As we have been selling t-shirts, I get super mushy because we are SO appreciative of the support. You don't realize what a treasure support from others can be. . . until you need it, or you have needed it in the past! :) In our first adoption, we recorded all those who assisted our family in one way or another. We will do the same this time. I am hoping to get a snapshot of everyone who buys a shirt (wearing their shirt) to put in the scrapbook! What a cool tapestry of faces that will be!! Anyway, as I was perusing little man's scrapbook, looking over names of some of the most generous people we have ever encountered, I was reading the page about the beginning of our process. I had forgotten we researched over 20 different countries!!
There was something else I had forgotten. At the time, through family and friends, we had seen just one adoption finalized through the foster care system out of six attempted. I knew I could not handle such an emotional roller coaster - getting attached only to find the child would not be our own - unless we were positive it was what God was calling us to do (I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13). So I truly, wholeheartedly admire the families who wade through the ups and downs of the foster care system, holding on with all their might and fighting for the best interests of the child for which they are caring. No matter the outcome, whether the child is reunited with their birth family or joins their new forever family, these foster moms and dads are a true representation of unconditional love. It's not that they don't get heartbroken or frustrated; they just advocate for the children regardless of their own emotions. We have some new friends through our homeschool group who I deeply admire. They have 5 children altogether, and are just inspiring. The kids are well-adjusted, well-behaved, and obviously loved. They help give us the courage to grow our family!
We have some other friends who are fostering infants. A blessedly tough job! Imagine, they are getting all the precious snuggling and sweet newborn moments, but also taking all the sleepless nights, fussy tummies, and developing diaper movements! I think God puts a special strength in families like this, to go through the physical demands of a newborn never knowing how long they will be in your arms.
Other family friends work as respite care providers, caring for children in the system when their main foster family needs time off. I can only imagine the stresses of adjusting to a new child or children in the home in just a few days, only to have them leave and the dynamics be reset each time.
So this is our salute to all you foster parents (and grandparents) out there - I can only imagine the smile on God's face as He sees you care for His children!!
Smiles!
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Bracelets
Bracelet Fundraiser!
These are $3, or $3.50 if you need them mailed to you. :)
if interested.
How do you reach 147 million orphans?
ONE AT A TIME,
which is written on the front. The reverse says "John 14:18".
This is the same Bible verse that is on the back of the tees.
"I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you." John 14:18
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
GREAT Article!
When we first started attending our church in fall of 2009, our Sunday School class was delving through a book called "Interrupted" by Jen Hatmaker. I am a fan of her writing style, and am trying to find time to read her latest book, "Seven: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess". Yesterday, we were traveling several hours to a doctors appointment and filled our time with adoption internet research. We ran across a blog entry by Jen, who brought home two children just a couple of years ago. It is AWESOME! She says so many things in such a poignant manner; words I have never been able to find that would properly describe what I wanted to express. It is a wonderful read for everyone. Not just adoptive families, but for friends and family of those who are in the adoption process. Truly insightful on how we can be supportive to those going through the adoption process, which extends beyond the time when our children are finally home. Here's the link:
http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2012/08/21/the-truth-about-adoption-one-year-later
http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2012/08/21/the-truth-about-adoption-one-year-later
Smiles!
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
How did you get to China?
Throughout our first adoption process, we were often asked why we chose the country we chose. Sometimes we were simply asked why we did not adopt in America. There are so many factors involved.
First and foremost, we believe in the worth of every child, American or not. We believe wholeheartedly from what the Bible tells us that God loves and values children. His love is never restricted based on race, nationality, gender, etc. We all came from Adam, right?! :) And seriously, if we're going to restrict the child that comes into our family based on geographical location, does that mean we must be specific and only adopt within our state? Should we narrow it further and only adopt within our county? City? You get my point.
The next step in the process was finding an adoption agency. Through the first process, we basically found the closest ones to us. After some research, we decided to proceed with All Blessings International, or ABI. We began by looking at domestic adoptions. Our social worker did advise us that a birthmother seeking a family for her child might not choose us because we already had biological children. She might feel we would love the children differently. While we knew this would not be the case, we could understand a birthmother having those feelings. We did not want to wait through the uncertainty of being chosen, so we then moved to international programs. Timeframe, age of child, cost of the process, travel requirements, and medical information available were all big factors in our decision to go through South Korea.
This time around, we started by investigating the possibility of adopting through the foster care system. In consideration of our other children's ages, we wanted to adopt a child under the age of 4. We found that eighty-five percent of children in foster care return to their biological families. Those that are placed for adoption in the age range we desire are typically adopted by their foster families. We just have such a sense of urgency, so we started looking at the international avenue again. We knew we wanted to work with ABI again. There are agencies out there who are, unfortunately, in the "business" of adoption. It's about monetary gain. We knew from our experience that All Blessings was not like that at all. They are all about the children, and do a vast array of humanitarian work to advocate for the orphans. We reviewed the programs they offered, because different agencies have different international programs available. Because of our mission work in orphanages in El Salvador, we have a huge burden for children in institutions. (El Salvador, by the way, does not have a functioning international adoption program for non-relative adoptions right now.) We were drawn to several programs - Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti. We met with our friends at ABI and found China's Special Needs Program was a possibility as well. We asked all our questions, and went home to prayerfully consider the options. As we contemplated the decision, we weighed the costs, travel requirements, timeframes, and age of children available, and felt China was the way to go! And that, is how we got to China!
First and foremost, we believe in the worth of every child, American or not. We believe wholeheartedly from what the Bible tells us that God loves and values children. His love is never restricted based on race, nationality, gender, etc. We all came from Adam, right?! :) And seriously, if we're going to restrict the child that comes into our family based on geographical location, does that mean we must be specific and only adopt within our state? Should we narrow it further and only adopt within our county? City? You get my point.
The next step in the process was finding an adoption agency. Through the first process, we basically found the closest ones to us. After some research, we decided to proceed with All Blessings International, or ABI. We began by looking at domestic adoptions. Our social worker did advise us that a birthmother seeking a family for her child might not choose us because we already had biological children. She might feel we would love the children differently. While we knew this would not be the case, we could understand a birthmother having those feelings. We did not want to wait through the uncertainty of being chosen, so we then moved to international programs. Timeframe, age of child, cost of the process, travel requirements, and medical information available were all big factors in our decision to go through South Korea.
This time around, we started by investigating the possibility of adopting through the foster care system. In consideration of our other children's ages, we wanted to adopt a child under the age of 4. We found that eighty-five percent of children in foster care return to their biological families. Those that are placed for adoption in the age range we desire are typically adopted by their foster families. We just have such a sense of urgency, so we started looking at the international avenue again. We knew we wanted to work with ABI again. There are agencies out there who are, unfortunately, in the "business" of adoption. It's about monetary gain. We knew from our experience that All Blessings was not like that at all. They are all about the children, and do a vast array of humanitarian work to advocate for the orphans. We reviewed the programs they offered, because different agencies have different international programs available. Because of our mission work in orphanages in El Salvador, we have a huge burden for children in institutions. (El Salvador, by the way, does not have a functioning international adoption program for non-relative adoptions right now.) We were drawn to several programs - Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti. We met with our friends at ABI and found China's Special Needs Program was a possibility as well. We asked all our questions, and went home to prayerfully consider the options. As we contemplated the decision, we weighed the costs, travel requirements, timeframes, and age of children available, and felt China was the way to go! And that, is how we got to China!
Smiles!
Saturday, May 11, 2013
FUNdraiser Shirts!
I love designing t-shirts! I was already beginning designs while we were praying about whether or not to adopt. Once we decided upon China, Jon and I worked together and came up with a design we both LOVE. These are truly a reflection of our heart, as was our t-shirt we designed for our first adoption. This is a front and back design, with the first photo being the front and the second being the reverse. The red shape on the back is the outline of China, and the symbol is Chinese for "love".
We have Child sizes Small to Large, Adult sizes Small to 3XL. Suggested donation is $15. We can mail these as well. Our preferred payment method is by check - just use the contact box at the bottom of the blog and send the sizes and quantities you would like, as well as the mailing address if the shirts should be mailed. I'll reply with the mailing address for your payment. Or you can use PayPal! Click on the button below. Please make sure to send me the sizes and quantities, and mailing address if necessary.
Diamonds, anyone? :)
Check out this auction on ebay - funds raised go toward our adoption expenses! They are beautiful diamond earrings at an AMAZING price!
Smiles!
A Leap of Faith
We have made it official - we are adopting again!! Most people are usually surprised. If you asked me anytime in the past couple of years if we intended to have more children, a definitive "yes" would not have been the answer you received. I would usually respond with something like this:
"I don't think so. Three is a lot, and frankly, I'm exhausted! However, if there is one
thing I have learned in life, it's that I never know what God has in store. If we felt
God was calling us to have more children, then we would do it, but I would need
to be absolutely positive it was God's calling. I would need God to write me a letter,
just so things were perfectly clear!"
The past several months, God has been making the change in our hearts. One day, the realization hit me that God has in fact already written us a letter - the Bible. His Word gives us the instruction we need, and the call to care for orphans is prevalent throughout that precious letter! When I turned to my husband to say, "He HAS written us a letter!", I was halfway crying, somewhere between shock and excitement as I grasped the reality of what that meant. :)
It's not that God calls every person to adopt - there are many ways each of us can actively engage in the orphan crisis. Read Orphanology by Tony Merida and Rick Morton for suggestions. Prayer alone is a powerful way to fight for the fatherless. But we feel God has made it clear that adoption is one of the ways our family can advocate for orphans. (The thought just occurred to me that maybe your prayers are the reason we are adopting!)
So, I guess the exhaustion will just continue! :) But I'm so thankful it will. We love our kiddos ferociously, and are ecstatic that we will have a fourth! God has been shaping us and molding us to recognize something - IT IS NOT ABOUT US! It's not about whether we are tired or worn out from working through temper tantrums or doing endless piles of laundry. It's not about whether or not we'll have money to take a vacation, or involve our children in every extra-curricular activity that suits their fancy. It's about family. It's about sacrifice, which really is so very, very minuscule compared to the sacrifice Jesus made to adopt us into his family. It's about loving God so much we'll do whatever He calls us to do. It's about precious children in the world who deserve to have a family.
Recently, I was asked if we wished we could continue having biological children. My simple answer, "No." God had a plan for our family, and we are thankful He's allowed us to have children both biologically and through adoption. This process did not begin for us with just the desire to have more children. It came from the burden on our hearts for orphans. All our children are OUR children, no matter how they arrived in our arms, equally precious and fully loved.
I have to say, God is SO cool! If you sincerely pray for Him to change your heart to desire the things He does, He will do it! And thankfully, He is patient and takes things slowly with us. He knows how selfish we are and how long it takes us to come around. :)
New Little Hudson, we are ON OUR WAY!
Smiles!
"I don't think so. Three is a lot, and frankly, I'm exhausted! However, if there is one
thing I have learned in life, it's that I never know what God has in store. If we felt
God was calling us to have more children, then we would do it, but I would need
to be absolutely positive it was God's calling. I would need God to write me a letter,
just so things were perfectly clear!"
The past several months, God has been making the change in our hearts. One day, the realization hit me that God has in fact already written us a letter - the Bible. His Word gives us the instruction we need, and the call to care for orphans is prevalent throughout that precious letter! When I turned to my husband to say, "He HAS written us a letter!", I was halfway crying, somewhere between shock and excitement as I grasped the reality of what that meant. :)
It's not that God calls every person to adopt - there are many ways each of us can actively engage in the orphan crisis. Read Orphanology by Tony Merida and Rick Morton for suggestions. Prayer alone is a powerful way to fight for the fatherless. But we feel God has made it clear that adoption is one of the ways our family can advocate for orphans. (The thought just occurred to me that maybe your prayers are the reason we are adopting!)
So, I guess the exhaustion will just continue! :) But I'm so thankful it will. We love our kiddos ferociously, and are ecstatic that we will have a fourth! God has been shaping us and molding us to recognize something - IT IS NOT ABOUT US! It's not about whether we are tired or worn out from working through temper tantrums or doing endless piles of laundry. It's not about whether or not we'll have money to take a vacation, or involve our children in every extra-curricular activity that suits their fancy. It's about family. It's about sacrifice, which really is so very, very minuscule compared to the sacrifice Jesus made to adopt us into his family. It's about loving God so much we'll do whatever He calls us to do. It's about precious children in the world who deserve to have a family.
Recently, I was asked if we wished we could continue having biological children. My simple answer, "No." God had a plan for our family, and we are thankful He's allowed us to have children both biologically and through adoption. This process did not begin for us with just the desire to have more children. It came from the burden on our hearts for orphans. All our children are OUR children, no matter how they arrived in our arms, equally precious and fully loved.
I have to say, God is SO cool! If you sincerely pray for Him to change your heart to desire the things He does, He will do it! And thankfully, He is patient and takes things slowly with us. He knows how selfish we are and how long it takes us to come around. :)
New Little Hudson, we are ON OUR WAY!
Smiles!
Not That I Have Something Profound to Say . . .
Publishing a blog has never really been a consideration of mine. ("Publishing" a blog - is that even the right term?) I certainly do not feel as if I have anything profound or amazingly intelligent to say. :) But as we have prayerfully considered adopting again, I realized I have found a wealth of information from other adoptive family blogs. If my experiences and thoughts through the adoption process could be helpful to another family, even in a small way, then I want to help. Sooooo . . . read on. Just don't expect to be awed by anything you read! :)
P.S. Smiley faces and exclamation points will riddle my posts. It's how I express how I feel!
P.S. Smiley faces and exclamation points will riddle my posts. It's how I express how I feel!
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