Adoption ... His Plan, Our Blessing

Wow, for the past six or seven weeks, we have been so busy it seems. With school starting up and Austin's band activities and Lily Grace's school starting and Upward Basketball starting, and Austin and I taking Chinese language lessons, ... we have not had time to take a deep breath. On top of that, we decided to host an adoption seminar at Isom's Chapel and we have been very busy promoting the seminar (there's a separate motive for the is post!). The following is an article that should be published in the Huntsville Times on Friday, 12 September in the Faith and Values section.

"The concept of adoption has found great acceptance among families called by God to reach out to orphans, both in the U.S. and abroad. Indeed, many adoptive parents are surprised to experience the same emotions that accompany the privilege of biological children. While it is God’s plan, it is our blessing to nurture these little additions to our families.

Hello, we are Jerry and Connie Green. We worship at Isom’s Chapel and we are members of the Athens Chapter of Families with Children from China (FCC). We have two children at home, Matthew Austin and Lily Grace Xing Green, and we are expecting a third soon, by way of adoption. Lily Grace was born in Jiangxi Province, China on Sept 24th, 2004. We traveled to China to adopt her on July 23rd, 2006. Now, we are in the process of adopting a second little girl, also from China, whom we hope to bring home this year. Her name is Lia Faith Xurong Green. Lia Faith was born on March 23rd, 2006. Because there are so many children, both here in the U.S. and abroad, that need a forever family, and because we have been witness to the conditions under which they survive, we have chosen to do what we can to help. Our advice to others seeking to adopt is to first pray and ask God for direction and then act according to His plan.

The concept of adoption is simple; however, the process and the associated paperwork can be quite cumbersome, especially for international adoptions. The “paperwork pregnancy” can last two or three years. Thankfully, there are many agencies that provide services and counseling for adoptive parents. Lifeline Children’s Services is one such agency. Lifeline provides services for families wishing to adopt domestically or internationally. Founded in 1981, Lifeline is focused on placing children in Christian homes where they can be loved, nurtured, and given the opportunity to grow in a home where God is exalted. In addition to the staff here in Alabama, Lifeline provided in-country facilitators in China to help complete the adoption and act as interpreters and guides to a family certainly stepping out of its comfort zone to receive a blessing from God. We could not imagine having completed our adoption of Lily Grace, and now Lia Faith, without the experienced help and loving support of the staff at Lifeline.

The opportunity for adoptive families to support one another is an important aspect after the adoption becomes final and the adoption agency has completed its work. Organizations such as FCC with chapters in Athens, Decatur, Huntsville, and Florence provide opportunities for adoptive families to fellowship with one another and share their experiences. These organizations hold many events during the year that allow the children to spend time together learning the culture of their birth country. This time can be crucial to the growth of the adopted child. The Athens Chapter of FCC has grown to over 25 families and meets regularly to celebrate various U.S. and Asian holidays. We have been greatly blessed to be a part of this group of families, whom we did not know before, and count its members as some of our very best friends.


As part of our mission to help other adoptive families, we welcome everyone to attend an informational meeting on adoption, presented by Lifeline Children’s Services. The meeting will be at Isom’s Chapel on Sept 17th at 6:30 pm. In addition to Lifeline, members of Athens FCC will be on hand to answer questions regarding post adoption support groups."



We would be honored to have you as our guests on the 17th during the Adoption seminar presented by Lifeline Children's Services. Isom's Chapel is located at 16230 Mooresville Road, Athens, AL 35613. The phone number for the church office is 232-5892.

“In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will…” Ephesians 1:5.

Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, Lily Grace, and Lia Faith
Green, Party of Five