Vision Statement: Strengthening Eternal Families by Promoting and Defending Adoption and
Increasing our Involvement in the Community

Friday, December 17, 2010

Hope Amidst Grief

Grief, my old friend and foe. Sometimes you trickle and sometimes you flow. I long to forget you but know that without you my compassion does not grow. The bitterness of hopes and dreams not yet fulfilled can repress the faith that through the ultimate healer all can be well.

As we enjoy this beautiful season, we may be reminded of the things we long for. Grief is a tool to healing, but sometimes it may feel that it rips at your very soul. Let us remember the reason for this joyous season, Jesus Christ the son of God and Redeemer of all mankind.

Elder Wirthlin left a message for us shortly before his passing about the depths of grief and despair and the hope the Savior brings. A short part of his message can be found in the following Mormon Message:



Allow yourself to grieve if you need to, it is not a sign of weakness. Let us look forward with hope and faith for our “Sunday” to come. The Lord knows our struggles, desires, sadness, and pain. He suffered in Gethsemane to be able to know how to help us even at our darkest points. Remember to share your grief with Him as well as your hopes for your eternal family. 

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Continue in Patience

A wonderful reminder about Patience:



"God's promises are not always fulfilled as quickly or in the way we might hope."
-Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Doing & Standing Still

Every where you see them…lines of children waiting to hop on Santa’s lap and proclaim their wishes for Christmas toys. Often you see parents hovering near, hoping to hear the gift idea that their child really wants this year. Many of those children may get their Christmas wish…(if it is reasonable and appropriate, of course). For children, the time between sitting on Santa’s lap and Christmas morning seems endless…so long to wait and endure the uncertainty of it all. Maybe you were one of those children, too, who felt December past too slowly and when was your desired gift going to arrive?

As adults, we know that we often must wait for things in life, but have we mastered the skill of waiting? Elder Uchtdorf talked about waiting in a recent conference address on Patience. He taught some important principles which might be helpful for you and your families as you must wait upon the Lord during your adoption process.

I don’t think the standing “still” refers to doing nothing as we wait for a child to be added to our family. I think it means that after and as we go about cheerfully doing all we can,

• we are attentive to the whispering of the Spirit in regards to our adoption planning—following the leads that are given;

• we try to maintain a respectful attitude to our Heavenly Father-the Giver of all great gifts;

• we acknowledge His hand in our lives; and

• we “stand still” often and count our blessings for each other, for extended families, and for all the children in our lives, whether assigned to your immediate family or not.

Our Heavenly Father has a plan for each one of us. We do not know what the end result will be for anyone. However, by both doing and standing still, we can be an active participant in traveling the path set before us by Him.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Finding Idea- A Christmas Letter

By sending a letter to all of your friends and family, you can 1) Let them know about your desire to adopt and even more importantly, 2) tell them how THEY can help YOU! The following is a list of ideas for developing your letter.

*INTRODUCE yourselves. Start off in the "typical Christmas letter way" by telling about what you have been up to, what the year has entailed for you, etc. Do this BEFORE you introduce your hope to adopt.

*SHARE about your decision to adopt. If you desire, share a little bit about your adoption experience.

*EDUCATE. When most people read your letter they won't get the point that you are soliciting their help to find your baby. Tell them that you are hoping that they could help bring about the miracle you are hoping for. Inform them about designated adoption. Explain what this means. Tell them that you are hoping that someone who reads your letter might be that third party that will ultimately connect you to an expectant parent. State that you hope that they might be that person that connects you to your birth mother.

*PROVIDE information. People still might be skeptical. Share that last year 27% of the adoptions performed through your agency were a direct result of a designated situation-- a connection like the one you might have with them. Tell them that there is an average of one young woman per ward each year who is faced with an unexpected pregnancy.

* PREPARE them to tell expectant parents how to find out more about you. Tell them to feel free to share your online profile (give them instructions on how to pull it up), give your adoption blog address, or supply pass along cards with all of the information a birth mother would need to find you.

*BE BOLD. Plan to send the letter to EVERYONE you can think of. Some couples might go so far as to even get out their old wedding invite list. The more people you can reach out to the better!

*HAVE FUN with it!!! It might seem silly or crazy to send this letter out and ask people to help you find your birthmother....if you think so, say it! Write with personality. This can take the awkward edge off what you are asking them to do.

*INVOLVE your family. Make a party of preparing and stuffing the letters. If your family members desire, let them donate stamps to your cause.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Winners of Giveaways

Thank You to everyone who participated in last month's National Adoption Month Celebration Giveaways.  According to RANDOM.ORG . . .


For the children's book Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born, the winner is entry # 2, JULIE, who spread the word about the Giveaways on Facebook and said: 

We are celebrating our foster baby boy "Little Dude" in hopes that we are his forever family.

For an Adult-Sized FSA T-Shirt the winner was entry # 4, PENELOPE, who said:

We are celebrating the adoption of our strong-willed Stinkpot! I am so thankful for this special little 3-yr-old. He is simply amazing. 

Congratulations and Thank You for helping us celebrate adoption.