Penwell Adoption Journey

Joshua Penwell Howell, Michigan

We've been married for nine years. We first met in middle school at a week of summer camp, but we wouldn't see each other again until we were in college, and it would be at that very same camp! Before we were ever a couple, we were friends first, and that has really made all of the difference for us.

We bonded over the things that we have in common, like our love of concerts. Brittany dreamt of marrying a drummer one day, and that's exactly what happened! Josh was part of the drum line in high school, and then went on to play drums for a band in college. If we had to guess, we've probably been to 50 concerts together over the years. We also love coffee (duh), reality TV (just think of a show, and we probably watch it), and home renovation. When we're not watching shows about home renovations, we're actually doing it.

We love traveling, in fact, we have a list of ten travel destinations planned out for the next several years. Together, we've been to Hawaii, Ireland, Antigua, Mexico, and several other places.

Mexico holds a special place in our hearts. San Luis Potosi, Mexico is where Brittany's great grandparents moved to in the 1960's to start a children's home. Her great grandparents adopted two young boys, Juan and David. Today, it still serves as a safe haven for 25 children, and Brittany's Uncle Juan and Aunt Selene oversee and care for the home.

Five years ago, we moved back to Michigan from Indiana. Both of our families live in Michigan, and we knew that we wanted to be close to our families when we started a family of our own. Our family and friends play such pivotal roles in our life, and we really feel blessed to have such a strong and loving community that surrounds us and encourages us.

We have a black and white cat named Noche. She's pretty cute. Even though she's six, she's still very small. She's also entertaining and keeps us laughing.

We built our dream home and moved into it in February of 2021. The house is a perfect combination of our styles: modern and cozy.

When we built the house, we built it with a dream and a longing to raise a family here. It's a space for us to grow into and it's in a cute, small town that we love.

Going to the farmers market on Sundays and walking to the ice cream shop.

downtown are part of our weekly routine. We chose to build our house in a neighborhood that has a pool, tons of room to take walks, many other families with kids, and even a couple baseball fields!

Both of us work for a church. Josh works with middle school and high school students, and Brittany oversees church-wide communication. Working at the same place has some great advantages. It's allowed us to spend more time together and we're able to coordinate our schedules to provide us more flexibility.

We both value our faith and have centered our lives around our love for God and His Church. We intend to raise our kids to know that they are loved and have value because they have been made in the image of God. We want them to know they are unique and gifted and treasured in His sight.

As we've grown together, we have made each other better. We will always cherish the years that we have spent together, just the two of us, but we whole heartedly believe that these years have created a firm foundation for our future family.

Our deepest desire is to be parents and together raise a family. We will never be able to completely express our gratefulness for your role in making our dream of having a family come true.


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 “Penwell 09809”, 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.
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Raised to date by 0 people
 of  $18,000
Campaign Ended

My Story

We've been married for nine years. We first met in middle school at a week of summer camp, but we wouldn't see each other again until we were in college, and it would be at that very same camp! Before we were ever a couple, we were friends first, and that has really made all of the difference for us.

We bonded over the things that we have in common, like our love of concerts. Brittany dreamt of marrying a drummer one day, and that's exactly what happened! Josh was part of the drum line in high school, and then went on to play drums for a band in college. If we had to guess, we've probably been to 50 concerts together over the years. We also love coffee (duh), reality TV (just think of a show, and we probably watch it), and home renovation. When we're not watching shows about home renovations, we're actually doing it.

We love traveling, in fact, we have a list of ten travel destinations planned out for the next several years. Together, we've been to Hawaii, Ireland, Antigua, Mexico, and several other places.

Mexico holds a special place in our hearts. San Luis Potosi, Mexico is where Brittany's great grandparents moved to in the 1960's to start a children's home. Her great grandparents adopted two young boys, Juan and David. Today, it still serves as a safe haven for 25 children, and Brittany's Uncle Juan and Aunt Selene oversee and care for the home.

Five years ago, we moved back to Michigan from Indiana. Both of our families live in Michigan, and we knew that we wanted to be close to our families when we started a family of our own. Our family and friends play such pivotal roles in our life, and we really feel blessed to have such a strong and loving community that surrounds us and encourages us.

We have a black and white cat named Noche. She's pretty cute. Even though she's six, she's still very small. She's also entertaining and keeps us laughing.

We built our dream home and moved into it in February of 2021. The house is a perfect combination of our styles: modern and cozy.

When we built the house, we built it with a dream and a longing to raise a family here. It's a space for us to grow into and it's in a cute, small town that we love.

Going to the farmers market on Sundays and walking to the ice cream shop.

downtown are part of our weekly routine. We chose to build our house in a neighborhood that has a pool, tons of room to take walks, many other families with kids, and even a couple baseball fields!

Both of us work for a church. Josh works with middle school and high school students, and Brittany oversees church-wide communication. Working at the same place has some great advantages. It's allowed us to spend more time together and we're able to coordinate our schedules to provide us more flexibility.

We both value our faith and have centered our lives around our love for God and His Church. We intend to raise our kids to know that they are loved and have value because they have been made in the image of God. We want them to know they are unique and gifted and treasured in His sight.

As we've grown together, we have made each other better. We will always cherish the years that we have spent together, just the two of us, but we whole heartedly believe that these years have created a firm foundation for our future family.

Our deepest desire is to be parents and together raise a family. We will never be able to completely express our gratefulness for your role in making our dream of having a family come true.


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 “Penwell 09809”, 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.
Read more

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