{"id":283847,"date":"2024-07-19T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-19T12:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/embryo-adoption-infertility-nana-and-eric-dolce\/"},"modified":"2025-06-10T17:16:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T21:16:16","slug":"embryo-adoption-infertility-nana-and-eric-dolce","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/embryo-adoption-infertility-nana-and-eric-dolce\/","title":{"rendered":"Embryo Adoption &#038; Infertility: Nana and Eric Dolce"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Infertility, foster care adoption, and embryo adoption: Nana and Eric Dolce&#8217;s path to a family involves all three\u2014listen in for inspiration and hope.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Infertility, foster care adoption, and embryo adoption: Nana and Eric Dolce&#8217;s path to children involve all three\u2014listen in for inspiration and hope.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47000,"featured_media":280865,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"https:\/\/traffic.omny.fm\/d\/clips\/cbd16f10-ac60-4f09-b4df-b15400ce35aa\/33aaac7e-3581-4e21-a3df-b154011ba58c\/f8d0da7f-f42a-4c58-b476-b1990117ca24\/audio.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:30:32","filesize":"27.99M","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"2024-07-19 09:00:00","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2818],"tags":[],"podcast_series":[],"cwp_profile":[9974],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-283847","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adoption-and-orphans","cwp_profile-nana-and-eric-dolce","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/06\/image-scaled.jpg?w=1024","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/283847\/embryo-adoption-infertility-nana-and-eric-dolce","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/283847\/embryo-adoption-infertility-nana-and-eric-dolce","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"ut6tTSNMDl\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/embryo-adoption-infertility-nana-and-eric-dolce\/\">Embryo Adoption &#038; Infertility: Nana and Eric Dolce<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/embryo-adoption-infertility-nana-and-eric-dolce\/embed\/#?secret=ut6tTSNMDl\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Embryo Adoption &#038; Infertility: Nana and Eric Dolce&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"ut6tTSNMDl\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/06\/image-scaled.jpg",1024,1024,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Margaret","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/margaret-coylefamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Infertility, foster care adoption, and embryo adoption: Nana and Eric Dolce's path to children involve all three\u2014listen in for inspiration and hope.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"<ul>\n<li>Sign up to get the devotional series by Nana Dolce called <a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/content_offer\/unseen\/?cru_source=2407ND&amp;cru_medium=emailseries&amp;cru_campaign=NanaDolceAcq&amp;utm_source=NanaDolceEmail&amp;utm_medium=emailseries&amp;utm_campaign=NanaDolceAcq&amp;CampaignCode=&amp;cid=em-familylife-helpandhope-dm971143-v-20240714&amp;grmpid=ebfe24ba-0ba9-11e9-9020-1228c4aab4b9&amp;utm_campaign=FL-US-Help-News-In-This-Home&amp;deliveryName=DM971143\">Where is God When Life Doesn't Make Sense?<\/a><\/li>\n<li>For more episodes featuring <a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/guest\/nana-dolce\/\">Nana Dolce, click here<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.embryodonation.org\/\">Embryo adoption<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Learn more about Nana Dolce on her website, <a href=\"http:\/\/nanadolce.org\/\">nanadolce.org<\/a>, or connect with her on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nanadolce1\/\">Insta<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>And grab her book, <a href=\"https:\/\/shop.familylife.com\/product\/the-seed-of-the-woman\/\">Seed of the Woman<\/a>: 30 Narratives that Point to Jesus\u2014or receive it <a href=\"https:\/\/donate.familylife.com\/july-2024\/the-seed-of-the-woman\/\">free with your donation<\/a> to FamilyLife!<\/li>\n<li>Find resources from this podcast at <a href=\"https:\/\/shop.familylife.com\/product-category\/radio-resources\/\">shop.familylife.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/shop.familylife.com\/product-category\/past-radio-resources\/\">See resources from our past podcasts.<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Find more content and resources on the <a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/app\/\">FamilyLife's app<\/a>!<\/li>\n<li>Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303\">Apple Podcast<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm?si=d6dfa8d2415f4750\">Spotify<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the <a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/familylife-podcast-network\/\">FamilyLife Podcast Network<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylife.com\/fl2024-07-19.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>FamilyLife Today\u00ae National Radio Version (time edited) Transcript<\/p>\n<p>References to conferences, resources, or other special promotions may be obsolete.<\/p>\n<p>Embryo Adoption and Infertility<\/p>\n<p>Guests:Eric and Nana Dolce<\/p>\n<p>From the series:Embryo Adoption and Infertility (Day 1 of 1)<\/p>\n<p>Air date:July 19, 2024<\/p>\n<p>Nana: I did ask God for a Scripture at some point, because this is such a unique way to adopt a child. I\u2019m giving birth to my adopted child.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Yes. After my prayer, our pastor preached on Psalm 139. When I read, that I said, \u201cThis embryo\u2014\u201d \u2014this was before the transfer, and they\u2019re so little; they\u2019re less than the size of the head of a pin, and yet, according to this passage\u2014God already knows the unformed body of this person.<\/p>\n<p>Shelby: Welcome to FamilyLife Today, where we want to help you pursue the relationships that matter most. I\u2019m Shelby Abbott, and your hosts are Dave and Ann Wilson. You can find us at FamilyLifeToday.com.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: This is FamilyLife Today!<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Today is a special day.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: It\u2019s not only a special day.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: We\u2019ve got something we\u2019ve never had. We\u2019ve got Nana Dolce back for a week.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: It\u2019s Nana Dolce\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Dave and Ann: \u2014Week!<\/p>\n<p>Ann: How does that sound, Nana? [Laughter] Did you ever think you\u2019d have a week named after you?<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Listeners, I\u2019m sorry for this voice all week, but I\u2019m encouraged. I\u2019m encouraged.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: But now we [have] another voice\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Nana: \u2014we do, we do.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: \u2014with the same last name. We\u2019ve got Eric, your husband, in the studio. Eric, what do you think?<\/p>\n<p>Eric: Grateful. It\u2019s great to be here.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: We\u2019re glad you\u2019re here. How many years have you guys been married?<\/p>\n<p>Eric: It will be 16 in\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Eric and Nana: \u2014August.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Tell us a little bit of your story. How did you guys meet?<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Eric: Basically, we have friends who are plotters and planners and schemers. [Laughter] I worked with a lady [who] would go home and say, \u201cThis great guy named Eric\u2026.\u201d But then, her husband was the youth minister at a local church. He would go home and say, \u201cThis great girl named Nana\u2026.\u201d They started talking and thinking and scheming about how we could finally get together, so they invited us to go out with them, and then left it to us to move forward.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: I was leaving the D.C. area months after I met you.<\/p>\n<p>Eric: Months, yes.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: I was going to seminary in a whole different state, and I would be there for two years; but Eric was very committed to being my friend, so he would send care packages, he would read my papers\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Ann: \u2014wait, wait, wait! You sent care packages? I am incredibly impressed right now.<\/p>\n<p>Eric: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Is he romantic?<\/p>\n<p>Nana: He\u2019s thoughtful. He\u2019s very thoughtful.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: \u2014super thoughtful.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Even now, he will remember, \u201cThis is the day we met 18 years ago.\u201d I don\u2019t remember these things. He marks them down.<\/p>\n<p>Eric: April 21st was our first date. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p>Dave: There you go.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: That\u2019s so sweet! I love it!<\/p>\n<p>Let me ask you, Nana. You were discipled by Cru?<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: We talked about that; how you had your fingers involved with Cru in the past. Take us back there, because you\u2019ve been, basically, discipling us all week. It\u2019s crazy that you were discipled through Cru and had some of your roots [there] back then.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Was it before you met Eric?<\/p>\n<p>Nana: It was before I met Eric. I mentioned along the way this week that I grew up in a family that didn\u2019t model the kind of family that I wanted for my future. When I became a Christian, I knew: \u201cI don\u2019t know what a Christian wife is supposed to look like; I don\u2019t know what a Christian husband is supposed to look like. I don\u2019t know how this works, because I haven\u2019t seen it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I turned to Scripture, but I also turned to resources like FamilyLife Today.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: So, you were a listener of FamilyLife Today.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: I was a listener. I was not anybody\u2019s wife. I wasn\u2019t anybody\u2019s momma, but I would listen to prepare me. I would listen as a way of \u201cTeach me what this looks like. teach me family life today in Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ann: That\u2019s so cool! Eric, what about you? Where did you get a foundation of following Jesus? What did that look like? Because you\u2019re on staff at a church that you are both involved in.<\/p>\n<p>Eric: I was saved in seventh grade, then our family moved back to Haiti. I was born here in the States, but my parents were from Haiti. I didn\u2019t want to go to Haiti, but I found that the Lord definitely had His best in mind for me, because when I went to Haiti, the school I was at was for missionary kids, then, they opened it up for regular kids like me.<\/p>\n<p>David Vintner was my principal and my prayer partner, but he was basically showing me what trusting God meant, which highlighted for me how I wasn\u2019t trusting God. Then, definitely the ministry of R.C. Sproul, Ligonier Ministries, for sure, after that. I would say those are two pillars right there that helped me.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: It\u2019s really cool to hear how our broadcasts\u2014R.C. [Sproul], FamilyLife, now podcast and radio\u2014God can use.<\/p>\n<p>Now, here\u2019s my question about your marriage: best thing, worst thing; best thing, biggest struggle? What would you say?<\/p>\n<p>Eric: Ladies first.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Okay. I really like Eric. I feel like wherever he is, is my favorite place to be. I love him obviously, but I like him. I enjoy being with him, and I trust his thoughts if I need to make a decision. I think he\u2019s really wise.<\/p>\n<p>I was discipled by FamilyLife, and when I met this man, one of the first things we did was we read through the Bible. I think we had a Bible study\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Ann: \u2014so you were dating?\u2014Nana: \u2014as part of our courtship; yes. Then, we read Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul together. I\u2019ve been influence by this man in so many ways. A lot of my friends appreciated my love for the Bible, but they thought, \u201cOkay, Nana. Alrighty, here we go again!\u201d [Laughter] But with Eric, I never had to apologize for that. We could go deep into Scripture, and I felt full every time I spoke with him.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: What about you, Eric?<\/p>\n<p>Eric: I grew up pretty much by myself in the house. I was a latchkey kid, basically.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: You had siblings who were how much older?<\/p>\n<p>Eric: Siblings who were 12, 16, and 17 years older than me, but I\u2019m blessed, because I come home and the children that my wife bore and the child that we have adopted come greet me at the door. My wife cares for me very well. We\u2019ve started something that\u2019s really beautiful, and I\u2019m grateful for the family that God has blessed me with through my wife.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: You\u2019re on an interesting journey right now.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: We are.<\/p>\n<p>Eric: That is true.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Let\u2019s talk about that.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: You\u2019re pregnant.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: I am.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: But it\u2019s an interesting, unique\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Nana: It is.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Tell our listeners.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Tell us about your other kids, too, because you have two girls that are your bio kids.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Yes, they are. I call each of my children, \u201cchildren born from prayer,\u201d because we have biological children, but it doesn\u2019t mean that it came quick and easy.<\/p>\n<p>I think Jael was born\u2014our daughter, who is now 12\u2014was born three years after our marriage, and it was from praying, \u201cLord, please open the womb. Please open the womb.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Did you have a time of infertility that you didn\u2019t know if you could get pregnant?<\/p>\n<p>Nana: I\u2019d never sought medical treatment. It wasn\u2019t anything that we pursued or really fought for apart from just praying and praying and praying.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: I\u2019m guessing that you read the Scriptures, and you read\u2014this is what I\u2019ve read over and over and over\u2014 \u201c\u2026and God opened her womb.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Eric: That\u2019s right.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Is that what you were praying then?<\/p>\n<p>Nana: It is. It\u2019s what I was praying for. Then, we got pregnant with our daughter, Jael. She was born three years into our marriage. [We] prayed and fasted for a second one, and God sent Noel. [We had] two girls.<\/p>\n<p>Then I said, \u201cOkay, Lord, please give another one.\u201d There\u2019s a capacity for children, there\u2019s a desire for children, and we love being parents. We love raising kids and want to nurture a generation that the Lord is pleased to use for His purposes. We wanted them to know something that we didn\u2019t know, and we wanted more.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: So, we started praying; ten years of praying [Laughter] and believing, \u201cOkay, the Lord can do it. He did it before. Lord, won\u2019t You do it again?\u201d I thought, \u201cHe\u2019s going to do it the way that He did it before with the first two.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Did you ever feel, at that point, discouraged or wonder, \u201cLord, why aren\u2019tYou answering?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Eric: It was a big mystery. As far as I was concerned, I wasn\u2019t stressed about it; but I could sense that it was really heavy on Nana. His ways are higher than our ways; His thoughts are not our thoughts, so we have to be open to, \u201cWell, if it\u2019s not this way, is there a way other than?\u201d We were then open. I think we were more open, especially when the pandemic hit. The pandemic was when we started thinking about adoption more seriously, I think.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Eric: Is that right? Would you say\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Yes, it was. It was during the pandemic where it occurred to me that I was praying for God to open the womb, and I heard one sermon that helped me to see that \u201clet Your will be done\u201d doesn\u2019t always mean that He\u2019ll answer it the way I think He will.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time, it occurred to me that God might send a child, but maybe not through the womb. So, we started thinking about foster care. We started the process. It took nine months for us to be licensed, which is funny. We were called to pick up a three-week-old baby from the hospital.<\/p>\n<p>This child had been born. Mom gave birth to him, and then she named him; but she left, and she couldn\u2019t be found. There were family [members] that were found. They loved him, but didn\u2019t have the capacity to take him, so he needed to go somewhere. Our daughters were praying specifically for a brother. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p>Eric: That\u2019s right.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Were they?<\/p>\n<p>Nana: They had been praying for four years for a brother.<\/p>\n<p>Eric: \u2014every night, every day.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: They were so, so committed. They would eat cereal in the morning [and pray], \u201cLord, thank you for my cereal. Please give me a baby brother.\u201d [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p>Eric: I would come back from Sunday school to go pick up, especially, our youngest daughter. Her Sunday school teacher would take me to the side and say, \u201cYou know, she\u2019s telling everybody that the Lord is giving her a brother.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Really?<\/p>\n<p>Eric: I said, \u201cThat\u2019s her faith, and we\u2019re praying.\u201d They were committed, because the Lord had already answered prayers for a bunk bed and bicycles. [Laughter] So\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Dave: \u2014why not a kid?<\/p>\n<p>Eric: \u2014why not?<\/p>\n<p>Dave: \u2014why not a baby brother?<\/p>\n<p>Eric: It goes with B. [Laughter] So, let\u2019s do it. \u201cHe did it before,\u201d kind of thing.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: What was amazing, actually, is [that] while we were in the process of being licensed to foster, one of the grandmothers at our church [gave us] a bunch of baby boy clothes and toys, and she gave all these things for our boy. It was at that point\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Eric: \u2014that was December.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: \u2014it was December\u2014I said, \u201cI think God is going to send us a baby boy.\u201d In March, we were called that this little boy needed somewhere to go.<\/p>\n<p>Eric: May.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: It was May. Yes, you\u2019re right. We were licensed in March\/April.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: You started as a foster parent with him.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: We started\u2014he was our first placement. He was only 24 days old. He came into our home. There were never any visits, because his mom couldn\u2019t be found.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Did you keep the same name?<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Yes, the name that his mom gave him, we maintained it as his middle name. We had to give him a different first name, however, because every member of our family has a four letter first name.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: I love it.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: His name is Ezra. We gave him that name because Ezra means \u201chelp\u201d and God was his help. God has been his help.<\/p>\n<p>Then there\u2019s a passage in Ezra that says that he, Ezra, \u201cput his heart on God\u2019s Word,\u201d not only to know it and to teach it, but to do it. [Ezra 7:10, Paraphrased] That\u2019s our prayer for our son, that he would be a true Ezra who doesn\u2019t just quote Scripture, but he does it. And that he would always see God as his help.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Let\u2019s talk about what\u2019s going on now, because you\u2019re pregnant.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Sure, I am.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Baby number four.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Baby number four. After we adopted Ezra\u2014Ezra is ten years younger than our daughters\u2014we knew we wanted to adopt again really for Ezra to have someone to grow up with.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: We chose not to do foster care again, because the point of foster care is reunification. Our son\u2019s story was a little different, because there was no one to be reunified with.<\/p>\n<p>We decided to look into another form of adoption that a lot of people don\u2019t know about: embryo adoption. In embryo adoption, what happens is when couples do IVF, and they have embryos remaining\u2014so sometimes, maybe they\u2019ll have ten embryos, and they will transfer and maybe have a family of four, they have remaining embryos that are left that they don\u2019t have the capacity to bring into their family.<\/p>\n<p>Their choice is to give these embryos to science, to discard them, to keep them frozen indefinitely, or to donate them to a couple who wants to have more children. There\u2019s a Christian ministry called The National Embryo Donation Center in Nashville, Tennessee. They say, \u201cGive us these embryos, and we will operate like this is a true adoption.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: The couples have to have a home study. The woman has to go through extensive medical examination to make sure that they are giving the embryos the best chance at life. Then, they encourage open adoption, so they want a relationship between the donating and the receiving families so that child knows their full story.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: I didn\u2019t know that part. Interesting.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Some couples donate anonymously, and they say, \u201cWe don\u2019t want that.\u201d They\u2019ll receive that as well, and it will be a closed adoption.<\/p>\n<p>We went through this process. We were matched with two embryos that had been frozen for 21 years.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Whoa!<\/p>\n<p>Nana: The parents, unfortunately, divorced at some point. The mom had some medical issues and wasn\u2019t able to carry any of the embryos that they had created. She is not parenting any children on earth. They were so hopeful for life for these last two embryos. They were excited to be paired with us, and both embryos were transferred in December. Sadly, the Lord did take one. One went straight home to heaven. But the second is due in August.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: That is miraculous\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Nana: \u2014yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: \u2014in many ways, and it\u2019s such a pro-life move. What a sweet gift. I didn\u2019t know [about] the relationship between the donor.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Was that awkward? What was the relationship like with getting to know this woman?<\/p>\n<p>Eric: It\u2019s like any relationship, you\u2019re starting off not knowing the person. NEDC\u2019s done a really good job introducing us and just kind of getting the ball started. There\u2019s a lot of paperwork involved (a bunch of notary signatures and all of those things) to really help manage expectations on both sides. That\u2019s where it began. We recently met that genetic mom face to face.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re managing and figuring out the way forward. We\u2019ve been greatly encouraged, because, with our son, Ezra, we\u2019re in touch with his biological family every two months or so. We try to hang out\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Nana: \u2014[with] his grandmother.<\/p>\n<p>Eric: Yes; because we\u2019ve had that kind of relationship with them, we\u2019ve been open to and are hopeful for and praying through a chance to have something similar, as time and space allow. But we\u2019re open, and we\u2019re hopeful, and we want to maintain that for the sake of this child.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: This little embryo is a life. It\u2019s a human life.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Eric: Like every other life. Like we were.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Exactly. I\u2019m sure many of these are discarded. They\u2019re not even thought of as human life, so this organization is valuing life and prolife.<\/p>\n<p>Eric: Amen.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: You have decided to make sure that this little child is not discarded. You\u2019re carrying this baby.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: You know what? I think of the gospel that\u2019s spreading out as you two, your family, your girls, your son, are impacting all of those around you.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: How have you seen Jesus in this?<\/p>\n<p>Nana: His point reminded me [that] I think there are a million frozen embryos in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Are there really?<\/p>\n<p>Nana: In the U.S. alone\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Eric: \u2014at least.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: \u2014at least.<\/p>\n<p>I did ask God for a Scripture at some point, because this is such a unique way to adopt a child. I\u2019m giving birth to my adopted child.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Yes. It\u2019s an amazing way to adopt a child. There was a moment where I needed a passage to put my foot on for a foundation. I remember praying for that. That Sunday, after my prayer, our pastor preached on Psalm 139. Verses 13-16 just struck me, especially verse 15, that says:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy frame was not hidden from You,<\/p>\n<p>when I was being made in secret,<\/p>\n<p>intricately woven in the depths of the earth.<\/p>\n<p>Your eyes saw my unformed substance;<\/p>\n<p>in Your book were written, every one of them,<\/p>\n<p>[the days that were formed for me,<\/p>\n<p>when as yet there was none of them.]\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When I read that I said, \u201cthis embryo\u2014\u201d\u2014this was before the transfer, and they\u2019re so little; they\u2019re less than the size of the head of a pin, and yet, according to this passage\u2014God already knows the unformed body of this person and every single day of the life, the story God is writing, God already knows it.<\/p>\n<p>It struck me, what an honor to be woven into this story; because I didn\u2019t have to be this person\u2019s mother, and yet God, in His mercy and His sovereignty, has chosen me to be the mother to carry this child and to give birth to this child. It is an honor to be part of the story that He\u2019s writing for this person.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: This makes me cry.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: What a beautiful plan of God.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: A picture of our adoption in Christ. But also, for you guys, you had years where you wondered. You knew God was hearing, but to see the way in which He\u2019s answered those prayers.<\/p>\n<p>What would you say to those who are considering? Maybe they can\u2019t conceive themselves, or how would you encourage those that maybe they\u2019ve had several miscarriages, and they feel so lost and alone? What would you say to them?<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Infertility is so painful. It reminds me of the story of Hannah. I always think how Hannah, God\u2019s name Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts, that\u2019s the first place in Scripture we read that title for God. It means the General of Heaven, the Lord of armies. You would think that name would come at the Battle of Jericho or would come at the Red Sea when He\u2019s defeating Pharaoh, but it comes in the prayers of this little woman who is begging God for a child.<\/p>\n<p>It reminds me that He fights for us in small and in big ways. [For] that woman who is praying over the babies that she is losing and longing for, He\u2019s the General of Heaven and He hears you. Infertility is so painful, and you can\u2019t do anything about it, because God gives life no matter how it comes. He hears you, but that prayer might be answered in a way that maybe you don\u2019t expect.<\/p>\n<p>Eric: Ultimately, you have to trust God. You have to believe that He really is sovereign. All of the stuff that you hear about, you have to actually take it in and say, \u201cDo I trust this? Do I believe what the Bible is saying or am I going to live according to what it feels like right now?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the ultimate end of it; but I think, additionally, God has not left us by ourselves to figure it out on our own. We have the church. The question is: \u201cAm I going to avail myself of everything that the Lord is giving me, or am I going to try and stick it out just me and my Bible and God?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If you are suffering and feeling the pain of any kind of loss, I don\u2019t believe it\u2019s God\u2019s will to sit and suffer by yourself. I think that\u2019s part of what community is for; it\u2019s part of what the church is for, what your pastors are here for, and what your brothers and sisters in the pew are here for.<\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t know what kind of resources God has for you unless you are open to all of the resources God has for you, and that includes the body of Christ. At some point, reaching out and being honest about your pain will reveal a lot more than what you on your own can figure out.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: It\u2019s beautiful to think someday this boy or girl\u2014because you don\u2019t know what he or she is yet\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Nana: \u2013I don\u2019t know. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p>Dave: \u2014is going to be running around your church with 80-year-old grandmothers and others pouring into him or her because you gave them life.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: I would remind our listeners, if you feel that nudge, even as you\u2019re listening to this story for foster care, for adoption, for adopting an embryo, start praying into that and ask God to continue to reveal to you what He has for you, because there are a lot of little kids, little babies, little embryos that need a home.<\/p>\n<p>Nana, let me say \u201cthank you\u201d for this week. You have inspired all of us\u2014your walk with God, your family. Eric, thank you. I look at you and I think, \u201cYou are a mighty man.\u201d To hear the words that Nana said about you\u2014that\u2019s what we\u2019re all longing for.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Your marriage is a reflection of Jesus. Thank you for your faithfulness. You have both inspired us. Thank you for this week.<\/p>\n<p>Nana: Amen. Thank you for having us.<\/p>\n<p>Shelby: I\u2019m Shelby Abbott, and you\u2019ve been listening to Dave and Ann Wilson with Eric and Nana Dolce on FamilyLife Today.<\/p>\n<p>Wow! What an amazing story, what an amazing time today, hearing how God has worked in both of their lives. If you want to hear more of Nana specifically, she\u2019s written a book called The Seed of the Woman: 30 Narratives that Point to Jesus. This book acts as a description of the profound role of women in shaping the redemptive history of Scripture and finding your place in the unfolding story of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n<p>This book is going to be our gift to you when you give to FamilyLife Today. You can get your copy right now with any donation that you make by going online to FamilyLifeToday.com and clicking on the \u201cDonate Now\u201d button at the top of the page. Or you can give us a call with your donation at 800-358-6329; again, that number is 800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d And feel free to drop your donation in the mail if you\u2019d like. Our address is FamilyLife, 100 Lake Hart Drive, Orlando, Florida 32832.<\/p>\n<p>Coming up next week, we\u2019re going to explore the theological significance of diversity and humility with my friend, Rechab Gray and his wife, Brittany. That will be next week. We hope you\u2019ll join us.<\/p>\n<p>On behalf of Dave and Ann Wilson, I\u2019m Shelby Abbott. We will see you back next time for another edition of FamilyLife Today.<\/p>\n<p>FamilyLife Today is a donor-supported production of FamilyLife\u00ae, a Cru\u00ae Ministry.<\/p>\n<p>Helping you pursue the relationships that matter most.<\/p>\n<p>We are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider donating today to help defray the costs? Copyright \u00a9 2024 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n<p>www.FamilyLife<\/p>\n","theme_header_position":"Sticky","post_header_is_sticky":"default","is_header_overlay":"0"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/283847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47000"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=283847"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/280865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=283847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=283847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=283847"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=283847"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=283847"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=283847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}