SFH Matching Grant for the Pruyn Family & Their Deaf Adoption

God places the lonely in families.  Psalm 68:6a

We are the Pruyn family and super excited to be in the process of adopting a deaf toddler from the Dominican Republic. My name is Jessica, but everyone calls me Jessie. Well almost everyone...my mother hasn't gotten used to that one. I grew up on a small rural west Tennessee farm, learning to love God and the outdoors!

I currently work as an educational interpreter and have done everything from freelance to Sorenson Video Relay Service, although interpreting isn't really my cup of tea. Alas, I do have to say at the end of the day, I love my job! The amazing thing is how I just fell into the Deaf world from my small rural lifestyle, but that is another story for another day. The important part is that through our local Deaf Church I met the love of my life!

Brice is a native California boy through and through. Growing up in the bay area, the ocean is literally his second home. An alumnus of the California School for the Deaf, Fremont this boy stole my heart when his dad brought him to our church picnic. We became best friends and the rest, they say, is history.

Adoption has always been something very close to our hearts. My mom, uncle, and three siblings are all adopted so it was no surprise when Brice and I began our courtship in 2009; adoption was one of the many topics we discussed. We both knew that we wanted to adopt one day, but always thought it would be later down the road. In 2012, we welcomed our beautiful biological baby girl into our home and life has been an adventure ever since. Never did we dream that being parents would, could be so amazing! Soon after, we began once again talking about adoption. God slowly began opening doors during the summer of 2013 and we began inquiring about adoption from various agencies and friends for future reference. We asked a few questions, figured out what we would need to get our house in order (a large addition to meet the minimum square footage requirements) and just tucked it away as something we would do later and went ahead with our own family plans. Little did we know that He would be leading us in this direction quite so quickly!

It was spring of 2014, shortly after our second miscarriage that we were contacted about this
specific child. When the agency told us of the requirements per the Dominican Republic, the 5-year marriage requirement, 6 months living in-country, and $40k we both prayed and agreed to take it one day at a time. The first step was to see if we could get the time off from work for the 6 months required for us to stay in the country. Brice asked his company where he works as a floater for a factory—he is a machinist/welder—and was assured he could take a leave of absence for that length of time. We called the adoption agency and told them we would press onward. We both agreed that God had opened this door and we were just going to trust Him to make it happen!

We could NOT deny the clear leading of God to this specific country. It has been over a year, now. We have worked almost non-stop on our house and finally this May right before our 5th wedding anniversary we finished our home study! We are now officially married 5 years and in the dossier process! God has provided every step right as we have needed it and we are trusting that He will continue!
 

Prayers as we move forward, please! The long in-country stay is going to be very taxing on us as we try to rent out our home, cover our bills both here and in-country and deal with lost wages. Please pray that all these needs will be met in the coming months as we continue to prepare! 

Signs for Hope has offered the Pruyn family a $750 matching grant. For every dollar that is donated to their adoption fund, up to $750, SFH will match it. The full amount of support will be at least $1,500. If God touches your heart to go beyond praying for the Pruyn family in this adoption of their deaf toddler from the Dominican Republic you can make a donation on the Signs for Hope website here.  Or mail a check to Signs for Hope, PO Box 460, Fairview, NC 28730. All donations are tax deductible.