April 12, 2008 9:11 AM
Adoption giveaway - three prizes
These are just small tokens, but I'd like to pass them on to acknowledge families who've responded to God's call for us to take care of orphans.
These cuddly bunnies - named Shaoey in honor of Steven Curtis Chapman's first adopted daughter Shaohannah - were produced by Gund to partner with the foundation SCC created to help other Christian families who wanted to adopt but who needed financial aid to do so. Click the banner below for more information on how adoption might be more possible than you think:
I've said this before, but I'll say it again: I believe that there are lots of families who want to adopt but who need help financially. Why can't Christian churches collect money for their support the same way they do for missionaries? This would actually make the congregation a more vested partner as they would be part of the daily/Sunday support network for the adopted child rather then just sending their money in and getting letters and yearly visits from a missionary family.
And I'm sure God would be pleased to see us working together to build a future for a child who might not have had one.
There are children who spend their entire lives in foster care, so grow into adulthood with no parents to take their future spouse home to, no grandparents for their children. Please, if you are considering adoption, consider providing a home for an American child whose chances for adoption have grown slim. Often there are no upfront adoption fees for these children (Catholic Charities paid for our adoptions of Jesse and Justin because they had Down syndrome) - and if there are special medical needs, there are programs to help with their support. (While I am not for encouraging government subsidies, because the church has fallen short in this area, I support parents willing to get these kids out of foster care availing themselves of every possible resource).
And if you know a grownup unadopted foster child, consider adding him or her to your family - as one woman I talked to last week told me she had done.
Uh-oh. Finding myself on my soapbox :)
The giveaway: Please leave a comment below if you have adopted a child in the last year - including the date, the age of the child, and the country you adopted from. On Mother's Day, May 11, I will put all the names in a hat and draw out three winners.
Also, see the Mother's Day photo album I will be building for presentation to the public on that day. Please link and spread the word!
Posted in Adoption, Church Issues, Contest | Permalink
Comments
Barbara- we have yet to adopt (although are hoping to) but we have very close friends who have adopted 2 children and I would love to place their name in the drawing if that's ok? If not, that's ok too. :) I totally understand if you are going to keep this to people putting their own names in.
Posted by: tiffany | April 12, 2008 12:47 PM
We're in the process of adopting a little boy from Korea. We're just waiting on the government paperwork/visas and hope he's here by June. Thanks for encouraging people about adoption!
Posted by: Pam | April 12, 2008 3:39 PM
Not in the last year, but we adopted our little girl from China when she was 9 months old. She is now 5 and what a blessing. Her name is Angellee and she wants to be a princess when she grows up.
Posted by: Jay | April 12, 2008 4:24 PM
We've been waiting for 16 months to bring our little cleft-affected son home from Vietnam. We should be on the home stretch, but nothing has been easy with this adoption and I'll believe we're going to get him when we're on the plane. (He'll be joining 6 brothers and sisters, including a brother who is also from Vietnam.)
Posted by: Elizabeth | April 12, 2008 5:00 PM
Barbara,
We adopted our son from the U.S. on February 29th of this year at 2 weeks of age. He is a sweet little fellow. We were matched with his birthmom, but did not have the $20,000 needed to complete the adoption. Our pastor challenged our church, on Sanctity of Life Sunday, to give generously to our adoption fund. The church raised $14,000 for us and a generous couple in the church loaned us the remaining funds to be repayed as we were able. Our church then gave us one of the most amazing baby showers. We have been overwhelmed with the series of miracles that God performed in order to bring this little man home!
Posted by: Julie | April 12, 2008 5:30 PM
Here is my "soap box" - that in the state of California you can not adopt a child through the foster care system if you have more than two children per room. We have a three bedroom home (that is more than adequate) and our six daughters all share one bedroom. (you can see photos of how well it works here) They are happy, well adjusted and content. They also desperately want another baby brother to add to the family (We have a one year old boy) BUT because of the number of bedrooms we have, we CAN NOT adopt through the foster care system, which is the adoption we would prefer!
So we are pursuing a private adoption of a African American or bi-racial baby boy that has already cost over $5,000 (in home study expenses) and we still will need another $9,500+ before we can adopt. As a large family living on a Christian school teacher salary (and my home based business) we have literally no money to spare. (we do not eat out, we wear hand me downs and we drive well worn cars)
If we could adopt through the foster care system we could help one (or perhaps two or three) of these waiting children with little expense.
Alas, since I know we can't change the system...we will carry on with our private adoption plans, knowing the Lord will provide!
I'll keep you posted!
Posted by: Beth Lambdin | April 12, 2008 5:47 PM
Wow- I just read Beth's post, and I pray she gets the child she wants so badly! I am also here in California, where I was blessed to attend the adoption party of child #4 for some friends recently. It was amazing what they went through to make this last adoption legal! I really think the system needs to lighten up a bit.....Barbara, if it's OK, I'd like to add them to your drawing?
These are some amazing posts you've made about adoption on your blog. I have so much respect for Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife. The story of their 3rd adoption is just amazing......Here I sit pregnant with #4, and you are putting adoption back on my brain. :) At least I am more aware of the need to be supportive, if nothing else. :) God bless you and keep writing about these important topics.
Posted by: Lisa | April 12, 2008 7:32 PM
It's been a little over a year, but just wanted to chime in! We adopted a little girl from China in February 2007. Are in process of a Taiwan adoption, and just waiting to see which of those cattle on the hill God is going to send our way.
Posted by: Stretch Mark Mama | April 12, 2008 9:14 PM
We did not adopt in the past year, but have adopted three of our six children...Amelia in 10/2003, Micah in 6/2005, and Dante in 12/2006. All three were born in Hong Kong and have Down Syndrome. Twice we were helped with a grant from Shaohannah's Hope, without the help it is unlikely we could have afforded the adoptions.
Posted by: KellyL | April 13, 2008 3:38 PM
We're in the process of our fifth adoption. We've adopted two typical children, one from Russia and one from China. We've adopted two daughters with Down Syndrome, one from Russia, one from Colombia. We are adopting a boy with corrected special needs from China.
We've been consistently amazed at the variety of ways the Lord has chosen to fund these adoptions. He always does it His way, and not always in the way we thought was best! LOL The important thing, though, is that He always comes through because He is definitely in the adoption business!
Please keep beating the drum for adoption! So many wonderful children wait for parents, both here and abroad, and I guarantee that, in addition to helping the children, the Lord will use adoption as a way of refining the parents!
Posted by: Jill S | April 14, 2008 3:22 PM
Can I put a different name in the drawing? A couple in my church has adopted four children from China - two girls and two boys. Their first boy was already three years old, I believe, and a partially corrected cleft palate. Their other boy was adopted last year and also has a cleft palate, which had not had any correction. He's now almost two years old. I think they are an amazing family!
Posted by: Lucy | April 14, 2008 4:17 PM
The Lord abundantly blessed us with 6 biological children, and then He brought two adopted sons with Down syndrome into our family. Our first little guy was adopted from Colorado in Dec. '03 at the age of 13 months. He was such a joy and a blessing to our family that when the Lord called us to adopt another child with Down syndrome, we didn't even think about saying no. We were thrilled to bring our newest little lamb home from New Jersey in June '07 at the age of 6 weeks. It's hard to believe our baby will turn a year old this Saturday! We feel so honored that the Lord chose our family to parent these precious little boys!
Posted by: Patrice | April 14, 2008 9:57 PM
What a wonderful blog! I brought home two angels from Ukraine on March 7th, 2008 :) Emma, 5, and Micah, 19 months joined my two bio kiddos, Kristopher, 4 and Brianna, 2. Three of our four children have Down syndrome including both of our newest additions. We are fighting for a chance at life for Emma right now as she has a complete AV canal that is unrepaired. Her lungs are so damaged that we don't know if surgery is possible. Any prayers for Emma would be greatly appreciated!!! And of course a sweet bunny would be wonderful too :)
Meredith
Posted by: Meredith | April 14, 2008 10:02 PM
Hello-
We adopted our little boy in November of 2007 from the foster care system. He is almost three now and is the light of our lives (along with our other five kiddos of course ;-)). He has many special needs and will never live independently, but that is where are heart have been drawn through the gifts that God has granted us! We are hoping to add more to our family in the future. We will adopt from foster care going forward as well, as with a large family, we can not afford to go any other route - although I love the idea of the church rallying behind the family! Thanks, Pam
Posted by: Pamela | April 15, 2008 4:18 PM
Hello, we are the Berger's and adopted Jonathan from Guatemala just before Thanksgiving. He is two+ years old, DOB 1/13/06, he has Down Syndrome. He is our fifth child, second adopted, first international adoption.
We are very blessed by him, he has brought much joy and love to our lives.
We are in the process of adding another daughter to our family, Anah, from Viet Nam. She is 10 years old and also has Down Syndrome. We are hopeful to bring her home before summer.
Thank you for your kind drawing.
Posted by: June Berger | April 15, 2008 10:01 PM
Hi Barb -
We finalized the adoption of our son, Jack, on May 29, 2007. He had been with us as a foster child since the age of 7 mos. We were initially told he would be developmentally delayed both physically and mentally, due to pre-natal drug exposure. However when they evaluated him again in March of 2007 the tester almost couldn't believe it was the same child. She asked me our secret. I told her lots of prayer, lots of love, and in no small part the tireless efforts of his big sister, our daughter, who would read to him and help with his physical therapy for hours everyday. She herself is adopted from foster care as a 5yo and wanted to do everything she could to help him. My children are an amazing blessing - I wish we could add more but IL has very few children who become available thru foster care and our agency will no longer facilitate interstate adoptions. International scares me as we know several families who have had things fall apart due to the changing UN and US laws.
Posted by: Lucretia | April 30, 2008 4:13 PM
