Lydia Tarr

Adoption first touched my heart in 1998 while on bedrest with my third pregnancy; I saw a television program about adoption and it forever changed me. As I began exploring all the available information on adoption, I discovered that few people really seemed to understand the Biblical perspective. I began to feel led to share with others what the Bible says about caring for orphans and to help them wade through the information, hoping that more Christian families might also decide to grow their families through adoption. Around this same time, our church held a ministry fair with a sermon titled "What is your Passion". My passion is my family. I grew up in a family of divorce. At the time, my husband and I had been married for 15 years, and I knew that was a huge blessing for our children. I love my kids so much, and it broke my heart to know that there were so many children in the world without the security of a loving family.

In 2001, I started Welcome Arms adoption ministry at Calvary Church in St. Peters, MO. Soon after this, we brought a daughter home from Ukraine. When we moved back to the Indianapolis area, I became a part of an adoption support group at Indian Creek Christian Church. In 2004, I helped this support group grow into an outreach ministry by organizing a Kingdom Kids Adoption Conference in which we were able to share the Biblical perspective on adoption and educate Christian families on the needs of orphans. In the last 6 years, I have immersed myself in the adoption culture, mostly focused on Eastern Europe. Prior to joining MLJ Adoptions, I had worked to bring over 100 orphaned children to visit Indiana through a hosting program and helped more than 70 to be placed in loving families.

After visiting so many orphanages, the burden of how many children are in need of forever families became personal. The need was so big that I felt that my family and I could open up our hearts once again. At that time, I did not feel pulled to adopting a young child. I had heard that only a 20% of orphans over the age of 5 were able to find a forever family. My family and I had the opportunity to host a 7yo girl when she came to visit the US on a vacation from Ukaine. We we fell in love with her and decided to try to adopt both her and her 6yo sister. We were fortunate to bring them home in May of 2007. I personally feel that the three children to whom I gave birth are God's gift to me and the three children that I adopted are my gift back to God. That, in no way, is to say that my Ukrainian daughters are not a blessing to me; they are wanted and loved.

I have a passion for educating Christian families to the great need of orphans worldwide and helping them to find a way to bring a child into their homes. I believe that God has predestined these children, and just as missionaries are sent all around the world, God leads us all over the world to our children. I truly believe that I have found the ministry that God has purposed for me. I feel so fulfilled as I am sharing my understanding of God's truth about adoption and how He commands us to care for the orphans whom He adores. One of the greatest compliments I have received came from an elder in my church when he said that when I talk about the children he could see Jesus in my eyes. That is the reflection I want my life to be.

Resume
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