Cedarville Magazine, Spring 2018

Cedarville Magazine sat down with the Cooks to learn about their experiences with domestic, transracial adoption, their advice to other families considering adoption, and the blessings their family has received through adoption. Tell us about your family before adoption. Laurie Cook (LC): We got married after our sophomore year at Cedarville University and went into full-time camp ministry after graduation. We had our first child, Aleena, after seven years of marriage. A year and a half later, we had our second child, Dylan. Aaron Cook (AC): Dylan has cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that affects the mucus in the lungs and affects every organ except the brain. Although it makes for a different lifestyle, there are lots of joys that come with special needs. Why did you decide to adopt? LC: After Dylan, I wasn’t able to have other children, but we didn’t feel we were done with our family. The first few years, Dylan wasn’t stable enough for another child, but after five years, we thought it was time. Why domes t i c , t r ans r ac i a l adoption? AC: We had a heart for the nations, yet we couldn’t go anywhere because Dylan needed to be close to a children’s hospital. However, we had a home where we wanted to raise children. LC: Originally, we researched adoption internationally, but for many reasons, we were closed off to a lot of options. With all international doors closed, we decided to look here. What is the story behind your first adoption? AC: We thought it would be a really quick situation because we were open to a lot, but it actually took a year and a half. The waiting was hard. One evening in particular, Laurie was struggling and I remember saying, “Laurie, we not only want God to show us who He would bring into our family, but we also want His timing.” Sure enough, 12 hours later we got a phone call, and Lila had been born while we were having that conversation. Why did you decide to adopt a second time? LC: Everyone kept asking if we would adopt again, and we weren’t really thinking about it. Then we said if Lila’s birth mom got pregnant again and the agency called us, we would adopt that baby. AC: We thought it was never going to happen, but 16 months later, we got a call from the agency, out of the blue. They told us the situation, and we said, “We’ve already prayed about this exact scenario, and the answer is yes.” Aaron Cook ’99, Cedarville University Director of Discipleship Ministries, and his wife, Laurie (Jelinek) ’99, have a beautiful family that paints a picture of the Gospel. After 15 years of marriage and two biological children, Aaron and Laurie adopted daughter Lila, and a year and a half later, they adopted daughter Isabella. Adoption is a part of our entire life. Our walk with Christ has been deepened and relationships started and strengthened as a result. Cedarville Magazine | 23