Identities are important, aren’t they? They’re important for us as adults, but they’re equally as important for our children. I remember being a young child, probably about 10 or so, and waiting in line for an attraction on a family vacation. When my brothers and me got to the front of the line, an older gentleman said to us, “You three boys go on ahead.” When he said that, I just stood there, assuming he was referring to my two brothers and my dad. But then he repeated himself. And I got it. He thought I was a boy too. Granted, …
How a Single Mom Accomplishes the Impossible
Wendy Hirschfeld is a single mom accomplishing the impossible. Beautiful fields, grazing farm animals and a tight-knit family surrounded Wendy as she grew up in Nebraska. Emmitt, on the other hand, struggled to survive amid the drug laden streets of Chicago. Emmitt’s father was robbed from him through carbon monoxide poisoning when he was only 8, and was left to survive with his drug addicted mom. Emmitt’s family eventually drifted to a shelter in Omaha, Nebraska while he attended middle school. While there, his birth mom abandoned him… Emmitt had absolutely nowhere to go. Until Wendy took him as her …
How Can Your Family Care for the Orphans?
My daughter Kim and her husband Toby “finalizing” adoption of baby Brandon on National Adoption Day, November 19, 2005 “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” (James 1:27 NLT) A baby—precious, fragile, helpless, dependent, sweet, needy, and full of potential—without a family is destitute, institutionalized, alone . . . heartbreaking. Any child at any age without a home, without a family, without love is heartbreaking. James 1:27 tells the church and every Christian that it isn’t enough to …
Inspiring Stories of Adoption – Twice the Joy & MONDAY LINK UP WITH M.O.M.
Full Circle: Growing up adopted, Nancy has always had a positive perspective about adoption. “I wondered about things like my heritage, my background and if I had siblings or not, but I had a wonderful upbringing. I tell my mom she saved my life. That’s really what adoption is about” says Nancy. It’s no surprise that she and husband Mike who already had two teenage boys decided to adopt a child as well. “I always had it in my heart to adopt” Nancy explains. After attending a Steven Curtis Chapman concert and hearing that he adopted three little girls from …
Child with No Promise
The winner of Parenting from the Overflow by Teri Lynne Underwood are: Christine DeSanti and Katy Carris “Child with no promise,” was scribbled atop the orphanage file. Born in Eastern Europe. Unwanted. Abandoned. Downs Syndrome. Locked unnoticed behind a remote orphanage gate with no hope of release. Meanwhile, a content family of four was flourishing on the other side of the world. Their sole desire was to serve the Lord in anyway possible. Then, El Roi, our mighty God Who Sees, the Father to the fatherless, who places the lonely in families; His mighty plan of redemption began to unfold…. Vashti …
Who’s Your Mama
Who’s Your Mama? In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5a I really hate TV shows and books that are about an adopted child being reunited with his biological parent. The stories tend to reinforce an adopted child’s fantasy that all will be well once the biological parents are found. But mostly I am turned off by these accounts because I feel a little threatened. Since I was in third grade, I knew two things. I wanted to be a teacher and I wanted to be a mom. I went to school, …