Nathan & Lindsay

Dearly Beloved Birth Parents
We think of you often, praying as a family for you and the wonderfully made child God is knitting together in your precious womb. We rejoice in this new life and the gift you are bringing into the world. As unexpected or emotionally trying this time may feel, we hope your heart takes comfort in knowing that God had a good plan for this beloved little one before the world began. And He has good plans for you too! We are forever grateful for your willingness to step into this journey of adoption with us, giving us the honor of being a part of your story -- and you, a part of ours! We already love you and the gift of your little one, more than words can say.

Our Love Story
Our love for Jesus and our excitement to follow him drew us together, along with the bright idea of my good friend…who happens to be Nathan’s sister! After two years of dating, Nathan and I were thrilled to get to marry one another 🙂 We share the same hopes and dreams and desires for our lives; ultimately to glorify God by loving him and loving others sincerely and sacrificially. Our marriage, as promised in our vows to one another, is one of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven us. And above all these things we have promised to love one another binding everything together in harmony. We are grateful for the gift of marriage and family and adoption in our life.

Our Heart for Adoption
Before getting married, Nathan’s younger sister placed her daughter for adoption. The adoptive family made such an imprint on our hearts and lives that made us all the more eager to bless, love and welcome a child along with their birth family, just as we (Nathan’s sister and the entire family) has been. Our hearts deeply desire to extend genuine love in this unique way.

My Husband, Nathan
Nathan is a patient, kind, funny, light-hearted husband and father. His humble heart and genuine love are what I am most thankful for. He is committed to seeing our family flourishing in all areas of life and is quick to lay down his preferences for the sake of others. Nathan has a wonderful sense of adventure and loves to discover new things with our daughter. Together, they love dancing and playing music, cooking in her little kitchenette, reading and going for walks. He loves nothing more than seeing Amari laugh and play with a free heart. He is generous, hospitable and so gracious. I think about Nathan as our family’s strong and rooted oak tree, keeping us grounded and protected against the storms of life.

Fun Facts about Nathan:

  • Nathan enjoys playing guitar, writing music and listening to all genres
  • He loves a good Chicago style pizza with a cold Coke
  • Growing up, his family always went to a special lake that’s become a  home away from home
  • The best evenings are spent around a bonfire with good music and good people
  • He finds apocalyptic and action-packed movies intriguing
  • He’s our very own handyman and can fix almost anything in the house
  • He is calm in the chaos, unhurried in the hustle and bustle and helps us enjoy all the little things in life

My Wife, Lindsay
Lindsay is a beautiful, amazing woman who is full of life and laughter. She is driven to honor God, love her family and serve those around her. Her passion, excitement for life and loving heart are my favorite things about her. As an elementary school teacher, she has always been great with children, and in the last two years I have had the awesome privilege of seeing her blossom as a wonderful mother too. I often stand in amazement when I see how well she cares for and encourages our daughter, Amari. They love to run, dance, read, laugh and learn together. She is everything I could ask for in a wife and more. I feel very blessed to be the man who gets to spend the rest of his life with her.

Fun Facts about Lindsay:

  • Lindsay is outgoing and has lots of energy
  • She swam 4 years on her University swim team
  • She loves to travel and has visited/lived in many places around
  • the world including: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Spain, Italy, Greece,Dubai, Hungary, Kenya and Ethiopia!
  • Lindsay can speak 4 different languages: English, Spanish, Amharic and Somali
  • She loves visiting her grandparents farm and running around with the baby calves
  • Lindsay enjoys nothing more than playing with and teaching our daughter, Amari Her favorite color is purple, her favorite food is ice cream and she has a wonderful laugh

Our Daughter, Amari
In the summer of 2018, we were chosen to be the parents of this sweet girl. The months leading up to Amari’s birth, we grew in trust and relationship with her amazing birth mom. Our hearts burst with love for this courageous and strong woman and the beautiful gift of her little girl. It has been our joy to get to know her, pray for her and grow together. We couldn’t be more thankful.

Amari is as sweet as her smile shows. Her heart is kind, warm, playful and so generous. She is tender and gentle and loves to care for others. Amari is always looking to include others, and loves to be included herself 🙂 She enjoys coloring, looking at animals, doing dishes and helping in the kitchen, playing in her sandbox, being chased, singing and dancing, reading and sweeping the floors. Most of all, she absolutely loves making people laugh…and she’s pretty good at it too!

Amari gets a big, excited smile on her face each night when we talk about and pray for our new baby and their birth parents. She can’t wait to be a big sister! And we can’t wait to see how they grow together in friendship, support and love.

Fun Facts about Amari:

  • Amari is Haitian and African American
  • She loves Face Timing with her grandparents and birth mom
  • Amari is always looking for ways to help others and share what she has.
  • She loves anything chocolate
  • She is already bilingual
  • Amari loves to read and act out the books
  • Her most favorite game is “Come get me!”

Our Lives Together
In 2016 we moved to Ethiopia where we have been learning the language and culture while working alongside our national friends to bring about better education for the children in our community.

Our lives are filled with lots of wonderful people, good food, belly laughs, sunny days and adventure. We enjoy the work we do and love the people we get to work with. Nathan manages an English program with the help and direction of a national friend, while continuing to learn language, build relationships in the community and fund raise for our next project. I, Lindsay, have the joy and delight of being a full-time mom to Amari. Together we spending most of our days chasing one another around the house, in language class, out visiting and playing with the neighbors, reading, finger painting, playing in the sand or hanging out in the kitchen.

We are thankful for all the extra little blessings of life overseas -- like the opportunity to travel, seeing many different people and other ways of life, appreciating the little things, having a growing worldview and gaining empathy, being comfortable and able to easily shift between many different cultures and becoming very close as a family. We believe there are countless benefits to living overseas and feel that it will better shape and prepare our children so that they are able to best love and serve those around them wherever they find themselves in this world.

Together we like to go for evening walks and enjoy seeing all the animals out roaming the streets…Amari especially likes the camels, goats, cows and cats! We also enjoy eating out at a nearby restaurant, visiting our friends, drinking coffee, reading books and making up funny games together.

Our Families
Even though we didn’t start dating until college, Nathan and I grew up in the same hometown. In fact, my parent live 5 minutes away from Nathan’s parents! It’s been such a joy to be so close with our families. They each play a special role in our lives and are a huge support and encouragement to us and our work.

In Ethiopia, we’ve formed a new family! And we wouldn’t be able to do life without them. They have shown us deep love and kindness as they welcome us into their hearts and homes. We do daily life with an Ethiopian brother and sister who are more dear to us than we could have ever imagined and love us more deeply than we could have ever hoped. We couldn’t think of a life without our Ethiopian friends and family.

Our Promise: As adoptive parents, we promise to love, honor and raise this little one as a unique person created in the image of God. We promise to be a tune to and provide for all of their physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual needs. We promise to patiently help and fully equip them with all they need to flourish in this diverse world. We promise to remind them daily how much they are loved and cherished by God and others, and will teach them about the promises of God in the Bible. We promise to model for them a sincere love and respect for others by being generous and helpful. Lastly, we promise to have fun with them — lots of fun! with lots of laughing and lots of wonderful memories — that they would have the fullest life possible.

Our Hope: It is our hope that our children would have wonderful and diverse life experiences that shape their hearts to be compassionate, loving and helpful people. We hope for our children to know and live with a deep sense of purpose by using their unique gifts and talents to bless those around them. And we hope that they would become the kind of person who you would enjoy hanging out with!

Our Desires: We desire to have an open adoption; for our child to grow up knowing, loving and bonding with their birth family. We believe this unique relationship can be a mutual blessing and encouragement to everyone. We know that you, as birth parents, have something to offer not only to our child, but to our whole family. We desire for them to be proud of where they came from and of their unique story, and to be grateful for the sacrifice their birth parents made, in love.

Beloved Birth Parents
It is with a sincere heart that we thank you for choosing life for this little one, and for loving them in such a strong and sacrificial way. We continue to pray for you daily and the sweet gift you are bringing into the world. Know that you are loved, cherished and deeply respected in our family. Our hearts overflow with hope and expectation that we will soon get to welcome another child and their birth family into our lives. Dear birth mom, may your heart be filled with a peace that surpasses understanding…we are with you and for you!

With all our hearts,
Nathan, Lindsay & Amari

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