So my sister sent me some information on a cute little 5 year old girl in Taiwan that needs a forever family. The trouble is, she is listed with a different agency. The same agency also has a healthy, happy 5 year old boy who needs a family. Well, we always wanted twins!!
I've been asking people to pray for us. Things are moving so slowly and I just wonder if God isn't shutting some doors. If we don't have something decided by the end of the summer I'm going to assume we need to do something different. But I don't know what that will be. Please pray with us!
Hmm...Annie must have been using my laptop, as this is being shown as posted by her--but it is really posted by me, Debbie
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Sunday, April 15, 2007
How important is a Dad?
Well, I guess pretty important, at least to Daniel at our house! Today I had planned to take Daniel to a local science center and to see the groovy dinosaur exhibit and I-Max T-Rex 3-D Movie--A fairly exciting thing for a 7 year old! But when he realized it would preempt his Risk game with Dad--He declined my invitation! Now that is HOW IMPORTANT A DAD IS! I guess we'll have to have our "date" sometime when Daddy is not around :-)
I'm thankful my kids have such an awesome Dad.
I'm thankful my kids have such an awesome Dad.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
How appropriate can it get?
The fortune from my cookie last night
Not that I really put much stock in fortune cookies, but this one seemed so appropriate, I had to share it.
Not that I really put much stock in fortune cookies, but this one seemed so appropriate, I had to share it.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Spring is in the air!
It was a HOT day today! :-)
The Spring Celebration last Saturday was excellent. The girls did an excellent job. Even the professionals were impressed. The costumes were gorgeous--it was a dance of peacocks--the skirts were full of sequins and peacock feathers and had fan "tails" that actually opened up. So pretty!
Last week we agreed to be open to accepting an unrelated boy and girl. It was a little hard for me to let go of the dream of siblings, but of course, they will become siblings. And our agency pretty much said there was very little chance of us being referred siblings. . .
Jumping ship to another country doesn't seem like a pleasant alternative. So we are hopeful that "God is working all things together for good. . ."
Blessings to you and yours.
The Spring Celebration last Saturday was excellent. The girls did an excellent job. Even the professionals were impressed. The costumes were gorgeous--it was a dance of peacocks--the skirts were full of sequins and peacock feathers and had fan "tails" that actually opened up. So pretty!
Last week we agreed to be open to accepting an unrelated boy and girl. It was a little hard for me to let go of the dream of siblings, but of course, they will become siblings. And our agency pretty much said there was very little chance of us being referred siblings. . .
Jumping ship to another country doesn't seem like a pleasant alternative. So we are hopeful that "God is working all things together for good. . ."
Blessings to you and yours.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
SPRING?
I feel like I should be updating this blog, it's been so long. But there is not much to say. I wanted to post during the Chinese New Year. We attended a celebration at the Chinese Church we try to go to each month. There was a traditional tea ceremony, a skit by the kids and a group of people playing what we assumed to be traditional Chinese instruments. It was interesting. One of the stringed instruments was long and narrow (kind of looked like just the neck of a violin and it only had a few strings). The music was really nice.
Chinese New Year is also called the Spring Festival--but taking place in mid February--it does not feel so much like spring! And I could really use some spring. Some green trees and new life and renewed hope!
We contacted our agency last week only to hear the wait for referrals has gone to 16-18 months. So the problem with that is we will be at 18 months in September. Will we then be told the wait has gone to 20-24 months? We also know of a couple who recieved their referral in 2 weeks from Cathwell, the orphanage our paperwork is with! So we have to wonder if Cathwell will ever chose us!
On a brighter side we had about 120 phones to mail in this month! One whole box came from our Dentist's office. Someone had been in and seen our collection box. The next day at work they were given a large box of newer model phones to dispose of, since their company had changed carrier. They thought to themselves, "Now where was I that I saw that box?" Fortunately they remembered! Some of the phones were worth over $20!
We also received $93 in the mail from our Current online fund raiser. That was really encouraging and unexpected, as only about 2 people had mentioned anything about buying something to me! You can still order from current at
http://currentfun.com/frontpage.asp?
click on "start shopping" and when you check out just chose our name from the pull down menu. We actually get 50% of all sales.
So I guess hopeful things HAVE been happening and I need to remind myself to be THANKFUL! I'm just hoping for that really hopeful "CALL"! I need to remember, no matter how it appears, GOD is in control!
Tomorrow Annie and I go to the Spring Celebration at a local Theatre. It is put on by the Chinese Cultural Institute and some of the little girls in my Chinese class will be performing. This should help us "think spring!"
Hope spring is springing for you!
Chinese New Year is also called the Spring Festival--but taking place in mid February--it does not feel so much like spring! And I could really use some spring. Some green trees and new life and renewed hope!
We contacted our agency last week only to hear the wait for referrals has gone to 16-18 months. So the problem with that is we will be at 18 months in September. Will we then be told the wait has gone to 20-24 months? We also know of a couple who recieved their referral in 2 weeks from Cathwell, the orphanage our paperwork is with! So we have to wonder if Cathwell will ever chose us!
On a brighter side we had about 120 phones to mail in this month! One whole box came from our Dentist's office. Someone had been in and seen our collection box. The next day at work they were given a large box of newer model phones to dispose of, since their company had changed carrier. They thought to themselves, "Now where was I that I saw that box?" Fortunately they remembered! Some of the phones were worth over $20!
We also received $93 in the mail from our Current online fund raiser. That was really encouraging and unexpected, as only about 2 people had mentioned anything about buying something to me! You can still order from current at
http://currentfun.com/frontpage.asp?
click on "start shopping" and when you check out just chose our name from the pull down menu. We actually get 50% of all sales.
So I guess hopeful things HAVE been happening and I need to remind myself to be THANKFUL! I'm just hoping for that really hopeful "CALL"! I need to remember, no matter how it appears, GOD is in control!
Tomorrow Annie and I go to the Spring Celebration at a local Theatre. It is put on by the Chinese Cultural Institute and some of the little girls in my Chinese class will be performing. This should help us "think spring!"
Hope spring is springing for you!
Thursday, January 25, 2007
From the First Chapter of Romans
“The longer this waiting goes on the deeper the ache”
Romans 1:8-12 (The Message)
I really related to this verse this morning when I read it! True, it is written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Rome, but it rings true for me as well.
The rest of the verse brought to mind this adoption journey as well:
“I so want to be there to deliver God's gift in person and watch you grow stronger right before my eyes! But don't think I'm not expecting to get something out of this, too! You have as much to give me as I do to you.”
When I started out down this road in was in some sense for a “selfish” reason. I love children and had longed for many years to adopt an orphan from another country. However, as I have learned more about adoption and orphanages I have truly come to see the “plight” of the orphans world wide. I’m waiting to adopt older children and there are so many that have so little hope of a family life and home. There is so much loneliness and lack of a bright future. I have noticed more than once the change of expression in the older children after they are brought home. It is as though, for the first time, they “belong”.
Of course I will “get something” out of adoption. Children! Children to love, to plan a future with, to laugh with and to cry with. But my children will also “get something” : Me (a mom), a dad, brothers and sisters, a family life, a future and a hope.
And lastly, I really look forward to sharing my faith with my children. To introduce them to God, if they have not met Him already. "To deliver God's gift in person and watch 'them' grow stronger right before my eyes!"
Romans 1:8-12 (The Message)
I really related to this verse this morning when I read it! True, it is written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Rome, but it rings true for me as well.
The rest of the verse brought to mind this adoption journey as well:
“I so want to be there to deliver God's gift in person and watch you grow stronger right before my eyes! But don't think I'm not expecting to get something out of this, too! You have as much to give me as I do to you.”
When I started out down this road in was in some sense for a “selfish” reason. I love children and had longed for many years to adopt an orphan from another country. However, as I have learned more about adoption and orphanages I have truly come to see the “plight” of the orphans world wide. I’m waiting to adopt older children and there are so many that have so little hope of a family life and home. There is so much loneliness and lack of a bright future. I have noticed more than once the change of expression in the older children after they are brought home. It is as though, for the first time, they “belong”.
Of course I will “get something” out of adoption. Children! Children to love, to plan a future with, to laugh with and to cry with. But my children will also “get something” : Me (a mom), a dad, brothers and sisters, a family life, a future and a hope.
And lastly, I really look forward to sharing my faith with my children. To introduce them to God, if they have not met Him already. "To deliver God's gift in person and watch 'them' grow stronger right before my eyes!"
Sunday, January 07, 2007
The Paula Zahn Now Show
A member of one of the yahoo groups I belong to sent us a link to CNNs Paula Zahn Now show from Friday. In it they were discussing China's new adoption requirements-including the new requirement banning fat people from adoptingfrom China. The discussion quickly degenerated to misguided opinions about adoption in America. The panelists were suggesting that the reasons Americans adopt from China is they think the children are "beautiful and intelligent" They also suggested that Americans don't adopt from Africa or Muslim countries due to prejudice. If you would like to read the complete transcript, you can see it here:
It made me mad, so I wrote a letter to give the facts. Here is the letter I wrote.
I am writing to express my disappointment with the January 5th Paula Zahn Now show. I found the segment on China adoption damaging to the public’s perception of adoptive families of Chinese children. Many of the statements of your panelists were not only degrading to adoptive families, they were also based on a lack of information about international adoption. The discussion was purportedly about the new regulations China has introduced, which, in the spirit of discussing discrimination, would have been a topic any non-expert could give an opinion about. However, the panelists made little effort to discuss that topic, and instead began making very misleading comments about adoption. I would like to share the facts, which conflict strongly with their statements.
Ms. Zahn insinuated that there was a preference for adopting Asian girls and little interest in adopting Black children from foster care. According to the US Census Bureau’s 2005 statistics, 16% of adopted children under 18 are black. This compares to only 7% of adopted children who are Asian. In addition, only 13% of US adoptions are foreign adoptions. Domestic adoptions far outweigh foreign adoption.
Mr. Martin and Ms. Maldonado suggested that families adopt from China because the children are perceived as “intelligent” and “beautiful”. This would not be the reason the majority of adoptive families would give. China adoption is popular because it is well regulated, predictable, and, as far as adoption goes, more affordable than many countries. In addition, China’s One Child policy means that there are many available children in China’s orphanages and they have little hope for a good quality of life unless they are adopted. Also, since there are many adoptive families in the states who adopt from China, there are support groups and other resources that help throughout the process and in raising the adopted child in a way that celebrates their cultural heritage. These resources are not as easily available for children from other cultural and ethnic groups.
Mr. Uygur implied that Americans are not adopting from Muslim countries due to prejudice. The true reason there are so few adoptions from Muslim countries is the difficulty. Out of 43 countries with a Muslim majority, in 13 countries adoptions are impossible due to Muslim Shari'a law, 3 countries require citizenship to allow adoption, 10 countries require residency periods ranging from 3 months to over 2 years, three of those also require adoptive parents to be Muslim and an additional 2 countries only adopt to Muslim parents. Of the 8 Muslim countries that have no strict requirements, only 2 have US agencies that they work with. Albania has only 2 licensed agencies and 22 children have been adopted from Albania in the past 2 years. Ethiopia is rapidly becoming a country of choice for adoptive families with 1,171 children being adopted from Ethiopia in the past 2 years. For more families to adopt from Muslim countries, adoption must be facilitated in the countries that allow it.
Mr. Uygur also suggested that Americans should be adopting orphans from Iraq. This quote is from the US Department of State:
“The Department of State has received many inquiries from American citizens concerned about the plight of the children of Iraq and wondering about the possibility of adopting them. At this time, it is not possible to adopt Iraqi children, for several reasons. In general, intercountry adoptions are private civil legal matters governed by the laws of the children's home country, which has the primary responsibility and jurisdiction for deciding what would be in the children's best interests. The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has confirmed that Iraqi law does not currently permit full adoptions as they are generally understood in the United States.”
Mr. Uygur also implied that children who are equally deserving of home, such as children in Africa, are not being adopted, presumably due to the prejudice of adoptive families. Once again, this insinuation is contrary to the facts. African adoptions are on the rise. As of 2006, there were 3 African countries (Ethiopia was 5th, Liberia was 8th, and Nigeria was 19th) on the list available at the US Department of State website of the top 20 countries Americans adopt from. In the past 2 years, African adoptions have risen from 446 in 2004 to 688 in 2005 to 1147 in 2006. International adoption is not as simple as choosing a country and adopting a child. Each country has their own adoption requirements and not all of these are easy to meet. In addition, it is much easier to find an agency that provides services for China adoptions than for many other countries. Almost any agency that provides adoption services in multiple countries has a China adoption program. The number of agencies providing services for adoptions in African countries is much fewer. Nevertheless, as the number of agencies grows, so does the number of families who adopt.
Next time you invite panelists to comment on adoption, it would be helpful if they were aware of the many legal, cultural, and economic factors surrounding adoption before they drew conclusions hurtful to adoptive families across America. Perhaps a more constructive approach would be to increase awareness of and opportunities for international adoption outside of China, rather than demeaning families, who, with the best interest of their children at heart, have adopted form China.
Sincerely,
Annie
It made me mad, so I wrote a letter to give the facts. Here is the letter I wrote.
I am writing to express my disappointment with the January 5th Paula Zahn Now show. I found the segment on China adoption damaging to the public’s perception of adoptive families of Chinese children. Many of the statements of your panelists were not only degrading to adoptive families, they were also based on a lack of information about international adoption. The discussion was purportedly about the new regulations China has introduced, which, in the spirit of discussing discrimination, would have been a topic any non-expert could give an opinion about. However, the panelists made little effort to discuss that topic, and instead began making very misleading comments about adoption. I would like to share the facts, which conflict strongly with their statements.
Ms. Zahn insinuated that there was a preference for adopting Asian girls and little interest in adopting Black children from foster care. According to the US Census Bureau’s 2005 statistics, 16% of adopted children under 18 are black. This compares to only 7% of adopted children who are Asian. In addition, only 13% of US adoptions are foreign adoptions. Domestic adoptions far outweigh foreign adoption.
Mr. Martin and Ms. Maldonado suggested that families adopt from China because the children are perceived as “intelligent” and “beautiful”. This would not be the reason the majority of adoptive families would give. China adoption is popular because it is well regulated, predictable, and, as far as adoption goes, more affordable than many countries. In addition, China’s One Child policy means that there are many available children in China’s orphanages and they have little hope for a good quality of life unless they are adopted. Also, since there are many adoptive families in the states who adopt from China, there are support groups and other resources that help throughout the process and in raising the adopted child in a way that celebrates their cultural heritage. These resources are not as easily available for children from other cultural and ethnic groups.
Mr. Uygur implied that Americans are not adopting from Muslim countries due to prejudice. The true reason there are so few adoptions from Muslim countries is the difficulty. Out of 43 countries with a Muslim majority, in 13 countries adoptions are impossible due to Muslim Shari'a law, 3 countries require citizenship to allow adoption, 10 countries require residency periods ranging from 3 months to over 2 years, three of those also require adoptive parents to be Muslim and an additional 2 countries only adopt to Muslim parents. Of the 8 Muslim countries that have no strict requirements, only 2 have US agencies that they work with. Albania has only 2 licensed agencies and 22 children have been adopted from Albania in the past 2 years. Ethiopia is rapidly becoming a country of choice for adoptive families with 1,171 children being adopted from Ethiopia in the past 2 years. For more families to adopt from Muslim countries, adoption must be facilitated in the countries that allow it.
Mr. Uygur also suggested that Americans should be adopting orphans from Iraq. This quote is from the US Department of State:
“The Department of State has received many inquiries from American citizens concerned about the plight of the children of Iraq and wondering about the possibility of adopting them. At this time, it is not possible to adopt Iraqi children, for several reasons. In general, intercountry adoptions are private civil legal matters governed by the laws of the children's home country, which has the primary responsibility and jurisdiction for deciding what would be in the children's best interests. The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has confirmed that Iraqi law does not currently permit full adoptions as they are generally understood in the United States.”
Mr. Uygur also implied that children who are equally deserving of home, such as children in Africa, are not being adopted, presumably due to the prejudice of adoptive families. Once again, this insinuation is contrary to the facts. African adoptions are on the rise. As of 2006, there were 3 African countries (Ethiopia was 5th, Liberia was 8th, and Nigeria was 19th) on the list available at the US Department of State website of the top 20 countries Americans adopt from. In the past 2 years, African adoptions have risen from 446 in 2004 to 688 in 2005 to 1147 in 2006. International adoption is not as simple as choosing a country and adopting a child. Each country has their own adoption requirements and not all of these are easy to meet. In addition, it is much easier to find an agency that provides services for China adoptions than for many other countries. Almost any agency that provides adoption services in multiple countries has a China adoption program. The number of agencies providing services for adoptions in African countries is much fewer. Nevertheless, as the number of agencies grows, so does the number of families who adopt.
Next time you invite panelists to comment on adoption, it would be helpful if they were aware of the many legal, cultural, and economic factors surrounding adoption before they drew conclusions hurtful to adoptive families across America. Perhaps a more constructive approach would be to increase awareness of and opportunities for international adoption outside of China, rather than demeaning families, who, with the best interest of their children at heart, have adopted form China.
Sincerely,
Annie
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