Dear Friends,
We want to thank you for taking the time to read this letter and get to know us a little bit. We hope that as you get a glimpse of who we are, you will want to learn more about us and what it would mean to be part of our family. In learning about us, hopefully you will feel the love we have for life, each other, our families and God, and how eagerly we look forward to sharing all this with a child in our home.
We have led lives full of adventure and challenges so far! We have learned to take things as they come, and that most of the time, things eventually work out for the best. Our journey to have children has been a hard one, but one that has enabled us to grow closer together and closer to our Heavenly Father. Both of us have always wanted children in our lives. Justin has been an Uncle since he was 7 and has always had a special bond with most of his nieces and nephews (and babies in general). Lauren calls him the baby whisperer! Although Lauren has been working as a dental assistant for many years now and loves it, her only true desire is to be a mother. We got pregnant soon after we started trying for kids, but sadly had a miscarriage at 9 weeks. It was devastating and took some time to get through the hurt and sadness we felt. We have continued trying with many different doctors, medications and procedures, for almost 5 years now with no success. We have been praying for guidance on how Heavenly Father wants us to grow our family, and we've been strongly pointed in the direction of adoption! The more we've learned as we have taken classes and talked to others about adoption, the more we see what a blessing it can be. We are so hopeful that the special spirit waiting to be a part of our family can find us, and that we can finally be able to share our love and devotion with him/her and their birth parents.
So who are we?
We are adventurers at heart! We love being in the outdoors and going hiking, camping and backpacking whenever we can. We also love playing ultimate frisbee, playing catch, or going for walks through parks. Justin has enjoyed getting Lauren into rock climbing, snowshoeing, canyoneering and snorkeling. Lauren is sure glad she grew up with a bunch of active brothers- it has helped her to keep up with Justin’s interests which have grown into her own! Justin worked at a Boy Scout Camp near Yellowstone for 3 years before joining the Marines. He brought Lauren back there for 2 summers after getting out of the military. Through these shared experiences we have developed a special place in our hearts for the wilderness and the beautiful earth God has created. While we spend time in nature we often reflect on our Heavenly Father’s creations and his plan for us.
We truly are best friends! We love to be together and rarely choose to be apart unnecessarily. Justin was an active-duty Marine when we first got married and his job required him to be away often. Because of this, we have truly learned to cherish our quality time. We find any task better together such as shopping, yard work, household chores, and general fix-it projects. People are surprised to find out that we've almost been married 8 years, as we still act a lot like newlyweds. Justin was raised to believe in chivalry and still opens Lauren’s doors for her and carries the heavy (or cold) things at the grocery store. (Lauren hates being cold!)
Living so close to our families has been a big priority for us. We spent our first 2 years of marriage living in California. Although we loved our time there, we really missed being close to our families. We love our family and friends and get together with them frequently! Sunday evenings usually include family dinners and just spending time together visiting. We also get together for holidays and special occasions, playing games, and always-good food! We have several groups of close friends - within our ward, camp family, and high school groups, and often get together for dinners or game nights. We are eager to include a child in these fun times!
We love God and the gospel! We both work with the youth in our church callings right now, and enjoy spending time helping them develop their testimonies and getting to know their valiant spirits. For the last 4 years we have attended a Young Married Institute class twice a month for date night, and have loved learning and studying the gospel together. We are so thankful that we have been sealed together for all eternity, and that our family and our love for one another can last forever. Mostly now we are grateful for the guidance and comfort of the Holy Ghost in our lives that has calmed our troubled hearts and led us to the decision to adopt!
We hope that this letter has given you an idea of who we are, and what things are important to us. We are very eager to hear from you or meet you and discuss any questions you may have for us! We pray for strength and peace for you in your journey.
Sincerely ,
Justin and Lauren
No comments:
Post a Comment