God writes the most amazing and unpredictable stories, doesn’t He? This story is multifaceted and could fill a book. It’s hard to know where to begin and what to include, because all of it radiates with God’s creativity. But here’s where we’ll start: In 2014, I (Grace) moved to Lesotho to work at Beautiful Gate…
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“Someday we’ll start that journey,” I would say. I have probably said those words a hundred times in the last decade out loud and in my head. Someday when were ready, when were not so overwhelmed, when we pay off our debt, when we finish our house projects, when we have a savings account, when…
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We [the Payton’s] always knew that we wanted to adopt. In our minds, we thought that adoption would come later in life (we were 24 and 26 at the beginning of the process) and thought that you had to be more “mature” and “stable” to start the process. Really, there is no right time, just…
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I’ve travelled a lot in my many years of ministry through Small World. I’ve now been to 54 countries. I’ve seen a lot. Most of my family and friends are fascinated with my travels. I used to keep a hashtag on my travels called #jimbosselfietour in which I would post selfies of myself in various…
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When we married in 2010, we knew we wanted a family. Adoption was discussed at that time. We were thinking maybe have a biological child first and then adopt. We were in our mid 30’s when we married so we thought we had better get started in a couple of years. After trying to…
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In 2019, Cam and I were coming to the end of our 3-years of living in gorgeous Edinburgh, Scotland. It was an adventure for sure. Cam was finishing up his studies and I was finishing up exploring the beautiful architecture with our little adventure buddy Calvin Jack, who was then 4 years old and…
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What is your job title and what is your role in working with Small World? I am the Representative of Small World Adoption in Lesotho. I am the liaison person between Small World and the Ministry of Social Development. I make sure that paperwork on the sending side is well organized in line with the…
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When being asked to write our story, so many things come into my head. Starting at the beginning is as good a place as any. Jake always leaned towards adoption, but I wasn’t so sure. His mom, aunt and uncle were all adopted. He was one of 2 children in his family. Me, I came…
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What is your job title and description here at Small World? I am CEO/Executive Director. I’m responsible for the vision and mission of Small World. I oversee our orphan ministry, birthparent ministry and adoption agency operations. It is my responsibility to carry out God’s calling on Small World and it is my great pleasure to…
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What is your job title and what is role in working with Small World? I am referred to as the Country Director for Small World Adoption Agency in Liberia. My role includes working with different sectors of Liberia communities, pre-identifying, and screening children brought to the Small World orphanage home, investigating child eligibility for possible…
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