photo curtousy of woodleywonderworksI post on here a lot about my family so today I wanted to do something different and dedicate this post to YOU.
Anyone who knows me knows I am passionate about the Lord and passionate about children. Especially children who are hurting and in this world alone.
And so I got to thinking how many AMAZING people there are out there who share the same heart for children as I do and what a difference TOGETHER we are making.
Sometimes the problem seems so huge- almost overwhelming. So today I want to celebrate our success. Today I show proof that we ARE making a difference.
While adopting or fostering ONE child might not seem to be making a huge dent in the world wide problem- when you hear about one family and then another family and then another it's gives me so much hope.
Hope that we are getting somewhere together.
So, if you have a heart for children...
whether you have adopted,
fostered,
taught,
worked with,
supported,
sponsored,
prayed for,
or are interested and educating yourself (we TOTALLY appreciate that)
I want to celebrate YOU today.
I want to say THANK YOU to YOU today.
I want you jump up and down and cheer about the difference you are making.
I want to sing God's praises over the work He is doing through YOU.
So come on, don't be shy.
SHINE big for God.
Introduce yourself.
Don't let me down.
Tell me something about the heart God gave you for children.
I cannot wait to hear from you!
45 comments:
Oh sweet friend I love this post!
We share the same heart and it is all because of HIM!
7 adoptions later I am the blessed Mom of 9 amazing children!
I have seen the cry of the orphan first hand in 2 countries. I have been forever changed!
I can't praise God enough for all He has done in me and through my heart that only wants to obey Him!
I trust YOU LORD with my life!
I love you Amy!
Jill
I am a foster to adopt mom waiting on my children thanks for the encouragement of your blog...it is a blessing
Hi Amy!
I LOVE kids & am going to Mali, West Africa in January of next year for approx. 8 months (still praying about exactly how long GOD wants me there). I AM SO STOKED TO MOVE TO AFRICA!!! :)) There in Mali I will be doing something with kids - not exactly sure what yet. I'm still waiting on the details from the missionaries I'm going to Mali with, but whatever it is I know it will be an amazing eye-opening time there. I can't wait to hug those little Bambara children, play with them & tell them about the love Jesus has for them,and how they have a Heavenly Father who is waiting to adopt them for eternity.
I can't wait to see what GOD is going to do!
p.s. Thank you for sharing your heart so freely on your blog,and what a blessing you are to your kids!
I think babies are the most wonderful thing on earth...by a mile!!! Nothing makes me smile more! I love kids and always dreamed of having children. Unfortunately I am unable to do so but I do hope to foster or adopt someday. Being chronically ill, broke, and disabled prevents me from qualifying at this time, but I know that God is a God of miracles.
God bless you as you follow His will and Word. You are a blessing!
Love,
Kelli
ugottafriend.com
When I got married, I hoped we would have 2 or 3 kids, volunteer at church and live a normal, quiet, Christian life. :) ha.
After 7 years of infertility, we adopted our first child. Our second child came four years later and I thought we were done. It was SO expensive! But then...4 years later God showed me the needs in China and we adopted our first daughter. After the trip to China, I was never the same. God began to put a passion inside of me that amazes me to this day. I was never a 'kid' person! I was NOT the babysitter who brought toys and books to entertain the kids. I came, I watched TV, I put them to bed. I don't like volunteering in the kids department at church. So why in the world would God pick ME to be the mom to 10 kids??? It just cracks me up!! But I am sooo blessed to be doing what I'm doing. Although at one point I thought my life was 'over' if we had to adopt one more child...that I would lose myself in all of their needs, He proved His words true. It IS in losing ourselves that we find our true life. He is amazing!!!
We are a family of five awaiting the arrival of our baby boy from Ethiopia. Adoption has completely changed our lives and we are so very thankful to God for blessing us with the opportunity to adopt.
Thank you for always being a shining light for HIM.
Blessings,
Amy
Hi Amy,
God put the desire to adopt a little girl from China when I was 10 or 11 years old {about 25 years ago}. After giving birth to our first three children, we were able to bring home our eight month old daughter from China in 2005. At that point, we felt that we had done what God wanted us to do and our family was complete with two girls and two boys...wrong!
Early in 2008, God started speaking to me about adopting a little girl from China with a cleft and cleft palate. It took some time before my husband was ready, but in Dec 2008 we were able to start the paperwork. The fall of 2008 we believe God revealed to us our ministry...not just one more adoption but multiple adoptions. I have to admit, that freaked me out for a while because it wasn't what I had planned for my life and my family. God gently drew me closer to Him that fall and patiently waited for my complete surrender to Him. I had accepted Christ when I was 6 years old, but had never served Him with reckless abandon.
What I was afraid to give up, actually brought true freedom when I truly surrender all to Him. Even though some of my own Christian family members aren't confident that my husband are making the right choices, I know in my heart that we are no longer consumed with collecting our material treasures here on earth but storing up them in heaven.
God has done many amazing things to provide for our adoptions. It just blows my mind. We would have totally missed these miracles if we let our fears and selfish desires to lead us.
BTW...I'm a lot like Karin...not a kid person at all. God does have a sense of humor, doesn't He?! :)
Amy- thank you also for all that you do to uplift the followers on this blog. I know that you have made a direct impact on my life and our adoption story. We have been praying about adoption for several months now- and every where I turn the Lord is leading us by providing opportunities, people, and proving His will through His word. With our family being a single income home we are striving hard to make this dream into a reality. My life is my children. I chose them over a career and have yet to regret a single moment. My job here is servitude. I take it very seriously. Both to my Lord and to others. I am a servant. I am being called to help a child. Please bring my name before the Lord when you pray. We have, what seems to be, a long road ahead. God Bless you for being such an example. Much love~ Amy
legacyofmylove.blogspot.com
When God spoke to my heart about adoption almost 6 years ago, I had no idea what His plans for our family were. We now have a passion for special needs children and adoption. Last August we were blessed with a surprise adoption of our newborn son with Down syndrome (while in the midst of an international adoption). We weren't even pursuing the domestic route, but the Lord had other plans.:) Our lives will never be the same. We now see the "colors" that we never knew possible and only because of our angel boy and our Father.
We pray and pray and pray that God will choose us/use us again and again, whether it be another child with Downs or a different special need. We are open, ready and waiting....and cannot be more excited!!
I absolutely love your blog. You are such an inspiration to so many!
In Him,
E
Almost 22 years ago..We had our daughter..we tried for the next 12 years to have another child.Well God had other plans..We got a call one day if we would take our 5 week old nephew..Of course we said YES...So we tried to help my brother to get his son back...But God had other plans and called my brother home.We adopted Charlie now 6.
Three years ago we became foster parents.In those 3 1/2 years we have fostered 16 babies all from 1 day to 2 years old.
Last May we adopted our son Anthony Wesley who has a Rare disease HLH and had a Bone Marrow Transplant in July 2009.
We have had a boy in our home for almost 2 years and just got approval to adopt him this year.
God has blessed us with 3 wonderful boys that I can't wait to see what God has planned for there lifes.
Rhonda
I just love you, Amy! You know my heart, girlfriend! :-) Thank YOU for exposing yours and advocating for the least of these. Love and miss you and hope to meet Ms. Havyn SOON! She's a DOLL!!! (And LOVE the photos you've taken of her!) Oh, and sorry about the park incident. I don't know if I'm prepared to react as kindly as you. I just might not be able to keep my mouth closed with such appalling bigotry!!!!!!! Oh my. You are much more grace-filled than I! :-)
Our family is waiting for the court date and travel appointment so we can go get our sibling group of 3 kiddos waiting in Ethiopia! We are seeing Him provide for us over and over! We will have 7 children soon! I can NOT believe that the Lord would choose me to parent these children, but I am so thankful and blessed!
We have 2 bio boys and a sweet girl from China. I also have my eye on 2 sibling sets from Ethiopia! ANd then want to go back to China.
How do you get your husband to agree to all the kids?
Any tips- let me know! : )
Amy, you amaze me and I want to be just like you! : )
Stacy
blessingsonwhitehorsedrive.blogspot.com
The good Lord has blessed us with 6 amazing kids, 1 adopted from Guatemala. I've always loved children, I was the babysitter on our block, one of the kids I sat for was autistic I also watched my uncles 6 kids, my brothers and my 1 cousin with down syndrome.I always wanted to adopt a child, but must admit I was scared. We took the leap of faith and it has been an incredible experience, one that has opened my eyes. I can't wait to adopt again, the Lord has poured His desire to care for the orphan into my heart and I will go wherever the Lord leads.
Thanks for this great post Amy, your awsome!
Amy,
We've "met" (via the blogs) before, but I'll leave you a little update:
The Lord has forever changed our lives and our hearts for the children of the world! Just 3 years ago, we had only 1 biological son (then, aged 7). Now, we have 10 children!
In April 07, we travelled to Liberia to "carry home" our 3 Liberian children (sibs) who were ages 3, 5, and 7. They are AMAZING! While they had almost every "symptom" of RAD when they arrived home, they are now completely healed, attached, and healthy joyful children who love the Lord and others!
After becoming foster parents 2 years ago (and fostering one set of toddlers for 6 weeks), we felt like the Lord was definitely leading us to adopt again - possibly out of the foster system - and so we started praying and waiting.
In May, I sent an email about a hispanic sib. group of 4 that I read about on a website (no pics). I had done this many times before w/ nothing much happening in response. Well, this time was much different. Within 3 months, we had found out that there were actually 6 children (ages 2-11) and we had them come for a short visit. They were placed in our home in Sept (3 of them) and in Nov. (the other three). We are pursuing their adoption currently and should be done within the year.
Our "Suddenly Large Family," as I like to call it, has been a hard blessing, but one I wouldn't trade for the world.
Our kids are convinced there are 2 baby girls out there just waiting for us. After seeing Havyn's pics, I'm thinking maybe they are in Ethiopia. . . ???
I hope we get to meet up with you someday! How fun it would be to meet another large family with children from all over the world!
What a fun, uplifting post! We had one bio son, and found I couldn't have more, so we adopted our daughter through the healthy child program in China. You can see from my recent blog posts, she has severe special needs. We thought we didn't want that. But God used Laura and her special needs to open our hearts to more children with special needs...and each of our adoptions since have been children with some special need...including our daughter that I hope will be home this fall. God really can use all things for good!!! As for Laura...she could NOT be any sweeter! Now...if I can just talk my hubby into buying a larger van so we can keep adopting...:)
Hubby and I are bio parents to 4 daughters and foster parents to 7 {so far}. While we do not have any children placed with us at this time...we DO have the desire to complete our family through adoption. We're hoping to add 2 little boys {some BLUE} to our VERY 'pink' house :) You're family is an amazing blessing. Thanks for sharing your story and continuting to let God use you to encourage others. Congratulations on welcoming Havyn into your family and I'm still waiting patiently to see Carson's face :)
We have three bio children and have adopted two older special needs children. We have also done foster, all high school age boys. They have all brought a great deal of joy and adventure into our lives. We recently moved and are waiting to see what plans God has for us next.
I have loved reading all of these stories!
I believe God began a work in our marriage from the day we met. I came as a "package" as I had 2 very little (1 & 3 years) girls, which Joe adopted. I remember saying to him that I didn't think I could love a child I didn't give birth to like he could. He later told me that this statement had always saddened him b/c he knew better.
Now, here we are coming up on 17 years of marriage and getting ready to travel to Ethiopia for our 3.5 yr old son. We just adopted our 2.5 yr old daughter from foster care last November (she came to us at 2 days old), so this makes 7 children total. I feel very thankful that this call on our hearts even spills over into my husband's work. He has written a book about reaching wounded students & spends a lot of time speaking & providing training to educators & counselors about changing the way we view the children in our schools so that we can reach them & help them to have hope. (This is in addition to his day job at the university...I love that he works so hard so that I can continue to be at home).
I never envisioned us being a large family, but I continue to surrender to & embrace what God has put on our hearts. I stand amazed that He strings our hearts together with our children no matter how we became their parents & have found more joy & contentment since following His lead in my life... wherever that may go!
I am also thankful for all of the people I continue to "meet" in this blog world that are such an encouragement to me as a mother, a wife & a follower of Jesus. Miss Amy, here, in all of her love & generosity, actually visited our son in the orphanage & delivered our family photo book along with hugs & kisses from his family for us. Only God can orchestrate such beautiful things through this crazy world of technology!! :o)
Hi,
I love your blog. I am Mom to 9 - 4 adopted, 3 from Liberia, W. Africa. I'm a bit overwhelmed, but I don't believe we are done adopting - Ethiopia is next.
Jenny at www.ourplansmultiplied.blogspot.com
I've been following your blog ever since the great "rice and bean" experiment. My SIL keeps asking me if we are going to start it again...she's laughing at me.
Anyway we started our family the regular old way and after 3 boys, felt God calling us to do something different...like adopt a little girl from China. We tried to avoid it for awhile, but the feeling did not go away. Long story short...we are now DTC for our 3rd adoption this time a SN for a little boy (10) that had burns from hot water when he was a baby (2) his scars have crippled his one hand and his feet. I keep asking God if He is sure he picked the right family? He keeps assuring me He has. We have little hospital experience (as patients) and no experience with "older" adoption, but we are willing to learn and excited to start on this adventure, hopefully this summer/fall.
BTW love your pics of little Havyn, but from her looks even I could probably get some good pictures :^)
We are a family of 8 children at present....5 "the old fashioned way" as you say...1 adopted via foster/adopt through DFPS and 2 we brought home from a stranger in a Wendy's parking lot! We hope to move to adoption with them sometime this year.
Right now, we are in the midst of three situations...two via foster care (15 year old girl and 8 month old boy) and an 11 year old girl from Ethiopia whose original adoption is disrupting. We are not sure which path(s) God will have us travel yet but we are willing to go when He speaks clearly which direction to take.
preparedforrain.blogspot.com
Amy, your blog and your heart are such an inspiration to me. I feel like I know you somehow (but I know we've never met). Oh, the heart God has given me for children. I always, always, always knew I would adopt. I still have a story that I wrote in elementary school (probably 3rd grade) about a girl who was adopted from Korea. I knew nothing about international adoption...no one in our family or close circle of friends had adopted. It was all God, laying that foundation at such a young age. I can't wait to see how He works like that in my children's lives!
We adopted our sweet Zoe 3 years ago, after two bio-blessings, then had another bio-babe, now we are working on our homestudy for adoption #2. We are overwhelmingly excited, and the heart that God has given me for children is that I just don't EVER see my house being "empty". Whether it is through fostering, adopting, or just being open to my children's friends, or whatever God has in store...I'm OPEN. I hear some friends talk about how they are ready for "all the kids to be in school" or "once the kids are gone" and I just can't quite get myself there...I know God doesn't have those things in mind for me, and I am thrilled with that.
I agree with a previous poster though...just gotta find the right vehicle...a 15-passenger van maybe? :) I can't thank you enough for your inspiration and for BEING THE CHANGE in this world. You rock. Blessings, Laura
Hi! Just found your blog recently when I began my own. I am a mom to 4 daughers from ages 6 to 1 and we are also foster parents. We hope some day to adopt 1 or 2 or however many the Lord leads us to.. Right now we are enjoying our little one who isn't quite one yet, then we will be jumping back in with both feet into the fostering world again. I am constantly encouraged by your blog and love that you have such a big and beautiful family!
Amy,
What a great idea. I love reading about families who share the same passion as our family.
In 2001 we saw the documentary on 20/20 about the plight of orphans in Romania. We knew right then we were going to add to our family through adoption.
At that time, we didn't realize what that meant.
We have 2 bio boys and in 2005 we added a 3 year old little girl from Guatemala. The next year we added a baby girl from S. Korea. Next, we added a baby boy from S. Korea. Currently, we are waiting for a 2 year old little girl from Ethiopia.
God has blessed our family so much through the process of adoption. Our lives will never be the same!
I've been reading here for quite awhile:) You have been such an inspiration to me. You may or may not remember but you even took the time to email me privately when I was struggling after 1st coming home...or in China...can't remember, just know you helped:)
We have 3 bio kiddos and brought home our daughter from China almost 1 year to the day. We had a really hard year. We weren't prepared for the way we would feel about things.
Anyway, we got through it. We now are praying about adopting again. sshh...it's a secret:)
It's frightening that God would ask such an imperfect mom to raise one of his treasures again.
I am so blessed by this post and the comments. Beautiful.
God gave me a heart for children when I was still a child. I always knew he created me to be a mom, but after 8 years of infertility I was discouraged and losing hope. Then, when we weren't even expecting it, God brought us our two boys, who will hopefully be legally ours VERY soon. I have a passion for hurting kids and older children who needs loving homes. I have a passion for seeing them come into the full healing that Christ has for them. I have a passion for Godly education, and teaching others about how God can use the least of these.
Thank you so much for your faithfulness. God touches hearts through you.
Hi, I am a mom to 3 biological sons. My oldest is 4 and has PDD-NOS. My twins are 2 and one of the twins has Down syndrome. I never wanted to adopt and never wanted to deal with kids with special needs. It was all to scary and not part of my 'perfect family' view...you know, the one people often have before the kids are actually born! :) I am so thankful that God gave me our boys and that he rocked my world! I see true beauty and God's perfection now!
Plus, through all of this God has amazingly changed my scared little heart and gave me such a desire to adopt kids with Ds or other special needs! I am constantly on Reece's Rainbow and other blogs of people who have many children.
The past 2 years have been so hard on us with all the sicknesses/surgeries/hospitalizations that often accompany Ds. How do the moms and dads of families with so many children with special needs survive? I feel at my wit's end so often that I can't imagine how I could handle more children...yet, the desire to adopt is so strong. I would love any tips from you wonderfully experienced mammas!
My husband and I have 2 biological sons and are adopting a child from Ethiopia this year. We are (Lord willing) about 2-6 weeks away from a referral, and still waiting to see if the child God has for us is a boy or girl, a baby or an older child... we are open to whatever He brings. Thank you for sharing your story Amy! You are a God-send.
We are still praying for the monetary needs for our adoption, ivf fund.. We are a blended family through a step-parent adoption. I pulled my son outta public school because he was being picked on.. I homeschool and LOVE every minute I get to spend with him. I volunteer for our MOPS group and don't ever expect a pay check (although occassionally one appears) and I also volunteer when my friends need child care. My husband is in law enforcement and sees the hate on a day-to-day basis.. but at home all he sees is LOVE... Lots and lots of love.. :)I LOVE your blog!
Hello! I've been reading your blog for a while, but this is my first time saying hi. Hi.
A couple of years ago, my husband and I were told that it was improbable that we would have children on our own. It was surprisingly, even to me, how unfazed I was by this news.
When we thought about the physical, emotional and financial strain fertility treatments would require, we decided to seek other opportunities to grow a family and serve others.
We began planning to move to Ndola, Zambia. We had sold nearly all of our possessions, and found a house near the ministry in Ndola. We were totally ready to leave, our lives paired down to the bare neccessities, when the final sale of our house seemed impossible. The financial strain of a state side mortgage was enough to put us on hold.
In the meantime, my husband was offered a good job in a field he was previously unexperienced during a time when jobs were more scarce than they are today. Before we knew it, we were opening our home to children in foster care.
Since August we've housed seven children and have had more joy in our home and lives than we ever imagined possible! Priase the Lord for the good gifts He gives.
And thanks to you for this blog! It's a great encouragment to me.
Hello Amy,
Thank you for your post. You are such an inspiration to me. We are adopting a sibling set from Ethiopia! We are hoping for a referral today. Please pray for God's will for our adoption.
PRAISE GOD! He first broke my heart for the orphan at 12 years old when I saw a horrifying documentary on public television about orphanages in Romania. He continually reminds me of His heart for these precious treasures, and I cannot wait until He makes a way for us to be a forever family for some beautiful children!
Hi,
Coming out of lurkdom. We currently have 1 bio son, yet the desire to adopt came over me particularly "hard" about 3 years ago. Unfortunately hubby's not fully on-board yet (he's coming around) and finances are a mess due to my resent layoff. On top of that, not only am I in school, switching to an entirely different career field, but hubby will return to school in August to complete a PhD. Whew! Talk about constant flux of change!!
BUT my heart hasn't wavered. I want to adopt 2 or 3 siblings within the next year (I should be working then as part of my program will have been completed), and most likely it will be from foster care (unless Haiti (or Ghana) adoptions are processing again at that time.)
I LOVE your blog and I love reading blogs of others who have walked the path to adoption. I get tremendous information and inspiration from those who have gone before me.
Blessings!
JG
I've known since I was a little girl that I wouldn't "have" all my children, that fostering and adoption would be a part of my life...the love for all children was placed on my heart early. We are birthparents to one daughter, foster parents for 8.5 years (we closed our home this past Aug.) and adoptive parents to one daughter. We are in the process of updating our homestudy to adopt again!
Amy, thanks for sharing your family's story and for your encouragement to those of us who share your heart for adoption and loving and caring for orphans. We are parents to 2 bio kids, and are awaiting travel to get our 2 yr.old little boy who is waiting in Thailand. We are so excited to bring him home! We know that this is only the beginning of what God has in store for our family as He has opened our eyes and hearts to needs of orphans here and around the world, and given us a passion to show His love to them. I am so thankful that God has used you and your story to encourage me and so many other moms out there who want to be obedient to God's call for our families, but often don't feel the support or enthusiasm from those around us. Praise God for His grace. Keep posting and sharing your story--God is using you and your family in more ways than you know!
4 years ago, God gripped my heart for Africa. Our family began by doing work in Swaziland. My husband is an executive pastor so we rallied as a church to begin sponsoring a carepoint, supporting some church plants, and taking teams over for yearly trips. Little did I know when this all began that now, 4 years later, we would have 2 children that we adopted from Africa to add to our family of 4 bio children. So, now, we continue to work in this country and every day I look into the eyes of these babies, I am reminded of what this is all about.
Hi Amy,
Thanks for this sweet post. Your family is such an inspiration. I am the mom to 4- 2 bio and 2 from Ethiopia. I am currently adopting from Les*otho. Adoption has filled our lives with a great amount of joy. Our family is richer by having these sweet kids as our own. Adoption has tugged on my heart for years. I am certain that God put it in my heart to adopt. Thanks for your wonderful blog.
Lisa
Hi Amy,
I am a mom of two bio girls and we are currently in the process of adopting from Korea. Our hearts were really drawn to it and I cannot wait to have even more opportunities to help orphans and children in general! I do run the NC and SC chapters for SAFE...which is an organization where folks can donate their gently used stuffed animals and I clean, sanitize, sort and ship them out to children that have been through traumatic situations for comfort. This is sooo close to my heart! We will be shipping around 1,000 stuffed animals to Haiti hopefully next month! Thanks so much for all of your posts, they are so encouraging!
www.stuffedanimalsforemergencies.org
Hi Amy :)
Momma to 10 kids ages 1-10 - all through adoption (domestic and international).
Blessed more than I can imagine!
Surrendered,
Kim
Step-mom to 1
Adopted step-mom to 1
Biological mom to 5
Biological mom to 1 in heaven
Foster mom to 7
Foster to adopt mom to 7 (Dec. 2009)
While I currently only have 11 at home, I am still on the foster list for placement.
When we decided to foster we did not plan to adopt a sibling group of 7, but that's what God had in store for us.
We had three bio kids, the youngest in kindergarten, when I felt God's call for us to adopt internationally. We brought home our son Joseph, 4 years later (my husband took some convincing). Two years after that I started looking at photolistings of children with special needs. One of our children has a special need. We adopted a child who, although he has a diagnosis, probably will not have any symptoms of that disability--still, I think the label alone was enough to put some off. Our two younger children are such blessings, and it is clear to me that they were meant to be brothers.
Bless you for your work to change hearts.
Kristi Johnson here...4 bios, one adopted from Ethiopia....HUGE heart for the orphan, and adovocate for all children!!! :) Great meeting you, kristi j
www.weloveourlucy.blogspot.com
What a fun post! I would say that I have always had a heart for those who were hurting in some way. But my hearts desire had always been to be a mom since I can remember. As I have aged, I felt a calling to take care of God's orphans in the world. So when I was 25, I started the process to become a foster parent. Through that role, I have cared for many, many children. After I met my husband and married, we struggled with fertility thus decided to adopt in addition to fostering. We adopted 2 teenage children that had been with us for several years and they are now adult age. We then started over so to speak and have a 2 1/2 year old and 11 month old that we have adopted. We just LOVE our kids and thank God for chosing us as their parents!
We have 5 bio kids and 2 adopted from China. God put in our heart adoption many years ago, but the passion began in 2001. We desire to help orphans as much as the Lord leads. We continue to seek God for what He wants us to do. If only we could help every one of them! I love watching God's heart for the orphan working through His people.
Christy
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