The day was well-structured, and the topics chosen gave a thorough overview of adoption and many of its emotional, practical, socio-cultural, legislative factors. We went from the 'Legal Process of Adoption' to parenting adopted children and factors to consider when bringing a child into a family that already had children, understanding grief and loss in adoption, race and culture, and how to encourage adoption communities and engage with adoption within church families.
There were also some great testimonies. It was so heartwarming to hear how the adoptive parents loved and accepted their children, and how so many of their communities supported them in thoughtful, considerate ways. One family shared how their cell group hosted a baby shower for the mom - one of those events that are planned so matter-of-factly for a natural birth mom, but aren't usually thought necessary for adoptive parents.
Another story had me crying softly. The dad shared how they'd adopted a young HIV positive boy at 7 (the dad confessed that he'd first told God he'd adopt, but just not a HIV+ kid, as he felt that there'd be too many risks involved - little did he know God's plan for his life). Just before their first visit to the grandparents, he told the little boy that they were going to visit Nana and Oupa. "Nana and Oupa?" the little boy asked. "I have a Nana and Oupa?" "Yes, of course," the dad replied. "You've joined our family, now they're yours too." Now, what Nana had done was to download all the photos of the little boy she could find on Facebook, and had them printed, framed, and placed all around the house, just as if the little boy had always been part of the family. When the little boy walked into the house, he stared at all his photos showing that he too belonged, and turned to the dad and said: "She DOES know me!" What an amazing display of welcome :)
What laid the foundation for the whole day was a great opening talk on how we, as Christians, have been adopted by God into His family - one of the main reasons that have shaped my own desires to adopt. As a adoptive couple said: "We adopt, because we were adopted ourselves".
A few points from the talk: "Humanity abandoned its creator, but our Creator did not abandon us. In this context of voluntary orphanage, our Creator came down and offered to adopt us. Adoption is a picture of grace. Once we rejected God, His duty and responsibility to us ceased. But his love did not."
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs— heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
- Romans 8:14-17
Alun, the speaker, also reminded us of how we are to go about adopting: "Whatever you do, do it not from guilt or pride, but out of gratitude for your own membership in the greatest of families by what the greatest of Gods has done at the greatest of costs. [...]We need to get away from adoption as a second-best option: adoption is a first-choice option for people who know Jesus Christ first hand."
As someone who has been taken by God into His most amazing worldwide family, as someone who is a temporary stranger on this earth, as someone who now has an eternal inheritance and a Dad who is Creator of the World, I cannot wait to adopt and to similarly take people into my own family :)
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