Peter & Bethany
Matched
Marriage Length
4 Years
Home State
Ohio
Denomination
Baptist
Pets
1
Children
About Us
We met on an online dating site. I noticed right away that Peter was special. He asked good questions and took a genuine interest in getting to know who I was. I was intrigued by him. After a couple of weeks of exchanging long messages, he asked me out to dinner. Our first date was at a restaurant called Smokey Bones. We felt at ease with one another right away and more dates followed, including bowling, a trip to the zoo, going to an indoor amusement park, and trying new restaurants. We enjoyed our second date at a local Thai restaurant where our connection deepened. Later, Peter proposed by setting up a private dinner with food from this same restaurant. He also had a book made that included all of our email messages from when we were getting to know each other online. Since we decided on a small wedding, we had our ceremony at a local park pavilion on the most beautiful fall day. It was a perfectly simple, sunny, and wonderful day. We chose a small wedding with hopes of going on a big adventure for our honeymoon. We went to Ireland, a place I had always wanted to go. Peter had been there before on a high school trip, and had wanted to come back with his wife someday. I guess both of our dreams came true :)
We are looking forward to growing our family through any of the following adoption opportunities:
Type
Open , Semi-open , ClosedGender
Any genderRace
Any RaceCircumstances
- Differently-abled
- Twins
- Sibling groups up to 2
Peter's TESTIMONY
I was fortunate to be born into a family that knew and loved the Lord. My parents were collegiate staff with The Navigators. Though I always knew my parents loved me, I would not learn about the grace and love of God until later in life. My family was very active in church, bible studies, and mission opportunities. At a young age I was exposed to concepts of love, grace, sin, and my deep personal need for a Savior. At age 7, I started to ask my family questions about what those concepts meant and how they related to me. I clearly remember one night my father explaining about my personal sin. That personal sin had alienated me from God and I was lost. He explained that God in His grace loved me so much He could not leave me like that. So he sent his Son Jesus to be a sacrifice for me. All that Jesus required was that I admit He was God, follow Him, and live my life according to what the Bible says. My father then prayed with me and I asked Jesus to come into my life and be my sacrifice.
Growing in my faith has meant that each day I need to die to my sin nature and put on the armor of God. It has been very important for me to maintain an active prayer life where I am making myself available to the Holy Spirit’s work in my life. It is also important for me to be saturating myself in the word of God. I do this by bible study, devotional reading, scripture memorization, and listening to sermons from various churches. Finally, an important part in maintaining a solid relationship with God is daily accountability. As a man made in the image of God I need to surround myself with godly men and women who are challenging me to grow, offering correction, guidance, and support in my faith.
I believe that one of the most important parts of the Christian life is church community. I strongly believe that church membership is important and beneficial to every believer. More than membership, I believe it is important to be active and involved in church life. For me it is not enough to go to church once a week. I believe that we need to be actively doing community with church brothers and sisters so that they can support us when we are weak and we in turn can do the same. This is why I have been involved with a Sunday night prayer meeting, work projects to the home bound, and leadership in our singles ministry. God has given me a passion for planning and I feel blessed to take leadership roles in planning retreats, leading Bible studies, and planning prayer meetings.
Bethany's TESTIMONY
I grew up in a loving Christian home, but throughout college and afterwards my life wasn't turning out at all what I had wanted it to. I got to a point where I felt Christianity was a sham and wasn't sure that God was real, or if He was real that He wanted me to suffer. I continued to be weighed down with shame, fear, depression, and bitterness and could not see a way out. I thought that the next thing would save me, whether that was a move, a new job, or a relationship. Nothing ended up fixing me like I thought it would and I was left with the same emptiness.
When I realized that everything in my own effort failed, I felt I had nothing to look forward to in life and felt I had no reason to live. In desperation, I began to search for who God is and that pursuit ended up changing my life.
I needed answers to hard questions, and I asked a new friend if she would meet with me. We barely knew each other at the time, but she listened and prayed with me. And it didn't stop there. She asked if we could meet once a week to figure out the answers together by reading the Bible, starting from the beginning in Genesis. The Lord used her to connect me to a community of believers who continued to speak into my life.
Over time, the Lord softened my hear and brought me out of the pit of despair and I began to believe He is who He says He is. He's saved me, given me a new identity, and a hope and future in Him. He's rescued me from death and despair and raised me to new life in Him.
Letter to you
Read MoreOur Christian Commitment
Vision For Raising A Child
Thank you so much for taking the time to look over our profile! We know that you are faced with a big decision and we continue to pray for clarity and peace as you consider your options.
If you decide that we are the family for your child, please know that we will surround him or her with an abundance of love and care. We have wanted to be parents for a long time, and if we are given the opportunity, this child will be a cherished blessing in our lives. They will be raised in a safe, loving, and joyful home and will grow up regularly spending time with their extended family. We will provide many opportunities for fun and adventure.
This child will also be taught about the unending love of Jesus and will be raised in a loving church of believers. There are several other foster and adoptive families in our church, and lots of children in general, so they will grow up with many playmates/friends. We've come to understand how important it is for children to know who they are and where they come from, so we will do our best to honor your child's history and culture. And we will share often about how much you love them.
As a birthmother making plans for a child, we can imagine that you may be in a difficult time of life. We care and are praying for you often. May you be blessed, whatever you decide.
Sincerely,
Bethany and Peter
ABOUT Peter
Peter was born in Fargo, ND and grew up in a close knit community near Chicago. He has one brother, Matthew, who recently moved from Texas to be closer to us. Peter loves to follow sports, especially the Chicago Bears and Illini basketball. He also enjoys going to the gym and being involved at church. His favorite foods include steak, burgers, and good BBQ. He graduated high school in 2004 and went on to Cedarville University to study Psychology. He later completed a Master's degree in Counseling from Richmont Graduate University.
Peter enjoys board games, playing with our dog Murphy, grilling out, and spending time with friends.
EXTENDED FAMILY
WORK & EDUCATION
Peter is a licensed mental health counselor at a substance abuse recovery center.
HOBBIES & INTERESTS
ABOUT Bethany
Bethany grew up in a small town in Ohio. She has two brothers (one older and one younger). Her parents ahve been married 38 years. She is "Aunt B" to two nieces and one nephew, who she loves to spend time with. She enjoys the outdoors, and likes to go hiking, kayaking, bike-riding, and camping. She says that her favorite type of food is "Thanksgiving food" because she loves variety. She graduated high school in 2008 and went on to Bluffton University graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Social Work. She spent a year after college working with refugees from different countries.
Bethany enjoys taking pictures, reading, drinking tea, playing board games, experiencing new cultures, traveling, trying new things, being involved at church, and spending time with family and friends.
EXTENDED FAMILY
WORK & EDUCATION
Bethany has a Bachelor's degree and works as a licensed social worker at a nursing home.
HOBBIES & INTERESTS
ABOUT OUR HOME
We live in a beautifully diverse neighborhood that has parks within walking distance and attractions close by. Our home is a three story and has 4 bedrooms. We enjoy spending time on our front porch swing or on our back porch where we like to grill out, have campfires, and watch our dog play in the yard.
One of the parks has 7 acres of room to play, including tennis courts, a playground, splash pad, basketball court, roller hockey rink, and a large field for baseball or kickball. We often see children playing soccer and a grouop of adults playing regularly as well.
We also live a short drive from downtown that has walking paths along the river.