Orphan Advocate - Lifesong

Several months ago, I signed up to be a  Lifesong Blogger.  This means that once a month, I receive an email with an adoption related post (HTML format) that I can post on the blog to share ideas, resources, and information regarding orphans around the world with you.  It is left up to me to decide if I want to share the post they send me or not and until now, I have not done anything with the posts I have received. From time to time, I will share one of these with you though probably not every month - we'll see. :D  Anyway, I will title and tag each of these posts "Orphan Advocate".  Each time you see that title, you will know that the information given is not an update about our adoption but is information about how you can pray for or be involved in orphan care around the world.  Following is this month's orphan advocate post.

Adoption is a journey. 

Like any journey, it's appropriate to think ahead, to plan and to prepare for what is come. Along the way we'll realize that it isn't all what we may have thought or expected. There are unplanned events and struggles, along with unexpected joys and surprises.

Join us as we walk down a few different paths of the adoption journey and discuss some key resources as you look ahead in preparation of bringing a child into your forever family.

Many of you may have already walked this journey. Some of seen friends or close family struggle through the path. Maybe you are just starting to "pack your bag" for your first adoption. No matter the traveler or the progress, here are a few helpful tidbits for anyone who is considering adoption (for the first, second or third time!).

3 Ways to Prepare for the Journey...

1. Pray. Fast. Read. Most importantly, seek God's direction and plan for your family. Spend significant time praying, fasting and reading His Word together for guidance, wisdom and peace. God does not call everyone to adopt, but He may be calling your family to be involved in caring for the orphan in some way. Sit and listen to the Father, He will prepare your feet for the path He has for you (Psalm 18:33).
2. Educate Yourself (With Trusted Materials). With some of the best Christian material on adoption, Empowered to Connect provides books, videos, trainings and other resources to help foster and adoptive families parent children from hard places. Prepare and receive realistic expectations ahead of time by reading books like The Connected Child or attending an Empowered to Connect Conference.  See resources & upcoming Empowered to Connect Conferences >>
3. Take a Pre-Adoption Assessment. Striving to make the adoption process less complicated and overwhelming, our friends at Loving Shepherd Ministries have helped guide over 6,000 couples in their early stages of adoption. Through their Adoption Assessment Form, their staff gives your family adoption options you are eligible to pursue, along with lists of agencies, home study providers in your area and more! Best yet, they offer this as a free service to prospective adoptive families. Learn more & fill out their Adoption Assessment Form today >>

There is wisdom in preparation, but don't forget to keep in mind that we have a Father who knows the beginning and the end. An Almighty God who is writing and arranging your family's story behind the scenes. When things don't make sense, wait on Him. His way is always best!

Summer

Summer is in full swing! We are loving being out of school, enjoying the warmer weather, spending more time outside, planting and tending our little garden, and did I mention being out of school?!  As I type, you can hear the typical (for our area) summer sound of thunder in the distance.  It is common for us to get a thunderstorm or two at least once a week.

A few weeks ago, I spoke with our social worker just to touch base.  We have been asked if the unrest in Ukraine has caused a problem with adoptions in other parts of Europe and have been assured that things are still moving forward in Hungary.  The Hungarian program is still going strong and there are not any causes for concern regarding that program at this point.  There are families recieving referrals and traveling to get their child(ren), and we look forward to our turn. 

 Though I may have mentioned it before, many countries keep a "waiting child" list, meaning that the children on that list are available for adoption and can be matched with families looking to adopt from their country.  Hungary does not keep a waiting child list: instead, we have a facilitaor whose job it is to search through the files of adoptable children in that country, keep up with new children who become available for adoption, and match them with families.  Please continue to pray for God's timing for our referral, for safety and protection for our child during this time, wisdom for George, our overseas facilitator, as he works on behalf of the children, our family, and other families seeking to adopt from the country of Hungary, and the coming transition (whenever that is) time for our family.

Mark and I are actively working on our Crossings training which helps us to prepare for the coming changes in our family.  If you are thinking about adoption or are currently in the adoption process, I encourage you to look into it.

Tomorrow is  Flag Day. Though this day has not ever been a big celebration for us, I do love our flag and the nation it represents. We look forward to teaching our new child about it. You can read some poetry about our flag here. (Disclaimer:  Linking to these sites does not mean that I endorse everything on these sites. )