Matching Monday

To view all the children featured on Matching Monday click here.

LDS Family Services and Families Supporting Adoption encourage you to look at all your options when hoping to build a family through adoption, including foster care.

Are these your children?

Florida
Hershel, Jordan & Diamond 10, 5 & 4
This trio longs for a home where they can all be a family again!
click on the link and scroll down to see their information..the site doesn't allow me to give you a direct link.
If you know of someone who might be interested in these children please send this information along...it looks like they are willing to separate them and I am praying they will find a family that will take all of them together!



Oregon
Octavion, Zane, Teara & Syrianna ages 5, 4, 2 & 1
These energetic children embrace each day and each activity with gust and enthusiasm.



Missouri
LaDereyon, Cenea & LeJean ages 8, 3 & 2.
Three big smiles on three fabulous kids who want to stay together forever!


Alabama
Adriana, Angel & Aliyah ages 6, 5 & 2
These fun girls were recently reunited into the same foster family...they want to stay together!



Colorado
DaJane & Sukiya are 10 & 2 years old.
These energetic and playful pair want to be together.

Utah
Zackkery & Ceci ages 7 (almost 8) & 7.
This fun, bonded pair must remain together.




Advice from Kathy Searle
The Utah Director of Programs for The Adoption Exchange

"If you have made an inquiry follow up with the agency about 4 weeks later. They should be able to give the worker a little nudge or give you information that the case worker didn't have time to get to you. Please please please don't give up our waiting children are depending upon you."


* * *

We are learning that you have to be proactive in order to hear any more information about these children. If you don't hear anything back from an email inquiry, don't give up. Call the case worker assigned.

Please take time to look at each situation--each child. Then share their information with others. Even if these little ones aren't right for your family, you might be the link to the family who is.

Article: "Different Trips to the Same Place"

Deciding to have a baby is like planning a trip to Australia. You've heard it's a wonderful place, you've read many guidebooks and feel certain you're ready to go. Everyone you know has traveled there by plane. They say it can be a turbulent flight with occasional rough landings, but you can look forward to being pampered on the trip.

So you go to the airport and ask the ticket agent for a ticket to Australia. All around you, excited people are boarding planes for Australia. It seems there is no seat for you; you'll have to wait for the next flight. Impatient, but anticipating a wonderful trip, you wait--and wait--and wait.

Flights to Australia continue to come and go. People say silly things like, "Relax. You'll get on a flight soon." Other people actually get on a plane and then cancel their trip, to which you cry, "It's not fair!"

After a long time the ticket agent tells you, "I'm sorry, we're not going to be able to get you on a plane to Australia. Perhaps you should think about going by boat."

"By BOAT!" you say. "Going by boat will take a very long time and it costs a great deal of money. I really had my heart set on going by plane." So you go home and think about not going to Australia at all. You wonder if Australia will be as beautiful if you approach it by sea rather than air. But you have long dreamed of this wonderful place, and finally you decide to travel by boat.

It is a long trip, many months over many rough seas. No one pampers you. You wonder if you will ever see Australia. Meanwhile, your friends have flown back and forth to Australia two or three more times, marveling about each trip.

Then one glorious day, the boat docks in Australia. It is more exquisite than you ever imagined, and the beauty is magnified by your long days at sea. You have made many wonderful friends during your voyage, and you find yourself comparing stories with other who also traveled by sea rather then by air.

People continue to fly to Australia as often as they like, but you are about to travel only once, perhaps twice. Some say things like, "Oh, be glad you didn't fly. My flight was horrible; traveling by sea is so easy."

You will always wonder what it would have been like to fly to Australia. Still, you know God blessed you with a special appreciation of Australia, and the beauty of Australia is not in the way you get there, but in the place itself.

By Diane Armitage printed in the April 21, 1995 "Dear Abby" column.

Nevada FSA Goes Camping

Written and Photographed by: Mike and Lisa


Our fearless committee had been kicking around the idea of a camp out for while now and it was floated to do a camp out to the LDS Recreation area at Warm Springs., the beautiful oasis of warm springs out in the middle of the desert just west of the town Moapa.

Even though it was end of April, the weather was cool and windy, so how to counter the cold – hit the warm water. A bunch of kiddies and dads went into the creek behind our camping spot. What is better than the sounds of kids yelling and laughing, louder than the sound of the wind in the palm trees?

Every family provided their own dinner, and the evening ended with a big bon fire and lots of great stories being told of adoption and families.

The next morning we were treated to a great breakfast provided by FSA. The wind was getting strong that morning and our plates blew around camp and then some scary clouds came in and rained us out. Sadly, no swimming in the hot pools that day and we all opted to pack up and get home. While the day didn’t go as planned, we have now established our newest FSA tradition – the spring family camp out.

Matching Monday

To view all the children featured on Matching Monday click here.

LDS Family Services and Families Supporting Adoption encourage you to look at all your options when hoping to build a family through adoption, including foster care.

Are these your children?

Oregon

Alonzo just turned 2 years old
He loves to explore and has a fun sense of humor.

Utah
Gage is 7 years old.
He is in first grade and LOVES to draw!

Missouri
Quantavia, Anastasia & Jayla ages 8, 5 & 3
This trio will sing and dance their way into your hearts!

Oklahoma
Veronia is 14 years old.
She enjoys basketball, cheerleading and being outdoors.

Kentucky
Bethany is 17 years old.
She is soft spoken and dreams of a forever family.

Advice from Kathy Searle
The Utah Director of Programs for The Adoption Exchange

"If you have made an inquiry follow up with the agency about 4 weeks later. They should be able to give the worker a little nudge or give you information that the case worker didn't have time to get to you. Please please please don't give up our waiting children are depending upon you."


* * *

We are learning that you have to be proactive in order to hear any more information about these children. If you don't hear anything back from an email inquiry, don't give up. Call the case worker assigned.

Please take time to look at each situation--each child. Then share their information with others. Even if these little ones aren't right for your family, you might be the link to the family who is.

Article: "'One Thing Needful:' Becoming Women of Greater Faith"

image courtesy of flickr.

"One Thing Needful": Becoming Women of Greater Faith in Christ

by Patricia T. Holland, Ensign October 1987

In a poignant exchange with God, Adam states that he will call the woman Eve. And why does he call her Eve? 'Because she [is] the mother of all living.' (Genesis 3:20; Moses 4:26.) ...Eve was given the identity of 'the mother of all living' --years, decades, perhaps centuries before she ever bore a child.

It would appear that her motherhood preceded her maternity,

just as surely as the perfection of the Garden preceded the struggles of mortality. I believe mother is one of those very carefully chosen words, one of those rich words--with meaning after meaning after meaning. We must not, at all costs, let that word divide us.

I believe with all my heart that it is first and foremost a statement about our nature, not a head count of our children.

...some women give birth and raise children but never 'mother' them. Others, whom I love with all my heart, 'mother' all their lives but have never given birth. And all of us are Eve's daughters, whether we are married or single, maternal or barren. We are created in the image of the Gods to become gods and goddesses."

West Valley FSA's Night to Honor Birthparents

The West Valley FSA had a night to honor birthparents.
by Kim Hatch, West Valley, Utah's FSA Chairwoman

Birth Mother's Day is celebrated the Saturday before Mother's Day each year. So we took the time this week to celebrate both birthmothers and birthfathers.
There were several members from the FSA board, also there. It was a wonderful time meeting each other and to see how adoption had touched everyone in different ways.

We had a light luncheon with a Chicken Salad, Fruit, Rolls and 3 different desserts. We ate and mingled. And we loved every bite of the delicious food, and it was great to hear different adoption and placement stories.

Christine Anderson (from Salt Lake FSA) sang "I Gave You More," a song written by Janis Kapp Perry. It was very touching, and was sang beautifully. We were all touched.

The poem "My Heart" (written by Nicole Strickland a birthmother) was read. To go along with this we had a gift for each birthmother, a heart pennant and for the birthfather's we had digital photo keychains for them.


As an adoptive mother, I am always looking for ways to thank and honor our daughter's birthparents and other birthmothers that I meet and get to know. I enjoy hearing their stories and what they are doing now in their life. We all so love and adore these amazing people who have made tough choices, that have blessed our lives. Having this opportunity to honor them was amazing for all of us there, to feel all the love in the room was a great experience. We can't wait to do this again next year.

* * *

We want to hear from you!
How did you or your FSA Chapter celebrate Birth Mother's Day?
Please leave a comment or email us at fsablog at gmail dot com.

Finding Friday: Email your Adoption Info to all of your Contacts

{Finding Idea: Email your online adoption profile address to everyone in your email contacts.}

After reading this post, you may be inspired to send an email or letter to your contacts just like the Horrocks did. Here are some points to remember and a sample letter to help you.

Writing Your Letter:

Write a letter to your family and friends informing them that you are unable to bear children and inviting them to assist in locating a birth mother who might consider placing her child. Don't expect immediate results. It is generally necessary to send periodic follow-up letters for several reasons:

• They may assume someone else will do what you've asked.
• They have an idea of what you want but may not know exactly how to go about it.
• They may have a desire to help, but either forget or procrastinate.
• Unless you keep them informed they may feel that you've been successful and no longer need their help ...so it's important to follow-up regularly.

Points to Remember:

1. Give them the information they need.
1. You are seeking a child.
2. They can play a role in the finding process.
3. What they can do.
4. Example of how others have assisted with adoption.
2. Be brief and to the point.
3. Include a picture they can easily show to interested parties.

Sample Letter:

Dear Family and Friends,

We hope this letter finds you well. As you may already know, we have been married for ten years and as yet have not been able to have children. After many tests and no success we have decided to seek a child through adoption. We are writing you to ask for any help you can give us in building our family through adoption.

If you become aware of a birth mother who is looking to place her child in a loving home, we would appreciate help in recommending us to the birth mother. If she is willing to consider us as adoptive parents, please contact us at (phone number) or you may contact our caseworker (name of caseworker) at LDS Family Services, (phone number).

We have enclosed a photo of ourselves that could be shown to a potential birth mother. If she would like more information, we or (name of caseworker) can provide her with additional photos and information concerning our background, family, careers, hobbies, and interests. Birth parents may also view our online profile at www.itsaboutlove.org by clicking on "Search Adoptive Profiles" and typing in "JohnandJane" (no spaces between names).

We are most grateful for any assistance you may provide in building our family.

Sincerely,



(Name of Adoptive Couple)



Taken from "Someone's Missing"

Birth Parent Gift Idea: Quilts and Blankets

Quilt
Quilts similar to that of the child’s can be
made for the birthmother to give her something
soft to cuddle up with. Quilts can also be made
out of the child’s clothes once they have outgrown
them.

Blanket
Have a blanket made for the birthmother and child out of the same material as the child's sheets. The birthmother's is her size and the child's is his size. Add their initial to each blanket.

You can never go wrong with things that
are made from the heart!


Great Gift Idea for: Placement/One year
Appropriate for: Birthmother

Matching Monday

To view all the children featured on Matching Monday click here.

LDS Family Services and Families Supporting Adoption encourage you to look at all your options when hoping to build a family through adoption, including foster care.

Are these your children?

Elizabeth is 1 year old. How darling is she is that little hat? She loves to be cuddled and enjoys being outside. She is in Utah.

Fredrick is 21 months old. He is in Massachusetts. Needs a family to help him reach is full potential. He loves to cuddle and enjoys musical toys.



Christian, Keydan, Miking, Sean ages 7, 4, 3 & 1. These cute siblings look like so much fun. They are in California. These active and fun brothers would like to be placed together.

Abias & Chassiya are 6 year old twins and they look like they are so full of personality. They would like to be placed together preferably to a family in Wisconsin. If you don't live in the preferred area, but know someone who does, please share this info. If you are interested in these twins but don't live in Wisconsin, I would still send in an inquiry...never hurts to try.

The Wisconsin site doesn't allow me to link you directly to the kids information page. Please click on their names and search their database for Abias and Chassiya.

Steven is 13 years old. Handsome, handsome Steven in from Indiana. He cares about others and enjoys helping his foster dad out with projects.



* * *

We are learning that you have to be proactive in order to hear any more information about these children. If you don't hear anything back from an email inquiry, don't give up. Call the case worker assigned.

Please take time to look at each situation--each child. Then share their information with others. Even if these little ones aren't right for your family, you might be the link to the family who is.

Article: "What's Best For My Baby?"

What's Best For My Baby?
New Era, November 2001

Here's a thought provoking part:

Tears showered my face as I walked to the couple, the parents I’d chosen for her. My lips quivered and my hands shook as I placed her in their arms. The emotions I felt were so intense, like none I’d felt before. Inside I just went back and forth, battling how I felt. Was I doing the right thing? Could they love her as much as I did? Then I looked at them. Their happiness was so sincere; their love was pure and true. This was my baby’s family. I just knew.


Birthmothers are incredible, amazing and loving people.
If you know one, she deserves all the respect you have to offer.