Family Is People Who Love You for Who You Are
It’s hard to imagine what it would be like to be taken from the only family you’ve ever known. To leave behind your belongings...your home. Then, move in with a complete stranger. You are just a child. In that moment, the world must seem scary, dark, and hopeless.
For 15-year-old Laini and 4-year-old AJ, this isn’t the end of the story. It’s the beginning of a new one.
Hope has come.
Just over a year ago, the two siblings were adopted by Andrew and LaDeana.
“When I found out I was being adopted I was super excited because this is something I’ve always wanted. I was the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. They are my family." - Laini
Meet LaDeana. Today she’s a nurse practitioner, daughter, wife, mother of five, and an overcomer.
As a foster child beginning at age 5, she will tell you she has fought for every single victory won. She bounced from foster home to foster home. They didn’t want older kids. They told her she wouldn’t graduate from high school. She wouldn’t be a good mother...she had experienced too much abuse and neglect.
They were wrong.
The ways LaDeana loves are heartwarming. She listens and teaches her children from a place of deep understanding. She wants to provide a stable environment and safe place for her kids. Laini, AJ, Lex, Aly and Drew are well-adjusted, thoughtful and silly kids who love God and each other.