Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Adoption Resources

During our process of deciding if adoption was in our future we used several different resources to help us in the decision. Kevin and I of course first and foremost turned to God's Word to see what He says about adoption.  We know that Christ came to earth to rescue us and adopt us into His family. We desperately wanted to rescue a child and adopt them into our home and life as our son or daughter. We truly believe that adoption demonstrates the beauty of the Gospel. Here are some scriptures that we hold close to our hearts regarding adoption!

*But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Galatians 4:4-6
*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
*Father to the fatherless, defender of widows — this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families. Psalms 68:5-6
*And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. Matthew 18:5
* “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." John 14:18

Resources We Recommend

Adopted for Life, Author: Russell Moore
This book was a huge in helping us find the answers to what God says about adoption. Dr. Moore adopted 2 boys from Russia after he and his wife struggled with infertility for several years. He gives practical wisdom on adoption and also helps answer the questions that every potential adoptive parent asks on several major topics like, Special Needs or Healthy….Can I really love an adopted child…..Bi-racial adoptions….domestic or international…..foster care or adoption, and so much more! Very helpful resource! Check it out!


Orphanology, Author: Tony Merida and Rick Morton
-a practical response to God’s command to care for the fatherless told through the stories of families and ministries who are responding. Basically, Orphanology helps explain how God cares for orphans and why God’s people should put emphasis on caring for orphans.  This book is great because it uses the adoption stories of the authors to give insight into how to respond to God’s call and what the adoption process is like physically, emotionally, and spiritually. 

Kisses from Katie, Author: Katie Davis
This book is written by a young girl who answered God’s call to minister in Uganda. She mothers 13 Ugandan girls ages 2 to 15. I have absolutely loved reading about how this young “normal” teenager considered the cost of following Christ and chose to follow Him. Katie gives stories about day to day life in Uganda and beautifully communicates how her love for these children surpasses all understanding.
It gives me great encouragement to know that even though I may not share the same DNA or skin color as my child, the relationship of mother and child will No Doubt be real and genuine!

Recommended Sermon:

Adoption: The Heart of the Gospel by John Piper
This sermon outlines 8 similarities between God’s adoption of us and our adoption of children.  Piper uses scripture to show that adoption is a beautiful and vivid display of the Gospel!

Where we are in our process right now:

We received word from our agency on January 9th that our home study has been approved and is ready to be notarized! Once we receive our notarized copies of our home study from our social worker then we can send in our I600A (immigration paperwork). Our agency said that the current processing time for the I600A is 40+ days. We are praying that God’s favor will fall on our paperwork and that it will get processed and approved in less time! Please keep praying for us and our child in Africa!  

1 comment:

  1. Hi Debbie! I'm one of those "Pinterest" stumblers. We are in the process of adopting our daughter from Russia and in the waiting period. I couldn't agree more with needing to limit my time on the internet. Anyway, I love the photo session that you and your husband did and wanted to say hi. One of my close high school friends works internationally for a non-profit org and is currently in Congo. There's such a need there and it's great to see your process. As an FYI, we submitted our I-600A and the check was cashed 11/9/11, fingerprints on 12/12/11, and we received the approval on 1/14/12, so just over 2 months. Can't wait to keep following your journey! Congrats and best wishes! KariLynn
    http://jkreeves.blogspot.com

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