IT IS NEVER TO LATE TO ADOPT!

This is our story!

I had 3 miscarriages and we had an eighteen year old son and we knew that the desire to have another child would always be there. So we met with Amy and began the process of educating ourselves on adoption. We knew we wanted a little girl and prayed for a newborn. It took us 2 years, but through it all I can truly say I prayed everyday and knew one day we would hold Kaitlyn in our arms! We had her name picked out and her room all fixed up in pink!

We went through some up and downs with a few situations, and we tried to keep our chins up knowing God would give us the one that was truly mean't for us! And I can say without a doubt, God knew what he was doing! Kaitlyn has the same interest and she is so much like us! Her spirit is so sweet!

Our experience with the birthmother was pleasant! We talked to the birthmother about what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. And helped her in many different ways. We got her a job, found her a place to live and helped her get started with a new life for herself. We opened up our home and she lived with us for a month before Kaitlyn was born. She agreed to let us be in the delivery room as Kaitlyn was being born. There are many different situations out there, but this is how we chose to deal with ours!

And our experience with The Link was awesome! We made a scrapbook together and enjoyed each others company. Amy was there for questions and a "Keep your chin up" through the two years of waiting! We really wanted to question why two years, but then when our day came, we knew for sure God had Kaitlyn picked out for us all along!

Kaitlyn is 6 years old now, and has won a beauty pageant with Miss NC, she loves to take dance and enjoys being girlish! We were so blessed and The Link was there through it with us, always just a phone call away!

Rita and Bill Connell

The Mantooth Family Adoption - October 27, 2007

Karen and I want to personally thank Link Adoption and our Lord Jesus Christ who have given us the greatest blessing that our lives will experience besides our salvation and the Lord’s Return.

That moment was the adoption of “Joshua Mark Mantooth” on the day of October 13, 2005.

Throughout our 7-˝ years of attempting to have a child, we spent the first four years using natural and artificial methods to conceive. The last 3-˝ years were spent on finding a child to adopt into our lives.

During the first four years, we did not consider adoption. But as we prayed, the Lord touched our hearts to find this special love, for children, in the need of family.

The next 3-˝ years had it struggles. At first, we simply believed that looking and finding a child would be easy. Thru the process, we learned that patience and prayer was a necessity as we search, prayed, talked with birth mothers and understood the situation.

In honesty, we witness and experienced trials and struggles throughout the process. There were promises of being chosen by the birth mothers who changed their minds and there were times that we experienced fraudulent behavior by those claiming to be pregnant.

However looking back two years later after adopting our son, it was necessary for God to allow these things to happen. God used Link Adoption and our adversities to direct us toward this perfect child, who was “given” to our lives.

Picture this: Imagine that your mind expects “nothing less” than what YOU desire and picture of an adopted child. After all, you are investing your time, emotions and finances. Now think about what happens if YOUR hopes are compromise and diminished when an adoptive mother changes her mind. But if you and your spouse PRAY and stay focus on allow Link Adoption to continue its ministry, the Lord will faithfully meet your DESIRES. He has for us!!

Allow the Lord to ministry to your heart in preparation for the gift of a child and what blessings the Lord has planned in your lives. There are NO words to describe HIS blessing and how God has used Link Adoption to be the “bridge” between your family and your future child.

God is faithful to those who believe in Him and delights themselves in the Lord.

We personally want Link Adoption to continue in its ministry. The Miller’s are Godly people and have a special heart for the Birth Mothers and children who are born. We believe it is God’s Will for these precious babies to find Christian Homes so that parents can bring love and Christian principles into their lives. As for Karen and I, we continue to encourage Link’s ministry thru financial support. Our prayer is that the Lord continues to find Christian homes for these children.

If you are planning a family, please consider and PRAY if God wants you to adopt so that God can bless the child and your lives!! Also pray for Link Adoption and see if can minister unto you desires for an adopted child.

Love in Christ,

Mark and Karen Mantooth

Amy,

Thank you for all that you have done in helping make our biggest dream come true! You will never know how much it means to us. Thank you also for listening to the voice of the Lord and being obedient to His Word. We know you will receive many rewards in Heaven. We thank God for sending you into our lives. Without you and God, we would have not been able to experience such a fulfilling and unspeakable joy! We Love You!

Kevin and Jayme

This child is our prayer, our dream, our miracle.

Amy,

Samuel's first outing was last night to Christmas eve service at church - how appropriate during this season of miracles! Joe and I both couldn't help but think that it was last year on our way home from that service that we both agreed we were going to try and adopt, despite being told by several agencies that our age would keep that from ever happening. We are so grateful to have found LINK and that now our miracle is in our arms.

Thanks for everything! We have several folks who have talked to us about our adoption experience, and they may be contacting you soon.

Love,

Phyllis, Joe, and Samuel Clayton Biggerstaff

A Family Letter About Adoption

Thanks to all that helped us complete our family. To all that prayed for us, cried with us, and helped us with all that goes into adoption, we so appreciate you and all you did. Amy...... we love you and are so blessed to have you enter our lives. Thank you for what you do and who you are.

Wayne, Tracy, Caroline, Tristan and Kennedie.

A Birth Mothers Prospective of LINK - Cari

My name is Cari, and I am a previous birthmom of Amy Miller, through Link Adoption...

Having placed twice, I would like to go over some of the pro's of working with Amy verses another agency... more specifically... LARGE agencies, or those who are FOR profit organizations.

When I placed my daughter in 2001, I had just turned 17. I started working with an agency then that did not only domestic, but international adoptions as well. Their clientel list was large... Their staff number almost as large... I thought with so many people that I would be able to get the attention that I needed...

During the pregnancy... I met with them ONCE. I was six months along at the time of contacting them... The social worker they sent out to me was harsh and uncaring... Mainly focusing on getting information... not really taking the time to care about my emotional needs at the time. Their main focus? Making 100% sure that the adoption went through.

At the hospital, no one came to see me from the agency. My daughter was placed in NICU as a result of PPHN... Yet still, no one from the agency came. In fact, the day that I was told by doctors that my daughter may not make it, they were strongly pushing papers at me from across the miles, encouraging me to sign. They went so far as having the nurses start talking to me about why I hadn't started signing papers yet... And my daughter was barely 24 hours old...

Because I wasn't willing to sign papers with my daughters life in balance, the adoptive couple flew back home to California. That left me there alone in the NICU with my daughter... whom we knew may not survive... The agency constantly called me asking me if I was ready to sign papers yet... And when I finally was, it took another three days for them to get someone out to me to sign papers.

I was extremely emotional, and they actually told me to put my daughter down to come sign the papers... Papers were signed, and less than 12 hours later, the agency was gone... The adoptive parents showed up....

Two years passed... Every time I called because I wanted to talk, they were always too busy, would call back later, or told me that I would be okay and left it at that. I was offered counseling, but never given it... I was promised pictures and letters, and when they didn't come through, the agency shrugged it off saying they were too busy.

Then in 2003, I got pregnant with a little boy. I was in an abusive relationship and didn't know which way to turn... That's when I contacted Amy... Right away, she took the time to talk to me. She didn't pass me off to someone else... She was there... Day AND night... No matter what time it was, she was always available...

I relocated to NC, and officially started working with Amy in Sept 2003... Amy matched me with a couple that I wanted... She took my considerations and wishes into view, and chose a couple that matched perfectly with me... When the couple became hesitant and then decided not to follow through, once again Amy was right there for me. She found another couple less than 48 hours later...

Through out the entire pregnancy, Amy was always there for me. Never once was she "too busy" despite her own family and needs. She's was always there to talk to, take me to appointments, take me shopping for groceries... No matter how big or small... she was always there.

When it came time to deliver, Amy was actually at the hospital for the delivery. She made my wishes clear, stepped in when nurses overstepped their bounds, and made sure things were done the way I wanted them done and that I got the best possible medical care that there was.

Once again faced with a NICU baby, Amy was right there at my side. She never once pushed for papers to be signed, but when I said I was ready, someone was there for me within 2 hours time. My needs came first... the adoptive parents came second. She was more focused on making sure that this adoption was what I really wanted to do, instead of mainly looking out for the couple... She wanted to make sure I was doing what was best for me... not anyone else.

Now, a year later, I am still friends with Amy. We talk regularly, and like always, she is still there for me whenever I need her. Though I am expecting my third child (a little boy in March)... I now feel that I am ready to parent...

Unlike the other agency that found out I was pregnant again in 2003, Amy has supported mine and my significant others decision to parent this child. I wasn't pushed to sign up with the agency again, nor was it ever hinted to me that I should place again. Never once has she made a negative remark towards my decision to parent now...

One thing I will say for Amy... regardless of the situation, she is always there for her girls. She MAKES the time for them, she ALWAYS has the time for them, and she DOESN'T pawn them off onto case workers or other people. Amy is there PERSONALLY herself for each and every one of her birth mothers, no matter how big or small the want/need/problem in.

Just last week as a matter of fact, she stood by my side as I awaited in fear the results of my Marine when his unit was sent into Fallujah to battle and 12 marines were killed. She prayed with me, for him, and for us...

I really can't give this woman enough credit for the things she does... I really can't. If you have ANY questions, please feel free to contact me through Amy at LINK.

Cari

To: Amy and Ed

I just wanted to take a few minutes and thank you for what you do. You both have been truly a blessing to Misty and myself. I wanted to let you know that just a few weeks ago we had our final court hearing and things went great. It is because you allowing God to use you that people like us are blessed. We have not one, but two wonderful children. We will always be forever grateful for all that you have done. We hope that you will allow us to share at one of your orientations. I have sent a few couples you way. You both have been a Godsend. Keep up the great work. Our prayer is that God will bless you both in every aspect of your lives. God is good all the time. Till He Comes Again, Greg Taylor

"We prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted us what we asked of Him." ~1 Samuel 1:27

Our Testimony:

We want to say on the very first line we write that God has all our praise and honor for the state of our lives which now includes our new son, Rhett. It is through our Lord's mercy and grace that we are truly understanding what adoption is really all about. Having biological children already, we wondered if we could love an adopted child as if he were our own. Well, the surprising answer to that concern turned out to be no….. We don't love Rhett as if he were our own; He is our own and that is how we love him! From the second we first scooped him up in our arms at the hospital after his birth, we knew without a doubt he is fully and completely our child.

What occurred to us afterwards is our greatest blessing of all. Our relationship with God is exactly like this. When we were saved, we were adopted into the family of God; That much we knew already. The difference is now we can cling to our insight of what God has entirely done for us through the blood of Jesus Christ. Just as Rhett is forever more our son, we are eternally the sons and daughters of God!! His children, not like His children!! Wow! What a blessing! The way that the good Lord is using our newest baby to help us better understand and appreciate our relationship with our Heavenly Father is nothing short of a miracle!

Our Story:

We have both wanted a big family from the beginning. We always talked about dinners around a big table, laughing, and sharing and loving each other. In 1993, God blessed us with a beautiful baby girl, Peyton. In 1995, we lost a pregnancy (we know now that it was probably due to a genetic abnormality). But in 1996, we were blessed again with another beautiful baby girl, Hallie.

In July, 2000 our first son, Collin, was born. He was affected with a genetic disease called Zellweger Syndrome. He lived to be 6 months old. We found out later that both of us are carriers of a gene that causes this syndrome and that each of our children has a 25% chance of being affected. With two healthy girls already, those odds didn't sound too bad so we decided to try again. The odds, however, did not fall in our favor. In January, 2003 our twin boys, Kenan and Jarrett, were born. Both of them also had the disease. We lost Jarrett at age 7 months and Kenan six weeks later. The loss of our sons was the deepest hurt imaginable and really more than we could bear alone. But God came through for us. He always does.

Since then, we have both have been strengthening our relationship with our Father, and thus with each other and with our children. It is amazing how things work for our good when we let God be in control! While we had considered and casually talked about the prospect of adoption, God impressed upon us an urgency to get the ball rolling in March of 2005. That urgency no doubt was due to the fact that the baby He intended for our family was going to be born in May! Some of our friends have stood in awe over how quickly our adoption process went…. just barely over two months since we first talked to Amy at Link that we were holding our newborn son! We stand in awe of how God's timing is absolutely perfect and how He took care of us just in the knick of time.

Rhett was born in Concord on May 22, 2005 and we are so in love with him that we might burst before it's all said and done! He is just perfect in every way. The more we consider how we came to have him, the more I believe that his birthparents were simply two angels God sent here to bring us this sweet child. They have disappeared as quickly as they came. Jennifer and David were a very attractive couple, very clean cut. They were jobless and living out of their car, sometimes with friends, but no home. After seeing one of Amy's ads there, they contacted her from a city 1200 miles away just barely over a week before Rhett was to be born . They agreed to travel here to deliver him so we could avoid the red-tape of interstate adoption laws. We wired them money each day as they traveled on their 3 day trip. They made it to NC on Tuesday, May 17. We met and had dinner with them on Thursday, May 19 and Rhett was delivered on the following Sunday. Jennifer was able to leave the hospital before we were, traveling to Utah or Virginia because they knew of some work there. (I wonder if they were really just going back to Heaven from where they brought our son to begin with.)

We will always remember David and Jennifer in our prayers...... They didn't request any contact with us or Rhett; they just went on their way. I can't imagine what they must be feeling. We are so thankful to them for bringing us such a glorious blessing. And we will always be thankful for God's servants, Amy and Julia, who are so willingly working for the Lord! We love them both and we are ever indebted to them for the roles they played in bringing such joy to our family!

Nellie (Birthmother)

Hey Amy,

I have been wanting to write you now for a while. Amy I don't know enough words to let you know how great you really are. I mean Thank You for ALL you have done. You are a wonderful person and you will always have a place in my heart. When I came to you I was scared and didn't know how I was going to be able to get thur all this but with your help I have been able to. Its still not going to be easy for me. I mean every time I see a baby my eyes tear up and I think to my self what have I done? Why did I give Ally up? But then I remember, because I wanted her to have a better life than I could ever give her and I wanted her to be happy. I know God wanted the Johnson to have the little girl they dreamed about. But Amy you have really been a great help and I don't know how I could ever repay you for all you have done. You are not just here because of the adoption but you are here for me as a friend as well. Amy thanks for everything and I will talk to you soon.

Nellie

Written: April 2005

Jimmy, Rita and "Robert Hunter"

First of all we thank GOD for His blessings on our family. Second we can't thank Amy Miller at Link Adoption and Julia Childers at Adoptions by Julia enough for the hard work and dedication in finding our little angel for us. Because of them we had the best experience with our adoption process than we could ever imagined.

We got married in July of 2002. We have been married now for 2-˝ years. Everyone says it was written in the stars in heaven for us to be together. We both agree whole- heartedly. In the 2-˝ years that we've been married we have be through a great deal of trials. We started right away trying to begin our family. We started the medical process that was successful on the first try. Only to find out that the pregnancy tubular. We were devastated. The doctor recommended we should not try on our own and try a more complicated procedure. We were not sure that was the route we wanted to take.

We had prayed and GOD lead us to a wonderful person who had already adopted two children from Link Adoption. After talking to her we prayed some more and felt lead to contact Amy. We went to orientation in May 2004. GOD had our baby already chosen for us through adopting. The day after we went to orientation, Jimmy's best friend "Robert" passed away with colon cancer, on Mother's day. Two months later the pastor of our church passed away with cancer. We felt such a void in our lives. Two major people we loved were gone. We promised Robert when we got our son we would name him after Robert. We got our son 7 months from the day we went to orientation.

We had a wonderful experience with our birth mom. We will always LOVE her for the gift she helped give us from GOD above.

Robert Hunter was born December 23rd, 2004. He weighed 5 pounds and 4 ounces. He was 19 ľ inches long. He was the best Christmas present we had ever had. Thank you Jesus for loving us so much to give us such a wonderful gift. We promise to give him back to you by showing him Your way, the only way.

If you are considering adoption, make sure GOD has lead you in this direction. Also, you and your spouse need to be on the same page to be able to help each other be patient and understanding that Amy and Julia will be working hard to find you the baby that GOD has intended for you to receive.

Ephesians 1:5

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.

Written: January 11th, 2005.

April, Brian and Hunter
December 7, 2004

Hi Amy! I hope this finds you and your family doing well. i have been keeping up with you through the posts, I just haven't posted in a while. I wanted to share with you some things in our lives that we feel so blessed for. I hope you will share them with all the waiting parents, and those who already have their little angels with them......

Brian and I got married in 1993, at the ages of 19 and 20. People felt we were rushing things, because we were so young. We have now been married for over 11 years, and our love just grows more and more as time passes. We have been faced with many challenges in our marriage. In 1994 we started our journey to become parents. Tou our surprise, it wasn't as easy as we thought...... 3 years , and lots of testing later we felt we were at witts end.... we didn't know what to do. We prayed about it all the time, but still nothing ever happened. In 1998 I was diagnosed with kidney failure. I had been diabetic for 15 years, and it in the end destroyed my kidneys. So together, we decided that organ transplant would be the best treatment option. I knew I wanted a family, and I wanted to be a mom more than anything. So I went on the transplant list for a kidney and pancreas. Well the Lord answered our prayers when just 13 days later I got the call. I had my transplant on Aug 24,1998. I have not had any major problems nad feel really blessed about that!

In 2001 we decided we had had enough of the month by month thing of "waiting to see' what would happen. So we looked into adoption. I found an agency an hour away and we signed up with them. Well after a year of waiting and heart ache, and being told" you are obsessed with getting a baby" , I went searching., and I found LINK and Amy Miller. I called her on the phone, and right away, I felt blessed. She was so reassuring, and spoke with me about God's will and that we would be parents one day......and she was right. I spoke with Amy several times over the next few months, and she gave me so much enocouragement. On Sept 14,2003, we were blessed with our son Evan Hunter. Though, Amy was not involved, the lessons she taught me, will never leave me. We have blessed to have her in our lives, and are blessed for my health, our happiness, and our son, Hunter.

Last week we got the shock of our lives, when I found out that we would be blessed again, this time differently... I am pregnant.....We had been told that it wasn't possible, but it just goes to show, with God all things are possible. i truely believe that God has a plan for each one of us, whether it be a failed adoption, or waiting for 2 years for a baby, or after 11 years finding yourself with a 14 month old, and one on the way....God knows what we can handle, and our lives are planned accordingly. We have been blessed in so many ways, good health, a wonderful son through open adoption, loving family and friends, and now a surprise pregnancy.......HE is GREAT!!!

Best wishes to all parents, and those still waiting for their angels... it WILL happen......you just have to have faith!!

Blessings,

April, Brian and Hunter

Adoption. That word used to scare the bejesus out of me, but thats because I didn't know what adoption was all about.

Hi.

My name is Lindsey and I am from Arkansas. I will be turning 23 years old next week and I have three sons-twins that are boys that will be 2 in December and a son that was born on July 31, 2003. All three of my sons are the absolute most important people in my life. My twins know me as Mommy, and my youngest son knows me as mommy. The difference is that my twins don't have a second mommy, but my youngest son does. I am his second Mommy.

I have always been a 'good girl.' My parents were'nt too thrilled when I became pregnant with Matthew and Noah in March of 2001, but they accepted it and dealt with it and moved on. I gave life to them on December 19, 2001. I found out in November of 2002 that I was pregnant again and I found myself in a bind that I had not found myself in before. I was struggeling to take care of Matthew and Noah (I was working full time), so I started exploring my options. I will be honest when I say that abortion did cross my mind for a split second, but I knew that I would ultimately end up not doing that...I started thinking about adoption and things started making sence. I felt like my child deserved the best in life and if I could find people that could give him or her the best, then that is where my child needed to be. It was by far the hardest decision that I have ever had to make, but it has also been one of the best decisions that I've ever made.

Through Amy (thank God for her), I met Lori and Jamie. They adopted my son, Davis. They are on the top of my list for the best gifts that I have ever recieved from God. They are the kind of parents where if I didn't have parents, I would definately want them.

Even though I miss Davis on a daily basis, I feel peace because I know he is where God meant for him to be. He has a wonderful family-parents and grandparents and a sister and dogs and etc that love him so much. Amy, Lori, Jamie, my mom, sisters, Grandma, etc have formed a closer relationship with one another through all of this.

The day after I gave birth to Davis my pastor came to visit me in the hospital. He and my mom asked if I was thinking about changing my mind and I said yes, but then they both assured me that adoption is a Godly act. A few weeks ago I was feeling some doubt about everything, but a few days later at church my pastor was trying to make a point about something and he made the statement that adoption is a Godly act. I felt compelled to go to church that Sunday and now I know why.

I didn't tell hardly anyone that I was pregnant and I waited until two weeks before my planned csection to tell my mother. She was shocked/mad at at first, but she has been so supportive. Without her, Amy, Lori, Jamie and a few other people, I don't know if I would still be alive.

I won't say that adoption is an easy thing to do, but if you find yourself in my position and adoption is the only thing on your mind, know that it is probably God giving you some wonderful advise (trust me, the more its on your mind, the more he is talking to you).

If anyone ever needs to talk, no matter who you are, please contact me. I want to help in any way possible. Email me at lindsey93080@yahoo.com. I am always here to help.

From Jim and Mindy Hi! Telling the story of Jim, Mindy, and Hunter in a page or less is like giving you 5 cents of a $50 tale … but we'll try. In summer 2000, we had reached the end of surgeries and found ourselves at "adopt or stop". Jim had seen this as The Lord saying "find something constructive to do with the years you have left". Mindy still felt the door to raise children open. Rather than confront, she began to pray "change my husband's heart or change mine". About then Jim read the Prayer of Jabez and felt God's call to "expand his territory". After wise counsel from their pastor/friend and a heartfelt chat about how this decision would impact our marriage, we decided to move ahead.

The Link was a natural choice since we have friends who had successfully adopted through them. We painstakingly created our portfolio and website entry. Hunter (our surrogate child since 1986, … a stuffed dog) told the story of our life, our home and our heart for a child to complete our family. The next 2 ˝ years were a rollercoaster ride where we matched 14 times (some very short … a few days, some very long (dissolving in the courtroom a week before birth) and one criminal (we were taken for thousands of dollars by people using pregnancy to elicit money). Never quite understanding why God would bring us through this journey and then deliver no baby, we prayed and waited.

Despair and surrender were very near in very early March 2003. Then a call from Amy put us in touch with a wonderful birth family of faith. They told us "God is showing us Romans 8:28 by using this difficult circumstance in our lives to bring you a child" and "We believe this is your baby". Within two weeks, we were all in Northeast Regional (a very adoption friendly hospital) waiting all night together for the birth of this much anticipated and prayed for child. James "Hunter" came into the world the next morning and we experienced, through a child, unconditional love.

We are so glad that we were able to spend very special time with his birth family. The memories are indeed sweet and precious. The ups and downs of the 2 1/2 years prior disappear when we look at our precious boy. Our territory is expanded and our love knows no bounds. Thank you Amy and all involved in The Link for being God's servants in the miracle that is adoption.

We could never have written this story, it's too amazing to make up. Proof positive the God knows what's best and that while seldom early, He's never late!

Delighted- Jim, Mindy, and Hunter

From Lisa and Dave

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Amy and LINK. We researched agencies and facilitators for months before choosing LINK. With 2 biological sons, many agencies would not consider us and most promised incredibly long waits. Then, we met Amy. She encouraged us and became a friend, while she didn't promise a quick match, she told us that she would stick with us until we found a match. At such a reasonable cost, we figured we didn't have much to lose.

Well, she far exceeded our expectations! Within 3 months of signing on with LINK, she matched us! Our beautiful daughter, Ashlyn Olivia, was born 6 weeks ago and we couldn't be happier. I know this is controversial, but we were tickled that Amy allowed us to specify that we wanted to be matched with a birthmom expecting a girl.

In addition, our adoption costs were very reasonable (relatively speaking). We are not done with finalization yet, but it seems like it will end up being about 12K. With our 10K tax refund, that's not bad!

I would encourage you to talk to Amy. She somehow manages to make each LINK family feel treasured and important. We found it much more personal and found ourselves much more involved than with an agency. We have NOTHING negative to say about our experience. Feel free to contact me with more questions.

Lisa Mom to Will (3yrs), Jack (2yrs) & Ashlyn (6wks tomorrow)

My husband and I adopted our son in August of 2001. I was amazed at how much some of the "agency" fees. We were very fortunate and went through a Christian adoption facilitator (The Link in North Carolina). We are a white couple and although we did not have a preference to race we adopted a white child (it'a a long story but it was all God's plan for us to be his parents - we didn't pick him, he picked us along with some help from his birthmother). Our adoption "fee" consisted of a contribution to The Link of $650 - yes, only $650! Our social workers fees as well as our attorney's fees were all above this. We would have gladly paid $40,000 but we didn't have to because of the honesty of The Link. I know that $650 hardly covered the amount of time and effort that Amy and Melanie put into our adoption. Amy Miller, the director at The Link, has set the organization up to benefit all children. Her efforts are completely nondiscriminatory. I think you two should have a discussion because it seems to me you have the same goals - the welfare of the child. Amy is in North Carolina and her email address is alinkadoption.aol.com. She is an adoptive parent herself and has helped numerous couples with their adoption journey. I'm sure she'd love to share some of her success stories. She is making the adoption process work and I'm sure you two could share knowledge on the subject.

Thanks so much for caring about the welfare of children. The world is a better place because of individuals like you and Amy Miller.

Regards,

Nan

Our Testimony: JD, Denise, Joshua, Kirsten, and Jacob

"A faithful man will abound with blessings" Prov. 28:20.

God is so good if you are faithful. God planted our yearning for children when we were young. Both of us desired a family and through our faithfulness, God is providing. For years, I have struggled and dealt with excruciating pain. Prior to our marriage I told JD that the doctor doubts we will have children. His comment was, "we'll adopt". I had always thought I would adopt and now I had found a man who desired adoption also.

As we began exploring adoption, we found that agencies wanted us to be married longer. They wanted phenomenal amounts of money we did not have. We were discouraged constantly. We started the fertility path and simultaneously found Amy Miller at the LINK. We talked to Amy and collected a packet to complete from her. We did nothing but pray for many months. After two surgeries, we did conceive and gave birth to our son in 1999. Within six months, we received an enormous gracious peace about adoption so I called Amy again and we proceeded with the process. Amy is an adoption facilitator so all of her time and dedication is given of her. We told her we desired a large family. We told her God had directed us in the timing to pursue an adoption. We also told her we did not have a race preference of the child. We loved children and his gentle, caring hands make all equally. Amy referred us to Julia Childers, who completed our home study and involved us in a pray chain.

I'll never forget the phone call. "You guys want a baby?" We immediately told Julia yes. We had been praying for this birth mom for about 2 months. She had selected at least two other couples ahead of us but we had been concerned about her situation prior to her knowing us. So, our adoption was becoming a reality. As God adopts us into his family, we chose to adopt a child into our family. "A spirit of adoption..." Rom. 8:15.

The entire process was a roller coaster. We had support from family and friends and at times we felt we did not have their support. Through it all, Amy and Julia supported us, guided us and prayed for us. Our faith in our Lord provided us a beautiful baby girl. We were so blessed to do an open adoption. We love our birth mom and were able to be with her during her delivery. I saw our little joyful angel come into the world in June of 2000 and I remember taking our birth mom's hand under mine and laying it upon our daughter's head as the doctor laid her on her stomach. What a precious memory I can't wait to share with my baby girl.

We continued fertility proceedings but in December 2000, I had a well-needed complete hysterectomy. This ended all possible fertility options and once again, we contacted Amy that our quiver for children was still high. We know God has a purpose for us and we feel we are just in the beginning stages of seeing what he has planned for us. Diligently praying for a perfect plan, God keeps extending our family. In April 2001, we accepted another son into our family. He came to us unexpectedly and has been a blessing to us since day one. This roller coaster ride began immediately in an ICU setting, as he was a preemie. All our thanks belong to God, who has been our shepherd.

We intend to continue to adopt additional children through the LINK and recommend any and all others interested in adoption to speak with Amy. Her love for the Lord coincides with her love for service to Him. We have rejoiced with every adoption the LINK has facilitated. Living by faith has been the most peaceful time in our lives. Max Lucado wrote: "Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want, but that God will do what is RIGHT." This is what we believe as we extend our arms around the children God places in our care. To those yearning for that fulfillment in your heart to have children, always remember there is hope. 2 Tim. 2:10: "endure all things". who are chosen" God has chosen you to do great things and he will provide. We can never thank the LINK, Amy Miller

Kelly and Peter Testimony

It is a moment I will never forget. The phone rang and Amy Miller said "Kelly, is that nursery ready yet?" Well, I almost hyperventilated and when I called Peter he was so excited he actually hung up on me! We couldn't believe it. Finally, our child was on its way!

Like most couples that suffer from infertility, we went through years of agonizing fertility treatments that tested our marriage, faith and sanity. After a failed IVF attempt we knew that it was time for a new path. We had always been open to adoption and we knew it was time for a new path. We had always been open to adoption and we knew it was time. We heard about the Link from a couple that had just adopted a baby girl. After meeting with Amy, we knew that the LINK was right for us and we began the process. We knew that our child was out there somewhere and we just prayed that God would bring him or her to us. THREE months later we held our son in our arms!

Adopting our son has been the most wonderful experience of our lives. We want to thank our son's birth mother for the decisions she made and LINK for bringing us together.

Amy, it is impossible to know the number of lives you have touched with your work. We can only thank God for putting this desire to help others in your heart. We look forward to working with you again on our new adoption! God bless you Amy. Kelly, Peter and Luke

Our testimony: Mike and Pam

We are the proud parents of Michael Noah Coolong. We call him "Noah". Noah is now 6 months old and is the most beautiful baby we have ever seen. (I know we are kind of biased here)

Like many other couples here we tried the fertility drugs and inseminations and Pam also had two surgeries to correct some problems but nothing worked. But as we all know that when God closes one door he always opens another. We found out about the Link from some friends and we went to the Link orientation meetings. After meeting Amy and Dr. Julia we knew this was where we were meant to be. It has amazed us how God puts people together to do his work.

We were matched with our birthmom Tonya at the beginning of last March. Noah was not due until the end of July. We when started the whole adoption process we decided that we wanted to get our baby and separate from out birthmother. Well we got Tonya settled in an apartment and my wife took her to all of her Doctor visits. We would go up every few weeks and buy her food and take her and her son out to eat. We found that over 6 months we grew close to Tonya.

She would always tell us "your baby was kicking me today". God has truly blessed us and we have taken Dr.Julia's and Amy's advice. Everyday we pray for Noah and Tonya and everyone involved with the Link and Dr.Julia.

We honestly feel that we were meant to be a good influence on Tonya as being Noah's mom and dad. She is great person who works very hard to take of herself, her son and her two younger brothers. We have seen Tonya several times since the birth of our son. She is doing very well. We took Noah up to see her the week before Christmas. Thank you Amy and Dr.Julia for your hard work.

Mike and Pam

Testimony from Darren and Angela regarding Jordan

"Every good and perfect gift is from above" James 1:17

Our God is so good and faithful. Never forget that. We signed up with Amy Miller and Link Adoption in November 1999. We were told by some friends that had previously adopted through her that this was the best place to go. In our short 15 minute initial meeting with her, we knew that this is where the Lord wanted us to be. A couple of weeks after signing up, I started volunteering in the office with Amy a couple of days a week. Three and a half years later, I am still working with Julia Childers Amy Miller and helping them with adoption work. I hope to do this full time eventually. So, I now first hand what Amy has to deal with on a personal basis. I am proud to say that Amy Miller is first hand a daughter of Christ and is doing His work. She is helping couples have the families that they desires. Please remember to pray for Julia and Amy on a daily basis.

We adopted our first child, our son, Jordan Wayne on August 19, 2000. We had been down the long road of infertility. We tried for 6 years to get pregnant, unsuccessful operation, 4 unsuccessful infertility treatments, etc. With my husband being adopted, we then felt that God was leading us to adopt. We adopted Jordan on August 19, 2000. We had great birthparents to work with. We found out that Jordan was conceived the week we had our initial meeting with Amy at LINK. Turn everything over to God and HE will take care of you. God always knows exactly what he is doing. Jordan was meant for us. He is our gift from God. I thank the Lord Jesus Christ most of all. "With God all things are possible" Matthew 19:26.

Our birthmother told us the first time we met her that this was not her child that it was ours. She said that there was no way that they could have gotten pregnant. She said that we decided to pursue adoption and God said, Okay you are going to have Darren and Angela’s baby for them. She never once referred to him as her baby, but always ours. It was a great experience and I still pray for her daily. She truly allowed herself to be used of God and showed a great love for her child by placing him for adoption. We are truly thankful for them. I will not tell you that our adoption journey was smooth the entire way.

We did have two failed adoptions before getting our miracle, Jordan. We had one birthmother to scam us. We also had a facilitator in Florida who contacted Amy to scam us also. It is an emotional roller coaster with good days and bad days. It is like our pregnancy. But, God will carry us through it and will be faithful to us.

I cannot thank Amy Miller enough for all she has done for us. She has been a friend, a shoulder to cry on during 2 unsuccessful adoption situations, supporter, encourager and prayer warrior. Thank you for everything Amy. Also thanks to Julia Childers for all she has done. You both will be greatly rewarded in heaven. I am so blessed to be able to volunteer at the Childers/LINK and pray that one day I will be in a position to work full time. We will definitely use Childers and LINK to adopt our 2nd child as the Lord leads. We also could not have done this without the birthparents, Amy, Julia, our family, friends and our Church family, but most of all our Lord. There have been so many prayers that have went up to get Jordan. We thank everyone for all you have done for us. We love you. Please keep Childers and LINK ministry, Amy and Julia in your prayers as they continue to do God's work as he leads. May God continue to bless you.

"All things work together for the good to those who love God and are called according to HIS purpose" Romans 8:28.

Darren, Angela and Jordan

Testimony from Angela and Larry

My husband and I wanted to share our testimony of our experiences with the Link and with adoption. We have been truly blessed. Our daughter, Brady Elizabeth is 18 months old and in love with her new brother, Lane, who is 3 weeks old. We began our process in the summer of 1998. Every call I made I was told that my husband was too old (at this time 38) or that we hadn't been married long enough or they quoted us a price that we could never afford or they made us feel awful for thinking we could adopt an infant. Then I called the Link and Amy answered and she sounded like an angel to me. For the first time I knew that our family would grow through adoption. After we sent our profile to Amy, our daughter was born 9 months later! Then in March of last year I sent a new profile to Amy and our son was born 9 months later! You also should know that we went through what is called a failed adoption. We were chosen by a birthmother and when we went to the hospital we were greeted by a social worker who told us that she had decided against adoption. This was not a failure. It was God's plan to help us get ready for a little girl who would become our daughter the next month. This birthmother had wanted a closed adoption. Both of our children were adopted through open adoption. I was in the delivery room both times. While many people feel threatened by open adoption, I feel the opposite. With openness I am able to get to know my birthmother and feel confident about what she is going to do and she is able to gain confidence in me too. We were very fortunate to have been chosen twice but yes our book was shown many times when we were not chosen. When this happens, it is simply not your baby. If we remember to pray in our hearts for "parents for babies" and not "babies for parents" we will rejoice for EVERY adoption. We are thankful everyday for the ministry of the Link and for the miracle of adoption.

Angela and Larry

Birth Announcements "Adoption is a blessing, planned by God above We give him all the thanks for our miracle of love." Brady Elizabeth, July 10, 1999

"Adoption is a blessing, planned by God above Now a little brother for Brady Elizabeth to hug Now a precious son for our family to love." Lane Baird, December 19, 2000

Testimony from Sandra

Sandra's birth child Leah Nicole 1/2000

My overall experience with A-Link Adoption as facilitator was exceptionally good. I was compelled to give up my precious newborn for reasons beyond my control; however the support, the warmth, and the genuine interest from the facilitator made ALL the difference to carry through with such a BIG decision, and give up my precious baby for adoption as soon as I gave birth.

Not only was the profile of the prospective parents accurate, but also their moral standing was superior, I thoroughly enjoyed the openness about meeting, talking, and over all communicating w/ the now adoptive parents, enabled by an efficient facilitator. The facilitator, at ALL times provided help in receiving pertinent material, encouraging support at ALL stages of the adoption process, and an immeasurable service of love once the adoption had been fulfilled, as lingering doubts and pain were gnawing my insides. I would NOT have followed through such a difficult step had it not been by the caring, humane and constant networking w/ the facilitator to my needs, both material, but more importantly spiritual. Kudos for Christian facilitators!

Sandra (birthmother 1999)

Testimony from Sally and Steve

After several years of trying to have our own children, we decided to adopt. We found out about LINK through some friends and met with Amy Miller last Spring to find out what we needed to do. Once we began our journey, everyone involved with LINK was wonderful! Dr. Julia Childers completed our home study and made us feel confident and reassured about the laws and social aspect of adoption. Amy was always happy to answer any questions I had regarding our process - no matter how big or small!. She was either a phone call or e-mail away. Later, when we were successfully matched with our birthmom, Carolyn Crouch and Joanne Chase professionally guided us through all the legal ups and downs. During the delivery of our son, we were also blessed to have Haley Hickman there with us. While new to LINK, her presence provided comfort and reassurance to us and our birthmom. Overall, this team of individuals is highly knowledgeable in each of their respective areas and HIGHLY committed that they are doing God's work. Every one we came in contact with through LINK emphasized how important PRAYER was throughout our journey. No one at LINK ever picked a baby for us. They prayed for us, for our child, and for God's will to be done - as they do with all of their adoptive couples and birthmoms. We ran into some problems along the way but, these ladies never let us lose hope.
Finally, towards the end of the year, we were blessed by being selected by our birthmom. She, and her courageous decision to give us her child, were the answer to many prayers! She blessed us again by allowing us to be in the delivery room to witness our son's birth. Word cannot describe the mix of emotions we felt during the delivery and the days that followed. While we were originally wary of open adoption, Amy, Haley, Julia, and everyone else reassured us. Sure enough, I wouldn't think of not knowing our birthmom. She has given us so much !!
For anyone considering adoption, LINK is a wonderful organization. They are truly building families for God and through Him!!

Sally and Steve (adopted Will)

Testimony from Lisa & Ray

Dear Amy:

How do we ever begin to thank you for all you did for us in our adoption of Robert?! Please know that you (and many others) will always be in our thoughts and prayers. We were definitely led by God on our journey, and you were our guide. We love you & your work! Lisa & Ray

Testimony from Jennifer (Birthmother)

Thank God for Facilitators!

First I have to say thank you to Amy Miller of Link Adoption and Julia Childers of ADOPTIONS. They were involved in my adoption. I do not know what I would have done without them. They surely are a gift from God. I am a birthmother who gave up her child for adoption. My son was born on November 29th, 2000. I do not know what I would have done without the support of my facilitator. I went through a situation where I had to make a decision about the couple I had chosen for my son. A couple of weeks before he was born things just started to go wrong, I became uncomfortable, and two days before he was born I made a phone call to Julia seeking help. I was informed that I needed to follow my heart and do what I felt was best for my son. After much soul searching, I came to a decision. The support they gave never wavered from beginning to end.

Amy was always available for me, even at 11 pm. I knew I could count on her, no matter when I needed her support.

I now have a wonderful couple that is raising my son. We have an open relationship and I would not want it any other way. I think they both are a gift from God and I admire them both for what they do. To all couples who are waiting, God is looking out for you. To the girls who are pregnant and do not know what to do, give the child a chance for life...choose adoption. God bless you all. My happiness would not be possible without the help of LINK.

With Love, Jennifer

Testimony from Chuck and Gwyn

Thank you for our son.

We were reading to him last night, while he had a little stuffed dog on his head. You had to be there. It was hard for me not to cry as I looked at him
What a wonderful gift we have been given from God. We will never ever be thankful enough. I don't think you know how important you have been to this world. Thank you for being a true and faithful Servant. Great is your reward, Amy Miller. Chuck and Gwyn

Testimony from Natalie a birthmom

Hello, my name is Natalie I'm a 33 year old mother of two great kids. I just placed a sweet lil angel for adoption through a great facilitator, Amy Miller (Link Adoption). Amy does not sell these baby's ,,, she helps find good Christian homes and helps the birth moms in all ways. I would rather go this way than with a high priced lawyer who cares only about the money he gets. these people who choose to do facilitation are great gifts from God.....

Natalie - Birthmom for Ed and Lisa

Testimony from Liz and Frank

We, too, had a good facilitation experience through which we adopted our daughter when she was 9 months. We used The Link(Amy Miller, director). Amy is well-trained and experienced, is not afraid to say if she doesn't know the answer to a question, works tirelessly for her adoptive couples and birth mothers, operates her business like the non-profit is required by NC law to be (i.e. doesn't charge a fee --- asks for donation), and knows her limits (i.e. doesn't pretend to be a counselor or lawyer). Our birth mother told us that Amy's sensitive and compassionate handling of her situation made all the difference in her attitude toward adoption. Amy treats each birth mother and her adoptive couples like real people, with respect, charity, and affection. However, she is only human, and it behooves ANY adoptive couple to become well-educated about the adoption process whether they are using an agency or a facilitator. We were pleased with The Link and recommend Amy Miller as a facilitator. Liz and Frank

Story of Faith, Hope and Love

Crisis Pregnancy Ministries Both Locally and Abroad and Prospective Adoptive Couples:

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I appreciate this wonderful opportunity provided for me to share testimony of an anointed ministry being used of the Lord to bless many families today who are seeking to grow their families in the Lord through adoption. This ministry, entitled Link Adoption, is based here I Concord, North Carolina and is directed by a precious Christian friend and faithful servant of the Lord - Amy Miller. Link seeks to minister to both young women who are facing unplanned pregnancies and to Christian couples who are seeking to adopt. Link is unapologetically pro-life and embodies the biblical precepts found in Deuteronomy 30:19 through every avenue of its ministry, “Choose Life, so that you and your children may live.

My wife and I are currently in the process of finalizing the adoption of our precious first child – a little baby girl we named Bethany Hope which God sent to us through the caring ministry of Link and our local Crisis Pregnancy Center (CPC) for Cabarrus County, North Carolina. Our family’s adoption testimonial was recorded and shared through our ministry’s monthly newsletter, April 2000 Savior’s Seasonings. Since first meeting Amy, my wife Traci and I sensed the Christian spirit of love and compassion, which under girds her position as an Adoption Facilitator with Link. Amy clearly has a passion and a calling from the Lord to serve in this unique position and the Lord has shown His blessings upon her this adoption ministry through many wonderful adoption testimonials from families who have adopted through the assistance of Link ministry. From the beginning of our family’s adoption journey, Amy has served as a friend, supporter and encourager to our family and our prayer-led desire for an adoption opportunity. Amy networks with other facilitators, CPC’s, agencies and ministries for God led opportunities in aiding the placement of adoptive children into the arms of loving, caring Christian families. Amy has had an indelible impact for Christ upon the lives of many of the expectant birthmothers, which she has worked with since Link’s founding in 1996. Her heart reflects the love of Christ as she minister to birthmothers with such care and concern, all the while acknowledging the incredible act of courage and selfless love shown by the birthmother in choosing to place her baby up for adoption. Link is a wonderful blessing to many families seeking to adopt a child or children in a manner where the costs are minimized and the focus is placed upon ministering to all of the individuals involved - birthmother, the baby/child and the adoptive parents. Link networks with Christian counselors that are available, at no cost to the birthmothers, to provide counseling throughout the adoption process (pre/post birth). My wife and I intend to pursue another opportunity for adopting our second and perhaps third child through Link in the future when the Lord so leads.

I pray that God would continue honoring and blessing both your Crisis Pregnancy Center ministry and others across our land in championing God’s call for the Sanctity of Life and ministering to women who find themselves in unplanned pregnancies. And whenever the opportunity arises in your ministry where a birthmother chooses adoption for her unborn child(ren), I pray that you would prayerfully consider utilizing the ministry services of Link Adoption.

Through His Love and Grace,

Rev. David W. & Traci Haltom

** Bethany Hope Haltom’s adoption was finalized in August 2000. If you would like a copy of Savior’s Seasonings, the newsletter Pastor Haltom mentioned in this testimony, contact Christian Impact Ministries at 704-795-7258.

Meet Lisa, Kevin, Jordan, Jacob and Joshua.....

Have Hope! " He is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we would dare to ask or hope". Eph. 3:20

We have traveled the path of infertility and adoption and we have arrived on the mountaintop from the depth of the valley.

In 1992 my husband and I started our plight to have a family. Infertility was a totally unexpected curve in the road. I was immediately anxious when our first few months of "attempts" did not bring a pregnancy. By the time a year had passed, I was completely desperate! My every thought revolved around having a baby...who was pregnant...and WHO wasn't. I withdrew from social events because I was afraid I might see a pregnant woman. They seemed to be "planted" everywhere! I was seething with anger and bitterness...so much that I began to resent my own nephews and nieces. I didn't ever want to see them on holidays. Anger and blame entered our marriage. What I didn't know then, is that there is no blame! God gives infertility to a couple, not to a person! God's plan was not to harm us! "They are plans for good and not for disaster; to give you a future and hope. Jer. 29:11

I remember crying in bed one night as my husband returned from our small group Bible study. He told me, "the group suggested that we read Romans 8:28". "All things work together for the good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose"! I was infuriated by that verse and I cried out "tell me how not having a baby could possibly bring any good!"

Well Folks...that verse has become one of my mainstays in this life. Through infertility and four IVF cycles, God brought a couple to their knees. He taught us lessons on His sovereignty, submission, patience, trust, listening to His voice, and the beauty of His creations!

In 1996 we adopted our first son, Jordan, followed by two more sons. Jacob in 1998 and Joshua in 1999. Calculate that! Three beautiful boys in 3 1/2 years! YES! He is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we dare to ask or hope! Eph 3:20. And His Sheep do know His voice! "My sheep recognize my voice; I know them and they follow me." John 9:27.

We are eagerly looking forward to the two girls God has ordained for this family. We submit joyfully to who, what, when, where and how our babies will come. Knowing that God's plan indeed is so much better than ours!

"He will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning and praise instead of despair." Is 61:3

May God Richly Bless you...

Kevin, Lisa and Sons

**Lisa and Kevin adopted their second son, Jacob, by using the service of LINK. They were successful in learning networking techniques from LINK to locate and adopt their third son, Joshua.

Testimony from the Michelle & Fran

I would first like to express my sincerest gratitude to Amy Miller and The Link Adoption for blessing my husband and myself with our beautiful daughter Kathryn. To Amy, my family will be eternally grateful!

The Link is a Christian NON-PROFIT organization who helps unexpected parents place their children with adoptive families. They DO NOT charge money for their services, nor do they sell babies, strong arm people into placing their babies, or deliberately deceive birth mothers or prospective adoptive parents. As incredible as this may sound, they do this out of the kindness of their hearts and their reverence to God and Christianity.

The Link serves as a middle-man of sorts; they function as a networker. They gather as much information as they can about adoption for both birth parents and prospective adoptive parents, and provide each party with the means or resources needed to pursue adoption as a positive alternative. When my husband and I made the decision to pursue adoption, I called the most reputable agency in North Carolina and they never even returned my calls. I called several different divisions of Social Services; they offered no support or information other than the fact that they had too many couples in our situation and no answers. A friend referred us to the Link. One half an hour after having left a voice mail for Amy, I had received a returned phone call and a scheduled appointment.

Amy provided me with an envelope the size of a phone book filled with information about adoption! There were guidelines for beginning the adoption process, articles about adoption, materials outlining the different organizations and attorneys specializing in adoption, recommended readings etc. I had everything at my finger tips to start what had begun a journey that was to us, tantamount to our infertility.

After having read through the packet thoroughly, in addition to the research that I had done prior to receiving information from the Link, I addressed any questions or concerns that I had with Amy and she explained everything to me. If there was something that she was uncertain of, she referred me to someone who could better answer my questions. I found that Amy was very upfront about everything, specifically her concern for the birth parents as well as the adoptive parents.I found her concern to be genuine and warranted. Because of her kindness and spirit, Amy helps make difficult situations for birth parents a little easier. She helps give everyone support, piece of mind.

Thanks to Amy, we have a beautiful daughter who we love more than anything, a full medical history, background about her birth parents, and piece of mind that this was what was meant to be. Kathryn's birth mother holds a very special place in our hearts and we stay in touch (via email and mail) since we share a common bond not threatened by anyone. We are currently pursuing our second adoption through the Link and we wouldn't have it any other way! We have referred several couples to the Link who have children now and share our sentiments! Check it out for yourself! Good Luck and God Bless!

Michelle & Fran

Testimony from Jim and Jan

Thanks so much for all of your help and support. As you can imagine, our lives are filled with joy, Virginia Marie is a blessing. We plan on visiting her birthmother at the end of this month. We have been busy with bottles, burping, and just loving her.

You (LINK) are doing great work! God will continue to bless you as you assist other couples.

Jan and Jim

Testimony from the Koll's

My wife and I just recently adopted a newborn baby girlthrough The Link and it's director Amy Miller. Our adoption journey lasted a year an a half, and through it all Amy was with us every step of the way, and never more than a phone call away. Amy's work is responsible for the successful creation of a number of families. Sheworks entirely on donations and is tirelessly working to bring together families, couples and expectant mothers. We could not be happier! Anyone with specific questions, please feel free to contact us. In starting our journey we spent a lot of time researching various agencies and facilitators, and as is a common theme for adoptive couples, cost was always a huge barrier in working with a lot of these other agencies. Most that we talked to added their costs on top of referring agency fees, attorney fees and other people in the adoption arena, quickly putting the costs over the $20,000 range. When I specifically brought this practice up to Amy, she stated very clearly in an orientation meeting that she does not charge a fee for her services, relies solely on donations and works with other facilitators and agencies who are looking to place children in their forever homes only if they will waive their fees. Amy is to be commended for bringing families together and making the choice of adoption easier for everyone in the adoption triangle.

Thank you Amy and The Link!!

Ed and Lisa

Testimony from the Graham's

We are Steve and Tara Graham. We have been blessed with the adoption of two beautiful children through Link Adoption. We adopted our son, Brendan, on November 12, 1999 and our daughter Maria Kate, on September 26, 2001. We thank God for leading us to Amy Miller, facilitator for Link Adoption. Through her ministry, our dream of adopting came true.

In 1998, we sought the guidance of our Lord and began our journey of adoption. Like most people, we had very little knowledge of adoption. We began by talking with couples that had already been through the process. This led us to attend two orientation meetings: one by an adoption agency and one by Link Adoption. We decided to attend the meeting of the adoption agency that was doing our homestudy. At their meeting, we were coldly greeted by the agency hosts as we sat in a room full of nervous couples. As the meeting began, we quickly became astonished at the negative attitude and overall demeanor of the hosts. They spoke only about how difficult it would be to adopt. They spoke only about how high their fees were and how long their waiting list was. We came to this orientation meeting with our heads held high: however, we left a "business" meeting with no hope, and being more lost. We realized that the adoption agency was in the "business" of placing children for the love of money, and for the love of themselves. Later that fall, we attended an orientation meeting at Link Adoption. At their meeting, we were welcomed with open hearts and open arms. As the meeting began, we were quickly inspired by the positive testimonies of adoptive parents and birthparents. The hosts of Link Adoption spoke about how adoption was God's plan, not a business plan. They spoke about "when" you will be blessed, not "if" you will be selected. After the meeting, we knew that the Lord had led us home. At Link Adoption, they facilitate adoption by linking together Christian couples and birthparents for the love of life, and for the love of others.

After much resistance from the adoption agency, we were able to complete our homestudy through them and register with Link Adoption by the summer of 1999. Amy Miller met one on one with us to implement our plan for adoption. We decided to put our profile on the Link Adoption website and to advertise in the yellow page co-op. We were chosen for adoption through the co-op in the fall of 1999, and six weeks later, our son was born. In the Winter of 2000, we registered with Link Adoption again when our son was three months old, and once again we put our profile on the Link Adoption website and joined an advertising co-op. We were blessed with the opportunity to adopt a second child in the fall of 2001, and 6 weeks later, our daughter was born. Link Adoption and its network providers assisted us with both adoptions from beginning to end, providing us with the necessary support and knowledge to efficiently and effectively see them through.

We thank God for leading us to Link Adoption. We also thank God for allowing us to experience the adoption agency. Through that experience, we were shown the difference between a facilitator like Link Adoption and an adoption agency. Adoption is a ministry, not a business. It is a transaction of love, not a transaction of business. It should be facilitated by Christians, and not run by business tycoons. Children are a gift, not a commodity.

"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are His reward." - Psalm 127:3.

God Bless You All,

Steve & Tara Graham

The Link National Adoption Registry (LNAR) is happy to be able to bring these successful adoption stories to you.