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Les and Margie Dear Birth Parents, Thank you for taking the time to get to know us as
you are planning for your baby’s future.
Our names are Les and Margie, and we have a son named John
Gabriel that we had the privilege to adopt as a newborn in July, 2006.
We would love to adopt another child!
We are committed to creating a happy home, filled with laughter
and joy. We have both received significant love and sacrifice from our
own families, and we wish to share these blessings with a growing family
of our own! Les is a pediatrician and adult medicine doctor, and he
works at a Christian health center.
Margie is a maternal/child nurse who is now a stay at home mom. A little about us…  We met during college – through a group called
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and
we were married in 1997 after dating for 3 years.
Even though we’ve been married for
over 10 years, we are still very much in love.
We have a lot in common – including our values and our free time
activities. We really enjoy
spending time together as a family, and getting to be John’s parents has
brought us even closer. Between the two of us we have 19 nieces and
nephews- most within an hour’s drive.
We love to spend time with them- they are all a source of joy,
and they want more cousins! As a family we love to go hiking and camping
together! Before
becoming parents we climbed mountains and did rock climbing.
Although we still love the outdoors, our activities are a bit
more tame because we want to do things that include our son!
We would miss him too much otherwise!
We ride bikes often with John in the backseat.
We also go running in the forest preserves near our home and
church. John went to his
first national park in California at 6 weeks.
We had our first backcountry camping trip with John and his
grandparents just after his first birthday- he very much enjoys the
outdoors!
A little about Les…
My family lives nearby and we often do fun things
together as an extended family like camping trips, waterpark trips, and
birthday parties. My
parents are active and devoted grandparents who love John immensely and
look forward to more grandchildren to spoil!
We attend the same church and often spend Sunday afternoons
together. A little about
Margie… Being a full-time Mom is the best job I’ve ever had! I spent several years working as a maternal-child/labor & delivery nurse prior to becoming a mom, so to finally have the chance to take care of my own baby is wonderful! I love getting John dressed, changing him, feeding him, and playing with him! I
enjoy reading, running, sewing, and hiking.
At church, I teach the junior high Sunday School class and direct
the preschool “Cubbies” program on Wednesday nights.
I love to sing on the worship team on Sunday mornings, and I play
some piano. During the week
I get together with other stay-at-home moms and their kids to go running
or walking or to just spend time together.
I grew up in a large, Christian family with 6 kids.
Both of my parents are immigrants from Germany- so our homelife
was old-fashioned and traditional.
I love getting together with my siblings and all their kids,
all but one live within an hour of our home.
My mom makes up games to play and always has a little treat for
the grandchildren. My
father passed away in 2005. A little about John… John was born in July 2006 and his sweet smile has been a blessing and delight to all who meet him. John’s birthmom chose us to raise her son because she wanted a stable home for her baby. She loves him very much and we are so very grateful everyday for her courageous choice. We send her pictures and write letters. We got to meet her and her whole family at the time of John’s birth and then again at six months.John is very social and likes to be around other kids
very much. He easily gives hugs and attention to those around him.
He tries to be helpful around the house and we think he will be a
good big brother! Right now
he loves balls, trucks, dogs, and books but mostly wants to spend his
time interacting with us.
John is dearly loved by our extended families and spoiled by nearly
everyone at church. Our church and community... We live in a 2 story home in a friendly, suburban,
multi-cultural area. Our
home is within walking distance of
“blue ribbon” schools for all 12 grades- plus, a library and ice
cream shop downtown! We
participate in many of the community programs including baby-swimming,
toddler music, and infant lap-sit time at the library. Our plans for the future... If you do chose us for your child, we will be open
and honest about his background and origin. We will share about your
courage and sacrificial love.
We are happy to share pictures and letters with you as your child
matures, and look forward to meeting you.
We want our children to grow up in a caring and
nurturing environment where their own unique personality and talents
will flourish. Margie does
plan on continuing to be a full-time mom.
We hope that getting to know us a bit will help you
in your decision. We are
praying for you to have the courage and wisdom to make the best plan for
your precious baby. Les & Margie |
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Chris and Paula Dear Expectant Parent(s),  We are Chris, Paula & Allison! While we have not officially met, we have been praying for you and your family as you experience many ups and downs concerning your situation. We can’t say that we entirely know how you feel, but we do know how it feels to have your dreams & plans altered by circumstances. We have grieved the loss of four babies and had to wait seven years before adopting our little girl Allison. We also experience great joy in knowing that God can bring about amazing results through the hardest of times. We have been married for nine years. One of our greatest assets is the devotion we have to each other and to God. We know that marriage takes work. We take time out to nurture our relationship with each other (and with God). We feel one of the greatest gifts we can give our children is the sense of security in a love-filled marriage. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love, because God first loved us.” Chris says, “Our personalities & gifts provide for a nice balance as we work together to pursue goals and dreams with Christ as the center of our relationship.” About Chris... Chris is a Youth Pastor at a small church and he is pursuing a Master of Divinity degree. Growing up, Chris was active in his local Boy Scout troop receiving the Eagle Scout Award in 1990. In grade school he was involved in activities like little league, baseball, flag football and basketball leagues. He lettered in golf in High School and enjoyed writing about sports for the yearbook in college. Chris appreciated having a stay at home mom who raised him to be an upstanding young man with good manners. His dad spent time teaching him about home improvement & woodworking projects and participating in Boy Scout events with him. Chris is a very involved father, including changing diapers, feeding Allison breakfast and taking her for a walk or to the park. Here’s what Paula says about Chris, “Chris is one of the most loyal and honest people I know. Everything he does he is committed to 110%. He is a very compassionate and loving husband. When most people first meet Chris, they may think he is a quiet and reserved guy, but once you get to know him, you will understand his sense of humor and his fun loving personality. He cracks me up all the time! He’s passionate about always doing his best and cares very much for each of the students in his youth group.” Chris enjoys golfing, fishing, reading, watching football, playing basketball and watching movies. Others describe him as hardworking and he describes his personality as loyal, patient, sensitive and perseverant. About Paula.... Paula has a BA in graphic design and religion. She currently works part time at our church’s preschool as an administrative assistant. She loves watching how each child grows and develops over the school year. Music is one of Paula’s passions. She begged for piano lessons and started taking lessons at age five. She also began voice lessons at age seven. She began playing the cello in fourth grade. Paula continues to improve her music ability by singing with the church worship band & playing the cello for weddings. Paula LOVES being a mom. She says, “Since I was a little girl, I’ve always known that I was created to be a mother. I’ve always loved children and grew up babysitting as often as I could. Being a mom is one of God’s greatest callings.” Here’s what Chris says about Paula, “Paula is one of the most intelligent people I know. She is a very loving, honest, patient and compassionate person. She is very organized and works well with others, especially children.” Paula also enjoys bike riding, researching / surfing on the internet, looking for “bargains”, finding way to be “green” and watching movies. She describes herself as outgoing, fun, creative, a good listener, self confident and musically inclined.  About
Allison... Allison Mary (a.k.a. Alli or “Little Miss”) is our daughter whom we adopted at birth. She was born on January 3, 2007. Allison is a very loving, affectionate and happy child. She loves “reading” books, “talking” on the phone, playing outside and dogs. She loves being around people, but can also entertain herself very well. We were privileged to meet Alli’s first (birth) parents before she was born. We send pictures, e-mails, and DVDs as often as we are able. We also keep a website of pictures current that her first family can view at any time. Allison’s middle name (Mary) was chosen because it was her first mom’s middle name (which was also her mother’s middle name). We were pleased to be able to honor Alli’s first family following her first families’ name tradition. We think the name, Allison Mary, suits her well! We think Allison will make a great big sister! Her outgoing nature and love for people, already shows us how much she will love and cherish a younger sibling. She loves playing with other children in the church nursery and at the preschool where Paula works. As we add to our family through adoption, Alli will share a special bond with another person who not only grew up in the same house, but can identify with the feelings associated with adoption. We look forward to watching her develop a lasting relationship with a sibling. Our Community & Church...  We live in a small community in northern IL. Our hope is that living in a small community will teach our children to reach out and love their neighbors. We enjoy our location because we are less than 4 hours away from both sets of parents / grandparents and we are close enough to a larger city to do most anything we want. Our church has been a huge support to our family. They have walked with us through our hardships and rejoiced with us in our time of blessing. Allison has been well received into our congregation and has many friends near her age. We have a number of young families attend our church and because of the preschool, (which has around 100 students each year) there are endless possibilities for meeting new friends with children of various ages. Faith is obviously a very important part of our lives. We plan to raise our children in the church with a knowledge of who Jesus Christ is and give them an opportunity to choose to have their own personal relationship with the Lord. We know we won’t be perfect parents, but we trust that God will lead us in making good decisions. We also believe that each child is unique and it is part of our job to help our children discover what makes them unique and help them develop their talents & God given abilities. We pray for you (and those close to you) as you struggle and contemplate the best plan for your child’s future. We give thanks for your selflessness so this little one can have a chance at life. We are praying that God will lead us to the child that He intends to become a part our family. God has been faithful and we trust that he is preparing us all for more blessings in our future. |
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| David and Diane Dear Friend,  Thank you reading our letter. We are David and Diane. We feel like we know a little about you, just because you are reading this letter. You are a loving, giving, and unselfish person who is willing to take courageous steps. We imagine that you have a dream of a safe, secure, and happy family where your baby (or babies in the case of twins) can grow up and be cared for and loved. Perhaps you also dream of your baby growing up with brothers and sisters. We can guarantee one of each! So let us tell you about ourselves, so you can see if we are the family you are looking for. David is a kind of quiet guy with a romantic streak. He enjoys reading, and spends a lot of his time on the train to work reading. He enjoys science fiction, fantasy, sailing ships, etc. Another hobby is coin collecting; David collects coins of Panama and has even written articles for a coin collectors magazine. David was raised in the country of Panama where his parents were missionaries. He speaks fluent Spanish. He is detail-oriented which helps in his job, which is working with computers.  David is a strong, loving, Christian man. He treats other people gently and with respect, and spends lots of time with his family, including our daughter Gabrielle and our son Malachi. At church David sings each Sunday on the Worship Team, which he greatly enjoys. Diane greatly enjoys the outdoors. She likes to take lots of walks. When we make weekend plans, Diane suggests things like visiting forest preserves, river walks and parks, especially parks with water. Diane is a very loving and giving woman, especially where children are concerned. After graduating from college she worked in a day care center and a preschool. Later on, she got a job as a teacher's aide for preschoolers with special needs. Not everyone can do that kind of work but Diane excelled at it. She enthusiastically worked as a teacher's aide for several years until we adopted Gabrielle. Now she is a stay-at-home Mom and loves it. She loves to spend most of her time interacting with, playing with and teaching our son and daughter.  We have two children, both adopted through ECFA. Gabrielle was born in the summer of 2003. She is a happy and playful little girl, and enjoys interacting with people. Gabrielle loves being a big sister and spends a lot of time playing with Malachi. Malachi was born in the spring of 2006. Like his sister, Malachi is a happy little boy who enjoys people. He loves to smile, play and spend time with his family. We want to thank you again for reading our letter. We can only imagine the difficult decision you are making, but we pray that God will support you through it all with his love. We look forward to raising children and giving them a supportive and stable loving home, and we hope that we are that special family that you choose to trust with the future of your child. To find out more about us and see a lot more photos, please contact ECFA. God Bless You! David and Diane |
the right child for our family. When we met in 1995, we shared a
whirlwind romance and were engaged after two weeks of dating. On May
10th '07 we celebrated our 10- year wedding anniversary and continue to
grow daily as a couple. Life is a journey, relationships are work,
change is a process, and love is a gift.
visit his biological family, they thank us for all the love and care
we provide for Reece. It is clear to everyone that he is a very happy,
well cared for little boy, and our hearts are full of gratitude, pride
and joy. Our two families have become close and we have faithfully
maintained a relationship with Reece's biological family. We have had
numerous visits in person, exchange photos, and maintain phone contact.
We recognize that not every biological mother may want this degree of
relationship, so we remain open and sensitive to the specific hopes and
desires of each individual. | Pregnancy Support Services is a program of Evangelical Child and Family Agency |
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