to eat. I looked up the meaning of the name, Brighton, which is “my bright and beautiful” in Old English. We debated middle names for a while. I really wanted it to be, Early (Brighton Early…get it?). Just kidding. Eventually we settled on Celeste, which is Latin for Heavenly. So, her name means, our bright and beautiful heavenly light. We give her that name in honor and dedication to our Lord who wove all these pieces together, redeemed our pain, and gave this little girl the family she needed as opposed to the children we wanted. It is a beautiful telling of how our Good Lord works.

We all have things for which we pray. God doesn’t always answer prayers in the way we prefer. God’s way is always right, though. We need to be in His Word to be able to discern His will in order to go His way. I am praying for you in whatever you are lifting to God. For those who prayed for Tiffany and me similarly on this journey, THANK YOU! We appreciate and celebrate God’s faithfulness, even in the times when we worried or wondered if it was there. That bright and beautiful heavenly light is available to all thanks to the Light of the World, Jesus. May we seek God’s face when we’re in the shadow, because there can be no shadow without light.