October Adoption Family: Meet the Stroups

We are Greg and Shari Stroup, a normal family living in a small town, but not with small values or ideals.  Our eyes are on our awesome God and we praise His Name!!  We were quite content with a family of six.  Dad, Mom, and four amazing, beautiful, and talented children (Okay I am somewhat partial).  Adoption was not really close to our hearts.  We were content!  Well, God had bigger and better plans for our family.  I started wanting another child, yes just when my husband thought it was safe we were officially finished having children…. I had some friends that had adopted, my dear friends that had trouble getting pregnant and I was so excited for them,  but it was not something that I had thought much about.

Then my friend Shelly started thinking about adoption.  I Clearly decided to walk through the process with her, encourage and support she and her family in THEIR adoption and through it I wanted to start an adoption ministry at our church.  Sounds good.  Well, through the journey God touched my heart to add to our family through adoption.  I am still not sure exactly what happened, learning more about the children, seeing those sweet faces of children needing a family and God wrecking my heart at the same time, but bam there we were, thinking about adopting a child into OUR family.

So God gave us clarity and off we went.  We chose Guatemala and started the mountains of paperwork, wait, numerous trips to the post office, check writing, and did I say wait some more….   In fact, I still remember like it was yesterday after one of the many trips to the post office mailing documents, my 3 year old at the time said:  “Mommy did you get me from the post office too?”  Hilarious!

So you all know the paper chase, the highs and lows, but it all leads to that sweet child that God has chosen for you before the day they were even born. The adoption journey is very spiritual, and as you get closer one day and further away the next, you can see God in all the details and the joy and glory is His!   God blessed us with a baby boy, Joseph Peter.  Life is good, we have this beautiful family with the addition of the cutest tanned skinned Guatemalan.  Then a year later, we are called and receive the news that Joe’s birth mom just had a baby girl and did we want to adopt her?  Wow, I really was not sure that I could do ALL that paperwork again, but how could we not adopt our sons biological sister.  No way we could not invite her joyfully into our family.  No way!  Now the twist is that they were closing adoptions in Guatemala in 30 days.  So there were no guarantees.  We were told up front, we could start the adoption, no guarantees that we would get her before adoptions closed and the money paid would not be refunded..  Does anyone remember how expensive adoptions are in Guatemala?  Literally no guarantees!  All risk, expensive, all consuming!   So we say YES we want her and we are willing to take it all on.

So lets breathe for a minute and reflect.  God adopted us into His family.  He puts the lonely in families.  God takes risks on us.  We are messy, we are expensive, we are time consuming and disobedient.  God takes chances on us everyday.  He gave His one and only son to die for us.  How can we not do the same for another?  For an innocent lonely child.

Through many miracles and blessings we added Gabriela Marie to our family.  We are thankful, joyful and sleep deprived… ha ha.. But soooo worth it!  We thank God each and everyday for breaking our hearts for the children of the world.  The children that need a Mommy and Daddy to tuck them into bed each night, give kisses and hugs, give them siblings and love unconditionally.  Share the love of Jesus and everlasting life!

And, through it all God blessed us with an adoption organization…  Remember that was what I thought this would all turn into, helping Others  adopt.  By following God’s call for adoption came a precious Chinese girl named YaYa to Shelly’s family and handsome Joe from Guatemala to ours and a new adoption organization, Room for One More was born.  Following Joe’s adoption, God blessed us with Ella.  And following Shelly’s adoption of YaYa God blessed them with Elizabeth and now Eric too. We are passionate about helping children find their forever families  and bringing these sweet children home. I could never have the passion for adoption if I had not experienced it personally.  Is God way too amazing or what!!  Check us out at www.roomforonemorechild.org. God has blessed Room for One More to also include foster caer and orphan care all over the world. I am so thandful we made room for one more, or two, or more.. Thank You God!

Okay so lets end this with Ella.  As I am writing this, while she is next to me eating a snack.   She says “Mommy I love you.”  I say, ” Ella, I love you too”.  Then she replies,  ” I love you Most!!!”  Now, that’s Priceless!

Shari Stroup