Adoption Knowledge Affiliates is a local non-profit who represents the adoption triad in their educational events and resources. Below you'll find a few events they have going on this summer.
June 21, 2010: Amy Pogrund is a 16-year-old adopted individual who has recently reunited with her birthfamily.Amy’s adoptive parents and brother will join her as she shares her experience growing up with a sibling whose adoption story was very different from her own, as well as the recent experience of meeting Amy’s birthfamily.
July 19, 2010:Attaching after Adoption: Practical Tips for Infants to Teens presented by Robyn Gobbel, LCSW.Robyn will offer concrete ideas for activities that will encourage attachment with your adopted child, from zero to teen.
August 16, 2010: Jane Hall, attorney at law, will provide an overview of the Texas Legal System with regard to how it pertains to adoptions and termination of parental rights.As an adult adoptee, Ms. Hall is able to provide personal and professional insight into the laws that impact adoption.
All these meetings are free and open to the public. Certificates of attendance are available. click here for more location and more information: www.adoptionknowledge.org
Pure and undefiled religion is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27
Bridges of Grace has used the command in James 1:27 as a foundation for their ministry. There are orphans ministries and non-profits all over the country that have sprung up in the past 5 years toting 1:27 on their banners.
And yet, there is a piece of it that seems like we've missed. We are to visit and care for orphans AND widows. We've moved forward to care for the orphan, but what about the widow? How can we use James 1:27 so diligently as the backbone of our ministry when we have chosen one vulnerable people group, but not the other?
Now we have justified this because the needs are so great, how can one ministry tackle the global orphan crisis AND widows in their distress? It is overwhelming enough to take in the numbers of one group of "the least of these" let alone to add widows as well. We do believe, however, that focusing on this one group, orphans, is not just justified, but right thinking. We all have God-given passions and talents, and we are finite beings in our time and ability to care, so singling out one group of people to care for is how we manage in this flesh.
But God is not going to allow our inability to care for both widows and orphans to limit His work. He is not allowing our susceptibleness to be overwhelmed by the suffering to single out just orphans in the Zeway Partnership.
We are rejoicing that God is allowing us to expand our care circle to include widows. Single parents who are dying of HIV/AIDS and who will not be there to parent their children within the year will now be a part of the Partnership outreach. God is allowing us to support the social workers and the Zeway Church body so that they can care for these dying mothers and fathers.
Here are some of the reasons why this is a desirable opportunity:
These dying men and women need care and love. They need to hear about the peace and comfort of our Savior through the social workers and Zeway church members.
In an environment where children of parents with HIV/AIDS are outcasts, these widows desire to know that someone will watch over their children.
The orphaned children will not go one day without knowing there is an adult who cares for them and is advocating for them after their parent dies.
There will be a transfer of trust as the child watches the social worker and parent forming a relationship.
The orphaned children will be admitted into the Food for the Hungry programs with little to no gap between losing their parent. They will not spend months or even years fending for themselves.
We are rejoicing that we will be able to care for orphans and widows as well. It makes sense that these two groups of people would go together in a circle of care, and we are blessed that God showed us His ways again through this Partnership!
Following on the heals of hearing from Janie Cravens at last month's Adoption Community Group, we are quickly coming up on our May 15 meeting. Please mark your calendars and quickly RSVP for childcare if needed. The deadline to RSVP for free childcare is May 5 (include name and age for each child to hrbauer22@yahoo.com). Details:
Adoption Community Group May 15, 9:30AM - 11:30AM Grace Covenant Church Worship Center Lobby
Topic: Based on feedback from the last ACG, we will break up into small groups, discuss a few prepared questions, and get to know one another. We hope to foster a more intimate community for adoptive families and potentially help grow some small groups that meet on an ongoing basis outside of the ACG. This is a way for us to make meaningful connections and support each other between large group meetings.
Please RSVP by May 5 for free childcare. Include the name and age of each child.
Bridges is excited about the opportunity to offer a summer elective class at Grace Covenant Church entitled Defending the Fatherless.
This 6-week study starting July 11-August 15 will explore the theological and the practical aspects of defending the fatherless (Isaiah 1:17) through adoption, foster care, and global orphan care. Topics will include: vertical adoption (how we are all adopted by God), horizontal adoption (how we adopt and care for orphans), and how we can practically respond to the fatherless whom God highly esteems. Classes will include curriculum from Hope for Orphans, panels of adoptive families and adult adoptees, and Austin-area experts on foster care, adoption, and orphan care.
This class will be offered to those who serve in the children's ministry first and then it will open to anyone interested. Please check it out!
On Saturday, April 17, Bridges hosted Janie Cravens to speak on 1) Talking About Adoption with Children, and 2) Dealing with Everyone's Questions and Comments. Ms. Cravens has 30+ years experience in adoption, infertility, birthparent concerns, orphanages, teaching and consultation. She was one of the pioneers of open adoption, and continues to be involved in the direct practice of this approach over the child’s lifespan.
One areas of discussion was how adoptive parents should respond to questions and comments that are heard often by adoptive families. Ms. Cravens encouraged families to have "stock" answers to avoid sharing too much personal information or how to handle just rude questions! She suggested that many of these questions and comments, while slightly offensive to adoptive parents, are often "unexamined" and really not intentionally hurtful.
Here are a few of those questions and comments. If you are an adoptive parents or if you are in the process, look them over and discuss with your spouse or a friend how you can best respond, without being rude to the asker and how to protect your child from negative feelings that can come about when these things are overheard.
Your child is so lucky to be adopted by you!
How much did her adoption cost you?
Why did you adopt internationally when there are so many children here in the States waiting? (this question can be reversed!)
You are such a hero/saint to adopt!
What do you know about your son/daughter's birth parents? (Ms. Cravens would say that this is private information only for your child to one day decide to share)
Wow! He's really well adjusted! (this question gets more offensive the longer your child is home with you)
I have a friend who adopted from there and (insert any horrendous story about long wait times, extreme costs, or difficult child behavior)
Take some time and look over these comments. It will be well worth it when you are surprised by the grocery checkout woman, or your parents' neighbor or a good friend when they pop outs one of these comments!
