Our Story

Andy and I married in 2008.

Sierra arrived in 2009.

Malaya arrived in 2010.

Nothing happened in 2011. That we can recall anyway.

Clayton arrived in 2012.

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Had a new "normal" figured out and we were living.

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Summer of 2015, we got baby fever. 

Winter of 2015, still no baby.

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In February 2016, I was feeling content and close to God. So close that I felt Him nudge me towards other babies. Babies that were not mine. I assumed God was nudging Andy too, but I wanted him to bring the subject up. I said I was going to give him two weeks to bring it up or else I would. But, I've never been the patient type and so I told him we needed to talk after 3? days. I told him what I was feeling and how I never thought I would be doing this, but I had the desire to adopt.

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He was shocked but quickly said, "ok, lets pray about that". Over the next 2 months, the desire got stronger in Erin and Andy tried to push it out of his mind. Until one day at work, God got a hold of Andy and said, "Those are my children too".

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Over the course of a few months, we were educated on the cost of adoption. However, we found out that those who choose to adopt through the foster care system, can essentially have the costs waived while still providing a hurting infant/child with a home.

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So our gears shifted to pursuing our foster care license. We signed up for classes in August and they were to begin the end of September 2016 and end around Thanksgiving 2016.

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Shortly after committing to these classes, Erin was overcome with fear. "What are we doing? I don't even feel like a good parent to my own kids most of the time. How am I going to parent these kids who have trauma in their life?" "God, Help me to Trust in You and not myself. " That was a Monday morning. Saturday afternoon, I took a pregnancy test on a whim. Err...positive? How can that be? I know this is what we are supposed to be doing. What is God up to? I had also taken the test about 30 minutes before we were supposed to ride with Mike and Susie Zobrist to Fairbury for a CVE Fundraiser Dinner.

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The whole way up to Fairbury, Andy and I kept looking at each other and smiling and asking, "Is this for real?" We enjoyed the evening and got to talk with a lot of people. Some we already knew, some we had never met. One of those was Joan Schick. We stood and talked to her for quite awhile. There was a couple at our table that had been houseparents down at CVE but had transitioned back to the States. Kali Sauder was their alternate houseparent. They shared how they still had a heart for missions and were actively praying for how God would use them next. I remember marveling at how strong their faith was that God would take care of them through whatever He took them to.

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After the dinner and program, Erin remembers thinking "This is such a neat ministry, I wonder if we would ever be a part of it?" However, it was a fleeting thought and as life went on, she forgot about it.

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About a month later, nausea hit Erin and suddenly pregnancy was not a fun thing anymore. Grouchy, depressed, anxious about the future, mad at God for changing the plan so abruptly, etc. One Wednesday night at church, the minister was talking about Abraham and how sometimes God tests us. He sometimes asks us to do something to see how truly willing we are. Erin was immediately strengthened and thought, that must be it! God ordained the whole last year to test us. By not giving us the things we wanted, to conditioning our hearts towards the orphan, to growing our family, He was in control.

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Aria Joy Ott was born May 10, 2017, healthy and whole.

Life continued on and Congerville sent a work team down to CVE in June. Andy had really wanted to go on this trip, but knowing my due date was so close, I wouldn't let him.

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It was about this time that Andy started feeling nudges towards CVE and thought about it alot. This continued for about 6 weeks. One day in church, the minister clearly stated, "Maybe God is calling you to move to another country". Andy and Erin both remember hearing this but it only affected Andy. One night at Bible Study, Erin asked Marilyn McClure if CVE had found any houseparents, as they had posted they were seeking some. Andy had no idea CVE had any needs and was again affected. Monday, July 31st, Andy tells Erin that they need to talk. He breaks down and tells her that he feels God calling us to move to CVE. Erin remained calm and later admitted that she didn't think anything would come of it. But we agreed to pray about it. The whole month of August, we were continually seeking His Will and He was telling us, "Yes, this is what I have for you." "Seek Me and not your own achievements and wealth". 

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We have a plethora of direction given to us from the Good Lord, but for length of time/space, we'll only share a few.

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-When Illinois was trying to pass a budget, Adam called and told Andy that you just need to move your family to Florida. Andy said he was tempted to, but remembers hearing a Voice say, "you can move but it won't be to Florida."

-Listen to Dennis Rassi sermon in Forrest on Aug 9, 2017. Make sure you listen to it, in its entirety. Past the announcements even.

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-One day Andy was driving in the van by himself and was overcome with emotion. "God, I can't do this. I can't do this to my kids. I can't uproot them. They won't have what I grew up with. I can't, I can't...." "But help me". The next song on the radio was "Walk on Waves". 

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-One day Erin was on the way home from Morton with all the kids in the van. She was thinking about Mexico and all the changes that would come. When she looked in the rear view mirror she realized she could move anywhere and be okay, because her whole life would go with her. God, Andy and the kids. The house that she thought they would live in until they retired suddenly didn't mean much. The school that the kids went to, a huge blessing for sure, well she could leave that behind. Family, though not just down the road anymore, could still visit. Church family could also come visit. Everything would be okay, God would see to it.

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-Several times Andy would ask, "Are we crazy? Are we really doing this?" Erin would respond and say, "If we were discontent here, if we were looking for something different, then that would be crazy. But we weren't. We were content. And God is calling us to give up our comfortable life and follow Him."

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