Let’s Start (Again) At The Very Beginning

…A very good place to start.

I have big plans for 2012 here at RiverOfThoughts.com, and I’m excited for you to be part of them!

First, you’ll be able to enjoy three posts a week starting in mid-January!

In addition to the random fun stories and occasional introspection that goes on here, I’m planning two series to get us through the winter:

• Adoption 101 — I’ll make my best effort at explaining the often overwhelming maze of choices surrounding adoption
• Mission in Action — I’ll profile people that are living out the call to care for orphans and make a difference in the world.

To lay the groundwork for 2012, I’m resurrecting and revising some of the key posts from the past that tell our story. This was originally posted on 22 December, 2006.

 

The Discovery

Adoption found us.

When people learn that our children are adopted, many assume that we had fertility issues or that we had a gaping hole in our lives that we needed to fill with children.  Not so.

We were DINKs (dual-income, no kids).  We enjoyed traveling, scuba diving, sleeping in on Saturday mornings…Life was good.  We love learning about different cultures and we had hosted foreign guests through church exchange programs.

In early 2006, we stumbled across a column in the local newspaper about a “culture camp” for orphans from Ukraine. The program enabled children ages 6-12 to visit the United States and experience living with an American family. Families could “host” a child without any plans to adopt.

When we first read the article, we thought of some friends who had been considering adopting from Ukraine. We set the article aside.

Days turned into weeks; the article remained on top of the pile of coffee table books. One day, Mark turned to me (or I turned to him…who knows?) and said, “Gee, maybe we should host one of these kids.” I (or he, who knows?) answered “Sure, might be fun.”

The Application

Mark promptly contacted the program coordinator to get details and see what was involved.

We would need to complete an application, submit to a police check, and take an online course designed for families hosting or adopting an international child from an institutional setting such as an orphanage. The costs for the police check and the online course were minimal, so we thought, “still sounds fun!”

The life changes began when we sat down one evening to complete the application.

One of the first questions was “Are you open to adoption?” Adhering to the “never say never” policy, we answered “yes.” Then came “why are you interested in adoption?” and so on. Each question innocently led to the next, making us think a little more with each one.

When we finished the application, we were still planning to simply host, but our hearts had been opened to the option of adoption…..

Choosing a Child

Once we were approved as host families, the fun began.

Within a few days, we received an email with photos of two brothers, 8 and 9. They were incredibly cute; both looked like they had popped right out of a 1950s TV show. But the more I started thinking of the impact of TWO boys on this household, the more panic set in.

I called the program coordinator and asked if perhaps they might have any girls that needed a place to stay.  She immediately sent photos and told me a little bit about the oldest girl, whom she had met on a recent visit to Ukraine.

When Mark got home that evening, we looked at the photos, debated a lot, and finally concluded that Mariya was the right choice to stay with us.