The Gardner Family

Steve and Michelle Gardner used to think they had the perfect family with their three biological children; two sons and one daughter. They had an “heir”, a “spare” and a “princess.”  

God, however, had a different plan for their family. He put the desire to adopt in their hearts, and that desire has resulted in the adoption of six children. (They are in the process of adopting three more children to their family)

Michelle likes to tell the story of when she and 9 year old John were riding together in the family’s 20 year old van. John asked his mother why they had to drive such an old van when most of his friend’s parents had much newer vehicles. Michelle explained that new cars cost a lot of money and that the money they could have used to buy a new van was the money they used to adopt John and his brothers and sisters instead. John quietly pondered her words the rest of the trip home. 

The next morning as they were leaving for school, John ran out to their van, and as he climbed in, he patted the dashboard tenderly and proclaimed, “I love this old van!”