AdoptionHSBC

Hello Everybody,

We have another new addition to our church family. Join with me in congratulating The Pucketts - Ken, Angela, Noah and Luke on the birth of their third child - Grace Havene. Angela gave birth less than a week after attending our last meeting!
She sent me this email:

Wanted to let you know that our sweet Grace was born Saturday(April 18th) morning at 1:33am. She weighed 9lbs 4 oz and is 20 1/2 in long

Thank you Lord for the blessing of little Grace!
We look forward to meeting her soon!
Teri Lavallet

Cobb and I have been married for about 4.5 years.  We have two biological children, Madison (Maddie), who is 4 years old, and Olivia, who is 16 months.  We have always been interested in adopting, but are not to the point in our lives where we can.  However, we want to learn as much as we can through the Hunter Street Adoption Meetings.  My cousin is going through the process now, and she is currently in VN picking up her son.  This is the 3rd child she had been placed with.  She lost her first child to government paper work, and then her second to pneumonia during the final process.  Watching her and  her husband go through the ups and downs of the adoption process is so hard, and like my cousin, I pray that everyone holds onto their faith and never gives up hope.  We feel adoption is the root of our faith, since we were adopted by Christ. We can share the joy that he has given us, and we hope to do that SOON. 

Keith and I knew we wanted to adopt since before we were even engaged. We aren't quite at the right moment in our lives but are super-thrilled to learn as much as possible and see the different options etc (we will qualify to start the application in June 2010). We will be pursing a domestic sibling set from foster care between the ages of 5-10y.o.


Keith and I met in undergrad at Mississippi State University and were married the week after graduation (5/12/07). We moved to Birmingham that week where I started in the pathology department at UAB studying breast cancer metastasis.... Eventually want to work in an academic setting, teaching courses and maybe doing research as well... He has a graphic design degree and does that free-lance. While he looks for a full-time job in that field, he currently is the asst. manager at the McAlister's on lakeshore. Additionally, we just bought our first house back in April! (in Irondale). Hunter street was the first of a list of eight churches we were going to try when we first moved to Bham, but we visited HSBC once and never went anywhere else. What a fantastic group of people that have meant so much to both of our spiritual lives. Our Sun School class is great and I also get to help out with the ESL classes.

Jose Pablo/ Nathan Lee.... 2.5 weeks old

Our journey to adoption began after 3 years of trying to start a family. We began the process in December of 06. We are adopting our son from Guatemala. At the time we were told it would be a 9-12 month process. Now, two years and 4 months later we are still not sure when he will come home forever. We pray it will be very soon....

We have been to for two visit trips, once when Nathan was 4.5 months old and again when he was 10.5 months old.... the best two weeks of our lives!

This is Nathan now. He is almost 22 months old.

This has been the longest and toughest journey of our lives, but God has been so faithful and taught us so much. This journey started out with the motive of creating a family. God had much bigger plans. Even though it has not been easy, I am thankful God has chosen us. We are forever changed by this journey. Nathan is our son. We want nothing more than for him to come home, but God is in complete control. Our hope and trust is in Him.

Follow our journey at www.babyallums.blogspot.com

~Stephanie and Casey