Bechtel Family, Ohio

"Mommy, why don't we hold hands?" If the camera had not been in front of my face, my daughter Jenna, age 4 and a half would have caught the tears of joy forming in my eyes. She actually wants to hold her brother's hand! Lord, that is a miracle!

You see, it was early last November when Jenna did not yet have a brother's hand to hold. Jenna's brother-to-be was waiting in the country of her birth, several thousand miles away. And when she would finally meet this brother for the first time, it would not exactly be love at first sight!

My husband, Jason, and I adopted Jenna Evelyn Caroline in 2002. We left Guatemala a few days after Jenna's "Gotcha" day and as the plane rose into the sky, my husband and I vowed to be back one day... for a sibling for our Jenna.

The months that followed Jenna's homecoming were amazing. We decided it was time to make an addition to our happy family, a brother for Jenna, when we felt the Lord's nudging through an unexpected financial blessing. We researched and prayed about agencies, but none felt like the one that would lead us to Jenna's baby brother. When we looked into AGCI, we found all that we were looking for in an agency: a Christ-centered approach, a strong commitment to the care of His children, and a reputation for a high level of service to clients. We signed on, quickly prepared our dossier and home study (so much easier the second time around!), and got on the Guatemala boy waiting list.

Four days after Jenna's third birthday, the phone rang as we were headed out for the afternoon. "All God's Children" on the caller id'could it be THE call?? I listened to details of a six month old baby boy, suffering from malnutrition when brought to Hannah's Hope, who needed a family. I raced to open our email only to find pictures of the sweetest baby boy face'... Jenna's new baby brother!

Home from the visit trip, Jason, Jenna and I filled days with our favorite activities as a family of three'waiting on one more. Meanwhile, in Guatemala, Baby Brother was getting healthier and stronger by the day, thanks to the excellent care he was receiving at Hannah's Hope. I remember clearly the days we received update pictures and a DVD of Baby Brother's progress. The three of us would gather around the computer (for the pictures) and then the TV and play and replay the movie of the baby.

When Jason and I decided to bring Jenna with us to Guatemala on Baby Brother's pick up trip, we knew there would be some anxiety and some jealousy'but we completely underestimated the impact Baby Brother would have on the new Big Sister!

When Jenna saw her new brother, then 14 months old, she exclaimed, "That's not a baby!" and ran off to look at the other babies in the adjoining room. The Special Mothers at Hannah's Hope, who did not speak English, but definitely understood what was happening with the new Big Sister, were so sweet. They brought Jenna play dough and crayons, played with her, and made her feel special as Jason and I took in the first moments with the baby boy we would name JJ, short for Joshua Juan.

Once we were home, we had days of intense sibling rivalry followed by days of peace. We slowly adjusted into life as a family of four. There were times I became discouraged and would pray, "Lord, please help my kids love each other. Make them friends!" As weeks continued to turn into months, Jason and I had front row seats to the evolution of a beautiful relationship between a brother and sister. JJ adored Jenna from the moment he laid eyes on her. JJ tenderly and steadily won Jenna's heart.

So now, coming up on the first anniversary of JJ's Gotcha day, that is what Jenna exclaims, in four year old language, when she wants to hold her brother's hand while falling in a pile of raked leaves. I think Psalm 126:6 sums our story up so well: "He who goes out weeping carrying seed to sow will return with songs of joy carrying sheaves with him." Our sheaves are the smiling faces Jason and I tumble with in the leaves while our hearts sing Psalm 126:3, "The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with JOY!"