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Adoption FAQ #3: Why Don’t You Just Foster Adopt?

January 1, 2011 by 16 Comments

When we talk about adopting, the conversation usually goes like this…

“There are soooo many children that need families in America. Have you thought about Fostering-to-Adopt?”

Then I have to decide which answer to give…Usually I go with the long answer, but wish I was brave enough to say the short.

________________________________________________________

Short Answer: There ARE so many children that need families in America. Have YOU thought about Fostering-to-Adopt?

Long Answer: We agree, there are too many children in foster care in America. Our heart is broken for all orphans, no matter where they live.  Although fostering-to-adopt would probably be cheaper for us, the emotional stakes are higher. Call it selfish, but we don’t think we could handle the unknowns that go along with fostering. It would absolutely devastate our family to get attached to a child and have it not work out for one reason or another. We want a baby, and know the majority of waiting children are older. It is very important for us to keep the correct birth order of our children. Since Jonah is only 3 years old, we feel a baby would be best.

Don’t get me wrong—We have the utmost respect for those that choose fostering-to-adopt and have friends in the process. We just don’t think it is the right thing for our family at this time.

Does choosing to go internationally instead of fostering in our own country make us bad people? No. We fully believe God has led us to Ethiopia. We also believe that God has families picked out for all orphans. Maybe you might be one of them?

Filed Under: Adoption, Adoption FAQ

The Kindness Of Friends

December 21, 2010 by 6 Comments

When I went to Relevant, I scrimped and saved to get there. Now,  I’m not usually much of a “girly-girl”, but I realized that I would be seeing my online friends in real-life for the first time. A sense of panic rose from somewhere deep inside and insecurity bubbled to the surface for various reasons. My mind transported me back to middle school when my insecurities were at their worst.

So I asked a friend from church with impeccable style if I could come play dress up in her closet and borrow a few things. I figured a few of her accessories paired with my basics would be good enough to get me through the weekend without having to buy a new wardrobe. But then a funny thing happened…she brought me a box.

Wrapped in paper and topped with a bow

I tried to refuse it–say it was “too much.” She knowingly smiled and extended her hand to give it to me anyway. When I opened the gift, I was immediately moved to tears. It was a perfect outfit for me–she even guessed my size correctly! I put it on and immediately stood taller, my insecurities melting away. She gave me exactly what I needed—encouragement and self confidence in a new place meeting new people.

How blessed I am by the kindness of friends!

Relevant friends

Meeting new friends at Relevant

I’m always amazed at this online community I’m a part of. People rallying–using a blog post, Facebook status, or tweet to spread the word. Until now, it’s always been about someone else in another state that I wouldn’t recognize on the street. But recently, I’ve found myself the recipient of some fabulous linky love from other bloggers helping to spread the word about our adoption fundraising….handing me a gift wrapped in paper and topped with a bow.

Here is a list of some kind online friends that have blessed us with a blog post:

Tara at Mommy Missions (met her at Relevant–you’ll hear more about her soon!)

Kelly at Domestic By Design (a college friend of mine that I reunited with online)

Jolanthe at Homeschool Creations (met her at Relevant–you’ll hear more soon!)

Marci at Overcoming Busy (met her at Relevant–she’s so sweet!)

Eryn at Mama Hall (met her at Relevant. God made our paths cross for a reason that is still playing out)

Debbie at Happy Clippings (PURCHASED from my shop and gave them away to her blog readers!!)

Crystal at Domestic But Not Martha (Sweet Twitter Friend–never met her, but could hug her for all of the extra tweets!)

Tracy at Sweet Harper (Never met her, but am so thankful for her kindness! We’re twitter friends now!)

How blessed I am by the kindness of friends!

**If I have left anyone out, PLEASE leave a comment and I’ll add your link to the list! We appreciate all of the help and want to link to you!**

Filed Under: Adoption, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Jonah says…

December 13, 2010 by 7 Comments

Mommy: “Jonah, do you want us to get a boy or a girl from Ethiopia?”

Jonah: “I want a girl”

Mommy: “I thought you said you wanted a brother? Did you change your mind?”

Jonah: “Well…I want a boy AND a girl. We can get a whole bunch of babies, Mommy. That would be fun. Right?”

“Mommy, when we get our baby from Ethiopia, he can wear my pajamas. He can borrow my binoculars and my train, too.”

Filed Under: Adoption, Jonah Says... Tagged With: ,

Adoption FAQ #2: Why Ethiopia?

December 9, 2010 by 25 Comments

Ah, this is a fun story….

When we submitted ourselves to God’s call to adopt, our next question was “Where, Lord? There are so many orphans. How can we possibly pick a country?” We asked Him to show us–close every door, except the one we’re supposed to go through. He did.

If I’ve ever had a “flashing billboard sign” experience, this was it. Ethiopia was everywhere I looked–conversations with friends, random blog posts I would stumble upon, the news….EVERYWHERE!  The night before we had a meeting at Bethany Christian Services, I told Ray I had a feeling it was Ethiopia.

When we first sat down to talk to the adoption coordinator she used Ethiopia as an example…I got goosebumps and nudged Ray.  She even showed us a picture of a little boy that had just come home from Ethiopia. My heart melted.

Through the course of our meeting, we looked over every inch of a spreadsheet with adoption requirements for countries. I made notes by each country and even marked a few that we didn’t qualify for completely off the list…Some countries were closed to new applicants. A few required very long travel (2 months long!) and just wouldn’t work for us. Others only had very severe special needs that we just aren’t ready for at this time.

At the end of our meeting, the only country that didn’t have a note or line through it was Ethiopia. We knew and our hearts fell in love with Ethiopia.

Since then, God has been confirming it over and over to us. Ethiopia is still everywhere I look!

I also found this video and I couldn’t pretend I didn’t know….

Proverbs 24:12

If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,”
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?

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Adoption FAQ #1: Why Adopt?

December 3, 2010 by 13 Comments

A Little Background…

Ray and I have always known that we would adopt at some point in our life together. It was a personal desire for both of us, before we even knew each other. When we talked about adopting, it was always in the “someday” category. We had our plan—have a couple kids naturally and then adopt. Easy enough, right?

Only it wasn’t so easy. After giving birth to Jonah, my body has been weird and unpredictable. We’ve tried to get pregnant for over 2 years. According to the doctor, there isn’t really anything wrong. It just hasn’t happened. I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster the past two years as I’ve prayed, hoped, and cried out to God just like Hannah for a second pregnancy. Once Jonah started asking for a baby brother or sister, I felt even more pressure .

I’ve stood on the sidelines and watched as friends have become pregnant and given birth to their blessings. I’ve rejoiced with them! How could I not rejoice with my friends for their growing families? But in the quiet, my heart yearned. At times, I’ve struggled with  jealousy for their growing belly—followed by guilt over not being thankful for being able to conceive and carry Jonah when so many friends and family have struggled to have one child.

And while this was going on, God was whispering to our hearts about adoption. Walking along side friends and church members that have gone through the process. Watching in amazement as God matched orphans with the perfect family. Being speechless as God poured out blessing after blessing to make adoption possible for our friends. It was almost like watching a preview and getting a glimpse of what could be.

The Real Answer…

Adoption is close to God’s heart. No, we don’t claim to have access to God’s thoughts, but He has modeled it for us. Whenever the Bible speaks about adoption, it always presents this gracious act in a favorable light.

Consider Moses. He was adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 2:1-10). This was part of God’s plan to save the life of Moses and deliver His people.

And what about Esther? The Bible reminds us that she was adopted by her cousin, Mordecai (Esther 2:15). Who can forget the amazing way that God used Esther to save His children?

In a way, wasn’t Jesus also adopted? Joseph was not His biological father. Joseph, an unselfish man of God, was willing to rearrange his entire life in obedience to God in order to be an adoptive father!

The Greatest Adoption Story…

The greatest adoption story in the Bible is the story of our “adoption” into the family of God. Through the precious blood of His son, God is willing to receive us as His adopted sons and daughters.

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ~Ephesians 1:4-6

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”  ~Romans 8:14-15

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.  ~John 14:18

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.  ~James 1:27

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.  ~Psalm 68:5

Filed Under: Adoption, Adoption FAQ, Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Go Ahead And Ask…

December 2, 2010 by 8 Comments

question mark ?Since we announced our adoption, we’ve been asked a LOT of questions. Some of them have been asked out of honest curiosity. Other questions have been out of concern…almost like someone placing their hand on our forehead to check to see if we have a fever.

Whatever the circumstance, we knew they would come. It’s only natural. We were ready. We had peace. We had already prayed over the answers…and the people asking the questions.

That God would speak, not us.
That our answer would be full of grace–His grace. The grace He extended when He adopted us.

If you’ve got a question for us about our adoption, feel free to leave it in the comments. I’ m not going to promise that I’ll answer all of them, but I’ll be tackling some Adoption FAQ’s in future posts. So, what questions do you have for us? Go ahead and ask…

Filed Under: Adoption, Adoption FAQ Tagged With: ,

How YOU can change OUR world…

November 22, 2010 by 10 Comments

Early last week I asked the question, “How are YOU changing the world?” And really, there wasn’t a correct answer. The answers you gave were beautiful. And you are—-changing the world that is. Even those of you that thought “Hmm, the only thing I’ve done today is wipe bottoms and put food in front of a hungry child.” Yep, that definitely counts as world-changing.

And then, I announced that we are adopting.

Today, I’m here to tell how YOU can change OUR world so that we can bring one of the 147 million orphans home to our family.

To love.  

To snuggle.

 To wipe bottoms and put food in front of another hungry child.

Would you consider buying something from my Etsy Shop? I know you’ve made your Christmas gift list and are gearing up for shopping. Why not buy presents that are two-fold in giving? A gift for your loved-one, that in turn helps bring an orphan home to our open arms. All proceeds from my shop go into our adoption fund. I have worked hard over the weekend to get some new things loaded in the shop. Go take a look!

There are other ways to help…

  1. Pray.
  2. Tell others.
  3. Did I mention pray for us?

We aren’t the only ones raising funds this Christmas. There are plenty of causes–many of them dear to our hearts. I believe that if we’re going to buy gifts, we should make them count.

So, I’m asking again: How are YOU changing the world?

If you are on Facebook or Twitter, would you consider spreading the news and linking to my shop?

 If you have a blog of your own, would you consider blogging about us and linking to my shop? Or, what about putting an advertising button in your sidebar? I can’t pay you for advertising, but I’ll love you forever ;)

Thank you for all of the kind words and encouragement about our adoption announcement! I truly have the best readers around! If you want to keep up with our adoption adventure (and everything else we’re up to), sign up to have posts delivered straight to your email inbox or to your favorite blog reader. (It’s FREE!)

linked to: Christmas Frenzy

Filed Under: Adoption, Adoption FAQ, Uncategorized Tagged With: ,