Feelings jumbled inside me. Excitement. A little bit of trepidation. How would this work? This open adoption thing? Would they be willing to accept my daughter into their lives along with her baby? What would that mean to her baby?
"Tell me about it! Who are they? Where do they live? How do you know?"
"You remember when I first started searching? I saved a couple of profiles. Today I felt like going back to them, and as I looked at this family's video I felt so connected to them. So I prayed and asked Heavenly Father just like you said, and he said - you already know they are the family! Come and see the video!"
She took me to a video that Melanee and Branden had created. The first thing that struck me in it all was the importance of family in their life. Not just their immediate family, but also their extended family and even adoptive family. They shared about their first son's birth mother freely. She was a part of their lives. She was "part of their family" even though there was no blood relation. This meant a lot to me. And as we watched, I could feel the spirit touch my heart, confirming my daughter's decision.
Kalina sat down and made a phone call right away to the number in the contact information. It only allowed her to leave a message, so she did so, the went to email where she composed a sweet message and sent it to them. Very soon she heard back from them. In their email they let Kalina know they had recently (within the last month) adopted a little boy, and if it made a difference they would completely understand. She and I looked at each other. Why would that make a difference? Heavenly Father had answered her prayer - her baby was supposed to go to them. As long as they also felt it, she would proceed on the Lord's agenda. They were located in Utah and since Ben was there on business at the time, we arranged for him to go over and meet with Branden who was home with their new baby, K. Ben called back later, sharing that he really enjoyed his time with Branden.
Over the next few months we skyped each other a few times. During the summer we took a trip to Utah to see family and met Melanee and Branden in person, along with their two little boys. It was good that Kalina knew what direction she was taking. It gave her a purpose. Something to focus on at a time when she needed it. And still we wondered - how will this work? But it was okay. We had received confirmation that this was the right answer. We would live by trust. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5-6) God was in control. All would be well.
