Tuesday, February 23, 2010

The Waiting Children!!! We Can Make A Difference...

Tonight's post I'm dedicating to all THE WAITING CHILDREN in our world!!! This is for ALL those waiting children THAT JUST WANT A HOME, A MOM AND DAD, A FUTURE!!! I recently heard word that my 3 girls were pictured in the "information" packet you first order from AGCI!! I was so excited to hear this and had to see it myself...so I ordered myself one of the FREE packets...AND, it arrived..and I tore it open and INDEED found my sweet girls pictured on the inside of it....This is THE picture:

As excited as I was to see my girls pictured, it was the PICTURES OF THE WAITING CHILDREN that caught my eye the MOST!! There was a simple flier inside this packet that listed and pictured the different children waiting with AGCI!! I just stared at ALL their beautiful faces and COULDN'T believe that these precious children MUST WAIT week after week, year after year FOR SOME ONE TO PICK THEM!!! It broke my heart, it still breaks my heart....so I MUST DO SOMETHING!! I might not always end in success, but I can't rest or relax UNTIL I KNOW I'VE TRIED!!! So, here goes (i'm not allowed to show pictures, so bare with me as I describe these precious children of God to you):

1. There is a gorgeous 12 year old boy that is said to be healthy and on target for his age!! He has a beautiful smile and just waits for his chance to have a family!!

2. There are two sets of sisters...both very similar to one another! One set is 11 and 9...the other set is 11 and 8!!! They love sports and are in school and doing very well. They are right on target for their age!! They would thrive in a family if just given the chance!!

3. There is a new face on the list I had not seen before!! It is an adorable 7 yr. old girl!! She is precious and reminds me of my girls!! I don't have any more info on her..but I know AGCI would love to share WHAT THEY HAVE if interested!!

4. There is an adorable 11 year old girl with pigtails!! She too is healthy and just WAITING!!

***NOTE: The 11 and 9 year old sisters have two grants being given if they are adopted, AND the 11 year old girl in pigtails ALSO has a couple grants for her as well!! This is to help with the cost of adoption!!

OK, so that is JUST the Ethiopian Program...there are also children waiting in the "CHINA" Special Needs program...absolutely adorable children with some very MILD special needs and some that have already been fixed and these children STILL WAIT!!! OH, AND there are children waiting in the Eastern Europe program too!! You have to check them out.....

** All you have to do is contact AGCI www.allgodschildren.org and they will grant you permission to their "waiting children" site!! OR, you can talk directly to the "Waiting Children" coordinator: Megan Palmer at mpalmer@allgodschildren.org or by calling directly 971-244-1461 OR by contacting waitingchildren@allgodschildren.org OR by calling 1-800-214-6719!!

***Ok, so here is my prayer tonight: That everyone would take their favorite agency, or the country that HOLDS THEIR HEART....AND ADVOCATE!!! Get their stories out there and make these children COME ALIVE to the world!! You see...if Oprah put these precious faces and stories on her show JUST ONE TIME...they'd all be adopted!! I know there is a fine line in "advertising" when children are involved THAT YOU CAN'T CROSS, I get that...BUT...I still believe IF MORE PEOPLE knew about all these precious children, their hearts would be stirred and in the end, more would be adopted!! Simple as that!!!!

**I also want to let you know that I contacted two agencies domestically recently to find out MORE about their need for African American Infant adoptions!! Basically this is what I found out: The need is REAL in the U.S. It was said that there are 7,000 waiting parents for every ONE Caucasian baby born and ZERO for every African American baby born!! This just breaks my heart!! This is who I called:

http://www.adoptionassociates.net/ out of Michigan is in desperate need for people to sign up for AA infants!! They have 13 signed pregnant mothers and 3 signed adoptive parents!! I did talk price with them and they are only slightly cheaper than going to Ethiopia, but obviously the travel will be less expensive (and easier)! These are USUALLY semi-open adoptions!! They were GREAT to talk with and very HELPFUL!!

AND: http://www.covenantcareadoptions.com/ They are out of Georgia and were GREAT to talk with as well!! They are also in GREAT need for people to sign for AA infants!! They are also usually semi-open adoptions. Their prices were actually GREAT!! Their entire adoption cost was only slightly over $4,000!! That is a GREAT price in the land of adoption!! They seem to place new- borns VERY QUICKLY and are ready to sign potential, qualifying parents!!

***So, those are the ONLY two I personally called..and I know there are probably agencies every where in this same boat...so if this tugs at your heart...give them a call...AND ANSWER GOD'S CALLING DOMESTICALLY!!!

***I'm also always searching http://www.adoptuskids.org/ I found a sibling group of 4 the other day that I fell in love with..There were 3 girls and one boy!! They were something like 6, 3, 1 and a new born!! Oh, they were gorgeous!! Talk about instant family...I know someone COULD DO THAT!! I don't know if they are still on there or not, but they were some beautiful children!!

***Oh, and not to forget what my friend Maria is doing...She is also advocating on her blog now: http://www.loveyamorethancookies.blogspot.com/ She has a heart for Reece's Rainbow and is getting children adopted left and right off her blog!! AND, if you don't have a blog...HOW ABOUT FACEBOOK???? You could update your profile once a week with a new link to a waiting child somewhere!!

***Ok, that's all I've got tonight....this stuff just weighs HEAVY on my heart and I must always follow what God calls me to do...AND THAT IS TO ADVOCATE FOR THE ORPHAN!!

I'm going to leave you tonight with a new Gotcha Day video that was just sent to me...it is GREAT!! Watch the whole thing...it is REALLY WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT: Two parents finding room in their hearts and home for two more children!!!


"In you the orphan finds mercy" - Hosea 14:1

Happy Tuesday to you all, kj

PS...and if that's not enough for ya to DECIDE TO ADOPT...go watch the video on http://www.oatsvallteam.blogspot.com/ My girl Gwen has her hubby making a video..BUT the ending of the video IS THE BEST!!! You gotta go see!!! :)

16 comments:

  1. I got my packet from AGCI the other day and I thought that was so neat to see your girls on the folder. I have been praying SO hard for the Lord to show me where to go. I would love to sign up for the AA adoption here in the US, but I just kept thinking that can't be true....it just sounded too good to be true, that I wouldn't have to wait years to adopt domestically. Given my absolute fear of traveling internationally, this seems like it would be perfect for our family. I just can't help but think maybe the Lord wanted me to read this tonight. Have you heard good things about these agencies? I'm guessing you have or you wouldn't have posted about them. :D

    Thanks so much for your encouraging comment on my blog the other day. It really meant alot to me! I loved the video of Gwen's husband too....I still need to get my hubby to watch it!!

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  2. Kristi,

    I think the link on the adoption associates is not the right one. I think it's www.adoptassoc.com

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  3. Another incredible post Kristi!
    Cannot wait to check out all the links!
    Miss you like crazy!
    Love & Blessings from Hong Kong,
    Kim

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  4. We are waiting to travel to get our first child, our son, from Korea and he was a waiting child! He couldn't be more perfect! He was just waiting for us! And we are waiting for him!!!!

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  5. Hey Kristi! Thanks for posting about Covenant Care! I am STILL in SHOCK over the need here in the US. It blows my mind! Though half my heart is in Africa, I am finding myself very quickly turnig into an advocate for domestic adoptions! I did not see the Lord's plan in that, but man, is He unfolding it! One thing I have noticed, is the support system in the International Process, (especially with AGCI!) Families have a general timeline, lots of families blog, the process is very step by step, you travel in a group....a lot of support. Not to mention utube is filled with international gottcha day videos. On the domestic side....things look very different. It is hard to plan for any sort of timeline when you are waiting on a birthmother to choose you. Even with the great need, there is a potential to wait for years! (Though not likely) There are "risks"....birthmothers can change their mind (different timelines depending on the state), the birthfather can appear and challenge placement, you don't have as large a blogging communtiy, you do not travel and jouney with other families, and goodluck on finding gottcha day videos to inspire your family! Also, this is so critical of me, but I sense a hierarchy in the "adoption chain". Like maybe the "adventure" of an adoption from a third world country makes it more "exciting" for a community to talk about. I could be way off on that one. But in the end, ALL kids need the love and support of a momma and daddy! Whether in Ethiopia, China of here in little old Georgia. I think it is soo need how the Lord takes a willing family, and guides that family to a child He imagined before the foundations of the Earth! In just the past few weeks, the Lord has really opened the need for our family to advocate for the domestic need. And I'll be honest, parts of it seem more "scary" to me than an ET adoption. But the CHILD is the end result!!! We are trying to take LOTS of pictures of our process, and hope to make a domestic gottcha day video to share with others and hopefully better explain what a domestic adoption can look like. I also hope to continue meeting with birthmothers and advocation for them...their love and selfless decision for the child they LOVE so much to place in a home! Thank you so much for advocating for ALL children EVERYWHERE!

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  6. Hey, Kristin was right..the link to the Adoption Associates was wrong..I fixed it...I had .com instead of .net....It is right now...thanks Kristin, kj

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  7. Thank you so much for sharing all of the info about waiting kids! I plan to pass much of the info on to others... I LOVE the video as well! What a beautiful family. It is awesome-thanks for sharing. I can't wait to make a video of our own...hopefully we will be able to start soon :)
    Deena

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  8. I can't wait for the day when I can take in one of those precious waiting children... I love your idea of putting up a waiting child once a week! I think I will start doing that. I will be praying for homes for all of those sweet children...and it breaks my heart too that there is such a need for families to adopt AA infants here in the states. Will be praying for a revolution in that area.

    www.faithdare.blogspot.com

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  9. I may have written you once and asked...but after family night Monday night we are considering praying to the Lord about our decision. Right now we have a 14yr girl, 3 yr boy and 18 mo girl. Our teen expressed the desire to have a sister closer to her age. My Husband and I hadn't really considered it b/c we hear its easier for younger children to adapt (culture, new family etc)...I would just like to hear other people opinions. Especially if they have adopted older children. We still desire a sib group but maybe we will change the age from 0-5 to something a little older. What do u think?

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  10. I would love to share about some wonderful kids I know about that are waiting in Ethiopia. We adopted sisters ages 5 and 6 1/2 in Mar 2007. They are so wonderful and I would love to go back again. Haven't convinced my hubby yet that we need more than 9 kids. But hey, there are only 5 at home now and we have plenty of room. But I digress. Here are some discriptions of some great older kids waiting with our agency CHSFS:
    8 yr old beautiful girl. She has warm, gentle eyes. She is usually found happy and with a smile on her face. She is friendly and social with the other children. She is a sweet child and is a quick learner. This lovely girl has no known medical needs and waits for her own family because of her age.
    Boy age 6 He has beautiful deep eyes. He likes to play with other children. He enjoys quiet time on his own as well. This strong little boy has no known medical needs.. He is waiting because of his age.
    Boy age 4 His face just makes you smile as he's so sweet. He has a calm personality. He is playful and enjoys the other children. He has a sensitive hear and will share his toys with the younger children when they are upset. He has an injury on his hand which may be long term. He is sooo cute!!!!
    Girl age 6 She has soft curls and gently eyes. She tries to help other children adjust to their new surroundings. sShe is an outgoing girl. She likes to play and talk to others. She is often found laughing. This six year old is waiting because of her age.
    There are more I'll post about tomorrow. I wish I had a blog just for THIS purpose. Let's find families for children not children for families. There are so many waiting kids that just need a family's love!!!! email me if you want more info: ally@tricordsolutions.com

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  11. good job sister ... these are my favorite post do because you heart so shines for the orphans !!! love ya

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  12. You rock getting the info out there ! I had NO idea that aa babies werent finding parents in this country. that is just awful...i hope folks spread the word :)
    Hugs!!
    Maria :)

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  13. AGCI does not adopt out of birth order. So sad!

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  14. Although you do not know me, I have been following your blog for a while. We know Jeanine from days in Pittsburgh and I found your blog thru hers. I was so glad to see that you have found more information about domestic adoptions. We have adopted domestically and have a fully open adoption with our daughters birth family. After that Experience, we decided to become foster parents for the many babies who needed a temporary family to love them until a permanent situation could be found. It has been a wonderful experience for our family and each day I am amazed by the number of babies in our country need a home. Thank you for your passion and sharing it with all. Lisa

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  15. Hi,
    I just wanted you to know how inspirational you and your family are to me! I just did a post about advocating for the orphan and put your link on it! I hope thats okay??!! I have one adopted sister which, has opened my heart to the orphan and how desperately they need us!
    God Bless

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  16. God bless you! You have done it again, touched so many by your willingness to share you r story and love for orphans. You and your sister have both provided us with some very useful info regarding adoption, thank you, thank you, thank you!

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Thank you for your kind words!!