Joel and Kendra’s Letter

Hello Friend,

Even if you don’t read anything else, we want you to know that you are loved, and your story is important.  We don’t know you yet, but we have been praying for you as you make hard decisions and navigate this path for you and your precious baby.  No matter what you choose or where you are in your journey, we hope you feel supported.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to introduce ourselves and give you a glimpse into our family.  We are Kendra and Joel.  We met in college in 2007, became close friends, decided our lives were better together, and have now been married for almost 12 years.  Throughout those years, we have been on many adventures together, including travels, living overseas, memorable concerts, fixing up our old home, and, most notably, starting a family together.  Wherever we find ourselves, we strive to create an environment welcoming to all and full of laughter, curiosity, acceptance, and love.  We both believe that God is in everyone and everything, and his love can shine through even in the darkest of places.

Joel is the Activity Director in a local non-profit that works with adults with developmental disabilities and works part-time for one of our church ministries.  He has a fun and energetic spirit, is always pursuing some creative endeavor, and has a talent for authentically connecting with people.  Kendra recently completed her MPA and works remotely as a Program Officer for an international non-profit.  She is intentional, dedicated, and always ready to go the extra mile for the people she loves.  We both are grateful to have the opportunity to serve the community with the unique gifts God has given us.

From the very beginning of our relationship, we believed that adoption would be part of our story.  We were both surprised and overjoyed when we had our son Julien in 2015.  He has boundless energy, is full of jokes, obsessed with Spiderman, and always thinking up stories.   As a family, we love to spend time in the kitchen baking and cooking together (there might also be some really ridiculous dancing), gardening, hiking, making new animal friends, and playing games.  We’re blessed to have four of the very best grandparents here in town, allowing us to take every opportunity to celebrate and spend time together.  Our church family, particularly our small group, plays an important role in our family life.   This community is a place that helps us all grow in our faith and share life’s struggles and joys.    Our friends, family, and especially Julien can’t wait to welcome another child.

If you decide to make an adoption plan, we want to assure you that we will respect you and whatever level of openness and contact you want to have with your child.   We will raise them to know and feel confident in their unique story and know that they are loved by you.

We wish that we could sit down for coffee with you because there is only so much a letter like this can convey, and we have so many questions about you.  Thank you for reading our letter.  Wherever you find yourself, know that God has created you and your baby for a purpose and has a great story for you.

Grace & Peace,
Joel & Kendra
joelandkendra.adopt@gmail.com; (325) 400-1502

Christian Homes & Family Services:  1-800-592-4725   |   Text:  888-313-4725   |   Chat:  https://christianhomes.com/