“We began our year in quite a fun way. GETTING MARRIED!! We both grew up in Hawaii and spent most of ur childhood in the same youth church group. Although we were ‘high school sweethearts’, we spent a decade apart learning and growing in very different life experiences. When God brought us back together, we had a blended family opportunity on our hands.

Madison’s biological father had decided he was not going to be a part of Madison’s life long before she was born. Once Joshua knew we were for him, it was settled in his heart that he was Madison’s father and that he’d love her unconditionally.

Fast forward to our move to Kansas after the wedding, God laid it on our hearts to pursue stepparent adoption right away. We didn’t know how it’d happen or what it would take, but we were in agreement to pursue it. By that time we’d been coming to New Life Covenant Church for a few months and happened it was a Fully Devoted Sunday. As a result, our first married commitment was to give. We took a step of faith to commit a number that’d require God’s help and provision, and wrote “have crazy faith” on the envelope.

We haven’t been married a year yet and are at the final stage of adoption for Madison. God has worked a number of miracles— with us locating Madison’s biological father, him signing away rights remotely from over 3,000 miles away during a pandemic, us unknowingly choosing to live in the county that’d allow for us to process the adoption quickly, and so much more.