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Our Story:  (Click here to leave the family a message of encouragement)

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Adoption is something that is very near and dear to our hearts. We feel that it is a calling from God to take in children who need a family. The thought of a child growing up without the support of loving parents and a family keeps me up at night. We have been very blessed with two biological children and four adopted children. It has been such a joy to be their parents and watch them grow and blossom. Our adopted children have overcome some very big challenges and they amaze me every day. Our son has had multiple surgeries because of a genetic condition, and our daughter suffers from a seizure disorder. They are all amazing and we are so proud to be their parents. About six years ago my husband and I started thinking about adopting again. Our oldest two children were now adults and we felt the time was right…then Hurricane Sandy hit and our lives became very chaotic for the next few years. Not only was our home destroyed, our children’s school was also badly damaged and so was our church. We were displaced, our children would have to go to a new school, and everything was a mess. We had to be evacuated in the back of a National Guard truck because the floodwater had gotten so high. This was especially traumatic for our daughter who has autism and a seizure disorder and our son who has significant medical needs. Our home, which once belonged to my great grandparents, had never flooded and had withstood many hurricanes, but Hurricane Sandy was the exception. It certainly was a “Superstorm”. We were initially displaced for a year while the first phase of reconstruction began. We were then temporarily able to move back for a short period of time until phase two began… the raise. Our home is about 150 years old so it did not do too well during this phase and suffered quite a bit of damage. We would not be able to move back in for two more years. There were many bumps along the way, less-than-honest contractors, long waiting lists, and the biggest hurdle for us, we did not have any flood insurance so had to pay out of pocket and take out a pension loan. It was a huge undertaking trying to pay for all of the repairs which totaled more than $220,000. On top of all of that, it meant we would have to put our adoption plans on hold. 

Fast forward five years…
We are now back in our home, although we still owe money to contractors who were nice enough to let us make payments. We have drained all of our savings on the home repairs and we are still not paid up for the work that was done. We had put our adoption plans on hold for many years…Then, about 6 months ago, we received an email from an international adoption agency showing some children who had been waiting for families for many years. We fell in love with a little girl who's photo we saw on their website. She has a serious heart condition. She had lived her entire life in an orphanage and desperately wanted parents. On top of that, she would require another surgery for her heart in the near future. We knew we had found our daughter. We have now finished our homestudy and are trying to raise the needed funds to bring her home. This is a very sick little girl who has been waiting far too long for a family. We want to give her the opportunity to have parents and a family that love her and every opportunity to reach her full potential. 
-Sandy & Bob Close