Adoption and the Effect on a Person’s Life

By Nate Moore

I had the pleasure of having Joey Caldwell as a teacher while I

was at Ben Lippen School. In 2019, he and his wife were going
to adopt a child, but it fell through. After three miscarriages
and over 10 hours of driving. He said, “When we were an hour
away from the hospital, we got a call from our attorney telling
us to go ahead and turn around because the momma had
decided to parent.”
After the adoption did not come to fruition, he became angry
at God and could not trust him. This was a dark time, and God
did not answer his prayers about a child.
Later that year, his prayers were answered, and he got to
adopt his first child. The adoption process had a profound
effect on Caldwell's life. His way that his outlook on God
influenced the way he taught his students.
One problem that arose was with adopting an African
American girl. From multiple people telling him that he and his
wife are not to be raising the girl. One thing that he is doing is
(Courtesy of Ben Lippen School) being open with the adoption. He said, “to learning a whole other
culture so that Lumia knows where she comes from and what her
heritage is as well.”
Keeping in touch with the birth family has also been a blessing. He notes that when the birth
mother is ready to meet the child, he will let it happen.
He and his wife are currently going through another adoption process. The children that come
from adoption come from messy situations. They are stuck in the middle of the arguments of
the family. When asked, he said, “It’s a really broken family and they are using the baby to get
at each other.”
When he looks back on these adoptions, he can see how much his walk with God has changed.
He has learned from past experiences and sees how when God says no is meant for good.