Children's Books About Adoption

There are many books that families enjoy reading to their children. Books that lend themselves to discussions about adoption are a great way to keep the adoption conversation natural and age appropriate. I am thinking that some readers of this blog may have some favorites you would be willing to share. I will get us started with some that our family has enjoyed reading.

A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza - This book is about a little bird looking for his mother. The mother he finds is perfect for him but doesn't look anything like him and the other children in the family are all different also. All the characters in this story are animals.

God Knows My Name by Debby Anderson - While this particular book is not adoption specific it is a great story all about how God knows all about us. Each page includes several scripture references that you can look up together. It is very easy to tie adoption into the content of this book. A great reminder that God has a great plan for each child! The illustrations in this book include children of all kinds.

Child of Destiny: Matthew Was Adopted by Phoebe Dawson - Matthew asks his mother about his adoption in this picture book. She tells him how God has put together His special plan and how God brought Matthew into their family. The book ends with a short child's version of God's adoption of us. Brandon loves to be read this book when we insert his name in place of Matthew.

If you have a book you would like to share please leave a comment and I will post it to the main page, or if you have my (Amy) contact information please feel free to send it to me. This is a great way to share what we have found helpful with others.

Very Questionable Movie - Orphan

We want to simply put this information out to you and allow you to make your own decision whether a response is needed.-----

Recently several of us received an email regarding a new movie coming out entitiled "Orphan". (I attempted to post a link to the press release but couldn't get it to work.)

I watched the trailer for this movie before I posted this and found it to be quite disturbing. This movie is not going to do anything positive for adoption, especially adoption of an older child. Any thoughts of adoption taken from this movie will be extremely negative.

I have posted a link to a petition from America World Adoptions below:

http://www.awaablog.org/blog/2009/05/orphan-movie-petition.html

Focused Fellowship Reminder

Hello ladies. It's time!

Focused Fellowship: Thursday, June 11.

We are going to meet IN PEORIA AT 6:00 pm.

We will meet at the North Peoria Panera location off of Knoxville Ave.

(North of Bethany Baptist Church)

We thought with Music Camp taking place at Bethany Baptist it might be a more convienient location.

We hope to see you there! Any questions contact Monica or Amy or leave a comment here.

We will NOT meet in July due to VBS...it would be cruel to leave our hubbies with over exhausted kiddos!

Book Review: After the Dream Comes True

"You've done it. After months or even years of prayers, dreams and effort your child is finally home. Now it's time for happily ever after. And yet the days and months ahead will quite likely stretch you in ways you aren't expecting. I'd like to help you anticipate some of these challenges and give you tools to help you cope. Above all I want to remind you that the Lord brought this precious child into your life. You're in the for an exciting adventure as His plan for your family unfolds!" This is taken from the preface of the book "After the Dream Comes True" by Michelle Gardner. Michelle is the director of Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministries and is herself an adoptive parent many times over.

The author writes in an easy to read style and shares from her own experiences. Michelle Gardner talks about such topics as an adoptive parents surprising emotions, meeting your child for the first time, first days at home, and practical questions to consider. She also touches on birthparents, setting boundaries and establishing routines, spiritual development, and life as an adoptive family, to list a few.

When I read this book for the first time I found it to be refreshing as I felt that in many ways I had found a kindred spirit. I think that you will find encouragement for the long haul in this book and you will realize that you are not as crazy as you thought you were. It would be good to read before you meet your child and also after you have been home for a time. A book worth reading this summer while your children play in the pool!

Mark Your Calendars!

Christian Adoptive Families Summer Picnic

August 23 @ 4:00pm at Eureka Lake

More details to come later.

Christian Adoptive Families is a group of adoptive families from all over central Illinois that meet together to encourage and network together. Several of our OHOH families have attended one or more of these events and have found them to be a lot of fun. Often there is a speaker of some type to do with adoption and time to meet families that have adopted from literally all over the world.

Mark your calendars for this date and we will get you more details closer to the date!

National Foster Care Month

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. for everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8

Because May is National Foster Care Month I thought that I would send out a few thoughts about praying for those involved in any way in foster care. These are taken from the "City by City, Church by Church, Child by Child: Praying Together for Children in Foster Care".

"Pray for the Workers:

• that God would raise up laborers to fill every void.
• that God would move more Christians to launch careers in the foster care system.
• for the families of the workers, that the overwhelming realities they experience each day will not prevent them from giving 100% at home.

Pray for the Families:

• that God would draw foster children's biological families to Himself and that they would experience the life transformation that will allow them to parent their children well and with great wisdom.
• that God would intervene in the lives of other at-risk families and provide them with mentors who can help prevent the removal of their children in the first place.
• that God would raise up an army of godly foster parents who are equally committed to reunification and adoption when necessary, trusting God alone for the outcome He desires.

Pray for the Children:

• that the children in the foster care system would come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
• that these children would experience God's love through the love and care given them by all involved in the system.
• that God would heal the deep hurts these children have experienced.
• that God would transofrm the children's lives and hearts and that they would be able to forgive those who have wronged them.

Pray for the Church:

• that God would raise up people in many churches throughout our city to launch ministries for orphans and waiting children.
• that believers all over the state would be consumed with compassion for the children in foster care, and would make themselves available for how God wants to use them.
• that believers in our state would be unified in Christ and that our unity around this issue would draw others to Him.
• Ask God what He would have us do in the future in relation to the foster care system and the children it serves."

With more than half a million children in foster care in the U.S. this group of people seems difficult to wrap our minds around. However, there are several families in the Bethany Fellowship of Churches that are already licensed for foster care, are in the process of becoming licensed for foster care, or have adopted through foster care. These are families right here in our own community that would be encouraged through your prayers.

When you pray, ask the Lord how He desires for you to respond to the needs of the many people that are involved in some part of foster care.

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves..." Proverbs 31:8a

2009 National Foster Care Prayer Vigil

The National Foster Care Prayer Vigil is calling followers of Christ together across the country during the week of May 17-24 to cry out to God on behalf of children and youth in our nation's foster care system, their families, their workers, and the church as it responds to the needs of those involved in the foster care system,

Please join the Open Hearts, Open Homes Ministry on Thursday, May 21 between 6-8pm to pray for those involved in any way in the foster care sysem. You can come and go as you need or join us for the entire time.

We will be meeting at the Farmhouse of Bethany Community Church in Washington.

Directions:

From Peoria: Rt. 24 East to Washington, turn North (left) on Nofsinger Rd., turn East (right) on Dutch Lane

From Washington: North on Nofsinger Rd., turn East (right) on Dutch Lane

From Morton: Washington blacktop past Rt. 24 to Dutch Lane, West (left) on Dutch Lane

From Metamora: Washington blacktop to Dutch Lane, West (right) on Dutch Lane

Farmhouse address is 27265 Dutch Lane

Or go to http://www.bethanycommunitychurch.org/

Any questions? - Contact Chuck Boysen or Amy Park, if you don't have our contact info just leave a comment here and we will respond to it.