A brief story of our adoption

Our Ethiopian Adoption

We decided to adopt after feeling like we must share our blessings. We have been so blessed with a nice place to live, extra room in our house, money in the bank from a wrongful death suit (my father was killed in an accident), and we just felt like if we didn't use what we have to help others, we would just keep building up for ourselves treasures on earth. We already had 3 kids by birth - Damien - 9, Garret - 6 and Kira - 4, but both of us had grown up in large families, so more seemed "normal". We were interested in adopting from Africa, and when we looked into it, we found Ethiopia was the easiest country to adopt from. We started the process, but early on changed agencies to CWA, once we discovered that they were a Christian agency - an added bonus! We were so excited to meet other families that were adopting - especially when we went for training to Spokane - we found that so helpful. It was there that we heard about two kids that were needing to be chosen by a family - a 7 yr. old girl, and an 8 mo. old boy. We were waiting for someone who would fit into our age groups - and decided on the spot that those were the kids for us. Within a few months we were in Ethiopia, to spend an incredible week - meeting our kids (we named them Serena and Gabriel), and other wonderful people, and soaking in what we could of the country. The people there left such an impression on us - we would love to some day go back (with our kids!) to help. Our kids are absolutely beautiful and have amazed us at their ability to adapt into a whole new enviroment. They loved us immediately and there hasn't been one episode of homesickness. There definately have been times of adjusting, and there will be more for a while. There are challenges, but we haven't ever felt like we did the wrong thing - I trust God to grow us through it all. We have had the kids for 4 months now, and they have found a special place in our little town of all white people - they are loved by all. (Serena is SO friendly, and Gabe has irresistable dimples!)

Stuart and Rose Symington
Damien
Serena
Garret
Kira
Gabe