Adoption? “Wow, what a great thing — but that’s just crazy for us to seriously consider that!”
Like many families, mine watched safely from the sidelines for a while and witnessed others taking the plunge. At the time, we had two small children of our own, and thinking about juggling a third — especially an “unknown” child — seemed instantly overwhelming. However, I never wanted to look back years later and say, “remember when we thought about adopting a child?”
Our personal adventure began when I felt a tug on my heart to go beyond Sunday school teacher and truly pour myself into a child who was not my own. So, we began with adoption and foster care training on several wintry nights at Summit County Children’s Services. The passion of the other families, the commitment of the staff and the shared vision of helping a kid in need of a “forever family” warmed us.
Our domestic search for a 3-to-7-year-old went through many twists and turns, but ultimately stalled. We eventually decided to host 6-year-old Zhenya, who was from Russia, through Children’s Hope International Summer Miracles program.
From the first time he and I locked eyes and he called me “Papa,” my heart was instantly moved. Within three days I went from “We can’t adopt from Russia!” to “Why can’t we adopt from Russia?” to the obvious conclusion, “We’re going to Russia!”
After a joyful summer with him, we had to say goodbye. “Our son” — the adorable little Russian boy we had come to love — was now back in a frigid Russian orphanage awaiting rescue. At any point we realized that the U.S. or Russian governments, paperwork hassles, lack of funding or a myriad of other uncontrollable factors could squash our chances of becoming a forever home for this beautiful boy. It wasn’t until we touched down at JFK airport with our newly adopted son shouting “America! America!” that we knew we were home and could finally breath again.
I know adoption isn’t appropriate for every family, however, there are ways to help families who are in various stages of the process. Consider coming alongside them and sharing in the journey. And if you do decide to answer the call to become an adoptive or foster care parent, your life will be enriched in ways you could never imagine.
