This life project has been shared by St. Charles County LFL #337 in Saint Charles, Missouri. Thank you to Delores Desemone, Life Chapter Member, for the helpful information.
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him” (1 John 3:1).
Many of us have probably said the words “I am a child of God” more than once. But how have we become children of God? Through adoption! As baptized believers, we have been brought into God’s family. Jesus is our Elder Brother, and we have become heirs. What a wonderful part of being a Christian!
This is a wonderful example for us and how we view adoption. Knowing that we are adopted as God’s children can lead us to support adoption more and possibly even adopt. While it’s not always easy, there are many blessings that come with foster care and adoption. Even if adoption isn’t part of your calling, there are many ways you can support adoption.
Adoption has its hard moments. It is hard to soften the knowledge of being rejected by one’s biological parent. Many adoptees struggle with this knowledge. It is important to support them through this. The adoptive parents play a big role in this, but the Church can support both the children and parents during this. The Church is where grace is found and healing can happen. The Church can be intentional to talk about adoption and support those who adopt and have been adopted.
The language used around adoption is important. Adoption needs to be talked about more. We can help speak positively about it. There is care needed when talking about the subject. We want to thank those who have placed their children in adoption and thank them for not choosing abortion. We want to call abortion what it is but do so in a caring and loving way. This needs to be followed with God’s forgiveness and grace.
There are other ways language can have an effect. The words we use are important. Two phrases that should be avoided are “give baby up for adoption” or “gave away the baby.” The mother made an adoption plan. She didn’t make this decision lightly. The mother made the decision to unselfishly place her child into adoption because she wanted a better life for her child, a life that she wasn’t able to provide at the time.
One of the greatest examples of sacrifice is Christ’s sacrifice of His life. He died to pay the debt we owe and has given us a better life. Reminding adoptive children of this can help them process being placed into adoption. We can remind the children of the tough decisions their mother had to make. The difficult decision was made because she loved her child. As a child grows older, their understanding of their mom’s decision could be better understood. It’s even better understood when they have children of their own.
Foster care is another wonderful way to support those around us. While the foster care system isn’t perfect, there are many opportunities to care for children going through a rough time. Of course, this varies across the country. Providing a stable home to a child in an unstable situation would be such a blessing to that child. Another opportunity could be respite for foster parents when they need helping hands to care for the children. There are times when foster care can lead to adoption.
Not all of us are able to adopt or foster, but there are other ways we can support these endeavors.
For almost ten years, St. Charles County LFL #337 has been supporting families wanting to adopt. The first time they assisted in helping a family raise money to adopt, they were overwhelmed by the generosity of donors. This was when they decided they needed help from an outside organization. They prayed and found Lifesong for Orphans.
Lifesong for Orphans is one way to support those wanting to adopt. Lifesong becomes the liaison between the group raising money and the adoptive parents. Lifesong manages the funds and processes donations, screens families, and handles legalities. This takes the responsibility off those raising the funds. Your group won’t need to worry about screening the family’s financial situation, and the money raised will be handled by Lifesong.
The Life Chapter worked with Lifesong to create an application for perspective families to complete. It’s lengthy but gathers all the information needed for Lifesong to review in order to make recommendations.
These are the free fundraising tools provided by Lifesong for Orphans: matching grants, interest-free loans, crowdfunding website, fundraising ideas and support, tax-deductible donations, and no fees or administration costs. One hundred percent of the donations received by Lifesong are used directly to cover the adoption expenses of the adoptive parents. Lifesong walks alongside the family through the whole process and beyond. There are many resources available on their website, https://lifesong.org/.
Life Chapter member Delores Desemone has been working with other Life Ministry Groups in assisting them in getting connected with Lifesong. With her experience of working with Lifesong and having adopted five children of her own, she is an advocate for adoption and understands the blessings and hardships that come along with it. May this information inspire your group of the many ways it can support, promote, and pray for adoption and foster care.
For more information about Lifesong for Orphans, here is a link to a short video with an overview of their life-affirming work:
Lutherans For Life offers the following brochures on adoption and foster care:
- Foster Care (www.cph.org/foster-care-fold-out-brochure)
- Christ and Adoption (www.cph.org/christ-and-adoption)
- Adoption: Finding a Family for a Child (www.cph.org/adoption-finding-a-family-for-a-child)