omnah foundation
Resources to Support Adoption
We recently learned about an organization partnering with families in Sovereign Grace Churches to provide financial assistance and care for Christians pursuing adoption. They are called the Omnah Foundation (omnahfoundation.org). Omnah’s goal is to be a part of placing children in need of a family into Christ-centered, gospel-centered forever homes. They provide resources for adoption before and after placement, and financial assistance to ease the associated costs.
Have you considered pursuing adoption and wished you could talk with someone in our church who’s already done so? Reach out to Will & Julie Hagen. They adopted two of their three children years ago and share the following as a testimony to the Lord’s work in their lives and an encouragement to those considering adoption.
Matthew Williams
testimony from kingsway members will & julie hagen
Have you ever felt God calling you to do something and thought, “Lord, this is too big for me! How in the world am I supposed to do this?” Maybe this is what Moses initially thought when he saw the Red Sea before him and the Egyptian army behind! But God made a way that nobody anticipated.
This is how we felt when we sensed the Lord prompting us to adopt. We knew we were to have more children, but after having one biological child, God closed the door to natural childbirth. We turned to adoption, but we didn't have the resources or knowledge to go through with it. Then the Lord came through in ways we could never imagine, and he used the church in a big way to help us.
Yes, we had to plan financially, including learning about tax credits and other financial resources, because adoption is expensive! But we met with other believers for godly counsel on what to do, to help us through the many options available. We attended an adoption seminar arranged by a Sovereign Grace Church, where we met others who were walking through the same process and learned about various organizations that were available to help. Our Community Group walked with us and prayed with us during the selection process for both of our adoptions and helped us create an adoption profile. Our church family cared for our kids while we traveled, helped us set up a nursery (including painting walls and providing furniture and baby items), and provided donations for an orphanage from which we adopted. Even when we got the call a week early that our little girl was on the way, our church family cleaned our house and did our laundry while we were away.
We adopted internationally for one of our children and domestically for the other. Even while we were in another country, we were never alone. We knew the Lord was with us (even after missing a connecting flight in a strange airport where few people spoke English!), and we knew we had family back home caring for and praying for us.
What a joy it was when the Lord finally provided children, and even now many years later we are so grateful for the complete family we have! We can't imagine life without all of our children.
If we had waited until we thought we were ready, we would likely have never gone through with it. But we heard God's call and began taking steps as he led. God didn't reveal to Moses ahead of time all that he was going to do, but Moses just obeyed each step of the way. If God is calling you to adopt, just begin to obey him. He will guide you along the way and provide all that you need. And don't think you need to walk the road alone; you are part of a body at KingsWay that cares for and supports you.
Will & Julie Hagen