Category Archives: Orphan & Widow Care Happy birthday to you… Happy birthday to you… Happy birthday to Richard… Happy birthday to YOU!Happy birthday to my love!!! Hope you have an AMAZING day!!! Your FIRST birthday as a daddy of 4! Here Rico is with baby #4…who he adores–and insists on getting up with almost EVERY night!!! Here’s to another year of […]  REMEMBER last Sunday when God worked out the details for me to run into someone who lives in Nashville who volunteers for Korah…in my little ole town in Georgia? WELL…here is my new precious friend Danielle feeding one of the twins that was born in the dump at Korah…how precious are they??!!Danielle is on the […] Hi Andrea! I’ve followed your blog since this summer, and have loved watching your journey of faith. We’re an AGCI family too and brought our 4 year old daughter home in January. SO, I have to tell you…..I read about the ‘Created to Care’ retreat and felt completely drawn to it. I have such a passion for adoption and love to connect with other moms who share my passion. But, I really dislike women’s retreats. So, I pondered and prayed, and then- it was full! I told my husband about it, and unknown to me, he put me on the waitlist. So yesterday I got the email that all the wait listed women could register and I did! Now I feel SO excited, and I’ll be traveling from OR to join you guys! I really think God must have something for me there! Blessings to you for pouring your heart into this when you have so much going on in your life! AMAZING!! Do you know any more about these baby twins?!!!! Wow that is so wonderful! Awesome! Wiphan’s greatest need is to raise up monthly sponsors for our children. We are busy getting a few little ones ready to be added to our database. While we have 450 kids in our program, we have under 100 sponsored on the site—BUT we are working steadily to add new kiddos to our site needing […]  Registration is on like Donkey Kong…I kid-you-not…we just put up the registration site–and we already have 35 registered in just a few hours!!! SO…spread the news—share the excitement…adoption mommies are getting together for a weekend in February to be inspired, to be encouraged and to relax and be restored…TOGETHER! Oh yes…we’ve prayed one another through […] quick question…do we pay the full amount to register or just a part of it? :0) I just registered!! YAY!! Cannot wait!!! 🙂 Just registered!!!! Soooo excited! I wish I lived closer, that sounds amazing:) I want to go sooooo bad!!! Trying to work it out 🙂 I can’t wait. It is going to be so much fun. Have you warned the lodge how loud we can be? Amy! Are you going?!?!? I cannot wait to meet you! Can you do a post on how the t-shirts run, if you know any more info on them? Would love to get them and wondering if they are unisex, preshrunk, etc. THanks! 🙂 So I have been reading your blog for months, and one of my other blog friends posted something about the retreat. So I very joking sent a link about it to my sister-in-law saying “In my dream world we would get to go to this retreat together.. would it be wonderful?”. So her and my mother-in-law actually got online and registered us for the retreat…surprise! I cried and was blown away, because I was totally joking! This is a huuuuuge blessing for me, so thanks for all you are doing for the retreat. I am waiting for our baby from Ethiopia and now I get to go on this retreat with the women in my family.. I have never felt so loved in excited, I really needed this blessing this week! THANK YOU THANK YOU! -Kerry I am a mom to 12 children, 10 through adoption. This is my heartbeat and I love to meet others who share in this journey of love. In HIS Grace, Teresa Rima.  Ok mommas…whether you have adopted already OR you are in the process of adopting…or you just KNOW adoption is in your family’s future…this retreat is for YOU! I am so excited to announce we have RETREAT DATES for the VERY FIRST “Created to Care Women’s Retreat”! This year’s theme is “Love Will Hold Us Together”—and […] Yea!!!! So excited and wish we could sign up today!!!!! (Feel free to just stick my name on the list:) LOVE this!!! Wish I could commit to go, but chances are I will be traveling to Ethiopia around that time. Pretty good excuse not to come though, right?!? 😉 But 2012, I’m gonna get a group of my adoptive mama friends and we’re all gonna go together…so this better become an annual thing! =) so excited!!!!! I cant make it to the retreat but LOVE the shirt. I am going to have to get one of those!!!! How much will it be? That’s just 5 hours from home! 😉 I am with Megan – hoping to be in Ethiopia (would love love love to go together:) – but definitely next year. Or, maybe if the list moves with lightening speed and we get a referral soon:) Never know!! What an awesome way to bring such an incredible group of momma’s together!! Yep…if you get your referral by December 1st—it would be tight! But after December 1st…I think you are safe to plan a trip to the ATL! What is the cost? 🙂 Okay a couple questions! Can any adoptive momma come? Our daughter is adopted but she is not from Ethopia? 🙂 ..Also can you make the shirts in reg. t-shirt so us bigger adoptive momma’s can order them! Reg T-s are so much better for us! LOL You don’t mess around girlfriend! Love how you pulled this together! I have to figure out a way to come!!! Sounds like a great winter break from MN to me! 🙂 Love this, and girl, I am so there! Just talked to the hubby and it’s on the calendar! Cannot wait!!! THANK YOU for doing this! We mommas need this and we need each other. Happy weekend – mine is now off to a GREAT start! 🙂 very very excited… cant wait to hear more details… this just might need to be my birthday present! Just reading about this brought tears to my eyes. Sounds like heaven to this tired adoptive momma. Plus, my in-laws live only 15 minutes from this place! Perfect! I’m definitely there! Talking to one of my besties (who is also an adoptive mom) about heading to GA for this! So excited that you were able to pull this together! Wait! Exciting! This looks awesome! Where can I find more details? Is this for already adopted moms…or moms like me in the middle of an adoption? Where in GA is this and when? Oh wow! Somehow I MISSED the whole first have of the post! Sorry!! Don’t know where it was on my computer. 🙂 This sounds wonderful! Can’t wait to hear more!!! I would love to be there! Planning to be there Andrea!!! Now to find a roomate! (: I am very excited to be a part of this!! Please send the info as soon as you get a chance!~ Sooo excited! Can’t wait to hear the rest of the details! please let me know when registration opens! I can’t wait to hear the details! I may not can make it, but I would love to try…what about foster moms?? hi. i am an adoptive mama who would LOVE to purchase one of these shirts. do you happen to have any left? |
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Today is Cade’s b-day too. A great day 🙂
Love the PS and your heart.
Hugs,
Amy
I believe that our ideas of finances and “running the numbers” do NOT count. Jesus fed 5,000 with 5 loaves and 2 fish.
And He is still multiplying food today
http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/display_art.html?ID=7523
We can not use our finite brains to solve these problems. Just because something makes sense to us does not mean that it is God’s perfect will. In fact, I’d go so far as to say He goes against those things that seem to make sense.
1 Cor. 1:27 “…but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong…”
Love your fire Andrea…truly amazing. I also love that you so eloquently capture issues that we are all thinking about. I just finished reading Radical and I am in the middle of Adopted for Life…and I am probably feeling more convicted than I ever have been about adoption. Interesting, because I’ve had this discussion many times with other adoptive moms – about how to respond to this issue, etc. Really, it boils down to the story of God’s adopted of us…there are so many parallels. And…families are always better than institutions…little souls cannot be loved, cherished and shepherded in institutions. Can’t wait to hear more from you on this topic…
Amen, amen. I did not realize this issue was even out there, it is hard for me to believe some even feel that way. A wonderful answer to a sensitive subject, an answer based on Scripture, which is never wrong or outdated.
Preach it girlfriend! I’m 100% on board with you!
We have so much “family” that is against our adoption. After hearing negative for the past year I need to be reminded that I need to just Love them. God is not just calling me to just Love the orphans but the anti-adoption people also. I am looking forward to hearing what you have to say! Thank you for your words! I always appreciate them! Blessings~
YES!! Keep sharing, Andrea! Love your heart, your voice, your knowledge and truth. Hugs to a beautiful day to celebrate your best friend.
Amen. I think you may have just written one of your talks for the conference (assuming you will be presenting 🙂
Oh my goodness, my brother said those exact words to me recently when I asked him if he’d consider being the guardian for our adoption. He told me, “It is great that you feel sorry for those people, but deep in my heart I feel that you would be doing yourself and that child a disserve by taking him away from his culture and country. In the long run, I don’t think either of you would be happy.” Really? Are you kidding me? It would be better for a child to grow up alone in an institution without the love of a family?
Breaks my heart that this person I grew up with, in the same home, going to church, feels this way.
Blessings,
Suzanne
Amen, Andrea! I have been thinking about this a lot lately too. Thank you for putting my muddled thoughts into encouraging words… again!
love it!!! Cannot wait to give you a huge hug! Love your heart, my friend
Love this post! I agree 100%… and I think you are right on, it really is about what the WORD says not what we think is most acceptable. Besides the fact that it is pretty clear in Scripture that God is all about adoption, have these people ever simply asked a child in the instituion…”would you rather stay in your own country, have your needs met, but no one to call mom and dad, and no one to call you “son/daughter”??? or would you rather move to another place and have a Daddy and a Mommy… a family and a place to call home. I wonder what those children would say… I bet I know.
Seems to me your heart has changed. Somehow when you are the adoptive mother…God works in a way to allow you to see first hand the healing that takes place in a family. I believe that ADOPTION is GOD’s idea and HIS heart. I am grateful to be part of HIS family because of it.
Oh Andrea. All day long I have been singing these lyrics, “EMPTY my hands, FILL UP my heart, CAPTURE my mind with You.” (10th Avenue North, Empty My Hands). That’s where I want to be on this and ALL issues…
AMEN!!! Sweet Sister!!!! Love your words!!!!
i loved reading this tonight andrea b/c i just heard about my grandmother in law not understanding why we want to adopt internationally from Uganda for our second child instead of domestic again and the things she said…well urked me…so it was great to read your post! love ya!
Amen!! Looking forward to reading more!!!
amen , sister friend….wow….if i could write that well…i’d never stop…amazing and so TRUTHFUL…I dare someone to say that LL deserved to live in an orphanage the rest of her life…Shame on them…and well…i REALLY don’t DARE them…i just want scary, mean people like that, that have been deceived, to stay away!! 🙂 Don’t even come near my blog…cause we love children at my spot…all children!! 🙂 great post, kj
I agree. ‘Culture’ does not trump the Gospel.
I’m anxious for your rant. :o) I’ve felt this undercurrent for the last several years, and it needs to be addressed. It’s being fueled and pushed by UNICEF, and I see it popping up here and there in the blogosphere even more frequently.
There’s a fine line between adoption & rescue that needs to be tread softly–in my opinion. I think we should be very careful not to project or intend to be RESCUERS, as our motivation to adopt. We’re mommies, first and foremost–we adopt because we want to grow our families. That we happen to be following a mandate of “pure religion and undefiled” is important, but I see so much trouble in the future for our children if “rescue” is our focus. I hope I’m not making a complete mish-mash of what is in my heart.
I’ve been reading spatterings of growing resistance toward evangelical families adopting, by those who seem to really resent the Church’s rather open push toward adoption. I think we must be very careful to not give them fodder. To be circumspect. To be well-read on post-institutional issues. To keep it real. But on the other hand, we must not be cowed into accepting their worldview, simply because it’s more strident. I’ll be praying for you as you formulate your storm. We NEED to see it addressed and hit head-on. <3