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24
May

Bulgaria – A Growing Adoption Country

by
in Bulgaria
I am thrilled to announce our excitement about the possibilities that our new Bulgarian Adoption Program presents to potential adoptive families! Upon visiting the orphanages in Bulgaria, I was very impressed by the care the children received! The children we met were beautiful and looked happy and healthy! In Bulgaria, 90% of the children are ...
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19
May

Amazing Grace in Haiti

by
in Haiti
I am not even sure where to begin. How do you sum up what you have seen in a way that will truly convey what it was like to be in Haiti? I guess I can begin with how I felt about going to Haiti; I was afraid to go to such a hard place ...
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7
May

What It Means To Be a Mom

by
in MLJ Adoptions
It’s been a long time since I first became a mom – almost seventeen years ago, in fact. In the midst of all the day-to-day hustle and bustle, I have taken the blessing of motherhood for granted, as so many other moms do. This year, however, as I enter the world of social-networking and cyber-journalism, ...
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4
May

All My Daughter's Mothers

by
in MLJ Adoptions
This year, my husband and I are celebrating our first Mother’s Day. For the past three years we’ve ridden the terrible ride of infertility. With each passing year I thought motherhood was never going to come for me. I began to believe that we would forever be a married couple who would never have any ...
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1
May

Infertility, Adoption and Mother’s Day

by
in MLJ Adoptions
If you were to browse the internet, there are many posts about Mother‘s Day and the childless. The fact is, there are many other women facing the reality of being childless this Mother‘s Day. It’s difficult to see yourself amongst many when you are in this situation. Rather, it is very easy to feel isolated ...
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25
Apr

Announcing: Bulgarian Adoption Program

by
in Bulgaria
I am so thrilled to announce the start of our Bulgarian adoption program! I just returned from Sofia and I am excited about the possibilities that I see for families! I found Bulgaria to be a beautiful country and the people there were so friendly, even trying to use English when they could. I found ...
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6
Apr

Three Cups of Tea: Book review

by
in MLJ Adoptions
“Three Cups of Tea” is a true testament to the difference that one individual can make with a humanitarian sprit. In this book, the main character, Greg Mortenson, makes education possible for some of the most impoverished children and does so in the face of extreme cultural divides. Greg Mortenson was called to educate the ...
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1
Apr

The Rebirth at Easter

by
in MLJ Adoptions
This Sunday many Christians will celebrate Easter, a special time of grieving Jesus’ death and celebrating new life in his resurrection. Our Jewish brothers and sisters celebrate the Passover, a time to celebrate the liberation from slavery in Egypt. And for all of us, the earth in springtime pulses with the promise of new life, ...
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30
Mar

The Sea Chest: book review

by
in Resources
Hastily, I grabbed The Sea Chest (written by Toni Buzzeo and illustrated by Mary GrandPre) from the library shelf. Imagine my surprise when a book chosen to excite my two youngsters about this summer’s Michigan Dunes vacation turned out to be a beautiful, miraculous adoption story. In fact, a surprise ending intertwines two adoptions into ...
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17
Mar

Giving Birth to an Elephant

by
in Adoption Stories
Did you know that the gestational period for an elephant is 18-22 months? Can you imagine waiting that long? The anticipation alone would feel like it is going to kill you, and it’s accompanied by physical exhaustion and pain. I would think that by the 18th marker you would be so ready to get that ...
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8
Mar

Healing Grief

by
in Bulgaria, Congo, Haiti, Honduras
My daughter arrived home at thirteen months, broken in spirit and disconnected. I sensed that she was engulfed in an invisible cocoon. Her cries and screams which happened without warning and often over a dozen times each day, expressed her fathomless grief and her inability to connect. My daughter was trying, but her sensory processing ...
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15
Feb

Expect the Unexpected

by
in MLJ Adoptions
Expect the unexpected in life. Not something we necessary are good at, especially when our expectations are way off the mark from how reality pans out. This can be especially true in the arena of adoption. It is such an emotional venture and once our hearts have settled on a particular child, we expect heaven ...
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9
Feb

The True Cost of Adoption

by
in Resources
Many never realize the complexity of the adoption process. It is something I have tried to explain to many families, only to later realize they don’t truly understand until the end of the process, if then. I tell all my families that adoption is hard; I even had “Adoption is not for the faint of ...
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3
Feb

Adoption and the Empty Nester

by
in MLJ Adoptions
For the most part, friends and family have been extremely supportive of our adoption of a special boy from Ukraine. However, a few times, someone questions us about the timing. They ask why in the world we would choose to bring more children into our home, when ours are beginning to spread their wings and ...
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22
Jan

Answering Questions About Adoption From Family and Friends

by
in Support Services
The international adoption process is anticipated to be a time of joy, happiness and excitement. Many though, find themselves dealing with stress, impatience and anxiety many times as a result of family and friends giving unwanted advice and opinions. Adoptive parents who begin the process anticipate that family members and friends will be supportive, helpful ...
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18
Jan

How Can We Care for the Orphans of Haiti?

by
in MLJ Adoptions
I can still imagine the stifling heat, singed with tropical breezes and the beautiful, friendly smiles; images of the resilient island of Haiti. I think back to people I knew; productive, innovative and appreciate people, now surrounded by a horrid suffering that our minds can’t begin to comprehend. During our trip to Haiti, we saw ...
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11
Jan

Helpful Hints From Our Ukrainian Journey

by
in MLJ Adoptions
Our journey to Ukraine was absolutely amazing! Our journey began October 17, 2009 and ended on November 24, 2009. Even though we ran into some delays we had not expected, our trip was so rewarding. The director at Cayden’s orphanage was so caring, kind, and generous during our trip, and our facilitator was knowledgeable and ...
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17
Dec

Poem: A Child's Heart

by
in MLJ Adoptions
I drew inspiration from the events of this week one evening. I was lying in my room and thinking about what all we had experienced when the words just began flowing: “I’ll love you forever,” some mothers will say But sometimes that is just how it goes I did not mean to leave you alone ...
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