Welcome! Meet:

Jessica + Joseph

High School Math Teacher / Arts Educator

Hawaii

Caucasian

Christian

All About Jessica & Joseph

Thank you for taking the time to consider us to be your child’s parent.  Our hope is that you will see in our profile how much we love each other, how much we love our children, and how much we will love your child.  Children have always been an important part of our lives and we appreciate the priviledge of being parents.  We know that God has a plan for us to grow our family and we pray for that opportunity daily.

As parents, we offer a loving home that fosters creativity and a joy of learning.  We are both teachers and education is very important to us.  We hope that our parenting will produce a good citizen who loves God.  We plan to do this through our own example by treating everyone with respect, being responsible, and sharing God’s love.

Why Adoption?

We have always known that we wanted to have children in our family.  When we decided to start expanding our family we discussed what we would do if we were unable to get pregnant.  We decided that if we could not have biological children, that was God telling us that we should adopt.  After two years of trying to have biological children, we felt God pulling us in the direction of adoption.  For a year we prayed, researched adoption agencies, and discussed what adopting a child might look like for us.  We finally chose an agency that we felt God was leading us to and began the process.  We brought home our daughter in 2017 and then our son in 2019.  We are both excited about the opportunity to adopt again because we know that God is in control.  We pray daily for the child God is going to place in our home and we look forward to meeting him or her.

Family & Home

Jessica and Joseph live in a single-story, single-family home made of wood and brick, in Hawaii. The couple has owned this 1200 sq. ft., three bedroom and two bathroom home for seven years. Their home is located on a peaceful street, in a safe neighborhood. The inside and outside of the home are well maintained and recently renovated. The home is clean, safe, uncluttered and free of obvious fire hazards. The house is equipped with smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, and the family has a fire escape plan. There is no pool or body of water on or near the family property. There are no firearms or weapons in the home. 

There is a spacious living room, dining room area, kitchen, three (3) bedrooms and two (2) bathrooms. The room next to the master bedroom is the children’s room. The family plans on having their children share a room until they are a little older. The room is clean, with a closet, windows, and good ventilation. 

The back of the house is a large family room filled with family photos, children's books and board games. Outside, in the back of the house, is a large well maintained yard, with a secured shed and garden. Jessica and Joseph grow herbs, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, eggplant and pineapple. There are trees that bear mango, orange, and lilikoi fruit. There are no family pets in the home. 

Jessica and Joseph live in a small, family friendly town on the island of Maui. The community is culturally diverse. Their neighborhood is composed of families with young children and older generation families. Their neighbors are from Japanese, Filipino, Caucasian and Hawaiian ethnic backgrounds. Their neighborhood reflects the cultural diversity of Hawaii. Jessica and Joseph plan to raise their child in Wailuku. Jessica and Joseph are excited to introduce their adoptive child to their neighbors and know that their child will be accepted and welcomed with open arms. The family lives within one mile of the fire department and within two miles of the police station and hospital.

How others describe me

What Jessica loves about Joseph is that he is compassionate, loving and self-sacrificing. He tells Jessica that he loves her every day and shows it through his actions. Jessica said, "I love that he helps balance me out". He is also very helpful around the house and has done a lot of their home renovation projects himself. She said, "One of the most attractive things to me is how much Joe loves being around children and how much he loves being a father. He has wanted to be a dad since college". 


What Joseph loves about Jessica is that she is a "caring, compassionate, amazing woman with a heart towards helping others and children". He said, "Jessica is great mom". Joseph shared that Jessica is a strong Christian with a good moral compass.

how we met

How We Met

Joe and Jessica met in High School at their church Youth Group.  They began dating during high school and have experienced life together ever since.Jessica and Joseph first met at a church youth group when Jessica was in middle school. They were friends first and began dating at the end of Jessica's freshman year of high school in 1999. They were there for each other during their parents' divorce and share their strong faith in God. Jessica shared that she and Joseph are each other's first significant others. 

Jessica and Joseph both attended the University of Hawaii at Hilo for two years and returned to Oregon to complete their college education. Jessica and Joseph were married on June 30, 2005, in Ashland, Oregon while they were students in college. They planned and paid for the wedding themselves. They had the wedding they wanted and were surrounded by their families and close friends. After they were married, Jessica and Joseph both continued their education and earned their Master's degree in teaching.  After graduation, they both got jobs as educators in Hawaii and have lived there since.  They love that they have been able to experience so much life together.  “We” has been said so much more than “I” in our relationship.

Advice to Future Child

Always remember that you will always be loved by God and us.  Though you may do things we do not agree with, we will always love you.  Grow in your relationship with God daily and love others as you would love yourself.  Never stop being curious, learning, creating, and growing.  We know you were created to do something amazing.  Go for it!

Perspectives on Open Adoption

Joe and Jessica are open to open adoption and are willing to give the birth family time to decide if they want an open or closed adoption.  Joe and Jessica’s current adoptions are open as much as the birth mother wants it to be.  Currently they share photos and interactions over email with the birth mother.  This allows the birth mother to decide when and how she wants to respond.  They are very open with their children about their adoption and talk to them about it as it is age and stage appropriate.

Favorites

Joe
  • Favorite Movie: Robin Hood, Men in Tights
  • Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Christmas
  • Hobbies/Interests: running, math
  • Dream Vacation: Europe
  • If I Could Choose a Superpower: super speed
Jessica
  • Favorite Movie: James Bond Series
  • Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Christmas
  • Hobbies/Interests: theater, dancing, reading, walking, paddle boarding
  • Dream Vacation: Disneyland
  • If I Could Choose a Superpower: being in multiple places at the same time

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