Adoption Group

In this post I want to share a praise, extend an invitation, and offer a challenge!

The praise: After looking extensively for a group of Christian, Adoptive, Mixed Race Families with whom to build relationships, Corey and I came up empty-handed. So, following the prompting of our adoption agency, we started our own group last year. We get together the last Friday of every month to eat, play, and gab. I wish I could articulate how thankful I am for the friendships we have formed with these families. Kendra delights in seeing her buddies, who, in her words have, "...the same brown skin as ME!!! And BROWN EYES! LIKE ME!!!!! And brown, curly hair... LIKE ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She claps and jumps and dances as she shouts this over and over... I'm not kidding. ;0) We get together with some of the families one on one from time to time, and have their pictures throughout our home, and we talk about them all the time. When we're reading a book, or watching a video, or see someone out and about who is black, Kendra launches right into her litany: "Look, Mom! He/she has BROWN SKIN! Just like ME! And just like..." and then she goes on to name ALL of the kids in our group who have the same features. While this may sound silly to some, if you're an adoptive parent who has read books on adoption and had heart to heart chats with black adult children who were adopted into white communities, you know how huge this is. Thank you, Lord, for bringing these wonderful families into our lives! The more we get to know them, the deeper our gratitude runs. I am so excited about the prospect of "doing life" alongside these people; riding the ups and downs together, and watching our children lean on each other, too. The group has already blessed, enriched, and bettered our lives in ways I'm not able to articulate.

The invitation: If you are a Christian family who has adopted, or is adopting, and you'd like to join us, let me know and I'll send you a flyer and sign-up sheet! (We usually meet in the Eugene/Springfield area.)

The challenge: If you are an Adoptive Family, and are not part of a group, please consider joining or starting one. Yes, it can be a lot of work to round up the family and "put yourself out there" to meet new people. Trust me, as a Pastor's Wife who habitually over commits herself and also works part-time, I needed another project like I needed a hole in the head! But our feeling going into adoption was this: If we're going to do this, we need to be realistic about the unique challenges our adopted child will face. And if we're not up for putting the extra effort into accommodating her needs, it's not fair to her to bring her into our home. If you don't have a group in your area, but are considering starting one, I would be more than happy to offer you ideas. A wonderful and gracious Social Worker, and an inspirationally Godly woman, who did our post-placement visits, took me to lunch and provided me loads of great ideas for getting started. I'd be happy to pass on what I learned from her, and what we've experienced through trial and error.