In Doctrine and Covenants 88:119, the Lord tells us to “prepare every needful thing.”
Sometimes we don’t know how to prepare because
we cannot see what is ahead. But as our
family learned this past year, the Lord helps us
as we listen to and act upon His promptings. He
steps in and prepares “the needful things” that
we cannot prepare for ourselves.
Christmas 2006 was extra exciting at the Horrocks
house. We received a call from a girl who
had first contacted us through parentprofiles.com one year earlier.
When we first heard from Samantha (Sam), she was 17 and was struggling with the decision to parent or place her baby for adoption. We felt a connection to her from her first e-mail, and over time we developed a special friendship. She told us she was thinking of naming her baby Camden if it was a boy. That was the same name we had chosen. In the end, she decided to parent. We continued to talk, and she even called us the day her baby was born. She named him Camden.
When another adoption fell through for us, Sam was one of the first to call and say how sorry she was. Sam would also call periodically when she needed to talk. One call she made on Dec. 11 changed our lives forever. She had decided to place with us after all. Following a crisis-filled week and many miracles, Samantha placed her beautiful eight-month-old baby boy in our arms. We
cried tears of joy.
We had always had special feelings about Samantha and Camden. We knew they were in our lives for a reason, but we had no expectations regarding the baby. We just loved Sam because she is a wonderful daughter of God. Looking back now, we see all the preparations the Lord made for us. We find meaning in every aspect of our year,
from our feelings about Sam and our pending adoption that fell through, to the foster care classes that taught us about bonding with an older infant. And yes, we even see meaning in the eight months when Camden was not in our family.
At placement, we were informed of some legalities that would apply to Camden. But when he turned 240 days old, those issues no longer applied. Samantha’s worker unknowingly ended up calling LDS Family Services headquarters to get clearance for the placement on day 241. Camden came to our home on just the right day and not a day sooner. The Lord knew the end from the beginning, and He lovingly prepared Sam and us for this miracle.
We testify that the Lord knows each of us. He knows our hearts and our heartaches. He is preparing each of us for blessings we cannot prepare for by ourselves.
We hope that in 2007 each family and each birth mother will find what the Lord’s plan is for them. Let us move forward and have faith, keeping our eyes on Him and remembering that He gives us the best gifts!
Sometimes we don’t know how to prepare because
we cannot see what is ahead. But as our
family learned this past year, the Lord helps us
as we listen to and act upon His promptings. He
steps in and prepares “the needful things” that
we cannot prepare for ourselves.
Christmas 2006 was extra exciting at the Horrocks
house. We received a call from a girl who
had first contacted us through parentprofiles.com one year earlier.
When we first heard from Samantha (Sam), she was 17 and was struggling with the decision to parent or place her baby for adoption. We felt a connection to her from her first e-mail, and over time we developed a special friendship. She told us she was thinking of naming her baby Camden if it was a boy. That was the same name we had chosen. In the end, she decided to parent. We continued to talk, and she even called us the day her baby was born. She named him Camden.
When another adoption fell through for us, Sam was one of the first to call and say how sorry she was. Sam would also call periodically when she needed to talk. One call she made on Dec. 11 changed our lives forever. She had decided to place with us after all. Following a crisis-filled week and many miracles, Samantha placed her beautiful eight-month-old baby boy in our arms. We
cried tears of joy.
We had always had special feelings about Samantha and Camden. We knew they were in our lives for a reason, but we had no expectations regarding the baby. We just loved Sam because she is a wonderful daughter of God. Looking back now, we see all the preparations the Lord made for us. We find meaning in every aspect of our year,
from our feelings about Sam and our pending adoption that fell through, to the foster care classes that taught us about bonding with an older infant. And yes, we even see meaning in the eight months when Camden was not in our family.
At placement, we were informed of some legalities that would apply to Camden. But when he turned 240 days old, those issues no longer applied. Samantha’s worker unknowingly ended up calling LDS Family Services headquarters to get clearance for the placement on day 241. Camden came to our home on just the right day and not a day sooner. The Lord knew the end from the beginning, and He lovingly prepared Sam and us for this miracle.We testify that the Lord knows each of us. He knows our hearts and our heartaches. He is preparing each of us for blessings we cannot prepare for by ourselves.
We hope that in 2007 each family and each birth mother will find what the Lord’s plan is for them. Let us move forward and have faith, keeping our eyes on Him and remembering that He gives us the best gifts!
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