Adoption Update: The Wait Continues. . .

I thought it may be time for an adoption update, since I have not posted about our adoption recently. We have been on our agency’s waiting list for about eight months now. The original estimate we were given was 12-18 months. From what we have heard, our agency had four referrals in May – this is terrific news. I think that these are the first referrals that have been given since January. When we started our adoption journey, we were told there were 2-4 referrals a month from Taiwan for our agency, so things seem to have really slowed down this year. One family that has already been waiting a year has been told it could be another six months until they are matched with a child. I have not been able to get an updated estimate from our agency, but I think that means the earliest we may be matched with a child is early next year . I am hopeful that there will be more referrals in the coming months, and families who have already been waiting so long will hear good news soon. Several families have traveled recently to pick up their children and from the looks of the orphanage, it is far from empty. Pray for the young women in Taiwan who may be just learning that they are pregnant and are confused about what they should do. Pray that they would choose life for their little one and consider placing their child for adoption.

Maria’s Miracle Fund

In light of the recent tragedy involving Steven Curtis Chapman’s youngest daughter (see previous post), the family has established a fund in honor of Maria.  In lieu of flowers, the Chapman family has requested any gifts be directed towards the “Maria Miracle Fund” at Shaohannah’s Hope.  The family has also started a blog where you can leave your condolences.  Check out this recent video of Maria and her family – it’s obvious she was a sweet little lady and will be greatly missed by all.

 

Prayers for the Chapman family

(Left to right Will Franklin, Maria, Steven, Shaoey, Mary Beth, Stevey Joy, Caleb and Emily)

My heart breaks for Steven Curtis Chapman and his family.  Their five-year-old daughter was killed in a tragic accident on Wednesday, when she was hit by an SUV in their driveway.  Her older brother was backing up and did not see Maria.  Please pray for the Chapmans as they grieve for their sweet little girl, and pray also for protection over their family.  The Chapmans are strong advocates of adoption and have adopted three little girls from China.  They started Shaohannah’s Hope, named in honor of their first adopted daughter; the organization provides grants to adopting families and encourages adoption.   Steven Curtis Chapman is a Grammy award-winning Christian music artist.  Please pray for them during this difficult time.

Earthquake relief efforts

Please pray for the relief workers and victims of the recent earthquake in China. The news is currently reporting 12,000 people have died, and the death toll is expected to rise. I was concerned about the Starfish Foster Home in Xi’an, China, which is located in the province to the north of the epicenter. I tried emailing Amanda de Lange, the woman who runs the home. She is currently in Shanghai with a child recovering from surgery, but I received an automated email response with this information: 

“There has been a 7.8 earthquake in Sichuan the province south of us. Xian did feel the earthquake and the babies were all outside for a long while. I got a really frantic phone call from home which I could not understand a word because they were speaking so fast. There was some damage to the apartment but none of the babies were injured. In other words they are all okay.” – Amanda de Lange, email response on May 13, 2008

If you would like to support the relief efforts through a donation, we support Samaritan’s Purse. Franklin Graham, the President of Samaritan’s Purse, is currently in China and is working with Chinese officials on the best way for Samaritan’s Purse to help.  Please remember to pray, too, for the relief efforts for the cyclone that struck Myanmar. 

Blogging Advice: Protecting Your Family Online

One of the blogs I read posted some terrific advice on what to share and what not to share on family blogs.  It’s always a good reminder to think about who may be reading your blog:

“Many mommy bloggers (myself included) start their blogs as a random, ‘hey! this could be fun’ whim.  There’s not an overall strategy… there’s not a whole lot of thought put into it.  Mainly there’s a couple of cute pictures of our kids and this one funny story that we want to tell. 

But the sad fact is that the Internet can be a scary place, and we bloggers need to take measures to protect ourselves and our families.  You know what they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” – Read more on the Seattle Mom Blogs, May 12, 2008.

 

Simply Taiwan

Amanda, an American woman living in Taiwan, has started a series on her blog about life in Taiwan.  Her first topic: “squatty potties“.  I had heard some of the toilets in Taiwan were a little low to the ground, but this is the first time I have seen a photo of one.  Interesting.  I guess, if you gotta go, you gotta go.  If you are interested in learning something specific about Taiwan life or culture, leave a comment on her blog.   

Utah newspaper features our agency

This was kind of a cool find for me on the Internet – the directors of our adoption agency,  James and Laura Trinnaman, were featured in a local Utah newspaper recently.   The article focuses on a summer program called KidSave, which brings children to the United States each summer to stay with host families and perhaps find a forever family.  

The Summer Miracles Program has an 85 percent success rate. Since 2001, the Trinnamans have found homes for nearly 150 Chinese children from Taiwan; and James Trinnaman said he was happy to say that all seven of the children they brought last year have found homes in America. - Read more of the article in the Daily Herald, March 20, 2008