Dear Birth Parents,
As a mother, I (Cheryl) understand how much your child means to you. You love your baby and want nothing but the best for him/her; and as much as it hurts, your love is the reason you are considering placing your child with a nurturing family. I hope that we are that family for your baby. Since before we were married, David and I had always considered adopting. After much time, thought, and prayer, we knew that adoption was the way we would build our family.
In May of 2017, we received news that we were chosen by Eli’s birth parents to raise their son. While we still had to wait several months before he was born, we were ecstatic. Late one night, we got a text message from A Act of Love Adoptions: “It’s time! The doctor has scheduled an induction. You need to come now.” Within less than 24 hours, we boarded an international flight to Salt Lake City to meet our son. I remember walking into the hospital nursery, looking at our new baby. It was surreal. He was so tiny and helpless; a beautiful baby boy! We decided to give him the first name Eli, which means “My God,” and the middle name Jaden, meaning “God has heard; thankful.” God had heard our many prayers for a child and had given us a beautiful son; we are forever grateful to Him and Eli’s birth family.
Eli has completely changed our lives. David and I went from a family of two to a family of three overnight. While there have been many sleepless nights, our home has been filled with so much laughter and joy. It seems like everyday Eli is doing something new; from the first day that he crawled, to his first steps, and even his first words, it is hard to believe that he is growing up so fast.
David and I teach at an international school in Qatar, a modern country in Asia. The school we work for provides a US education to American children and other international families that live and work abroad. While the majority of the students at our school are from the US, there are over 80 nationalities represented. Students are from all over the world, including the Americas, Africa, Europe, Australia, and Asia.
The school provides staff members with housing. We live in a large gated community that is for the 300+ staff members and their families. Most families, several of whom have been built through adoption, come from the US and Canada, but there are also some from Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. The community has a clubhouse that has amenities like a large infinity pool, a child’s playroom, an outside playground, tennis and basketball courts, and a game room. Children freely play around the neighborhood. All the parents and children love having this safe, relaxing neighborhood to spend time together.
While our hearts and home are filled with so much love and joy, our family of three is not yet complete; we are waiting for another baby. If you choose us to raise your child, he or she will belong to a caring family. We will provide for all of his/her needs. Your child will receive the very best education, graduate from high school and have the opportunity to go to college. But most importantly, I promise you that we will love your child more than anything in the world and will raise him/her in a loving, Christian home.
Love,
Cheryl, David & Eli
Quick Facts
• We have been married for over 10 years.
• We adopted Eli from A Act of Love Adoptions.
• David teaches middle school math.
• Cheryl teachers 1st grade.
• David grew up on a farm in California.
• Cheryl grew up in Thailand, Laos, and Malaysia.
• David enjoys camping, fishing and playing the guitar.
• Cheryl enjoys crafts, playing volleyball, and catching up on the latest episodes of her shows.
• Eli loves dancing to music, toy cars, dogs and cats, and playing outside with friends.
• We travel around the world during our winter, spring, and summer breaks.
• We go home each summer to visit family and friends.
• On the weekends, we spend time as a family swimming at the beach or pool, playing at parks, barbecuing, and going out
to eat with friends.
