Blog
Do you Link?
Posted by Shaylee on April 30, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Ok friends, we need your help! Do you have a website, blog or Facebook? Are you a member of a church with a website? We would LOVE it if you would add a link to our website from your website, blog, etc. for two reasons. One, so that more people will be able to hear about the ministry of Christian Homes & Family Services and two so that we will be more “searchable” on google. If you have questions about adding a link, email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)! Thanks for being willing to spread the word about Christian Homes.
The court decree has been signed…
Posted by Janet Mendenhall on April 27, 2010 at 7:09 pm
After the judge signs the final papers and the child is safely and legally in the forever parents’ arms, everyone returns to Christian Homes for a finalization party. The newest official member of the family, now usually 6 to 8 months old, is sometimes smiling and playful, but most often asleep and not even old enough to sample the celebratory pink or blue cookies. He doesn’t realize what has just transpired, even though the scene is full of hope and promise for that wee one.
Now young adults, their impressions of adoption indicate that though they may have slept through the party and missed the cookies, they certainly have not missed the significance of the whole event.
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Reflections on Adoption:
“Through the years I have grown to see the gift of adoption as I have seen how wonderful it really is. I know I have my gracious birthmother out there that gave me the gift of life, instead of taking my life, which was the most wonderful gift of all!” Anonymous
“Most people ask me now days, how does it feel to know you have a completely different set of parents and family? To tell you the truth, no different than anyone else. Yes you know in your head that they are out there, but your own loving family distracts you from it. When I was a child I was treated no different than my other biological family members, in fact I was loved greatly, my family spoiled and loved on me and adored me.” Anonymous
“I am so thankful for Christian Homes and adoption in general. My parents are awesome examples of Christ in my life. If you think about it, adoption is a very Christ-centered idea. He calls us to take care of the orphans and widows and that we are to love our Christian brothers and sisters like our own brothers and sisters. That is what adoption is — taking a child of God into your home to raise as your own. Children are blessings from the Lord and even if the child isn’t necessarily planned, they are still a blessing, whether it be to his or her biological parents, adoptive parents, or other family members.” Jennifer
“This process is a true representation of the axiom: “It takes a village to raise a child.” I’m so grateful for the successes of open adoptions, because the child has the opportunity and legal support of being influenced by a diverse, unique set of individuals and family structures. When adoptive families, birth families, and social systems collaborate in healthy communication, the adoptive child has a chance to grow in significant ways.” Jeremiah
A Word to Birthmothers:
“I think it is a great idea to do adoption. Even if you don’t want to give up your child, you can still do an open adoption, which is how my adoption is. It is wonderful having my birth mother in my life and I am so grateful for her selfless decision to put me up for adoption. I think it is a great way to give your child a normal life while you are still a part of it.” Jaci
“To any woman out there with an unplanned pregnancy considering her options — please choose life. Whether you choose to keep the child or choose to place the child for adoption — choose life. Just look through binder after binder of Christian Homes children and families and see what a difference your child can make in the lives of yourself, his or her potential adoptive parents, and the world. Then think of the thousands of other children adopted through agencies other than Christian Homes, and thousands more children that though they were unplanned, they were welcomed into their mother’s home. There are thousands of people around the world that have had full, wonderful lives because their biological mothers chose life. The baby you are carrying could be the person who cures cancer, a missionary that changes the lives of tens, hundreds, or thousands, or even a great mom or dad that is a wonderful example to all around. I am blessed that my biological mom chose life, and that my brother and sister’s biological mothers chose life. I can’t imagine what my life would be without my precious siblings.” Jennifer
To my birthmother:
“Thank you so much for your decision. I cannot thank you enough for thinking about me before yourself and what I needed. Having you in and your family in my life is such a blessing. It is amazing to be able to be a “big sister” to your kids. I am so grateful for everything you have and will do for me in the future. I love you!” Jaci
“I am forever thankful to my biological mom for wisdom beyond her age when she was pregnant with me. She knew that I needed a mommy and a daddy, and knew that my parents could potentially provide me a life that she probably wouldn’t have been able to provide.” Jennifer
“My birthmother is my hero. I can’t imagine what it’s like to make so many difficult decisions in a brief amount of time. She came to a realization that she could not keep her child, which must have taken an extreme amount of humility and submission. She could have aborted me, but she loved life and had an intense hope for her child. If I met my birthmother, I would thank her for her character and faith.” Jeremiah
Blessed by Lysa
Posted by Shaylee on April 23, 2010 at 8:27 am
2010 Abilene Call Her Blessed Recap
The scene is set: More than 500 women (and a few men) gathered, lovely pink and coral geraniums brightening tables, delicious salads and even more delicious mint brownies set at each space, and each person present — hearts ready (or maybe even needing?) to be blessed in some way. Janice and Mindy Murray were the perfect hostesses and luncheon co-chairs, inviting everyone to sit back, relax and enjoy the time to celebrate the special women in our lives. Mindy and Danny played and sang beautifully and several friends of Christian Homes told of the sweet blessings in their life through posters with names on them. Each guest was encouraged to write a note of love and thanks to a special woman in their life….and then asked to leave the notes with us so that we can mail them just in time for Mother’s Day.
But for sure the icing on top of this sweet time was the message Lysa TerKeurst gave regarding how God wants us to be. Quoting 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Lysa encouraged guests to look at God’s instructions on how to be (joyful, prayerful, and thankful) and that in focusing on how God wants us to be, we will be doing His will! Her message was one that spoke to people in all different stages of life and was delivered with her gracious spirit of encouragement and humor. Lysa, in case there is any confusion, you were a blessing to this special time! To read more about Lysa and her work with Proverbs 31 Ministries, please click here.
The fourth annual Call Her Blessed Abilene luncheon was a precious time and the funds raised will go to support and sustain the ministry of Christian Homes & Family Services. We are thankful to each sponsor, ticket purchaser, committee member, guest, staff member, and of course to Lysa TerKeurst, for the part you played in this sweet event. Until next year!
Family
Posted by Steve Holt on April 19, 2010 at 9:53 am
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth prisoners with singing… (Ps. 68:4-6)
How many adjectives can you pin on “family”? Here are a few I thought of: Nice, safe, fun, quirky, crazy, demanding, single, imperfect, blessed, dysfunctional, functional, irreplaceable, laid-back, active, forgiving, multi-generational, rich, poor, middle-class…
I am thankful to have grown up in a wonderful, wild and wacky family. It was wonderful in too many ways to mention here. It was wild because all 8 of us had minds of our own, and things sometimes got a little out of hand. And it was wacky! In fact, it was so wacky that when the remaining members of my family get together now, we mostly tell funny stories of the wacky things that happened in our family. Like the year our family visited Colorado and my dad let my 16-year old brother drive the entire family up Pikes Peak on the first weekend the road up was open after the winter. Snow all over the road, and the closer we got to the summit, the worse the visibility. My mother sat in the back seat with her arms wrapped around her two youngest yelling at my brother, “Don’t look! Don’t look!”…meaning I suppose, don’t take your eyes off the road to take in the wondrous sights below. But how wacky is it to tell the driver not to look!
What was your family like growing up? I hope it was mostly positive. And even if your experience was less than positive, God’s original plan for families was a great idea. Marriage and family were the first social institutions, existing long before tribes, clans and nations…long before a “chosen people,” and much longer than the church. In fact, notice how virtually every social enterprise since the first family attempts to pattern itself to some degree after the family concept. God intended families to be safe havens in which family members grow to fullness in every way.
Psalm 68:4-6 testifies to God’s desire for families to be the safe place for all: the fit and the fragile. His household will care for orphans, widows and “the lonely.” In fact, notice that he himself sets the lonely in families. The family is the launching pad for human beings.
Family is God’s idea, and Christian Homes & Family Services puts families together. We place babies and children in loving Christian homes. We connect birth mothers with adoptive parents who will care for her like family long after her delivery. We send adoptive couples imprisoned by years of infertility home singing.
I’m glad to work for a ministry that does the work of God every day.
Hope for 100
Posted by Shaylee on April 16, 2010 at 10:37 am
We are excited to participate in Green Acres Baptist Church’s second Hope for 100 campaign kicking off April 24th. Beginning as a dream that Rocky and Carrie Gill had after adopting children of their own, Hope for 100 was established in 2009 to provide an intentional way for the church to engage believers in the call to care for the fatherless. Hope for 100 exists to challenge and support Green Acres Baptist Church to obey God’s Word by providing loving, Christian homes for 100 children through adoption or foster care. To that end, it was Rocky and Carrie’s hope that a campaign like this would accomplish these five things:
- Raise awareness of the plight of the fatherless.
- Issue a specific challenge to the Church to care for a targeted number of orphans.
- Begin to match interested families with families who have already answered the call to be foster or adoptive families to give guidance and encouragement.
- Provide an array of opportunities to care for orphans through an Ongoing Orphan Care Ministry.
- Help provide the necessary funds to families seeking to adopt.
Christian Homes & Family Services will be one of many organizations present at Green Acres on April 24th to meet potential foster and adoptive parents and to share our mission with people unfamiliar with this ministry. We are privileged to be a part and have been blessed to see the Lord work through this campaign and specifically, through the efforts of Rocky and Carrie Gill.
The Hope for 100 campaign was created in a way that can be modified and duplicated for any size church, anywhere! For more information on getting a Hope for 100 campaign started at your home church, please click here. If you live in the Tyler area, we would love to see you on the 24th!
Your Spiritual Adoption
Posted by Janet Mendenhall on April 13, 2010 at 8:24 am
The Creator of the Universe is indeed the Creator of adoption. In fact, adoption came first!
“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world …In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and his will.” Ephesians 1:4-5
Paul’s words are not just a metaphor, nor a lyrical picture of Jesus’ place in our lives. They are the reality of our new ancestry, our new family, and our new promise and future. We are indeed brothers and sisters of the natural born Jesus. I love Jesus’ words to Mary after he has risen, “Go to my brothers and tell them, I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” We are Jesus’ brothers and God’s children, and so we receive a full inheritance with him. He does not hesitate to claim us as such. It is his pleasure.
Most of us have been touched by adoption in one way or another, whether our own, our children, grandchildren, or friends. Participation in the amazing joy of an earthly adoption is a spiritual experience that opens our eyes and hearts to the amazement and wonder of our own spiritual adoption. We see more clearly God’s love for us.
We share in the anticipation and longing, the planning and choosing before the baby is born.
We acknowledge and experience a love that transcends genetic material, full acceptance as a child.
A name is changed, bestowing all legal rights upon the newly named.
A new one is welcomed into a new family and given a place on the family tree whose limbs reach far behind and extend far into the future.
Adoption is indeed a beautiful thing, and experiencing that beauty is open to all. You can share in an earthly adoption in many ways — praying for and encouraging birth mothers and waiting adoptive families, opening your pockets to those needing help with adoption fees, lending wisdom and support to new parents or opening your heart as an adoptive parent.
And certainly don’t miss out on your own spiritual adoption. The Creator has chosen you; all the paperwork and background checks are done. Now your adoption is complete.
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
Posted by Shaylee on April 08, 2010 at 8:36 am
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is an awesome resource for people who are touched by adoption and foster care. This foundation provides free materials, resources and facts on adoption and foster care and they even talk about ways to make your workplace more “adoption-friendly.” Check it out and let us know what you think!
Have you heard about Christian Homes & Family Services?
Posted by Shaylee on April 06, 2010 at 8:31 am
“Have you heard about Christian Homes & Family Services?”
That’s my line. Wherever I go, I find myself asking that over and over again. My favorite lines though are the ones that follow. The ones spoken as I get to share with people that work and volunteer for pregnancy resource centers, nurses, school counselors, hospital social workers and more about our services: specifically, the free resources we have to offer women facing unplanned pregnancies and considering adoption. Those free resources include residential care, medical care, pregnancy-related counseling pre and post-placement, educational opportunities, legal services and more.
Spreading the word about those services is more than a line of work for me. It’s my joy. I love getting to tell people about the ministry of Christian Homes. I love getting to share the stories of the selfless and loving birthmothers we work with and to tell about the adoptive families and show pictures of precious babies. I love traveling to different cities and towns across Texas and Oklahoma, meeting new friends and telling more people about the services Christian Homes has to offer.
Another big piece of my job is to provide adoption option training which helps counselors, pregnancy center workers, nurses, etc. feel more confident about bringing adoption up with pregnant young women. This is a free service called our “Lunch-and-Learn” program which has been made possible through a generous grant from the Community Foundation of Abilene. We provide a meal and the training for anyone interested in educating their staff or volunteers on the adoption option as well as current adoption information. If you know of a group of people who would benefit from this training, please do not hesitate to email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Then I can share with you my favorite lines. Have you heard about Christian Homes?
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