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Our Story

The entire Dirrim family.

A lot has happened since August 2007. Back then, Hank Aaron was still the home run king, Facebook and Twitter were rookies on the scene, and a new device had just come out called the “iPhone.” But while we were wondering about baseballs flying out of ballparks, wondering why anybody would want to read our status updates, and wondering who would pay $500 for a cell phone, it was news from Guatemala that gave us serious things to think about and changed our lives forever.

Our church was sponsoring an orphanage near Guatemala City at the time. Political changes in Guatemala meant that over twenty of its orphans would be placed into a Guatemalan government-run orphanage unless families could be found who would adopt them. So one day during that hot summer month, with some of our six kids getting ready for school and the youngest approaching his first birthday, a call came asking us if we would be interested in adopting one of the children. After prayer, Barbara and I decided to add a seventh child to our family.

It takes nine months for a baby to be born, but governments are not nearly so efficient when it comes to delivering children. In what seemed like the last step in a long, difficult process, Pablo Lux Dirrim became our seventh child when the adoption was finished in June of 2010. But due to a paperwork mistake on our part, the U.S. Government would not issue us a visa for him to enter his new home country. One document expired before the process was complete, and the government views that as evidence that we abandoned Pablo’s adoption. As a result, after four years, we are still not with our son.

There are three possible solutions to our problem. First, we can abandon Pablo. Second, we can draft a bill that specifically allows Pablo to enter the country, have it passed by both the House of Representatives and Senate, and signed into Federal law by the President (literally an “Act of Congress”). Third, we can live abroad for two years with him in any country that will grant him a visa and apply for a U.S. visa at the end of the two years living abroad.

This news, and the length of the entire adoption process, caused Barb and me much anguish, anger, and sadness. Obviously, we were not going to abandon him—he is our son. We wouldn’t do that to any of our other children and we certainly wouldn’t do that to Pablo. The likelihood of Congress coming through for us is as discouraging as the thought of abandoning Pablo is dismissible. So we are left with our last option—living with Pablo for two years overseas.

Early last fall, Barbara told me that she thought this might be how God was calling us into missions. Initially, I was very resistant to considering living abroad in our attempt to bring Pablo into our family. It seemed too radical a step and too high a price to pay.

Meanwhile, we continued to pursue different legal angles to obtain Pablo’s visa. We worked with many different people in many different departments of our federal government. We even sought relief through our Congressman and one of our Senators.  At times, it looked as if we might have found the answer we were seeking, but it always came down to the fact that “rules are rules,” and there is no process whatsoever for appeals or mercy.

Barbara continued to suggest from time to time that perhaps this was how God was calling our family to be missionaries. Over the months, with the Holy Spirit’s prodding and much prayer, my heart began to soften. Finally, in the spring of 2011, I, too, began to see the beauty of the opportunity to bring our son home while bringing the Gospel overseas. We have sought counsel from family, friends, and the Elder Team at our church, and we are convinced that this is what God is calling our family to do at this time.

We are humbled that God would call us to such a task. We are readying everything for us to be gone for two years (at a minimum). Clearly, this begins a new and radically different chapter in the life of our family. As we have learned through this process, we don’t presume to know what the Lord will have for us at the end of two years. We intend to return to our home in Georgia at the end of that tour, but we will see what the Lord is doing with us closer to that time. After all, six months ago we would have laughed at you if you had told us we would be missionaries in 2011!

Four years after we got that call in August of 2007, our family’s journey is about to get even longer for all of us, including Pablo. But as it does, we are excited, nervous, a little frightened, and expectant! We hope to see many lives both stateside and abroad (not to mention ours!) changed for the glory of our King – Jesus!

We would love it if you would pray for us. Specifically, we are asking you to pray that:

• Many would come to a saving faith in Christ and others would grow in their love for Jesus because of this journey
• The church, both in the States and abroad, would be built up because of our endeavors
• We would experience God’s never-ending grace in large doses as we move to a foreign country and integrate a foreigner into our family
• All seven of our children would deepen their trust in their faithful heavenly Father—even when it proves to be quite difficult for them
• Our family would come to see and love Jesus as our supreme Treasure and not the things that He does or doesn’t bless us with
• God would graciously provide for us the support we need to undertake and sustain this mission to which He has called us

Many people, including our parents and even our children, have raised a great question that clarifies our understanding of our call to the mission field. “If Pablo walked in the front door tomorrow morning,” they ask, “would you still go?”

The answer we give is a resounding “Yes!”

While Pablo was the spark God used to ignite this fire, our mission is fueled by our desire to spread God’s fame. We are His servants to be sent wherever, whenever, and however He sees fit to help spread His fame throughout the world.

Again, Barb and I are in complete agreement that this is what God has called us as a family to do, and our family, friends, and our local church Elders have consistently supported and affirmed this decision.

Would you please join our support team as we set out on this mission? We thank you in advance for your regular prayers and any financial support you may be able to provide us in this journey.

In His Name,

Patrick and Barbara Dirrim and Family