 |
||||
Baptist Children's Home
and Family Services
Success Stories |
|
BCHFS
SUCCESS STORIES:
The Child That God Brought Forth
 |
| Prayers answered with a beautiful child of God-Christmas is a special time for the Jueckstocks with their daughter Samantha. |
For 18 years Joy and Phil Jueckstock prayed to be parents.
After three miscarriages and an ectopic pregnancy, their desire to be
a mom and dad never diminished.
Then on June 19, 1988 a FedEx driver delivered to them a picture of hope.
This hope came in the form of a photograph of a beautiful Chinese baby
girl. Although the process gave them the option to accept or re-file for
another child, Joy reflects, “There was no way we were going
to turn down any child that God had brought forth to us on that day.”
Once the papers were signed and sent back to China, they waited for an invitation from the Chinese government to make the trip to China and bring their child home.
The little girl, whom they would name Samantha, was eleven months old when Joy and Phil first held her in their arms in China. Samantha never knew her biological parents and the moment Joy and Phil held her in their arms, Joy remembers, “It was a God thing. We all bonded within the first 24 hours.
 |
| Samantha marches as the grand marshall in a parade a week after becoming a US citizen. |
Our adoption agency representative, who handled all of the overseas proceedings,
said she has never seen it happen so quickly. She said that most parents
and children take at least three days to sometimes a year to connect.
God’s hand was in it from the start
and we knew it.”
This journey began by seeking advice and direction from their pastor. Joy recalls,“The day we met with our pastor to discuss our adoption options, she proceeded to pull a stack of documents out of her desk that she had compiled for us. Once we mentioned our decision to pursue adoption, she referred us to BCHFS.”
BCHFS suggested an international adoption. After reviewing a list of
possible countries, they chose China. BCHFS then provided them with a
list of United States agencies that dealt with Chinese adoptions. They
also viewed videos that showcased several agencies that could assist
with the process. They chose All God’s Children International as
their international agency and BCHFS to complete their home studies and
post-placement services.
From the time they met with BCHFS to begin the adoption process until
the time they brought Samantha home from China was a total of 18 months.
Joy jokingly states, “It was a long pregnancy!”
Today Samantha is ten years old and the joy of her parents’ lives. Last year Samantha became an American citizen and was chosen as the grand marshal of her school’s Labor Day parade. “We can’t imagine life without her in it. We were so long without children that having her with us is as if she has always been here. When I look into her eyes and kiss her everyday, I realize how much I love her. God hand picked her out for us and we thank Him. I pray that if there are other couples like us out there, they will listen to what their heart is telling them and reach out to these children. Whether it is to adopt or become a foster parent. These children need to be loved and to know the love the Lord has for them.”
BCHFS continues to partner with All God’s Children International, a Christian international adoption agency, for international placements. Informational meetings regarding this agency can be found on our website at www.BCHFS.com.
For more information regarding adoption or becoming a foster parent contact Susan or Lindsay at Angels’ Cove at (800) 458-2229 (BABY) or AngelsCove@BCHFS.com.