Poché Family

Earlier in our lives, we both had a notion that we may one day entertain the idea of adoption, and thought we would adopt a child. Once married, we really didn’t discuss adoption, so we didn’t realize how each other felt. But we knew we wanted a family.

Our adoption journey began with infertility, as many adoptive couples’ stories do. Despite infertility treatment, we continued to be seemingly unable to conceive a child. While we were going through infertility, God would often lead Aimeé to scriptures in the Bible; in particular the story of Hannah. She would get so upset! She told God that she would not go there. She would not read these scriptures about being barren, because she refused to be classified as "BARREN!"

This same scenario replayed over and over again throughout several years. But one day a friend shared this scripture with Aimeé: "He gives the barren woman a home, so that she becomes a happy mother. Praise the LORD!" Psalm 113:9 NLT

Although it seemed at first to be just another reference to barrenness, she discovered the cross-reference scripture: " Those who were well fed are now starving; and those who were starving are now full. The barren woman now has seven children; but the woman with many children will have no more." I Samuel 2:5 NLT

Aimeé began to understand that the barren women of the Bible and their husbands may have felt the pain and heartache of not having a child, but that was not the way that God intended to leave them! In due time and season, we would move from being barren to fruitful.

After years of trying to conceive and several infertility procedures, the Lord asked us to trust in Him to multiply our family through adoption. Throughout this walk of faith, we have experienced the trials and financial challenges of both the international and domestic adoption processes, but we have also come to know the fruitful rewards!

This is our story:

After seeking God for His will for our family, the Lord asked us to stop infertility treatments and trust Him to multiply our family. We listened to God and knew to hold tight onto His word. "What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see." Hebrews 11:1 NLT

God was asking us to exercise our faith. During this time, He placed a deep desire in our hearts to adopt orphans. “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

We began the process of an international adoption from Peru through Christian World Adoption. But during that process, we were approached by a woman in the church to adopt her unborn child through an open, private adoption. Born on April 8, 2003, Asa Matthew Poché became our first child upon his homecoming April 10th, our wedding anniversary – what a wonderful anniversary gift! He may not have come from Aimeé’s womb, but he is no doubt our first son. He carries with him our hearts and deepest love.

Just seven weeks after bringing baby Asa home, we received our referral from CWA for a little girl from Lima, Peru. One look at the picture, and we knew we had found our daughter! Leaving Asa at home with family was difficult, but two weeks later that, we left for Peru. After several weeks in-country finalizing the adoption process, Zoë Marìa José became the first daughter in our family on June 28, 2003 at the age of 22 months. Although we didn’t know it at the time, this small, shy child would be the catalyst God would use to perform an amazing miracle in our growing family!

While in Lima facilitating the adoption, we learned that Zoë was not an only child. We were told by our attorneys that she had three older birth siblings; all four children had the same birth mother. We were interested in meeting these children, and were given permission by the Peruvian authorities to visit Hogar “Villa Martha” in Picapiedra where the children were living. Our intentions were to simply meet the children and take pictures of them with Zoë so that someday we would be able to tell her about her family in Peru.

But from the time of our arrival at the orphanage, one of Zoë’s brothers attached himself to Tommy’s leg. Can you imagine what it would feel like to have a child tug on your pants and beg in Spanish, “Will you be my Papa?” I didn’t have to imagine … that’s exactly what happened to me! Advised by our attorney not to look at or even acknowledge the child’s request, so as not to raise false hopes, we instead looked at each other, wondering how we could now deal with the knowledge that part of Zoë’s family was being left behind.  Had we not met these children, our adoption story might have ended there … but it didn’t.

Upon returning home to the United States after our first international adoption, we couldn’t shake the knowledge that our daughter’s sister and two brothers were left behind. Although we felt strongly that God was calling us to another level of adoption awareness by becoming parents to this entire family group, we did not have peace in our hearts about beginning the process.

When Aimeé became pregnant the following spring of 2004, we experienced real confusion. If God was now blessing us with a biological child, should we pursue the adoption of Zoë’s siblings? I also felt strongly that God’s wisdom was to first complete the adoption of our son, Asa, due to be finalized at the end of June. Aimeé miscarried that April, which further added to our bewilderment. Although we continued to prayerfully consider the adoption of Zoë’s sister and brothers, we still felt no peace.

About a week before the finalization of Asa’s adoption, we were contacted by our Peruvian attorney informing, them that another, younger child with a biological connection to Zoë was available for adoption. He asked whether we would we be interested in adopting the younger child, and whether we had given any more thought to adopting Zoë’s older siblings? The peace that had eluded us now flowed over our family, and we finally understood why we had not been released to begin the adoption process sooner. Had we gone through with the adoptions when we had first returned home from Peru, the littlest member of the family would have been unknown and left behind!

With Asa’s adoption now complete, we felt ready to begin the process of bringing the rest of our family home. Although the financial challenges were great, we were now confident in God’s timing for our family vision. But how would we cope with adopting older children who didn’t speak English? And, as if this journey didn’t present enough challenges of its own, there was another major surprise along the way; Aimeé discovered that she was pregnant again!

In January 2005, we returned to Peru once again. And for one little Peruvian family whose siblings had been separated by circumstance over the course of several years, the dream of becoming part of a real family came true. On January 17, 2005, Heidi Angela (age 15), Henry James (age 13), Anthony Wayne (age 9), and Debora Rose (age 21 months), joined their sister, Zoë, and were adopted into the Poché family.  After returning home, we experienced a few life change -moving to a larger home, trading the family car for a large-capacity passenger van, and learning Spanish! And on March 8, 2005, all the Poché children welcomed a new sister into our family, Cheryl Grace. In less than two years, we had adopted six children and birthed a daughter from the womb!

Remember 1 Samuel 2:5? Is it just a coincidence that the barren woman of old who had become our inspiration became the mother to seven children? We don’t think so!

“We give ALL the glory to God and are here to encourage all and tell all that, when God calls you to do something, whatever it may be or how crazy it may sound to the world, He will not only direct your path and provide you with the resources, but He will give you the strength to do what He has called you to do."

— Tommy & Aimeé Poché