Ezekyal is a Bush!
Many of you have been with All Things New for a long time, and a lot of the people who read this blog and support our ministry either started out as friends or have become friends over the years. It is a funny thing about supporting the same cause and becoming passionate about the same thing…it brings people closer together.
We also know that, while All Things New is a nonprofit, a ministry, and a business, there is an aspect of it that always has been and always will be personal. It is one of the greatest things about being both the Executive Director and founder of the ministry, and I know that many of you feel a personal pull to ATN which is why so many of you remain supporters even as we cannot safely enter the country.
I say all of that to say one very personal, very important thing…On March 31, Ezekyal’s adoption was finalized!
After almost 4 years start to finish, a lot of crazy stories that I would love to tell anyone when you have about 4-5 hours of free time, a lot of help from our wonderful attorneys and adoption agency, and more prayer that I can communicate, Ezekyal is legally our son.
I love to write and get in front of groups to speak about Jesus’ love and about All Things New, but to accurately describe the emotions, the relief, and the sense of accomplishment that we felt that day during a 5-minute long Zoom call in front of a judge with our family calling in from LaGrange/Jacksonville/Orlando/Fort Lauderdale is almost impossible.
There was always this feeling, in the back of our mind, that something could go wrong. We have been Zeke’s parents since he was born. We have loved him, provided for him, and protected him, and he only feels safe with us. Regardless of what the judge said, he was our son, but the joy to have that fact made legally true was incredible and provided a sense of relief that I was not expecting.
We so appreciate all of your prayers. The truth is, without your support of All Things New, we could have never moved to Haiti. Had we never moved to Haiti, Ezekyal would not be our son, so you have been a part of this process as well.
He is such a funny, happy boy who is full of life and passionate about even the smallest of things. We love him, and he has been calling himself “Ezekyal Bush” since I can remember.
If you are still reading this, thank you again, and I want to bring up 2 things that I hope you do not miss in this process:
1. Adoption is a beautiful example/reminder of what GOD has done for us. If we know Jesus as our Savior, we are Sons/Daughters of GOD precisely because He made the conscious decision to adopt us into His family. Imagine that.
2. Adoption is a viable option for you regardless of whether or not you have kids. Is it expensive? Yes, but we did it, 3 times. Is it difficult? Yes, the process is hard and uncertain, and it is both emotionally and physical draining. Is it worth it? Yes. There are kids all over America and the world who need you and will love you, and believe me when I say that while it is hard and expensive, it is also accessible and absolutely worth it.
Be on the lookout for more adoption news from the Bush family in the near future!