Adoption and Foster Care Conference

Here's a shout out to my church for another job well done for the Adoption/Foster Care community. 

Just a little over ten years ago, God stirred the idea of adoption in our hearts, but we had no idea where to start. We attended an adoption/foster care conference held at our church, met and talked with several agencies while there, attended informational sessions regarding the steps involved and how to handle the overwhelming financial aspects, and officially started our process that very day. 

Of course, nothing ended up looking like what we'd envisioned, hoped, or planned, just like I heard from many others at yesterday's conference. But it was the day we knew we heard God say, "You're child is already out there waiting for you. What are you waiting for?"

The adoption conference at my church has proved beneficial at every stage of adoption--with all the information I needed to finally take that step of faith and obedience to start the process, with tips on how to handle a newly adopted child at home, and even now with tips to use as an adoptive parent with a post-high school child whose background signficantly affects the choices they may make as a young adult. Yesterdy I attended a session on adopting a teenager, a session on helping your child self-regulate in order to make better choices in any stage of life, and yet another session on how to keep your cool and train your body how to handle stressful situations (good for both the parent and the child). This year's conference also focused in on the birth parents and their perspective. 

I've never walked away feeling disappointed. And, of course, I love any opportunity to share our adoption story with whoever God puts in my path. There's something special about spending a day with other adoptive parents who have experienced similar things in life, or to spend it with people who just need that encouragement and inspiration to help them take that step of faith toward opening their heart and home to a child that doesn't have that love and stability of their own. 

I am so grateful to be part of a church that not only has a heart for adoption and foster care to help people get started, but who also knows and addresses the need to continue that support after the child has already entered the home.