We hope to share an update soon about our adoption journey. Meanwhile, there have been some interesting articles about adoption in the news recently:
You can see other recent articles about adoption in the sidebar.
Categories: Adoption
Tagged: China, Steven Curtis Chapman
In my previous post I talked about a friend who recently passed away after a battle with cancer. The Joshua Fund, an organization on whose board Amy served, is honoring her life and memory by raising $300,000, to be invested in sharing the gospel message with people living in the Middle East:
“She was. . .gently insistent from the beginning that TJF be committed to loving Israel’s neighbors in real and practical ways, because that’s what Jesus commanded us to do. We completely agreed and loved her for her deep convictions. She had, after all, personally taken the good news of God’s love and mercy to several Muslim countries, and trained many other women to do the same.
In Amy’s honor, therefore, The Joshua Fund is raising $300,000 to produce 300,000 copies of the new DAMASCUS film for distribution in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and the Holy Land. The film is a powerful docudrama about Saul of Tarsus, a religious extremist and persecutor of the Church, who came to faith in Christ in the first century A.D. through a vision on the road to Damascus, and then went on to become known as the Apostle Paul, writer of nearly half the New Testament and one of the greatest leaders in Church history.” – Joel Rosenberg, Excerpt from The Joshua Fund blog, April 22, 2009
Amy’s life will continue to impact people for Christ – I can’t think of a better legacy.
Categories: God
Tagged: Damascus, The Joshua Fund
An old friend died this weekend, after battling cancer for the last several months. I only recently learned of her illness after joining Facebook. She was just a few years older than me, and in great physical condition – it shocked us to hear of her diagnosis and we asked God to heal her, but He had a different plan.
I first met my friend on a weekend retreat for our church’s small group ministry. She invested herself in helping others grow in Christ and truly cared for those around her. I know there are many others like me who were touched by her friendship and she will be greatly missed. I find comfort in knowing that she is now dancing with her Savior and I will see her again in heaven. She spent her life loving and enjoying God, and she was obedient and faithful in her service to Him. I am blessed to have known her. Even as she battled cancer, she did not cease praising God. Her life will continue to serve as an example for me.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me at that day; and not to me only, but also to all them that have loved his appearing.” – from 2 Timothy 4:7-8
Categories: God
I assembled our first care package for our little guy in Taiwan this week. We are allowed to fill a one-gallon ziploc bag and send it through our agency once a month. It’s amazing how much I was able to squeeze into a bag that size:
Contents of Care Package
. . .all squeezed into a one-gallon bag
Categories: Adoption
We are delighted to announce that we have accepted a referral of a baby boy in Taiwan. Praise God! This is perfect timing for us – Dave is eligible for adoption benefits through his employer beginning next week. It’s amazing to see God answer our prayers and I am grateful He has given us this gift of a new son!
The call about our referral came as a surprise and I think I am still in shock. We knew referrals from our agency have started picking up again, and had been told to get our paperwork updated last month. Still, we thought it would be several more months until we were matched with a child. When the phone rang on Wednesday and it was our agency’s director, I knew it had to be good news. She told us about this little boy and said she would send us his file. When we reviewed the file, we were cautiously optimistic, but wanted a doctor to review it before we accepted the referral. While talking to the doctor, we learned she had visited this orphanage and she shared her experience visiting the orphanage where our son will live until we can bring him home. She said the caretakers at this orphanage are phenomenal, and it is unlike any other orphanage she has seen. She said if we can’t be the ones taking care of our little guy, we can be comforted in knowing that the caretakers at this orphanage are loving on him and taking good care of him.
So, what’s next? Our paperwork was mailed to Taiwan on Friday and we now await orphanage approval of our application. Once that happens, our paperwork will be submitted to court. We won’t be able to travel until our adoption is finalized by the courts in Taiwan. This process can take 4-6 months, or longer — I am hoping and praying for everything to go smoothly and quickly.
Yet another article on adoption in the Taiwanese press today. . .this article pertains to the increasing number of babies and children in Taiwan in need of adoptive homes. Here’s an excerpt:
“Unwanted pregnancies and growing economic difficulties have been the main reasons why parents are giving up the innocent children.
No less than 22 babies and children have been left with the Good Shepherd Social Welfare Services in the first quarter of 2009 and they have been put up for adoption. Last year, the total number of little ones abandoned and left with the Good Shepherd was 75, said Sister Therese Thong.” – Read full article at eTaiwan News, April 6, 2009
The Taipei Times published an interesting article on Friday about reasons some people choose to adopt. I’m fairly certain the article is speaking primarily of domestic adoptions in Taiwan, rather than those who adopt from overseas. We have heard there has been an increase in the number of domestic adoptions taking place in Taiwan. I am grateful for organizations like Good Shepherd in Taiwan, who are looking out for the best interests of children and seeking families who will provide a good home. Here’s an excerpt from the Taipei Times:
“Among adoptive parents, 85 percent did so because they were sterile, 73 percent said they did so because they liked children, while 23 percent said they were too old to conceive.
However, some people wanted to adopt children because of reasons that Chen said were “inadequate.”
“Some people say they want children to inherit their property after they pass away. Some women believe their husbands had an affair because they could not conceive, while some childless parents said they were worried that no one would pray for them after their death,” Chen said.
Chen said a man had once inquired about adopting a child born out of wedlock as well as the child’s mother because he was single.” – Read the full article at Taipei Times, April 3, 2009
Categories: Adoption · Taiwan
Tagged: Taipei Times
We went to the USCIS office on Wednesday for our fingerprint renewal appointment. You may recall the first time we went for fingerprints last year – we waited for two hours in a crowded room with about 50 other people. We had taken our kids with us and it was all we could do to keep them happy and calm. This time, we arranged for our kids to stay home with their grandparents and took a couple of books to read while we waited. When we arrived at the USCIS office, we walked into an empty room – no one waiting, no one being fingerprinted. It was great. . .we were in and out in no time at all.
I asked the technician about all those “Match Warning” alerts that pop up on the screen as I was being fingerprinted. She explained that the “Match Warning” alert shows up when the individual fingerprints do not match exactly the fingerprint impression recorded when my fingers when grouped together. She said the warning comes up with most everyone and it simply tells the technician to re-do that particular fingerprint. This set of fingerprints will be valid for 15 months…and hopefully will be the last time we have to be fingerprinted for this adoption 
