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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
 Love
From Afar
A waiting family holds their love ready for a little girl thousands
of miles away.
 Love
around the World
Flowers on the
street and cowherds in the sky: discover the celebration of love in
Russia, China, and across the globe.
 The
Road to Motherhood
International adoption as a child-bearing process — this experienced
mom of a Colombian son shares.
PROGRAM
UPDATES:
 China
Adoption Stork Arrives
Before the New Year
 Colombia
Seven Set to Come Home
 Ethiopia
A Race Closing In
 Kazakhstan
Romantic Getaway
 Russia
Travel While We Wait
 Vietnam
Tet Comes with Good News!
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All Guide to see which program
is right for
your family.
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Get your church
involved with orphan sponsorship and international adoption.
Read more of our
wonderful
family stories and submit your own.
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This is a question
that I am often asked, and one I have asked myself many times.
There are so many factors in the decision: if I should adopt
again when would the time be right, how will this impact my
current family, and where would I adopt from?
Regarding the
first question of “if”…
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Do you have more love to give?
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Do you long for more children?
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Are you are physically, emotionally, and financially able to
parent again?
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Would you qualify based on each country’s requirements?
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Do you have the time and energy to give to another child?
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Why do you want to adopt again?
Choosing to add to
your family through birth or adoption involves answering these
and other family specific questions. In each one my own
adoptions, we asked God to show us through prayer, wise counsel
of friends and church ministers, and also waited on all of our
immediate family to be supportive. We know if this is what God
wants, He will show us. When we stopped to pray and even fast,
we had different answers than what I had expected, and God has
literally changed the heart of my husband, my father, and other
members of my family! He promises to give us the desires of our
hearts, and I believe He gives us those desires to begin with!
Secondly, is
this the time to adopt? Some common sense questions are:
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How much time has
elapsed since the last adoption/birth?
(There is much research
available showing that children placed too close together do
not grow, develop intellectually or emotionally, or bond and
attach as well as those with more time between them!) There
is probably a reason that God forces a nine month wait
between births!
-
How stable is the
child/ren we are already parenting?
As an agency, we require one
year between adoptions, but some countries require more.
However, the more important question would be, “Is my
current child ready to add another sibling?” Are they secure
in their role in the family? Are they well-attached? How do
they feel about a sibling?
-
How old am I (and my
spouse, if married)? It might
be the right time, but if you are older, you may want to
consider adopting an older child. If you are younger, you
may want to finish school, obtain a stable job or take into
account other considerations.
-
For singles…
maybe you have been waiting
for a spouse to make your dream of a family come true.
NOW might be the right time for you to move ahead with that
dream!
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Am I financially ready?
Please remember there are
many grants and the tax credit to help families adopt!
Only God knows
these answers for each of us. He holds all the time in His
hands…He knows our every need…He knows our future…and His plans
are good. “I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a
hope and a future.” God knows when your child is being born or
entering an orphanage. It is amazing how He pricks our hearts
when the time is “ripe” and all of our papers come together at
that divinely appointed time!
Finally, the question of WHERE?
One of our many
outreach coordinators in each state or a regional office would
be happy to help you consider your options, to see which country
you might qualify for. We do see families who like to return to
the same country to adopt, making cultural roots easier to
incorporate and explore. Other families enjoy having children
from many countries. Other factors might include race, available
sibling groups, wait times, age including disrupting birth
order, sex of the new child, travel, and cost.
The good news is
that if this is your second or third, or tenth adoption, you now
know the language, the process, the expectations, and the wonder
of finding your child! This adoption will not be like any other
adoption you have done; it will be as unique as you and your
child are. We can guarantee it will be wonderful when you look
into the eyes of your child for that first time and see the path
where God has so gently led you every step of the way! And of
course, there is no greater joy for us than to be a part of that
pathway to your child!
Brenda Barker,
Director of Children’s Hope Southeastern U.S. office and
amazing mother to seven adoptive children. She seeks to
adopt two more children in the future.
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