About Us

First off, let me say THANK YOU for visiting this page!!! I am so touched by each and every one of you who have found this page, and cared enough about our purpose to make it here. But maybe you just ventured onto this page and don’t really know the reason By the Brook Designs got started. Simply put, the heart behind this little shop is to raise money to grow our family through adoption.

 

By the Brook Designs got its name for a few reasons. One main reason is that my middle name is actually Brook. (Yes it is spelled without an “e” at the end. I used to give my parents a hard time about misspelling it, but over the years I have actually grown to love and embrace it.) Every item you see on this website is handmade, and thus all the stuff you see is actually made “By” “Brook”. As I was thinking about the purpose behind this shop, I also decided that I really wanted to incorporate Scripture. I originally thought I would base it off of a verse about God adopting us or His view towards adoption (ex: James 1:27, Romans 8:15, Ephesians 1:4-5, Proverbs 31:8) But God really kept bringing to mind Psalm 23, a passage I memorized as a three-year old child (apparently I was bribed by my loving grandma and a church friend of hers to memorize it…an yes we still have that little tykes slide in the backyard!!! So thanks grandma you may not be here on earth anymore but all you poured into us over the years lives on in our hearts). God whispered these verses to my heart over and over again…and then one day the line “…He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul…” just hit me. That's it! This shop has been such an encouragement to my soul; God has really used it to give me rest and rejuvenation. Even after long weeks at my full-time job I find joy in getting out in the shop and making something for someone. These creations and designs may not be literal “still waters” but I find that the Lord has a way of using this venture as just that in my life. You may have also noticed through some of the photographs on this website that we still love to go out in God’s creation and find some real “still waters” to sit beside and just reflect on his awe and majesty!



You might still be asking who exactly is it behind this shop, who are the people I’m supporting? Well…I’m Katelyn, the dreamer and creator behind this whole venture. I’m married to Ben: the most loving, selfless, and godly husband you may ever meet (honestly he’s probably more vital to this operation than myself…he has encouraged me, supported me, worked long hours in the workshop, listened to me through tears when I get overwhelmed, and honestly was the one to push me to start this shop). Way back at the beginning of our relationship we talked about all the hopes and dreams you have for future, like most couples do. Well me, being me, told him right up front that I didn’t want biological children and that I felt God was calling me to use my resources to adopt , and added that if he wasn’t ok with that we should stop attempting this long distance thing and just end it before we both had broken hearts. Now if you told most people that I think they would have had to take a few days to think it over and really examine their own desires, but not Ben. He thought for a moment, asked me why, and before I knew it our hearts were dreaming about what adoption might look like for us as a couple. It may not have been his dream from the very start, but the same way God put that desire to adopt deep into my heart and soul, He created this passion and zeal in Ben to want to pursue adoption too. I can’t remember the exact moment of these conversations, but I think that’s when I knew God had a special plan for the two of us! So here we are with that same dream to grow our family through adoption. God knows where, when and how that little one will come to join the Evan’s family; and we are trusting Him with the details of it. Right now we are using this shop to try and prepare as much as we know how; we don’t want our finances to be the thing holding us back from growing our family.

A few years ago I absolutely fell in love with woodworking while I was making a wedding gift for my brother and his wife (The Chasen), and the love for the craft has blossomed into the shop you see here today. Making someone smile of feel special with one of my creations is truly such a joy to my heart! My hope is that through this endeavor I get to help you give that someone special (even if it’s just
yourself…you deserve it too!) something to cherish for years to come. It’s amazing how being out in the shop (which is really my parents garage, that they let me kinda take over…thanks mom and dad!!!) listening some “Jesus” music, and admiring the beauty of something so simple as a piece of wood, can bring me such peace. But it does!

 


So thank you for joining us on this journey towards adopting a child into our family. Please know that every dollar raised goes straight towards our adoption fund. Even if you choose not to purchase anything at this time, we would so appreciate your prayers for us as we begin this journey. We know we will face challenges and probably times of heartbreak as we walk through this process, so every prayer being prayed over us and this process is soo so valuable to us. I can’t wait for the day that I get to sit down and can explain to our little one just how many people were supporting him/her before they even knew who they were! So thank you again for your support. My hope is that you will have one of our handmade pieces in your home and it will bring joy to your life and also prompt you to say another little prayer for us. I am so looking forward to seeing what God is going to do in this adventure we’re on! Thanks and thanks again, from the bottom of our hearts!!! (if you read this far...kudos!!!...and you’re awesome;) )

 

Love,

Katelyn & Ben