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29
Nov

Bulgarian Program Update

by
in Bulgaria
I would like to take this time to share a couple of items of good news for our Bulgarian Adoption program. A week ago, our first family arrived in Sofia, Bulgaria, to meet the children they were referred! I will be sharing more in the next week or two about their trip – they promised ...
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25
Nov

To Whom Much Is Given…

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in MLJ Adoptions
When my parents built their house several years ago, I remember them wondering how they would use the extra space, primarily the large back yard. They felt a responsibility to do more than selfishly enjoy their blessings. In response, they have become entertainers, hosting large gatherings and small groups, making others feel welcome and accepted ...
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22
Nov

Report From Our Visit To Nicaragua

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in MLJ Adoptions
Recently Michele Jackson, executive director of MLJ Adoptions, Inc., and I travelled to Nicaragua to visit our in-country staff and assess the current adoption situation. Part of our program development is to make regular visits and identify any potential problems or delays. While there, we had the opportunity to meet with the director of Mi ...
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15
Nov

How to Manage the Adoption “Paper Chase”

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in MLJ Adoptions
I’ve heard a lot about the dreaded “Paper Chase,” the part of the adoption process where prospective adoptive parents need to gather original copies of their marriage license, birth certificates, doctors’ physicals, proofs of employment, background checks…The list goes on and on. Going into this process I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy ...
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13
Nov

114,556 Children are Waiting

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in MLJ Adoptions
MLJ Adoptions, Inc. believes all children deserve a loving home with families that can provide for their physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual needs. Although MLJ does not provide foster care services, we feel that it is a wonderful gift to a child in need, and are sharing the blog below in an effort to raise ...
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9
Nov

Connecting Through Play

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in MLJ Adoptions
Robyn Gobbel, LCSW is a therapist and adoption home study specialist in Austin, TX. She blogs about parenting, adoption, and adoptive parenting. We are happy to re-publish this important message on parenting and connecting with your children! You can also find Robyn on twitter and facebook. In the past few years, I’ve noticed that the ...
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5
Nov

Adoption Tax Credit Expanded and Improved!

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in Resources
The Internal Revenue Service recently published an article on the expanded adoption credit included in the Affordable Care Act which raises the maximum adoption credit to $13,170 per child, up from $12,150 in 2009. An added benefit to the credit is making the credit refundable, meaning eligible taxpayers can receive it even if they do ...
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2
Nov

Help Us Celebrate National Adoption Awareness Month!

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in Resources
We hope that you will join MLJ Adoptions, Inc., The Fatherless Foundation, Inc., and The Villages of Indiana, Inc. to celebrate National Adoption Awareness Month this November. We have teamed up to promote awareness about the need for international adoption, domestic adoption, orphan care, and foster care. During this month we will be visiting malls, ...
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1
Nov

Claiming

by
in MLJ Adoptions
We are family—a husband and wife, mom and dad, sons and daughters, and brothers and sisters. Sometimes we forget that we don’t have solely biological “ties” within our family. The facts of “born into” and “adopted into” are blurred. How we came together holds no importance, other than it is part of our incredible family ...
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25
Oct

World of Hair Care

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in Congo, Haiti, Resources
When I brought my daughter home in February of 2009, I entered a whole new world. I pretty much had to learn a new language with words like co-wash, no-poo, and twist-out. There were even code words like 4b, 3c, Ph, and TW and words to avoid like sulfates and parabens. I had entered the ...
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18
Oct

We Will Run for Congolese Women Again

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in Congo
It’s not easy running a marathon. It’s doubly not easy when you are not a runner. It’s even harder when you’re pushing a stroller in the cold at 10am. But we did it. My husband and I jogged (and walked slowly at times) the entire 5K course in Chicago on October 2nd in Lincoln Park. ...
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12
Oct

What it Means to Have a Family

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in MLJ Adoptions
What it means to have a family is that you always have somebody by your side when you’re falling down. It means that you are loved every day no matter what. Having a family gives you a chance where you can be taken care of and fed. You need to remember to appreciate what they ...
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8
Oct

"I Love My Daddy" Book Review

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in Resources
"I Love My Daddy" is written and illustrated by Sebastian Braun. This book, appropriate for children ages birth to 5, consists of single sentences per page with large and colorful illustrations. The pictures show daddy and baby as a brown bear and a cub. The pages go through different things that a daddy can do ...
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6
Oct

What a Family Means

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in MLJ Adoptions
What it means to have a family is to have people that love you and surround you with love, care, and support. They comfort you when you need it. A mom is someone that kisses your booboos, a dad plays outside with you, brothers and sisters tease you, those are the people are most important ...
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5
Oct

"The Other Side" Book Review

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in Resources
I picked up "The Other Side" from the opening of the Ruby Bridges exhibit at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum. It is written by Jacqueline Woodson with beautiful watercolor illustrations by E.B. Lewis. The story is about two little girls named Clover and Annie – one child black and the other white. Clover and Annie are ...
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29
Sep

What to Expect When You're Expecting an Older Child

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in Resources, Special Needs
When two people get married, they tend to bring past baggage into that marriage. In all the excitement of planning the wedding, some baggage may have been overlooked. But after the wedding flowers are wilted, reality set in. While this can complicate some marriages, most couples learn to deal with their partner’s baggage; they learn ...
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27
Sep

A Gathering Based on LOVE

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in MLJ Adoptions
On Saturday, September 18th my husband, two kids, and I had the privilege to attend the MLJ Adoptions annual picnic, and I don’t think there was a better way to spend such a beautiful day. I will admit that I did not know quite what to expect when we decided to attend the picnic. I’ve ...
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