Adoption Blog

Adoption Sunday

We are the Ramseys.  We live in Southern California and our family has been part of the El Salvador program for two years.  We are waiting for a referral of a little girl and yes, the waiting has been extremely painful.  God has used this season of waiting to give us a passion for orphan advocacy.  I am blessed to serve as the Missions Director at our church and last month we did an "Adoption Sunday" service.  It was a powerful morning and we will never forget it.  We heard numerous comments from people who were deeply moved and had never been part of a service which focused on orphan care and adoption.  Our hope is that by reading this update, others might be encouraged to approach their churches and coordinate a similar service.

 
Last year our lead pastor's family adopted a little boy named Luke.  Our pastor obviously shares our passion for adoption and was very open when we approached him with the idea of "Adoption Sunday."  The entire service was covered in prayer and every aspect focused on adoption (from the bulletin cover to the worship songs).  My husband and I were blessed to share part of our adoption journey with the congregation.  We shared the story of how God called us to adoption, the struggles of waiting and the love we feel for the little girl that we have yet to meet.  We also showed a short video on adoption which tied in with our story.  Our pastor gave an amazing message on adoption, which included his family's personal adoption journey.  It was an incredible message on how adoption is at the heart of the gospel.  You can download the sermon at http://www.villagechurchirvine.com/audio/missionSunday053109.mp3.   After the message we invited another America World family, Pat and Kacie VanWinkle, to share their story.  The VanWinkles have three adopted children from China, Korea and Ethiopia.  Their story was very moving and you could hear many sniffles and tears throughout the room (during the entire service!).

 
We closed our service by inviting people forward who had been touched by the miracle of adoption.  I had already contacted the families that I was aware of and had asked them to read designated scriptures on orphans and adoption.  We had over twenty five family members come forward to read what God's Word says about adoption.  Our oldest son (who is seven years old) read John 14:18 - "I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you."  It was an incredible visual picture to see so many people from the congregation whose lives had been changed through adoption.   There were many tears (and many people commented that we should have provided tissue during the service!).   One family came forward to share that God had spoken to their hearts to pursue adoption during the service.  Praise God!  We had representatives available from three organizations to provide resources on foster care, local and international adoption.  Many people said that the morning was one of the most touching, challenging and memorable services they had ever been part of.  We know that God defends His orphans, and we were so honored to share in a little piece of His heart during our service.  We hope that others will be given the opportunity to share their stories and to challenge their congregations as well.  "Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do.  God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act."  (Proverbs 24:12).  We are so grateful that our eyes have been opened and we are blessed to share in the miracle of adoption!!!      - Jenni, Mike, Jordan and Aidan Ramsey (Tustin, California)

Experience in El Salvador

 Dear  Families:
I hope this letter finds you well, I have a special guest with me who wants to share her experience in El Salvador, her name is LISA JONES:

“You were worried about that?  Don’t worry about that.”  I’ve been in El Salvador since Monday night and Alexis has said that to me about a million times I think.  I need to hear it.  I so want to do whatever I can to be in control of this process, and am realizing that part of adopting a little girl from another side of the world means trying to understand and embrace the culture in which she was born.  Of course I want to get souvenirs as reminders of this amazing trip to El Salvador, but if I could learn to let go of even a little bit of my need to control things and have more faith, that would be the best souvenir of all.  I have had the opportunity to drive around with Alexis as he is working both on my adoption and other dossiers as well, and I realized that every day of his life is about building dossiers.  I hated that part of the process!  I think I would go crazy if I were him.  One day we went back to the  family court three times to get a letter, each time paying for parking:  the first time, the specific person assigned to the case hadn’t come in yet and she was the only one who could work on it, the second time, it wasn’t ready, and the third time we waited 1 ½ hours because we couldn’t leave without it, and we got the 4 line letter just before the courts closed for the day.  Unbelievable.  It would have taken me five minutes to do the same thing! 

One thing that has become abundantly clear is that everyone I’ve met is very concerned about the well-being of the children, and they want to be careful with the lives in their care.  Court on Wednesday was amazing, and even the judge seemed very involved; our case wasn’t just a file that he had thumbed through but he knew it well.  He even knew that Wednesday was my birthday and wished me “feliz cumpleaños”!  Yesterday I hung out with Ruth at the orphanage and got to attend their celebration of the feast of Corpus Christi.  Today I am continuing to learn what it is like to have a little 9 year-old girl.   I really wish I had worked more on my Spanish!  Things are good.  We have the process now with the U.S. Embassy before us still, and I still need to be reminded not to worry.  Here is a picture; hope you enjoy!

 

So be all Blessed  by our good GOD….

Visiting Orphans, El Salvador: Family Testimonies

After this week in El Salvador we feel like we've had an Extreme Makeover - Soul Edition.  We feel grateful that God allowed us to witness what He does in the lives of these kids at Cuidad de los Niños.  One of the blessings they have is a huge yellow school bus they all use for rides to church, the beach, the health clinic and many other places. We were reminded of the chant "Move That Bus!" and we know it was God that moved it as many miles as it had to go without a blow-out. It was in great need of tires and many times it was loaded with triple the capacity it was made for. This is just one example they had of relying on God to provide just enough provisions until further notice. GOD IS GOOD and the children of Cuidad de los Niños acknowledge that every day. Each child has been taught by example by the staff and older children that God provides and is to be praised and glorified.  We would like to remodel our home and life to end up looking more like theirs.

Mark & Robin Watson

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This trip was a real eye-opener. I realized how much we really do have it good here. For instance having air conditioning. All of the children there always lived without it in what seems to be 115 degree weather even if they were sick. But it really amazes me how much they live for Christ. Their entire life is based upon faith in Him. They all live as one big family and help each other out. They are a great example of how to live by faith and by going there and seeing them I hope to become a better follower by their example.

Ashleigh Watson, age 15

Visiting Orphans El Salvador Trip

The first Visiting Orphans team to El Salvador will return home on Friday, June 19th after an amazing week at Cuidad de los Ninos in La Libertad, El Salvador.  We were able to spend 6 days living at the orphanage with the 115 children who call this home.  On Wednesday evening, all of the children and staff gave us a surprise going away party in the chapel.  Two America World families adopting from El Salvador were on the team and were able to meet with Alexis Castro to get current information on the adoption process.

 
If you would like more information about going on a Visiting Orphans mission trip to an orphanage to serve the children and staff, go to www.VisitingOrphans.org for details.

Mission Trips for 2009

While you are waiting to complete your adoption  from China, El Salvador, Ethiopia or another country we do have some exciting opportunities to offer for a mission trip to one of these countries through our sister organization, Visiting Orphans.  Visit their website at www.visitingorphans.org and see what trips are planned for 2009.  This summer there are trips to El Salvador, China, and Ethiopia.  In 2004 I had the privilege to join an America World sponsored Mission Trip to China and those 10 days visiting an orphanage, getting to know the children and staff and touring the country continue to inspire me as I work daily in inter-country adoptions and with our America World families. With the increasing wait times in many countries a Mission trip could be an opportunity to visit the country you desire to adopt from and to give to children who may never have the opportunity of a family.  After visiting the website, please call or email Dave Rathbone with any questions or your application. 

Regards,
Susan Maines
Executive Director of Programs