Adoption: The Wright Family

Please tell us about yourself — your location, job, etc!

We are Nathaniel and Rebekah Wright from Spring Hill, Tennessee.  Nathaniel is an Equine Veterinarian and Rebekah is a stay-at-home mom to our 3 children.  We met in college and have been married for 8 years.

When/why did you decide to adopt? 

In November of 2008, as we discussed the possibility of a third child, Nathaniel mentioned that he had been thinking about adoption.  I, too, had been silently thinking about adoption and had been specifically praying that God would make it clear if this was the path to which He was calling us.  God had been preparing our hearts separately. We knew that this was no coincidence and prayerfully decided to begin looking for our child. 

Do you have any biological children? 

Yes, we have 2 biological daughters, Anna Walton {4 years old} and Olivia {3 years old}.
 
Whom did you adopt, and from where? 

We adopted our son, Caleb, from St. Augustine, Florida in May 2010. 
 
What was their name, and did you rename them? Why or why not?

Because we brought Caleb home as a newborn, we were able to name him.  We chose the name Caleb after Caleb in the Bible.  Caleb means “faithful” and “bold,” which is our prayer for him. We pray that God will give him a heart that is faithful to the Lord and that he will boldly declare Jesus’ name one day.  His middle name, “Nathaniel”, is after my husband, Nathaniel.  It means “gift of God”.  Our Caleb is a gift to us from the Lord.  We wanted Caleb to have Nathaniel’s name as a reminder that he is truly our son and that he has a family name.

What has been the most surprising aspect of adoption? 

In the beginning of the adoption process, we thought that the financial aspect would be one of the hardest parts of adopting. We quickly found that the finances are just a tiny piece of the puzzle.  God provides for what He favors.  We did have to work hard but God is the one who brought all of our funds at just the right time.

To be completely honest, we were afraid of the idea of our child’s birth mother.  We had fears that she would not like us or that she would want to come back for our child someday.  We felt that she would be a threat in some ways. 

Once we actually met our child’s birth mother, we understood that she is a person who was hurting in a much deeper way than we could imagine.  We realized just how much she was sacrificing by placing her child into our family.  We could see how much she loved this child to be able to give him up so unselfishly.  God broke our hearts for our birth mother and showed us that during our brief time with her that our job was simply to love her.  We did not have to impress her or convince her of anything, we needed to only show love to her and God would do the rest.  We had to trust completely in the sovereignty of our Lord—that He had good plans for our family, for the baby that we hoped to adopt and for his birth mother. 

We were surprised just how much work God did in our hearts during our 18 month wait for Caleb.  Over and over again He showed us His faithfulness and He gently reminded us to “fix our eyes on Jesus” and to trust Him.  Now we have a heart for birth mothers around the world.  We pray that someday God would allow us opportunities to minister to some of the dear ladies who face the most difficult decision imaginable—to place their child in another family.
 
What has been the most disappointing? 

In January of 2010, just days before his due date, we lost a referral of a baby boy that we hoped to adopt.  It was a very sad time for our family.  God graciously helped us to cling to Him and to the truths of Scripture and He began healing out hearts.  It was so disappointing to experience a loss like that.  However, we now see that God had another plan.  We are thankful that He led us to our son.

What has been the most gratifying?  

Watching the Lord bring Caleb home and seeing that it was His work alone has been very gratifying.  God has used Caleb’s life to impress into our hearts just how much He loves us and has helped us to see that being a parent is such a gift.  God has molded and shaped our family in ways that would not have been possible before our adoption process.  As a family we have learned more about the Gospel and God’s love for us in a sweet, life changing way. 

Did any organization or agency really help you get through the process, financially, emotionally, or otherwise?  

We received a generous grant from Show Hope.  Our pastor and his wife {who are also adoptive parents} helped us so much emotionally and were always there for us to listen and encourage us.  Many family members and friends graciously donated to us financially and prayed faithfully for our family.

What advice would you give people who are considering adoption? 

I would tell anyone who feels that God might be calling them to adoption to prayerfully and seriously consider it.   The process can be hard at times and the financial aspect can seem daunting but the blessings FAR outweigh the hardships.  Adoption will be the most amazing journey you will ever be a part of.  You will learn so much about yourself, your family and the Lord.  You will experience the Lord’s faithfulness in a rich way and you will never be the same. At the end of your journey you will hold in your arms your precious blessing—the child that the Lord chose for your family. 

Be sure to have plenty of people praying for you.  God loves adoption and Satan does not so you need to be covered in prayer.  Hold on to the TRUTHS of Scripture.  Keep your eyes focused on Jesus and He will gently remind you how much He loves you and you will understand in a sweet way how God has adopted you. 

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