The Story

I (Jonna Angeline Jones McMullin - known as Angeline to most) met Mike at Lee University and got married in 1995. After graduating, I worked at Lee and Mike went on to the Church of God Theological Seminary. It was in a class on Isaiah that he first felt the calling for us to adopt. In class they were discussing Isaiah chapter 1 and when they read verse 17, "Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow." Mike very clearly heard the Holy Spirit telling him that it was his calling to be a father to the fatherless. He came home and told me, and we began to pray about it. We did not know when it would happen, but we knew that it would. Our initial thoughts were that we would have biological children first and then adopt later.

A few years later we were both finishing our graduate degrees and seeking God for the next step in our lives. We went online again and began to research various adoption possibilities, but we did not know how we would be able to afford it at that time. We knew that if it was God's plan, he would provide. The very next day a friend that I worked with at Lee, Regenia Collier, said she had something important to talk to me about. She told me that her best friend in Pennsylvania had a 19 year old daughter, (Elizabeth) who was pregnant and in a bad situation. Elizabeth wanted my friend to help find them a Christian couple who would be interested in adopting the baby. Regenia and I had never discussed adoption, and she said that she didn't know if it was something we would even consider but the Lord had put us on her heart. I smiled at her and told her that as a matter of fact we were very interested. She told me that the child would be bi-racial, and she didn't know if that would bother us. I told her that we already knew that the Lord had purposed for us to have a multi-cultural family. She looked at me amazed and said that I didn't even seem surprised. I told her I was not surprised; God had given us the answer before the question was asked. Elizabeth came down from Pennsylvania, and we spent the next 6 months getting to know her. I went with her to every prenatal visit, and Mike and I were there with her in the hospital when our son Samuel was born.

That was 5 years ago just this past January. Our son Samuel was 5 years old on January 15. We tell him every day that he is a present from God. The way God brought him into our lives was completely supernatural and miraculous to us. We don't know for sure if there is a physical reason why we have not conceived a child biologically; so that is always a possibility, but we believe that if that happens it is God's will for us. But if that time never comes, God has put children in this world who need families. He has given us the desire to build a multi-cultural family that is representative of God's family - a family that is all inclusive and appreciative of diversity.

We moved to Tyler, TX 4 years ago, where we served as the Discipleship pastors at Rose Heights Church of God. We have just recently moved back to Cleveland, TN, and we are both presently working at Lee. I work in academic administration as the Coordinator of Academic Events. Mike is working in the Records Office and plans to start a Ph.D. program in the near future; his goals are to teach Bible and theology and be involved in local ministries wherever we may end up in the future.

A few years ago Mike was communicating with Mike Nitz, a friend of ours, who was in the Philippines at the time. We began to talk and pray and felt a burden that the Lord may be calling us to adopt a child from the Philippines. We have been praying about this for a while, but I had not felt a release to actually make steps in that direction until recently. This past November as the Lee University homecoming, we found out that my sorority, Delta Zeta Tau, was planning a trip to go to the Philippines to work at a children's home there. After I saw the video that DZT showed of Samaritan's Place, I cried all the way home. I felt a greater burden than I had felt in a long time. I looked up the web-site at that time and began to sincerely pray for the children and for the Morris' work there. Marc Morris is a Lee University alumnus, and he and his wife Marilen are the founders of Samaritan’s Place.

Once again we truly felt the call to adoption, but it was frustrating because it seemed impossible. I began to get frustrated with God. It did not seem fair that God would give us these desires and allow finances to be the reason we could not fulfill those desires. While I was struggling with these issues, I went to hear Carolyn Dirksen, my boss, speak in chapel. I still remember all three points, and I have used them frequently in sharing with others. When she talked about Peter stepping out on the water without knowing how he was going to walk on the water but just knowing that Jesus said come, I knew that I had to change my attitude. I always want to have everything planned and know how things are going to work out. I understood when she shared that if Peter knew how it was going to work, it would not have been a miracle. I knew then that we were going to have to proceed, so we began to pray that God would lead us and let us know when it was the right time.

We began praying for God to tell us when to step out. In January, I was praying during a church service, and the worship leader sang a song I had not heard before. The lyrics were as follows:

When you say go, we will go.
When you say wait, we will wait.
When you say step out on the water,
And they say it can't be done,
We will fix our eyes on you
And we will come.

Once again, I cried because I knew this was God's way of telling me it was time to step out on the water. So I decided to look to Jesus, and not look at the waves or the distractions. I began to work on an e-mail to send to Marc Morris at Samaritan’s Place. Before I could complete the e-mail and send it, God was already working. Stephanie Taylor, my friend who works in the President’s office at Lee, called me to tell me the DZT president wanted to meet with me that day. The DZT girls showed up in my office, and to my complete surprise, they invited me to come along on the trip to the Philippines as their staff representative. I did not even know any of the girls going on the trip, but I was recommended to them by some other staff members. They also said that they would like pay my way to go with them. When they asked me, my mouth just dropped open. I told them that I was definitely interested, but I would have to figure things out with my family and my job.

In May, I went with 8 current DZT members and one charter member to the Philippines for 2 weeks. It was the most amazing experience. I truly fell in love with the beauty and the spirit of the islands and the people there. While there I shared with the staff at Samaritan’s Place our desire to adopt a child from there. I fell in love with a 7 year old little girl who I would love to bring home to be a part of our family. While we can not specifically request a certain child, we will leave this in God’s hands as well. Sometimes it is easier when you are interested in adopting an older child, because they really want to find homes for these children. We will put our trust in God because we know that He already has the perfect child in mind to be a part of our family.

The week I got back to the US we started the process for a Filipino adoption. I do not believe that all of these circumstances coming together could possibly be a coincidence. We feel that God has been guiding our steps and that God has chosen this timing. We don't know how all of this is going to work out, but we feel confident that if we keep our eyes on Him, whatever happens, we won't sink.