The Stroup Family By Ross Stroup M


y wife, Julia, and I grew up in the ARP church. We have attended Back Creek ARP Church in Charlotte, NC, since birth and this is where we met.


We got married in 2012. In 2016, after struggling with infertility,


we decided to adopt. On December 25, 2016, we found out that our oldest son, Bryson, had been born the day before on Christmas Eve. In 2019, we decided to start the process of adoption again. During


this process, we found out about the Dunlap Adoption Assistance Program. Rev. Rob Roy McGregor, chairman of the board, told us to look into the grant. The application process was easy and I was able to get everything completed within a couple of hours. We waited 11 months for our youngest son, Nolan, to be born. He was born on June 15, 2020. The hardest part about our adoptions was the waiting. Whether


it was the waiting to be matched or the waiting after placement to get everything finalized and get the adoption decree. Julia and I prayed and read Scripture, but what stood out to us


during this time is how our faith grew during the waiting. It was a comfort to know that God was in control and already knew who our baby boys would be. Even when we felt anxiety in the waiting, we knew God was in control. The advice we would give others thinking about adoption is, “God does not call the qualified he qualifies the called.”?


(Thank you to the Dunlap Board and friends for your work and gifts to help make their adoption possible. If you would like to learn more about the Dunlap Adoption Assistance Program, visit https://dunlaporphanage.com/.)


September/October 2021


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