I will not leave you as orphans...

"I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you." John 14:18

God does miracles through this woman. She is such a testimony to me. Her complete trust in God that HE CAN move mountains.

Matthew 17:20 "You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."

Nothing is impossible. You just have to have the faith. I'm not sure most days I do. But this woman does. This is a follow up to her request for money and a family to adopt precious Vanya.

Check it out here. Amazing...Our God...Amazing...

Flashback Friday

Happy Adoption Day Kenny!

Kenny's adoption into our family was official 2 years ago today. He was almost 3 years old! If you want to read more about Kenny's story, you can go here.

Mutual Care

Over the last 8 years or so I have developed opinions. Opinions about adoption. About girls, young girls, who have babies at a very young age. I have swung from one side of the pendulum to the other and am currently in the middle. I do not believe that all teen girls under the age of 18 should give their children up for adoption. Don't get me wrong, when that does happen, miracles are in the making. I also do not believe that every girl under the age of 18 should be given every opportunity possible to keep her child especially when she doesn't have any interest, desire, or drive to do so!

I have a heart for kids that need loving, permanant families. That fact has shown up in numerous ways in my life in the last 9 years. I've adopted one. I've fostered 25. I've been the babysitter for children of some of the 25. I've opened my home to some of the 25 seven years later. But I do not have it all figured out. My heart wants to adopt them all. Them and their kid and their next kid and their next. I also want them to grow up and figure it out and be able to keep that kid. I don't want to take kids away from people who want desperately to keep them.

However, I have been pondering adoption. I want to adopt a baby girl. From the system. Josh doesn't. He loves having foster kids and helping them in such an amazing tangible way but in no way does he want to have a baby at this point in our life that is his (and my) responsibility. So I have been mourning the idea of a baby girl. Maybe it goes back to almost 5 years ago when I mourned the loss of baby Sophie for many months. (We'll save that for another post!)

It's 11:30 one night and God throws this idea my way. It's called Mutual Care. We've done it before. Not terribly successfully mind you. It is hard and it is a big commitment and there are a lot of factors that make it that way. But I see it now. It's the answer I have been searching for. To help mother's keep their babies is such a huge gift. An amazing, hard, practical gift. The easier answer might be to adopt them. The harder answer is to help their mamas keep them. Please know that I am not inferring in any way that adoption is easy, ever. If you feel called to adopt by all means help the 150 millon children already orphaned have a loving family. But here is another piece to the orphan crisis. There are many.

Mutual Care is when a teen girl who is pregnant or has a new baby is placed with you so that you can help her in every way - to keep her child. She is at risk for neglecting, abusing and losing her child. It involves caring for a vulnerable young girl and caring for a tiny vulnerable baby. But most of all it involves teaching which involves compassion and caring and structure and a lot of prayer. Teaching a young immature, vulnerable, scared girl to bond, attach, schedule, diaper, and care for her helpless precious flesh and blood 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Part of the challenge is doing what is right by the mama and the baby and it doesn't always turn out how you or I think it should. That is what is so hard about doing foster care I think.

It's hard. And it's rewarding. I think it's what God might have in store for us instead of adoption. It's good. There is such a need. My answer to adoption? ~ Mutual Care

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8

Questions about adoption? Fostercare? Mutual care? Leave a comment!

Flashback Friday

Isaac (7 months) and Kenny (6 months) ~ January 2007

Kenny is thinking, "Seriously? Just my luck! This guy?" This picture was taken a few days after Isaac and Kenny met. Kenny and his bio mom came to live with us when Kenny was 6 months old. It was my job as the foster mom to teach her to parent. To work on parenting skills as well as actual bonding and attaching skills. What are bonding and attaching 'skills'? Doesn't really seem like those should be labeled skills. They just naturally happen right? No. They don't. Kenny's bio mom was 13 years old when she had him. There was no natural bonding happening. Nor was this child being cared for in any consistant way. I tried. I really did. I failed. Poor Kenny spent the next 7 months being bounced from her to me and continued to be cared for somewhat inconsistantly and not bonding with either of us. She fought hard to be moved to a foster home closer to her biological mother. So they moved in August. Six weeks later the caseworker called and asked if we would consider adopting Kenny. We immediately said "YES" of course. I'm not even certain I asked Josh! We got Kenny back mid September. We cannot imagine our life without him. He brings so much humor and energy and life into our lives. He and Isaac do not really know they are not twins. Just like any other mom of twins it's a challenge to figure out how to do life and make decisions based on what is really best for each one individually and to seem fair about it so they don't think you like one more than the other and it goes on and on. Our life is blessed with that kid. And he makes me laugh and want to cry almost every day! I love you Kenny.

We Are ALL Called To Care



Issac (9 months) and Kenny (8 months)
They don't really know that they are not twins!

  I have friends and I have acquaintances and I read blogs of mom's who are passionate about adoption. Passionate. I love that. James 1:27 says, "Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corupt us." James does not say, "if you feel like it", and it does not say, "if it's convenient" and it does not say, "when you have time". It says, "care for orphans and widows in their troubles". It does not say, "adopt them all - as many as you can", and it does not say, "go to the ends of the earth and adopt a child from a foreign land that has special needs". I do get that there is a huge need. Huge. There are some 143 million orphans in this world. They do indeed need to be cared for. And we are ALL called to do that. To care. Cause James 1:27 says we are called to care. There are many ways each of us can care. I want to talk about one of them here and then leave you with some other ideas.

Foreign adoptions cost from $20,000 on up. Foreign adoptions take so much time and energy and stress. I think that foreign adoptions are necessary and an amazing way to care for our orphans. I read a blog written by a gal who has recently moved from Woodland Park and is now living on the east coast. She is so passionate about foreign adoption and has a huge following and a huge impact to the world on her blog which you can read here: http://www.nogreaterjoymom.com/2010/11/reckless-abandon.html She has led families to orphanages around the world to bring home sometimes more than one child with special needs. Some of whom have been lying in a crib for 5 years. As far as we know there are not places such as this in the United States. But the need is great. The call is there. The leap is huge. The reward is unfathomable.

Did you know that there are currently 115,000 children in the foster care system in the United States waiting to be adopted. Did you know that these adoptions cost nothing? Did you know that many times the state will pay the adoptive parents a monthly stipend every month until that child turns 18? Did you know that these children can remain on Medicaid until they are 18 years old? There is no expense. Not one. Besides a monthly stipend there are funds available for respite and there are funds available for therapy and other needs outside of what is covered by your monthly stipend and Medicaid. Most people do not realize this. Do you know how many times I have heard people say, "We would love to adopt but the money is just not there" or "We would love to adopt but..." But what? The need for foreign adoptions is great and if you feel called or feel like you can raise the support to do that, then by all means DO IT! But if you feel the tug to adopt or you feel the tug to inquire about adoptions...consider that there are children in your state, in your town, in your neighborhood, and maybe at the foster home next door that are waiting for a forever family. Someone to care. Someone to love. Someone to give them a chance and show them what unconditional love is. Someone...

It's not easy. No one said that doing what we are called to do would be easy. So that said...Today - what are you going to do to care for orphans and widows? Here are some ideas:

• inquire about foster care
• inquire about adoption
• financially support a missionary overseas who directs an orphanage - need one to support? go here: http://www.breannashouseofjoy.com/BHJ/home.html
• read my friend's blog - it will motivate you  - to do something: http://www.nogreaterjoymom.com/
• read this post from another friend's blog about ideas on what you can do: http://www.lauraleighparker.com/2010/11/practical-ways-help-orphans/
• help a foster mom - bring her dinner or babysit for a few hours while she runs to the grocery store
• take a widow a meal just for the heck of it
• go visit a widow for 30 minutes and pray with her

need more ideas?
need more information?
leave a comment or e-mail me
I have lots of ideas...
but whatever you do...do something...