A Father & Mother's Testimony
A Father & Mother's Testimony - For Our Son William Joshua Caleb
by the McNutt's
This is our testimony about our adopted son. The Bible says every good and perfect gift is from above, and our son has certainly been that. This testimony is to God’s honor and may all glory be given to him as a result. Our story demonstrates God’s power, how He answered prayers of so many to bring Joshua into our lives in April 2005. This story also testifies to God’s faithfulness, his will and plan for lives, his care and provision, his grace, mercy, joy, love and peace.
I had just started a discipleship training course on “Experiencing the Heart of Jesus” when God brought the miracle of Joshua into our lives. God used Bethany Christian Services as his vessel throughout the adoption journey and a special birthmother who chose the best for her child out of love. We want to honor her also with this testimony.
Before we started the adoption process my wife had two miscarriages in July 1995 and August 1999 which, needless to say, left us very empty; but God had his plan. I was always against adoption because I felt it was someone else’s child, but one Sunday in October 2003 God changed that forever. The Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home gave a presentation about their children who had no home or families. God spoke to my heart and changed my view of adoption. That Sunday night while teaching discipleship training on “Walking through the Bible in One Year”, we were discussing the portion of Genesis in which God asked Abraham to pick up and go to a place where he would lead. It was then that the Lord spoke to me about stepping out in faith on adoption and letting him lead.
We started the adoption process in November 2003. We picked seven Christian agencies to look at including Children’s Hope International, All God’s Children, and Bethany Christian Services. We did not know which agency to choose until we called Bethany and Erin, the receptionist, told us that Bethany “doesn’t adopt our children out, we adopt parents for our children”. This was God’s direction for us to choose Bethany as his vessel for our adoption. Listed below is our wonderful journey with all of the ups and downs. All along the way, God was in total control and held our future. In our statement of faith that we gave Bethany we fell back constantly on verses such as 1 Samuel 1:27 on Hannah, Psalm 62:5, Philippians 4:19, Matthew 6;33, Proverbs 3:5-6, 1 Peter 5:6-10, Joshua 1:9, Joshua 24:15, Matthew 7:7-8 and Isaiah 41:10.
December 2003 before we had completed all of application paperwork, a young women in North Carolina possibly had a child for us, but she never came back to Bethany to follow up.
December 2003-January 2004 - Adoption application with all paperwork was finalized.
March 2004 - Our Home Study and Family Profile Finalized
April 2004 - Baby girl, Lela, in Iowa with special medical needs was a possible placement for us. However on 04/29/04 we received a call that she had severe medical complications and was put back into intensive medical care. She was not available for adoption due to these complications. We put her on our church prayer list.
May 2004 - Possible placement of a baby boy in Pennsylvania. On 05/17/04 we received news that the baby was placed with the birthmother’s parents.
July 2004 - Possible placement in Florida that never materialized.
May 18, 2004 - November 14, 2004 - Silent Months.
September 2004 - We received news that little baby Lela had died in Iowa.
November 14, 2004, Discussed with pastor discouragement of nothing happening with adoption process and had alter time with him. During this period my wife had had 5 surgeries and my job was rather rocky - God was testing.
Then on November 15, 2004, after the above, we received two calls in one morning from Bethany. First a special needs baby body in Iowa who was born on 10/24/04. We were being considered for this baby along with two other couples.
We received a call later that morning that we were chosen in North Carolina off of our Family Profile by a birthmother named Nicole and were chosen by our age, not having children, our pets and by God’s hand through Nicole not aborting this child since she was in women’s prison.
November 15-20, 2004 – We shared this wonderful news with family/friends/church family.
November 21-22, 2004 - We traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina and met with Nicole, the birthmom and spent a special visit with her and prayed with her (The baby was due between January 1st and January 15th of 2005).
January 4, 2005 - We received 8:00 pm call from Bethany that Nicole had changed mind and, decided to keep the baby in her family (learned later that Nicole had been heavy on crack cocaine during her second trimester). This loss was very difficult, as painful as a miscarriage.
January 6, 2005 - We received news of a possible placement of a special needs one month-old baby boy in Atlanta, GA
January 27, 2005 - We received news of another possible placement of a special needs baby boy with Dunn-Fisher, but the family changed to another agency in February 2005.
February 16, 2005, the baby boy’s family in Atlanta changed to another adoption agnecy that already had Ortho network to better care and place child.
February 2005 – We were considered for a newborn baby boy in Maryland, however another family was selected in March 2005.
April 12, 2005 - THE CALL to my wife in Clarksville at 2:00. Bethany had a baby boy in their office that day. They asked if we wanted to adopt this baby boy and Sharon tells them “YES!” I drove home from Nashville and picked up Sharon. By 5:00 pm we were holding William Joshua Caleb - In God’s perfect time and his will just like that!
April 14, 2005 - The count down for birthmom’s termination of parental rights. She had 10 days to change her mind.
April 24, 2005 - THE FINAL TEST - Birthmom on last day changed her mind and was going to the court house. But with prayers and the power of God she decided at last moment that it was best for her son to be adopted. God delivered again.
Between April 12th - May 15th I took Family Medical Leave from work and this time with my wife and son will always be a precious memory. We had our church shower for Joshua, his baby dedication at our church, and our first Mothers day in church. When I returned to work I had whole new perspective with stronger faith and trust in God’s awesome power and love. God was indeed in control throughout our journey even when we did not see it or understand what was going on (Romans 8:28). This verse encouraged us to follow and stay on the path of God’s plan for our lives. In his time he makes all things perfect.
June 2005 - I gave this testimony in our church. I also had opportunity to give it again at a church singing with Glovers and Terry Terrell.
November 2005 - William Joshua Caleb’s adoption finalization. Joshua was officially and legally signed over in court as our son.
This testimony indeed demonstrates that all things are possible with God. Don’t ever give up. Hope in Christ is eternal and all praise and glory to our Father in heaven.
Today, we continue to be amazed by our little son: the first time he crawled, his first birthday, his first steps, his first words, his first Thanksgiving and Christmas, introducing him to our family, our church family, his first camping trip with us, our first anniversary of picking him up, his 2nd birthday, our 2nd Christmas with him, his growing up, his learning to pray and say John 3:16 by memory and his upcoming 3rd birthday in August this year (2007). Through all of this we see God’s love for us and for this very precious son that he placed in our lives.
This testimony pales in comparison to the journal that my wife has maintained on Joshua since we have had him. She puts her heart-felt observations and comments into this journal that one day will be given to our son to show him the love we have for him as God’s gift to us.
A friend of ours dedicated the poem below to us when we received Joshua:
The True Blessings of Life
Today our Hearts are filled with Love
Because we have a new baby boy,
A new blessing added to our lives
And to fill our home with Joy.
God has been so faithful in his promise
That what you ask, you will receive
All you have to do is wait and trust
And in your heart believe.
William Joshua Caleb a blessing by God
To fill our hearts with meaning and care
We promise to love forever Son
And you know we will always be here
We thank our Lord for this precious gift
That you sent to us with Love,
And we will always be grateful forever
To our Father up above.