After struggling with infertility for four years, Jen & Harry Norman made the decision to pursue adoption. After their first meeting with New Life, they knew that this was the agency they were going to adopt through.
Jen explains, ” When we attended our first informational meeting and got to meet some of the staff at New Life, we were blown away by how warm and welcoming the staff at New Life was, but we also appreciated how upfront they were about the fees and the whole process. It was really refreshing to me to see them be so transparent. It really helped set the tone.”
Focus on the Birth Parents
Another reason why Jen & Harry selected New Life as their adoption agency was because they knew the agency not only cares for the adoptive parents, but also focuses on the birth parent’s needs.
Jen describes her first impressions and the organization as a whole as, “New Life is not a place where they just find a baby for your family. New Life is where they actually serve these moms that need support, and adoption is one of the ways that they can do that.” New Life introduced Jen & Harry to the idea that adoption was a partnership with the organization that would enable them as an adoptive family to come alongside and help support this mission of serving birth parents.
“That was a turning point for me. I really thought about adoption differently even after that first meeting.”
A Change of Perspective
Jen explains, “Because I had spent so much time looking at it from my perspective of just wanting a child to be in my family, it was a purely selfish decision at that point. But New Life changed our perspective about adoption. Just the mere option that I could share God’s love with somebody that I never met, and actually have that be a part of my adoption story, and not just a part of it, but the focal point of it, that’s what really locked me into adopting through New Life.”
“To think that the impact could be not only for my family, but it actually could greatly impact somebody else’s life and it would be a way to minister to others…”
The Moment of Getting the Call & Receiving the Gift of a Child
Jen explains, “The moment you get the call is a moment you will remember forever. You remember exactly where you were, and what you were doing. Our world was changed forever because we knew there was a child out there. We knew that as long as everything went through, our world would never be the same. Our world was just so much bigger.”
“The home study process was challenging, and so was the wait
ing.” Like many adoptive families, Jen & Harry spent time praying for the child that would one day be a part of their family, as well as praying for the birth parents.
Then, there was meeting the birth parents. “The moment we met the birth parents, I came to understand how there was this whole other side and that these people would also become a part of our family. I was nervous at first, but then quickly realized how awesome it would be.”
Choosing New Life for a Second Time
After their first adoption, Jen & Harry knew they would work with New Life for their second adoption. It wasn’t that the first adoption was easy; it was that New Life was there every step of the way the first time. “Our social worker was there through the highs and the lows, and we already knew the New Life team.”
“When we decided that we were going to adopt again, we knew we were going to go through New Life, there wasn’t even a question.”
Experiencing Abundant Life
Jen & Harry went through the emotions of adoption twice, and learned that adoption was really not about them; it was about serving birth parents. They learned what open adoption really means, and have adopted not only their sons, but also their birth parents into their family. Through adoption, Jen & Harry experienced abundant life, and not only this, but they now understand what it means to be adopted into God’s family.
“We love our sons and their birth parents so much. We have so much admiration for them. They gave us two beautiful gifts out of their love for their child and we will be forever grateful.”
