Thank you so much for joining us for Make A Difference Mondays this week! Here at She Lives Free, this post will be just a bit different than it normally is because I have been at a conference and long weekend getaway with my family the last few days. I planned to share my post on ways we can make a difference for those currently most severely affected by ISIS, but that one will have to wait a day or two as I play catch up after spending most of the last week prepping for and on a trip. So today, I’d like to share a post that I usually reserve for my normal advocacy for several ministries we partner with here on the blog. Let me know in the comments if you learn anything below that inspires you to make a difference in your own sphere of influence!
Adoption: 4 Ways to Thrive Once They’re Home
This post is part of the Adoption Journey Series. See previous posts, “Adoption: 3 Ways to Prepare for the Journey” & “Adoption: 5 Funding Ideas that Work!”.
You made it. After all the paperwork, emails, phone calls, times of waiting and waiting and waiting, your child is finally forever home. Now what??
Being home together as a family may be all that you envisioned and expected, but most likely, there may be some challenges and adjustments to work through. Whether that be with your child you just brought into your home or your bio kids. Change can be tough, especially when your new forever child has come from a hard place and may have many emotional walls and culture barriers to break down. The good news? You’re not in this alone.
Here are a few resources and ideas for families post-adoption….
4 Ways to Thrive Once They’re Home
- Find a Support Group. During the transition, you will need godly friends and family surrounding and encouraging you, telling you, “I get what you’re going through…We are praying.” If your church does not have an adoption support group, talk to other adoptive families and start your own. Also, check with your adoption agency to see if they can connect you with someone in your area.
- Attend an Empowered to Connect Conference. Yep, it’s that good that we’re mentioning it twice. If you can’t make a conference before your adoption, find the time to attend after your child is in your home. The insight and wisdom you will receive will encourage you as you parent a child from a hard places.
- Read Handbook on Thriving as an Adoptive Family. Packed with practical advice and ideas for families with an adopted child, this parenting handbook is unique in that it provides real-life solutions to common challenges. Bible-based and comprehensive, this Focus on the Family resource addresses the special challenges of adopted children and their parents from birth through adulthood.
- Call iCareAboutOrphans.org‘s Post Adoption Phone line. This ministry of Focus on the Family offers this service FREE for adoptive families! The phone number is 800-A-FAMILY (232-6459) and is staffed Mon – Fri from 8am – 10pm EST by counselors who have been trained by Dr. Karyn Purvis.
What are some other ways that helped your family THRIVE once your child(ren) were forever home? Please join the conversation by commenting below.
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Make A Difference Mondays is a weekly linkup designed to encourage and inspire us to live each day on purpose—making a meaningful difference in someone’s life in even the smallest of ways. There will be five women regularly co-hosting this link-up that will appear on all five of our blogs and we also have three wonderful co-hosts who will fill in as guest hosts on the occasional day that a regular co-host is not able to post. Read on to learn more about our vision, mission, and how to link up!
Mission
Vision
The Make A Difference Mondays team has created two ways to keep us all connected – now we have our own facebook community group to stay in touch beyond the blog posts AND we also have a new #MADMlinkup group Pinterest board! We will be pinning our favorite posts from the linkup that inspire and encourage us to make a difference. We are so grateful for you and would love for all of you to join us for fellowship in the above linked community group and you can follow the Pinterest board right here to watch for your posts: Make A Difference Mondays Pinterest Board
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As we pray through the the call for Christians to impact orphans this is a great resource! We are looking at our call to support foster care in adoption in the coming years, and what that looks like!
Just love that Stasia! You are awesome, thanks for being you and thanks for sharing that with me!!
We adopted our youngest, and your list of resources are perfect. Having support and resources can make a huge difference during this important time of adjustment and bonding. Thanks and Blessings.
Yes, love that feedback! Thanks so much for visiting!
I love the heart of helping that is displayed here. I appreciate the compassion you have to open your home and touch lives through adoption. Praying that He meets you, always, with abundance for every step of your journey.
Blessings,
Dawn
Thank you so much Dawn! Bless you for your faithful encouragement xoxo