“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation, and go to the grave with the song still in them.”  Henry David Thoreau

“My work will be here tomorrow but my friends may not” – A common Miskito phrase

As long as I can remember, I have been touched by the stories in books and on TV about the plight of orphans and starving, vulnerable children. I recall when I was young telling God and myself, “When I get older, I’m going to help those children!” My childhood was happy, filled with sports and friends in Plano, Texas, a wealthy suburb of Dallas. I’m not sure where the time has gone… and as for helping ‘those children,’ well, my part has been minimal.

I certainly have many excuses for not following through on my promise.  First, there was college at the University of Texas and then a very brief stop in the NFL. Next came a career, my wife and my own children. I rationalized with myself that God must want me here in America, nice and comfortable, raising my own children and supporting missions and orphan work financially. As our family expanded through childbirth and adoption, I became more and more dependent upon the trappings of comfort.

Then it happened! In 2008, our pastor and his family, dear friends of ours, decided to pick up, attend language school and become missionaries in Brazil. My thought was, “Wow, that is so great to hear, we are so glad God is calling you and we will pray for your family’s safety and success.” I still remember his parting words to us… “I can see you guys doing this one day.” “OK,” I reasoned,”but right now my job is to support missions, we can’t all be missionaries.” I was thankful to God for a great and easy life. My happiness grew for our pastor and his family and I was confident that they would serve with all of their hearts. But then, as I really thought about it, I asked myself, “What if everyone felt that their job was just to financially support missions? What if there truly weren’t enough people to actually serve?”

Fast forward to January of 2009. On one of my many flights, I read the book Same Kind of Different As Me, by Ron Hall & Denver Moore. This book is a moving true story of two men, polar opposites. They are brought together by one man’s loving, Christian wife. The book inspired me to question my own life and ask what I was doing to further the kingdom of God. As I read through the book, I felt God speaking to me. I am not accustomed to hearing God’s voice audibly, but He gently whispered, “I need more from you” and I felt His probing “What are you willing to do for Me?” I called Laura and asked her to pray about taking our heart for orphans anywhere God called us.

It was during this period of time that I really started to feel God telling me that He wanted my family and me to serve Him! My eyes were further opened by the book The Hole in Our Gospel written by Richard Sterns, the CEO of World Vision. He accurately describes our job as Christians… taking care of orphans.

If you had asked me a year ago where Honduras was, I would have had a hard time pointing it out on a map without the country in red bold letters.  Honduras is only a two hour plane trip from Dallas, but it was a world away in my mind. My lack of knowledge of Latin America was vast. Despite Honduras’ close proximity to the wealth of the United States, Honduras is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, behind only Haiti.

What a difference a year can make! I’m so grateful to God and the people He put in my path to open my eyes to Honduras, its people and its beauty.   As I listened to the stories about the orphans and vulnerable children in Honduras, I found my heart falling out of my chest for this country. However, I still had reservations. We researched many of the cities of Honduras and dismissed the most needy area, La Mosquitia, as being too remote for my family to relocate.

We planned an exploration trip to Honduras in the fall of 2009. Our itinerary included La Mosquitia, only because Laura had done a video and was working on a newsletter for Mama Tara’s orphanage and we wanted to see the place she had written about. And because a friends of ours, Dr. Tom Brian, had founded a home for disabled children in the region. Our reservations continued right up until we stepped off of the plane and onto the sand runway of Puerto Lempira, the largest city in the La Mosquitia region.

Our trip further unveiled the underbelly of Honduras that is only visible in person. It is tough to imagine living with so little after being spoiled by our American lifestyle. Yet, there was an overwhelming feeling of peace and comfort in doing it. There was a sense of peace that this was where we would make our home. We lived out of our backpacks for a week and found out we did not really need much more than that with God’s guidance. I’m sure I learned this lesson much earlier in my life and somehow forgot it in the midst of chasing the American Dream. Although our family looks very different than the people of Puerto Lempira, we have formed deep relationships. The people have great needs such as clean water, health care, gospel materials, education, and many more issues. Our desire is to serve the people of Puerto Lempira long-term just as we want to love the Lord… with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.

And as for me, I do not plan to be a statistic like those men referenced in the above quote by Thoreau. Instead, I will go to my grave with my song completely sung. May my God get all of the glory, even if I sing out of tune.

It was a balmy, bright day in Maui, Hawaii when our two separate lives came together to become one life. We said our vows on a breathtaking beach and enjoyed a private dinner by candlelight with the waves crashing in the background. It was a night to remember for both of us. Never, in our wildest visions of the future, did we imagine ourselves as parents to 4 children;  2 biological and 2 adopted out of the Texas Foster Care System!  Never, in the wildest predictions of our lives, would we have guessed we would sell our worldly goods and move to a remote jungle region of Honduras! Never. But, that is exactly what we are called to do. And with God’s grace and the prayers of our dear friends behind us, we will walk forward.

So, how did we get from that gorgeous day in 1997 to this one in 2019??

It is almost overwhelming to think about, really. Only through the transforming power of God could such a thing happen to two ordinary, self-centered people like us. The transformation of hopes and dreams is just the business God is in… and He has been the ultimate Transformer for the two of us.  He is our Everything, our only Hope.

Our early married years were spent chasing the ‘American dream.’ (Prior to our marriage, Alex had actually lived ‘Every Boy’s Dream’ by playing both college and pro football) We enjoyed material success and recognition; consumption became our middle name. Saving our pennies for our ‘dream house’ in the country became almost an obsession. It was a collective goal and we did everything we could as ‘American dreamers’ to make it happen. Read more about Alex’s Story

As for children… we spent several years thinking infertility was a reality.  There was some sadness and we did contemplate adoption at that time. One surprising fall day, we found out we were pregnant. The dawn of a new millennium brought the celebration of new life with the birth of our oldest son, Aidan. His exuberance and love of life still prove to be contagious and an important part of our family. Aidan currently studies and serves at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Three years later, after many weeks of bed rest, we gave birth to our only daughter, Arlee. She is tender and tenacious – two qualities that will serve her well as she grows up. Arlee loves soccer and is a fierce friend and competitor. To know her is to love her.

Honestly, 2 children were enough for us at that point. We had high hopes for these 2 and felt that we were just fine with a boy and girl. In 2004, we found ‘IT’ – a beautiful piece of country property with lots of trees and a lovely home. Now, THIS was the place our small family would live until our last breath. Our children became country-folk and ran around muddy and bare-footed. We were filled with a new-found appreciation for God’s creation. We held onto this place with fists-clenched; nothing could separate us from this land… nothing. Right.

In 2006, the idea of additional children started creeping into our conversations. We played the ‘what if’ game, trying on the idea of adoption like we were playing dress-up. By August, we felt led to adopt through the foster care system in Texas. We went into the entire experience as an ‘adoption only’ family. Right. After our training, we were surprisingly moved to a place where we wanted to be a foster-to-adopt family. Our first placement was a precious baby girl without any identifying information.   She had been abandoned in an ugly place with absolutely nothing. We were able to name her and we believed with all of our heart that she would be ours forever. She was Hispanic and American Indian, which will mean more later in the story :)… and we had her life with us all planned out.

She, though, was not to be ours. Come to find out, she had 2 biological brothers who were already being adopted. CPS keeps families together whenever possible and we sadly agreed that she should have some semblance of her biological family. The heartbreak was real and exceedingly painful, but God was at work.

We continued to provide respite for other foster families while we prayed about our future. In June of 2007, we received a call about our Aaron. We would later find out he had been in 4 placements before coming to our home at 3 months of age. Through a series of deaths, vacations, etc., our little guy had been shuffled until a foster-to-adopt family could be found for him. During his initial time with our family, we believed it to be a true foster situation. All signs were pointing to reunification with his biological family. We supported this on most levels and tried to love him without reservation. In early 2008, his biological mother relinquished her parental rights and the green light was given for us to adopt him. Today, he is our inventor and most inquisitive child. He is a hand-full of a boy who fills our home with lots of laughter.

Shortly after Aaron arrived at our home, we found out that we were selected to be our precious Adam’s forever family. Adam had been in foster care since birth and he was 15 months old when he joined our family. His foster family had loved him like their own and he was able to quickly form a healthy attachment to each of us. Adam is 9 months older than Aaron. Adam is our sensitive, gentle child who wants to be a Mechanical Engineer in the military.

In 2008, the adoptions of both boys were complete. And… so then there were 6!

Our call to full-time missions is to the Miskito people of the eastern coast of Honduras. This area is comprised primarily of indigenous Miskito Indians.  The Spanish explorers also made their impact on Honduras. The Miskito people have a rich blended heritage of both Spanish and indigenous Indian influence. It is amazing that the love God planted in our hearts for one little Hispanic/Indian girl has led to a desire to serve an entire people group. It seems unbelievable… that is what makes it ALL GOD!

In 2012, our dear friend and missionary, Katrina Engle, told us about a baby girl whose birth mom had recently passed away. The baby was living at the House of Hope, a ministry of Send Hope, Inc. Katrina asked us if we were interested in raising her. That very day, Cumi, joined our family. Her birth mom gave her the Miskito name, Cumi, which means ‘my one and only’.

As of 2019, our oldest son, Aidan, has transitioned to US life and is studying at the United States Naval Academy. Arlee is 16, Adam is 13, Aaron is 12 and Cumi Joy is 7. Cumi’s adoption is still in process, but she is able to travel with us for visits to the US.

Our missionary experience has been extraordinary and one we are grateful for as a family. The Miskito people have taught us a love for family that is rare in this world. They have taught us all about poverty of spirit, as well as material poverty. They have loved us and cared for us.

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Alex and Laura are available to speak to your church, Sunday School class, small group or neighborhood friends. We would love to share about our life and work on the far side of a Honduran rainforest.