JoJo's Adoption

Every life is a gift.

Every child is a gift.

Adoption... is a gift.

We are thrilled to celebrate the adoption of our son!

Meet JoJo.

Joshua Joanthony Peterson

All photos by Codi Smith

Joshua is Hebrew for "Jehovah is generous" or "Jehovah is salvation." In the Old Testament, Joshua led the Israelites with courageous leadership, charging into battle upon bloody battle, leading hundreds of thousands into the Promised Land. He was a great leader for God's people and for his nation.

Our prayer for our son is that he will be a great leader for God's people and a great example for his native tribes, the Sioux and Assiniboine Tribal Nations. We also pray that he will accept that Jesus (Jehovah) is his salvation!

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Joanthony was his birth name given by his birth mother. (Originally spelled JoAnnthony.) It honors his heritage and his great-grandmother Joann.

We recognize that adoption is created through great loss. Our sweet boy lost the gift of knowing and growing up with his birth family, with his half-siblings and with his tribe. It's a heartbreaking story filled with great sadness, addiction and trauma.

Yet, at the same time... the Lord offers new life. And hope. And redemption.

"Behold, I am making all things new!" Rev 21:5

We are committed to learning about his tribe and culture and being able to share it with him. We are grateful to be in touch with his half-sister and their family who already know much more than us about the Native American culture. We recognize we will not always understand his challenges both as an adopted child and also as a brown boy growing up in a white family; yet, we are committed to loving him and providing him a safe, nurturing home filled with God's love and grace.

We are so grateful God chose JoJo to be in our family!

We can still recall the phone call in early April 2018. "Would you take-in a newborn baby boy? It could be long term, yet we want him in a home closer to his biological mother for possible visits if she can turn her life around."

Daneen was two months pregnant with Aria at the time. We did the math. If this baby boy remained with us long term, the two babies would be just 8.5 months apart in age. Wow! Could we do that? At 42 years old? Well, we actually used to pray for twins. Since we got married and started a family later in life, we thought it would "make sense" to have two at once! Well... we got our twins... Irish twins. Two infants and now two toddlers so close in age are quite the challenge at times. But they're also double the fun! We truly (and frequently!) cling to the scripture in the Gospels... "with God all things are possible." Matt 19:26.

JoJo has been in our home and a part of our family since he was 2 months old. 

 

JoJo has been in our family for 819 days, and in foster care for 882 days.

He was adopted on July 13, 2020.

Now, he is forever in our family.

God writes the best stories. Jehovah is generous!

"Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the laws my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:6-9