Finally a Family of 6....

Nearly 3 years ago our family firmly understood God leading our family into the adoption of a child. The desire to adopt had always been a hope of Mark and me since we were married, and after 10 years, through a series of promptings and prayer, we knew the time had come for us to formally purse it.

Never would we have thought that this journey would be a long and as hard as it has. Never would we have realized how much we would grow to understand the depth of God’s character-- His love for us, His love for the fatherless, and His relentless pursuit for righteousness --more than we have during these past years.

Most of you know that we began our adoption process in Rwanda. We hung on for a nearly 2 year roller coaster ride of emotions, changes in government policy, and eventual heartbreak. Despite our desperate attempt and the bold attempt by others (many we had never even met before) to bring a little girl home, that ended last spring when the government closed all active cases and ceased giving out referrals. We had lost a lot. We fought all kinds of emotions during that time, wrestled with doubt and fear, wondering if we really were supposed to be a family to a child who did not have one.

But we felt God still leading us to adopt. So, still a bit fragile and raw, I began looking into possibilities again. Fairly soon after, I stumbled upon an article from some guy who hated Christians and adoptions (amazing what God can use to reveal what He wants) and he referenced one blog in particular in this article about a family adopting in Ghana. I looked into their blog and then through research, realized we had a few “mutual friends” on facebook. That friend introduced us to this family. Not only have they adopted 4 children from Ghana, but they started an organization that works with orphanages in Ghana. It was through her that we were given the hope of adopting a little girl again.

We redid paperwork, made calls, paid more funds, and began to hope again. We received a picture of a beautiful little girl and began to see her as our own—a gift of fatherhood from our heavenly father.

We have had great people doing wonderful things throughout this process. We have had people in Ghana working tirelessly on our behalf, people at the orphanage loving our sweet girl and telling her about us. We have had people in America helping too in many ways, especially praying for our family.

And last week we finally received the news we had been waiting for, sometimes not so patiently. We passed court in Ghana and Ruth became a Hansen! We will travel for our first trip in late January. We will meet Ruth for the first time, spend time at the orphanage, and file some necessary paperwork while in country. We will then have to say good-bye and wait again several months and hope and pray for 2 more U.S. government approvals (I600 and Visa) so we can travel again to bring her home. We are excited and nervous about these next steps, but lean into our God with confidence and hope.


Due to our failed first adoption, many of our personal finances were lost. Having to start most of our paperwork over to change countries and the fact that 2 trips to Ghana are necessary, we are a bit short of funds to bring her home. Our family still needs approx. $4,000.00 to be able to pay for our “bring home” trip.

If you are at all interested in helping bring Ruth home,  a tax deductible donations can be made and send to:

The Titus Task
c/o Hansen Family
PO Box 82
Siloam Springs, AR 72761

Your continued prayers for our family are so appreciated as we know just how valuable and needed they are!