“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 (NIV) Tweet When I think of having hope for the future, this picture of our family gathered around the dinner table is …
Adoption Support
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 Tweet As our family grew, we often found ourselves in uncharted waters, facing behaviors and situations we had never anticipated. As parents, we have …
As a mom to many, I often hear the phrase, “I just don’t know how you do it all!” My immediate response to those comments typically falls along the lines of, “Oh, believe me, I don’t. It takes teamwork as a family, and it takes a village!” For my husband and I, teamwork is essential. …
When we think of a precious child, we should first start with a definition of the word. Precious translates from a Hebrew word that can mean dear, expensive, costly, heavy, or grievous. We were all created in the image of God, which on its own makes us precious. The reality is that sometimes children with …
When I think of how to support adoptive and foster kids, I remember working with a 9-year-old boy named Nathan in counseling. Nathan was in foster care. He had bounced around a few different foster care homes over the years but had been in a mostly stable and supportive situation for the past year. His …
Adoption is often misunderstood thus there are myths surrounding it. While these myths can be understandable, they are, in fact, untrue.
I am a firm believer that one of the most challenging things in life is to feel alone in your pain. This has certainly been true in my own life. There were times I desperately wanted to hear someone say, “Same here.” I needed that level of emotional support. About 15 years ago, I got …
The process of how to adopt a baby can be overwhelming. There are decisions to make prayerfully, organizations to vet, and many perspectives to consider. It’s approaching a new chapter much like starting a marriage– with hearts wide open, support, and education to make a strong foundation for your family’s future. I am a birth …
I stared at an email from our social worker stating that my husband, Gerritt, and I would not be approved as foster parents in the province of Nova Scotia. Our case would instead be deferred until we sought professional counseling. That was in 2013. Later we learned that we required further scrutiny, but it wasn’t …
Setting up for an evening training, I looked forward to sharing the impact of foster care and adoption on the biological children in the family. As the participants entered the classroom, I was stunned at who they were. Yet, the group looked like a room full of empty nesters. Overall, I was expecting young couples …
Inside a Foster Home: The Real Story Several years ago, I was given this blessing, “May you be covered by the dust of Jesus.” The quizzical look on my face prompted the pastor to explain his blessing to me.It was a contemporary version of an ancient Hebrew phrase, “In the Dust of the Rabbi.” The …
Can an abortion fail? Yes, it can. Learn more from a true life story.
Disability rights movement is a civil rights movement advocating for those with disabilities to have equal rights.
While attending a pro-life conference earlier this year, I listened to a lecture on adopting children from a different race. The two presenters were talking about a term they called “transracial adoption.” To my surprise, much of the presentation consisted of the two white women explaining, to a predominantly white audience, why it was concerning …
“I knew I would be sad; I didn’t expect to be this angry and resentful towards my child,” a parent recounts as they try navigating grief in their foster to adopt family. It’s common for me to sit with parents who are tearful and angry during and after their foster-to-adopt journey. As a foster parent, …
It’s so exciting! “Gotcha Day” is finally here. We are finally a family that is undisrupted by caseworkers and court dates. For most adoptive parents, this is a day they have looked forward to for a long time. It can be a celebration for family and friends who have known about the adoption journey. Some …
Trust-Based Relational Intervention®, more commonly known as TBRI®, is a model developed to address the challenges inherent in caring for children impacted by trauma, often including those impacted by adoption and/or foster care. The creators of TBRI, Drs. Karyn Purvis and David Cross, aptly share that trauma impacts the “5 B’s: Brain, Body, Biology, Beliefs, …
Social workers are often misunderstood. Some people would say they take children; some might describe their role as do-gooders. As a licensed clinical social worker for over thirty years, I am delighted to be part of the social work profession and want others to understand social workers and what we do. Let me tell you …
I’ve heard that children placed for adoption can have attachment issues, even Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). I know what that is, but what questions do we need to ask the case worker to find out whether the child we’re considering adopting has an attachment disorder or not? Let me say right off, be encouraged because …
Wherever we are in the adoption triad, we can experience fulfilling lives and success at foster care and adoption through God’s abundance.
