We want to share with you some exciting news! After much prayer and paperwork, we are moving towards adopting a sibling group of five from Brazil! The oldest is 16 and the youngest is 5, so this will change our family dynamic significantly. God has been working in our hearts to prepare us for this change, and we wanted to update you on what’s happening.
At a prayer meeting back in May, Robyn turned to Psalm 67 to find a verse that had come to her mind. As she flipped the pages, her eye fell on Psalm 68:5 “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation.” We had been praying for God’s will to be clear regarding the sibling group of five that we were considering adopting, and this seemed like the answer: God’s heart is for the orphan. God continued to bring this Psalm to our attention, which was decisive in our decision to pursue adopting this sibling group.
From the beginning, we both wanted a large family, and viewed adoption as something we would like to do sometime in our marriage. Sam’s younger brother was adopted from China when Sam was ten years old, and Sam has been involved in supporting adoptions ever since.
Our son Ambrose was born about ten months after we were married. It was an emergency c-section, which was difficult for us, but did not immediately shift our ideas of how God would grow our family. The birth of our daughter Dulcinea eighteen months later decisively changed all of that. Robyn was diagnosed with placenta acreta at 33 weeks pregnant. This meant a two week hospital stay for Robyn, planned c-section at 35 weeks, and a hysterectomy. We got to experience an Intensive Care Unit for Robyn, and a seven week NICU stay for Dulcinea. We were thrilled when everyone was finally able to be together at home; but our family plan was shattered.
All this happened in early 2019. In late 2021, we decided that it was time to start exploring adoption in earnest. We started with looking into adopting through the Department of Child Services in Indiana, and completed their first round of training. We seriously considered what sorts of children we could be called/equipped to adopt, and were drawn to the idea of sibling groups. After some prayer and discussion, though, we decided we would rather look for a Christian adoption agency, even if it was more expensive.
We settled on Gifts of Grace Adoption Support Center based in our home town of Lafayette Indiana. We loved their Christ-centered, Gospel-driven approach, and we signed up for their program in early 2022. After we were approved we had several opportunities to be presented to a birth mom. Each situation was different, each had unique complexity, and in each of them our family was not selected. We tried to take this in stride as God’s timing; but it just went on and on.
Then in March of 2025, Gifts of Grace announced that they would be significantly scaling back their services at the end of the year. We needed to make a decision on how to proceed.
At the end of April, we attended The Gospel Coalition Conference in Indianapolis. Late on the first night of the conference, Sam struck up a conversation in the exhibition room with a man at the Midwest Seminary booth. The man mentioned that he and his wife were in the process of adopting, and were going through Lifeline Children’s Services. Robyn looked into Lifeline when we got home and saw that they primarily provided international adoption (at least for our state). She felt her heart drawn towards international adoption, but didn’t know what Sam would think about it. Our family had just agreed not to make any major commitments in the month of April.
So on May first, Robyn saw a Facebook post from Lifeline, forwarded by Gifts of Grace about a sibling group of five from “Latin America”. They said it was time sensitive, and to reach out for more information. After some thought and prayer, we reached out for more information. The next day we were on a video call with a representative from Lifeline.
At first, the change from domestic infant adoption to international adoption of five seemed like a big shift. But as we reflected on God’s character and the way that he was leading our hearts, it didn’t really seem like such a big change. Time after time, God has removed or overcome the barriers, so we are still walking forward.
International adoption is neither simple nor easy. But one of Lifeline’s leaders put it well when he said, “Paperwork is easy. Parenting is hard.” God is more than capable of cutting through logistical uncertainty, international relations, financial needs, and government processes to get these kids into our home. He has already blessed us with matching grants from Lifesong for Orphans and the Tim Tebow foundation totalling $10,000. The remaining costs of our adoption will probably exceed $70,000. Big for us, not big for God.
Our greatest need is to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that we can love, disciple, and train all of our children to love Jesus, who shed His blood for them. We are saying yes to the ministry God is putting in front of us. But we can’t do it alone. We need the prayers and encouragement of the church to sustain us in this work.
STRIPE charges an online processing fee (2.2% +.30 USD per transaction)*. Your donations will be decreased by this amount. You may also send a check payable to “Lifesong for Orphans”. In the memo line please write “Carr 11693”, to ensure it is credited to our account. Please mail to Lifesong for Orphans, PO Box 9, Gridley, IL 61744.
Lifesong has been blessed with partners who underwrite all U.S. administrative and fundraising costs (TMG Foundation and other partners). That means 100% of your donation will go directly to the adoption.
- In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to Lifesong for Orphans. This organization retains full discretion over its use, but intends to honor the donor’s suggested use.
- Lifesong is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization. Individual donations of $50 or more and yearly donations totaling $250 or more will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Receipts for donations under $50 will gladly be sent upon request.
- *3.5% fee for donations given with an American Express card
