Family Friday: "...my heart was so full."

 

Please enjoy another Family Friday feauturing Evan, Carla and their new son, Ephrem, who they brought home into their FOREVER FAMILY this summer...

We were humbled and blessed to receive adoption support from Lifesong. Our adoption was quick because we were adopting a special needs child, which was amazing and also exhausting. We found the encouragement from Lifesong and Both Hands to be unexpected, but very welcomed support in our process. 

We began our adoption with $1,000 in the bank and a promise to ourselves to avoid going into more debt to finish our adoption. We didn’t know how we would do this, but we trusted in our God to provide. Only six weeks into the process, we received our referral for our son. Our agency said that they would expedite the process to get him home and into medical treatment. This was wonderful…and terrifying because it meant that we would have to pay the fees on a quicker timeline. Nevertheless, we trusted God to provide.

The financial support we were able to get from Lifesong/Both Hands was essential to bringing our son home. It provided for the travel costs (airfare, lodging) as well as some agency fees toward the end of the process. Without this support, we wouldn’t have gotten our son home in May/June without going into debt. When Ephrem and I walked out of security and got to hug Evan as a family of three for the very first time, my heart was so full. 

--Evan & Carla

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

Family Friday: "Adoption is hard...and worth it"

We find ourselves at yet another Family Friday! Please join me in praise with Greg & Charisa and their growing family and as they share the pure FAITHFULNESS God has shown them in their journey...

This adoption was an adoption of faith almost from day one!  We signed on with our agency in February and were excited to again add to our family through the miracle of adoption. Greg found out that his position was being cut and he would lose his job, along with the $5000 adoption credit his company would give. Yikes!

There were so many questions at that time—where would he find a job? Would we have to move? What about the adoption? Did we hear God wrong?  We chose to have faith and believe God had something in store for us and He did! Greg was offered our job with our local food bank which lines up with his heart for helping the vulnerable! We were blessed as he only had to go two weeks without a job.  

In March we received the referral of a beautiful baby boy whose name means “Praise.” We were excited and quickly fell in love.  The Monday of the week we were leaving, I received that DREADED phone call.  Our little one’s mother came to court and changed her mind and took him home.  My first emotional reaction? I am done. Adoption is too hard. I can’t stand the emotional roller coaster anymore.  I AM DONE!  

Even in the midst of this God was working and moving. My caseworker called my husband first and told him to come home. We cried, prayed, asked many why’s and just sat in silence.  

As we continued to pray God asked me, “Who is adoption about? You or the child that needs a home?”  I began to realize, (I knew it down deep but it finally rose to the surface of my heart) that this was a good thing.   If this little baby’s mom changed her mind and could raise him—than that is who he should be with! How could I be upset with that?  Was I grieving?  Yes—for the loss of the child who we thought would be our son. However, I was so happy that this child could be raised by the mother that carried him, named him, and loved him.  

Fast forward a couple of days and we received another referral of a tiny little boy, Teshale, whose name means “Better One.” I can’t even begin to tell you how that confirmed everything for us. God has blessed us immensely and looking back we can see how everything worked according to His plan.  

July 15th we were in Ethiopia for court and met our son. He was our son! The bond was immediate and we knew this was the child God had for our family. We came home September 10^th 2011 and are doing well. We are more than blessed.

Adoption is hard. It is emotional.  It is full of bumps, curves, and road blocks. It is worth it. 

I now have so much more of a picture of what Christ endured for me.  I have a glimpse of His heartache and passion.  As I sat and cried over that first little boy I imagined how God weeps over those that He longs to have as His children.

Thank you Lifesong for being part of our story. Your encouragement and affirmation played a vital role in our adoption journey.  We appreciate you so much!

-Greg & Charisa

Connection is the Goal - Empowered to Connect

Watch as Dr. Karyn Purvis, co-author of The Connected Child, explains why it is important for adoptive and foster parents to always keep connection as their goal, regardless of the behaviors or challenges they are facing.

Are you an adoptive parent?

How about a foster parent?

Have you ever considered either?

If so, I've got some good news for you! Empowered to Connect (along with Dr. Karyn Purvis) is hosting a two-day conference designed to help adoptive and foster parents, ministry leaders and professionals better understand how to connect with “children from hard places” in order to help them heal and become all that God desires for them to be.

The next conference is just a few weeks away: September 14 & 15, 2012, in Nashville, Tennessee at Brentwood Baptist Baptist Church. Registration for the Nashville conference is now open!

Can't make that conference? Mark these future dates on your calendar!

Future dates and locations for the Empowered To Connect Conference:

• February 15 & 16, 2013 in Orlando, Florida at First Baptist Church Orlando (click here to register at the early bird price)

• April 19 & 20, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois at The Chapel (Barrington Campus)

• September 13 & 14, 2013 in Houston, Texas at Houston’s First Baptist Church

Orphan Sunday Inspiration!

Orphan Sunday is just around the corner and it's never too early to start planning. November 4th will be a day celebrated nationwide in honor of adoption, orphan care and foster care.

But like all events there is a lot of planning, research, time & energy involved. Wouldn't it be great to have all the information you needed to host an Orphan Sunday event all in one place? 

We would like to introduce to you OrphanSunday.org.  This website is packed with resources from some incredible orphan/adoption/foster care organizations so you can pull off an event that will engage your church community.

We will be highlighting resources such as Partnership Packages, The Orphan's Table and many more! Stay tuned!

Family Friday: Craig & Tessy

Listen in to the powerful adoption testimony from Craig & Tessy as they adopted Zalen Moise from the Democratic Republic of Congo...

Adoption changed my life.  I will never be the same.  Our family will never be the same.  I am so thankful.

Through the process of adoption it was as if I was allowed to peek into the mystery of how much my God loves me.  The lengths of love and sacrifice that He is willing to go through to make us His children.  His deep desire to adopt each of us no matter where we are at or what we have been through. 

I remember at times being overwhelmed with the piles of paperwork and red tape required to get my son home.  I remember the countless fundraisers as we attempted to meet the financial deadlines looming before us.  I recall the beautiful blessing of relief when a letter would arrive in the mailbox with a donation that was in the exact amount that we needed to meet our current financial need.  One of those letters was from "Lifesong for Orphans" right before we traveled. 

Our adoption didn't follow the normal pattern of "wait..wait..wait" that many have to endure.  Our paperwork moved quickly and travel time was upon us before we were ready.  There was no time to host another fundraiser, it was time to travel.  An answered prayer arrived just in time.  A few weeks before we needed to make travel plans we received a generous, just the amount needed, grant from Lifesong.

This happened throughout our journey, God supplying our every need just in time. It was many times through the body of Christ who sacrificed time and money to demonstrate the wonderful love of Christ to our family.  It was overwhelming.  It was a blessing.  It was an answer to our prayers.

-Craig & Tessy, Adoptive Parents