Tim and Angie

Hi, our names are Tim and Angie.  We cannot explain how excited we are to become parents through adoption! We have been in prayer daily for you, and the hard decision that lies ahead of you. We can only imagine how you feel, and know that our loving Heavenly Father is thinking of you and is wanting to give you so much love through this hard time in your life. We truly believe that God counts every tear and understands every emotion that you feel. We want to thank you for looking at us to be adoptive parents for your baby, and we want you to now that we will love this baby with everything we have.

We have been married for 5 years, and have been together for 7 years. We have been down the hard road of infertility, and it has been an emotional journey. We have such a love for children, and we looking forward to the day that God provides us with our miracle. We have always known we wanted to adopt. Angie has three adopted siblings, and has experienced the joy of adoption in her own family. We also have many adopted children in our church family, and we love to see how God has shaped them and given them such joy and love. We both come from large families, and they are so excited about our adoption. We have 12 nieces and nephews, and the older ones tell us they are so excited to get a new cousin!  Adoption is a gift and we are so grateful for the opportunity to be apart of it.

Tim works at a Fortune 500 Company in which he is in leadership. He gets to use his skills from his college degree in business administration to help build and grow this company. Angie works as a graphic designer for churches. She loves to be apart of these churches and to see the amazing things that God is doing. We love to go hiking together, and to go to new places and see and do new things.

Thank you for reading a little about our lives and we would love for you to learn more about us through our adoption profile or by meeting us. We pray that God will give you his peace and comfort through this hard time in your life.

We would like to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts for choosing life for your baby, and we our honored that you are considering us to adopt. We have been blessed to be married for five years and are looking forward to spending the rest of our lives together. Liz is currently in her last semester of nursing school and is excited to start her career as a nurse in the new year! (Part time of course!). She loves scrapbooking and sewing. Richie runs a small construction company that his father started over 35 years ago, and works mainly from our home office. He has an amazing love for music. He writes and produces his own music, and serves at our church as an Audio Engineer. He also plays roller hockey. We love to go on weekend vacations to the river and to Liz’s mom’s house in the desert, camping, and going to the beach. And love taking large vacations to our favorite Hawaiian island. Our favorite hobbies together include watching and cheering for the L.A. Kings hockey team, and taking our dogs (Elton & Maggie) to the dog park. We both have wonderful families that are extremely supportive and excited to add another member! Words cannot express the love and appreciation we have for you. People like us cannot have families without wonderful people like you.

]]> http://www.adoptionanswer.com/richie-elizabeth/feed/ 0 http://www.adoptionanswer.com/adoption-answer-orphan-blog/ http://www.adoptionanswer.com/adoption-answer-orphan-blog/#comments Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:00:50 +0000 Michelle http://www.adoptionanswer.com/?p=1909 A few days ago, I was so moved by a blog that another adoptive mom had written.  She is an advocate of orphan adoption and her experience has been life changing and inspiring.  I was overcome with emotion as I read her blog and saw the pictures she posted.  The pictures were of actual orphans from different countries.  One picture showed 5 to 7 year old boys, obviously ill and/or malnourished all sitting on toddler potties in a row.  They looked to be from a European country.  I showed my husband and said, “Look, these boys are our Garrett’s age.”  He and I were both so saddened.  Another picture was of rows and rows of medal cribs with Asian babies in them.  The paint on the cribs was peeling and they looked rusted.  There were more pictures and the author compelled me to want to share and do something.

I re-posted the blog on my personal facebook with the tag “You NEED to read this.”  I was sorely disappointed to see only one person “like” the article and she was also the one person to leave a short comment.  I see more comments made over the silliest of things… why wouldn’t everybody want to read and share this?

As I thought about this more, I realized that the author showed me something I had never seen before.  If I am honest, I can admit that maybe I have not wanted to see this.  I have not wanted to think about it.  It bothers me when I give it thought and with my busy life – out of sight IS out of mind.  Except now I can’t get these pictures out of my mind.

Today, as I was driving and seeing these pictures in my mind, my own parents were laid on my heart.  You see, my mom was one of those Asian orphans.  Her father and mother died when she was a young girl, leaving her with her four siblings in the Philippines.  They would sing and beg in the town square in order to get food.  My father was born in a refugee camp in Germany as both of his parents were survivors of a brutal Nazi work camp.  In that refugee camp, his father was killed.  My father was then sent off to England, with many other orphaned and displaced children, to be schooled.

It sadly just dawned on me, that I am the daughter of two orphans.  Even I, Mrs. Live and Breathe Everything Adoption, somehow have missed the boat on the importance of orphan adoption.  I have closed my eyes.  I have not wanted to think of how they are forced to live – maybe because it hits so close to home because of my parents.  No – it hasn’t hit close enough to home for me.  There are so, so many children in this world who are neglected, preyed upon, abandoned, abused and unloved.  I am thankful that my parents survived, but there are many who have not.  There are many that need help right now.

My parents were not adopted and somehow by God’s grace they made it. If you asked them – I know they would share that they would have loved to have had a more “normal” upbringing.  There is much that they don’t talk about.  I am thinking that maybe, now, is the time for me to hear more.  Maybe, now, is the time for me to DO more.

I will be re-posting the blog that I have shared about in this blog – on Adoption Answer’s facebook page.  I HOPE that you will read it.  I hope that you will comment.  I hope that you will be compelled to learn more and maybe, just maybe, we can do something together to help in some way.

If you have any thoughts or ideas, please do contact me at our office (951) 304-0888.

National Adoption Awareness Month is here to bring light to the world of adoption. There is such a need. Though we deal with domestic, typically newborn situations, we are absolutely open to go wherever the Lord will lead us.  Please pray with us as we pray for those organizations that currently work in those areas where orphans are so prevalent.

Did you know that HALF of those or 3 MILLION pregnancies are UNPLANNED?

Did you know that almost HALF of those unplanned pregnancies or 1.3 MILLION BABIES are terminated through abortion?

I don’t know about you, but these numbers astound me.  They trouble me.  They anguish me.

I don’t mind if I sound a bit dramatic.  I think we should all be traumatized by these facts and do something to change them.  We are talking about lives. We are talking about saving a child, while at the same time preserving the mental, physical and emotional and spiritual state of the expectant mom.  We are talking about offering viable options.

This month, November, is National Adoption Awareness Month.  This month IS THE MONTH where we have the opportunity to share the answer.  ADOPTION is the answer – at least it could be, if it were made an option.

In October and November, we gladly attend and support the banquets and galas of our much loved Pregnancy Resource Centers.  It is their fundraising time and we are hopeful that they will be blessed richly as they do so much to stand up for life.  They are on the front lines showing love for the expectant mom and offering life options and emotional support.

Far too long has there been a great disconnect between a “Crisis Pregnancy Center” and the logical next step of sharing adoption.  How good it is to partner with these Pregnancy RESOURCE Centers to educate their volunteers and counselors about the how to’s on introducing adoption to their clients.  It is so rewarding to come alongside and help them to help a woman, who believed abortion to be her only alternative, to now choose life and a family for her child.  Many of these young women share that they believe that their adoption decision not only saved their child’s life, but saved them as well.

Adoption will not be the comfortable choice for everybody, but unless it is explained and shared adequately as an option, a true choice cannot be made.  Telling a young woman who feels her world crashing down around her that abortion is wrong, and then offering her only the one choice of parenting is very unfair to her.  Parenting is a lifetime commitment, which many of these women in unplanned pregnancies are completely unprepared for.  The pressure they feel at parenting is what pushes them towards abortion.  They just want their life to go back to being normal, not realizing that abortion leaves an incredible amount of scars and guilt.  We have heard way too many say – “I wish someone had shared about adoption with me…”   Having dealt with hundreds and hundreds of young women who have made an adoption plan – I have not once had one call years later and share their regret of placing.  However, I am always so heartbroken for the many that sob their regret of abortion.

All these young women need are ALL of the options to be given to them.  The choice is then theirs to make.  Let’s learn how to share properly about adoption so that they have a chance to make a decision that they won’t regret.

Adoption Answer is the answer to adoption education.  We welcome the opportunity to share and educate about adoption.  We are here to work with any center that desires to be educated further on adoption.  Our education workshops are free, as are all of our services to any woman in an unplanned pregnancy.  Please feel free to contact our office at any time -  1-877-357-1177

]]> http://www.adoptionanswer.com/adoption-answer-the-answer-to-adoption-education/feed/ 0 http://www.adoptionanswer.com/its-november-national-adoption-month/ http://www.adoptionanswer.com/its-november-national-adoption-month/#comments Wed, 02 Nov 2011 04:38:15 +0000 Michelle http://www.adoptionanswer.com/?p=1901 It’s NOVEMBER and National Adoption Month.  This is my absolute favorite time of the year.  Autumn days, leaves falling, pumpkins, cooler temperatures and the consistent reminder that it is a time to give thanks.  For me, there are so many reasons to be thankful.

I am thankful for the simple things in life.  I am very thankful for our neighbor who brought over the delicious scones she baked. My children and I enjoyed the stories those scones brought out from my husband, about his grandmother’s scones from his childhood memories.  It makes me so happy when my children do their chores without having to be reminded. Nothing is better than an unsolicited hug from my son or another great report card from school for my daughter.  I most enjoy a conversation with my sisters where we laugh so hard that we are crying.  I am so touched every time I receive a card in the mail from someone, for any reason, whatsoever. I am thankful for a simple thank you – be it because I made an enjoyable meal or because we’ve helped in an adoption.   It is always nice to receive a message on fb from a special friend who is checking in or letting me know that they are praying for me.  My heart is touched with the flowers my husband picks or buys, puts in a vase and places on the table for me to “find”.

These simple, regular things keep me grounded and sane.

I used to be the girl who liked the grand things in life and now I find myself just loving life for the good things it has to offer and appreciating the lessons from the tough times.  I used to be on this quest to the bigger and better and now I am happy with just being happy. There was a time that there was no satisfaction, because if there was – than that would mean I was settling or missing out.   And now, I find, I have so much and am happier than ever.

As I share these things with the women I life coach or speak to, it is to hopefully have them be drawn into the drama free gift of joy that our God so freely offers us.  Romans 15:13 shares –  “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  I love this verse.  It promises us that under ANY circumstance – even the hardest one – IF we trust in the Lord, than we can still feel joy and peace and can have hope. Yes – joy, peace and hope, even during the saddest, loneliest, darkest time.

Believe me, I have had many a dark time in my life.  It is always so good to be on the other side, but I now so appreciate the faith building that takes place during and because of those times.  There has been much pain, as I reflect, that was self imposed due to my own choices.   Loss of self respect and heart break because of wrong decisions, based primarily on the emotions I was feeling in that moment.  In turn, these choices caused a void between me and the Lord or me and someone else. Yet, some of the darkest times have not been by my own choice – like the loss of my babies through miscarriage.  There was such shock & disbelief that the little being that I had instantaneously bonded with and loved was suddenly gone – along with all the dreams I had for them.  Or the loss of my husband’s successful company several years ago and subsequently, the loss of our home.  At that time, it seemed the loss of our comfort and financial security was so overwhelming.

Adoption is one of those situations where typically, some sort of loss has been experienced from a different perspective – on both sides – before or during the adoption plan.  For adoptive parents, it sometimes is the reasons leading up to the decision to adopt.  For others, it is the waiting that hurts or possibly the loss of a matched situation.  For birth moms, the lack of family support or the actual placement may be the most painful.  There is no comparison – pain is pain.

Whatever the cause, whatever the grief, I have learned that we have an amazingly faithful God.  He is there for us to turn to.  He is there for us to trust Him to carry us through.  He IS there, and IF we trust Him, then He will provide that joyful peace that can only come from Him.  How do I know?  Because I have actually experienced it.  Not always – because I am human and have bad habits and control issues at times. Lol!  But, during those times (which are now more often) that I do really put my trust in Him, I experience that joy and/or peace that passes all understanding – even if I am under the most tremendous stress or going through something that causes me grief and sadness.

This month, I am most thankful for the joy and peace, along with the hope that the Lord can so simply provide for us.  All we need to do is trust Him.

~ Henrik & Alicia ~

Henrik & Alicia

Upon first meeting Henrik & Alicia, you will know immediately that this couple is uniquely special.  The first thing that you will notice is their obvious love for one another.  They have a mutual respect for each other and are quietly affectionate with one another.  As both are educated as engineers, they ironically both have very creative sides as well.  They are lovers of art and music and are very cultured, yet down to earth as well. They are fun and friendly.  Henrik & Alicia also enjoy spending time together playing sports outdoors or going on a walk or bike ride.

Henrik & Alicia enjoy traveling - whether it be a weekend away in the local mountains or going abroad for some serious fun, rest and relaxation.

Just this Summer, they enjoyed a Texas rodeo, fishing in the Northwoods of Wisconsin and an amazing adventure in St. John, Virgin Islands.  They are so looking forward to time at home with a new baby and planning kid friendly family vacations.Though they do not have children yet, they volunteer for their local Boy Scouts.  Alicia also involves herself with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization through her work.  They share, “Volunteering is a way we can be connected to our community and the kids within it while freely giving our time and sharing our talents.” We are thrilled to feature Henrik & Alicia as we know that this special couple has so much to offer a child.  Education, stability, culture, a beautiful home, teaching the importance of giving to others, an incredible extended family and most importantly ~ LOVE.

We enjoy spending time with one another and look forward to having a baby to share our love with.

If you are interested in learning more about Henrik & Alicia or meeting them, please contact us at 1-877-357-1177

Steve & Susan

Hello and thank you for the incredibly difficult and brave choice you are making for your child.  Life is so precious and having an opportunity to adopt is just as precious to Susan and me.  We have been married for more than 20 years now and have desired being parents from the first moment.  Susan is a natural with children.  They are drawn to her like a magnet.  I love kids and long to share my life experiences with a child of my own.  Susan grew up on the east coast and joined the Air Force from high school.  She then sought an electrical engineering degree from Cal Poly Tech and interned with Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, a division of NASA.  She later changed her degree to Education so that she could work with children.  She is a wonderfully gifted teacher who tutors and mentors many young people.  I grew up in Southern California and joined the Navy out of high school.  I have had many great experiences in my life that has shaped me in what I now do.  I work as a facilities manager for a great church in Atlanta, Georgia.  I have a great gift of combining my art with my skills in construction to create wonderful atmospheres for our churches.  I also work with the youth ministry here at the church.  It is so cool to love the work you do as Sue and I do.  We also love movies and dancing, camping and hiking, bike rides and the ocean.  We are faithful Christians and believe that God is in control of all we do and will supply all of our needs.  We also believe that He alone determines the time for a child to bless our home, and we are prayerful for you as you are making this decision.  Thank you for considering us.  God bless.

Jay & Kristin

Thank you for considering us as potential adoptive parents for your child.  We are Jay and Kristin.  We have been married for 8 years and we have both worked for the same company, an electric utility, for almost 15 years.  Kristi is a Supervisor and Jay is a Project Manager.  While we have not been able to conceive children ourselves, we have a home and family that is filled with love.  Both of us have large extended families with several children and regular gatherings.  In our home your child will be loved and will grow to become a capable, caring adult.

We both greatly value education and have completed college degrees.  We understand the importance of education to both improve quality of life as well as to nurture a child’s natural curiosity.

Kristi enjoys working on arts and crafts projects as well as visiting with family and friends.  Jay plays basketball and soccer in his free time.  We both enjoy spoiling our dog Zoie and cat Bernie.

Kristi would make a great mother.  This isn’t speculation.  I witnessed it first-hand with the two foster boys who lived with us for almost 2 years.  Any person witnessing her interaction with these boys would have believed they were her children…because they were!  She loved (and continues to love) them as her own.   Kristi is a natural teacher, a profession she once considered.  She enjoys seeing the world through their eyes and being an active participant in helping kids grow and develop.

]]> http://www.adoptionanswer.com/jay-kristin-3/feed/ 0 http://www.adoptionanswer.com/amy/ http://www.adoptionanswer.com/amy/#comments Sun, 28 Aug 2011 00:59:14 +0000 Michelle http://adoptionanswer.com/?p=1846

From the beginning, Amy has been at complete peace with her adoption decision.

“Lord, I know this is Your will and Your blessing and I am thankful to be able to carry it out. Lord, guide me to the next step…”

Family is such a beautiful blessing.  It’s not perfect, it takes a lot of work, and you have to put yourselves aside to be able to raise your children.  God knows my heart, He knows my desire, and He knows how I can lose track of Him in effort to control my own will.  Even though I backslide, my heart and mind always pull back towards the Lord.  I hit a rock bottom at a point in my life and inside me grew an innocent.  I had an instant fear for her as our situation was so complicated.  I went to the Lord and through prayer I heard “This is not for you.”   Isn’t He so poetic?  “Lord, I’m on board!”

In my church bulletin, there was this phone number alongside what I misread to read “Teen pregnancy and adoption helpline”.   That number was for the Pregnancy Resource Center in San Bernardino and it connected me to Raquel.  We had such a special conversation that stays with me as one of the many signs of how adoption touches people in a wonderful way, thank you Jesus!  See the word “Adoption” looks like “Abortion” and I wasn’t identifying with that or “teen pregnancy” and probably wouldn’t have thought to call there if I had read it right. Small detail but it is impactful to this bigger story I have.

Raquel couldn’t help me there but quickly said “You should talk to Michelle with Adoption Answer.”  She told me Michelle was local and I could meet with her pretty quickly.  I hung up then called Michelle while I had the momentum and questions.  Ring ring… (walking laps around the couch) ring ring… “Adoption Answer…”  Wow.  I know every one of you who have called her can understand me when I say there is something instantly special about Michelle.  I was calling for answers but admit I was concerned that I was going to be given a pitch.  With Michelle, you can tell that if your lives are going to connect that it is because it’s God’s will and not something artificial to that.  She gave me answers and made herself open and available in case I had more questions or wanted to begin the process. She concerned herself with where I was at in life and made it a point to me that she doesn’t judge me and I knew her actions were going to prove that.  Even though I didn’t feel I needed anything but answers at that moment, I appreciated that if there was something I needed she would work something out. I believe that Adoption Answer supports her to be able to do this. Thank you Jesus!  Wow!!!

Mike feels the baby kick

The connection I have with Mike and Kim went further than our adoption match.  Our friendship is God centered and what blossoms out of that is ever revealing.  They are such an amazing couple.   I feel they have put themselves out there and I respect that and see it as a gift.  I want to mention that because we spent great care over each other, there was some amazing harmony in the delivery room and after care.  I appreciate that they didn’t walk on eggshells around me and that they really trusted me.  I appreciate them for so many reasons.  It has been 4 months since I first met Emsley and I still have no regrets here, no sadness.  It has been my privilege to have gone through this.  I have given my grief of backslide to God a long time ago and do not carry that with me.  I have been polished by this experience and would do it all again if that’s what God wants for me.

I open myself up to you.  If there is something more I can share with you please contact me.  I looked for something here on the website when I begin this process but didn’t find it until I made the call for questions.  Birthmothers and fathers; take pride in the fact that you have options and it should mean something that you are looking into them.  Adoptive parents in waiting, I think about how you’re in this journey everyday and how He is working on preparing you. I think about how He doesn’t give anyone more than they can handle.  I have a strong desire to say this now; God never takes his eyes off of you and He is committed to you.  To everyone who’s connected through adoption, I am thankful to you.  What adoption is today is so beautifully faceted.   Feeling pride and satisfaction because you are a part of something beautiful teaches the world that adoption is a healthy choice and an option to consider. May God continue to touch you in your lives.

Amy with her son Nathan ` visiting with Mike & Kim and Baby Emsley.

The process was easier than I thought it would be because just like you said, you walked me through it step by step.  I am glad that my daughter is with such a loving family.  It hurts, but I know that it was the right thing to do so I could move forward with my life and try to get things straight.

It has been months now since my adoption took place and I thank you for still being there for me.  I don’t know what I would do without knowing you were there for me to call.

Thanks for making sure she is taken care of.  And thanks for being there for me.

~Yvonne