And so the journey begins

Nathan and I have been talking about adoption for a long time. Actually we began foster care classes in 2008 but then I found out I was pregnant and so we stopped going mainly because I was ready for bed before 7:30! Now that Lylah is 18 months old we have been talking a lot about our desire for a second child. Adoption had not left our hearts so it in fact came up again with these discussions. This time we began talking and praying about international adoption specifically through Congo. In our research we found that one in five children in Congo die before the age of five. Many children are forced to become soldiers or the girls become sex slaves. So after even more prayer we sent off an adoption application this morning. We will be using One World Adoption Services as our agency. Please join us in prayer and consider partnering with us (more info on how coming later). We realize this will be a journey of faith as it will surely come with trials, but we believe that in the end we will not only be making a difference in a beautiful child's life, but also bringing glory to our Heavenly Father who adopted us. If you have questions or would like to partner with us right away feel free to email me lara.mattingly81@gmail.com

Thanks in advance for joining with us on this journey!! Here are some sweet pictures of children in Congo (pulled off of google images). Be ready to fall in love. Pray!