This is our family.
You can read our detailed journey…everything from how Rico Suave and I met–to how the Lord led us to grow our family through adoption…in the 5 blog series here…“Best Years Series”. That’s the longer version.
My “about” me seems to change through the years–and for now…I’m a wife Richard–aka Rico Suave. I’m the middle kid to 2 sisters–and another joy of my life are my THREE AMAZING niece’s Isabelle, Emma and Anna Kate! I’m a stay-at-home mom currently homeschooling our 3 older ones…while the younger two…well they keep us on our toes. Rich and I stepped out to follow Jesus in orphan and widow care through Wiphan Care Ministries and we actively serve on the board (and fly across the world to love on our other kiddos which you’ll often read about on my blog). Wiphan serves 650 orphans and 150 widows in Ndola, Zambia (central Africa)–and we are always looking for other to join us!
After bringing home our son from Ethiopia in 2010, the Lord opened my eyes to the lack of support for adoption families post-adoption. So much “support and training” seemed to be available through our agency and training courses prior to bringing our son home. But once we were home–honestly, very little of that training seemed applicable As the months passed and I struggled feeling like a fish-out-of-water and as we journeyed through new parenting territory helping a child heal, I longed to be in fellowship with other believing moms who had gone before me as well as with those who were in the thick of it…and to encourage and equip those who were also just beginning their journeys. In September 2010, I felt the Lord call me to start a retreat for a small group of 25 adoptive moms–and when registration opened for Created for Care, 250 moms had signed up in a few hours! I WAS NOT ALONE! And the need was definitely there! Today we serve 900 moms between 2 retreats each year–and we now have marriage retreats for couples as well each Fall. We also walk beside hundreds of moms throughout the country as they host mini-retreats for their own communities–reaching out to help encourage and equip foster and adoption moms right where they are.
We also grew again in 2012–traveling to China (definitely amazing to read after you read “The Best Years” how the Lord led us back to China together this time. Friends and family always ask us if we are done growing–and that’s one question I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to answer as we keep our hands open to whatever the Lord has for our future.
While things do change year to year in our worlds, the unchanging, everlasting “about” me is the one of the most worth. I am a daughter of the King. I trusted the Lord as a Savior at a young age–but truly…I never knew Him as the Lord of my life until I was 18 when I asked Jesus into my heart (all by myself in the DAIRY CREAM parking lot! I’m from a SMALL town in Alabama, and they had a Dairy CREAM instead of the real thing!). I followed that prayer with, “And Lord–I ask that you will give me a life of adventure!” He has been faithful in many things–even bringing us an adventure only He could write!
May any word I write be one that encourages you to look UP and trust Him on your adventure as well.
Blessings!
Andrea Young
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