TESTIMONIES OF GOD'S GOODNESS

A JOY to Serve!
It was pure joy for us this weekend-- to be able to meet so many adoptive and foster parents sent to us as gifts from His hand. From the moment people walked in the door of Northlands Church they could sense the embrace of HOPE and the particular love of the Father for them. Many thanks to all who took the time and effort to arrange child care and change schedules (no simple feat!) in order to attend Hope at Home 2011!


We believe that the best fathers and mothers are those who have learned to be a son or daughter of our amazing, gracious, kind and powerful Heavenly Father. Hope at Home 2011 was a time for many to experience anew the transformational touch of their Father, always full of HOPE for every situation we parents face.  


Some TESTIMONIES of God's Goodness:



"Just wanted to thank you all for a wonderful weekend. This was the first time my husband joined me at an adoption conf. so we were truly blessed. Thanks for your time, energy and love for others."

"God has just poured out His love and refreshing on us here! I feel like we have just been embraced and cared for by everyone from this church! We NEEDED this!"

"I have never had support in my 10 year journey. Just hearing and knowing there are others that care was amazing and filled a huge void."

"This weekend was a good reminder that our ONLY hope lies in Him…not in a solid ministry….not in other people….in Him."

"It was so encouraging and refreshing!  Thank you for all your hard work and thank you to your church for being so welcoming and supportive of adoptive parents.  The talks were all excellent, the music was worshipful, the food was good and every little detail down to the printed materials and gifts were so thoughtfully done."

"Thank you for a fabulous refreshing, reviving, envisioning weekend. I can't wait until next year's Hope at Home!!! May the Lord reward you 100 fold for all you invested for His Kingdom!"

"I wanted to write you to tell you how much I enjoyed the Hope at Home conference this weekend.  Adoption conferences can be burdensome….the need is so very great….it can be overwhelming.   But Hope at Home was full of refreshment.  I left encouraged and eager to dig into God's Word to further explore stories or nuggets of truth introduced over the weekend.  To me, that says it all.  To me, that says it all.  If this conference inspires parents to dig deeper into God's Word, you have accomplished much.  Hebrews 6:19 says, "We have this hope as an anchor for our soul, firm and secure."  I think of this verse often and I picture myself tethered to my anchor, Jesus.  The shorter the rope, the less I get thrashed about by the winds and waves of this world.  Being in His Word, keeps me on a shorter rope….it is so very important.  I don't think anyone could walk away from this weekend without desiring to know Jesus more and to dig deep in His Word.  Thank you for all of the time and energy that went into pulling this weekend together.  It was really fantastic."

"We had a wonderful time and left feeling rested! Thank you so much for all your hard work. It was a wonderful event and I cannot wait until next year. The Lord spoke to me over the weekend and gave me new hope for this season of our life. I am so thankful I was able to be still and listen. You all made us feel loved and welcome and to be honest that is what I needed most!"

"There is none like our God Who rides through the heavens to your help." Deuteronomy 33:26

We'd like to thank Laura Means for the wonderful photography! And thank you to Greg Haswell and the Elders at Northlands Church , along with all of the Grace Teams, for serving God's tender love in myriad ways for each Hope at Home 2011 attendee throughout the conference.

We can't wait until next year. We are already dreaming about Hope at Home 2012- Mark your calendars for Sept 21-22, 2012!

In the meantime, LIKE US ON FACEBOOK, for updates and on-going encouragement from Hope at Home.

A Biological Child's Perspective on Adoption: Rachel

We wanted to share some of the stories of adoption from the point of view of the children, both biological and adopted. It has been fascinating and faith-building to hear them tell their own stories of life from their perspective. The fourth in this series is from our precious Rachel, who is a junior in college and an wonderful young woman.


Rachel's Story:
...the potential to redeem and restore broken lives...

I thought a lot about how I wanted to start this blog post. Should I begin with the first time my parents brought up the idea of adoption? Should I begin with when I first met Kristina and Pasha, the first of four adoptions? Or should I go further back, and begin with life before the adoptions? I could write a book on this experience, on adoption and how it has affected my life, and my family's life, but what I really want to emphasize is that adoption has not only dramatically changed me, but has come to define my life and my view of the world around me. As many of you surely know, melding individuals who previously knew nothing of each other into the most intimate of relationships - a family - is a weighty venture that has the potential to redeem and restore broken lives, for both those who are adopted and the family into which they are adopted.

I had one very specific request...

Rachel (center) enjoys a tea party with her
Daddy and two sisters.

I have a very vivid memory of my parents sitting me and my two sisters, Emma and Julia, down at our round kitchen table, and calmly asking us what we thought of bringing two children from Russia into our family and our lives. I must have been around eight, and while the talk of this far away land of Russia and potential new friends and siblings was exciting, I had one very specific request: I did NOT want a sibling older than me. As the middle child, I felt very protective of my spot in the order, and didn't want to deal with yet another older sibling (as much as I loved Emma, I often suffered from the common bossy older sibling syndrome when we were young). After I had told my parents this sole request, I jumped headfirst into the exciting yet unknown idea of adoption. I remember putting a world map up on my wall, looking at the different countries and focusing especially on Russia. That simple kitchen-table talk stretched the comfortable boundaries of my world to include the unknown and exciting world stretched out on my wall.

"Rachel, Mommy wants to talk to you."

For almost two years I waited for my new siblings. I imagined what they would look like, what their names would be, whether they would speak English, what kinds of movies and games they liked. Finally, one year after that kitchen table conversation we got a call from my mom who was in Russia with a friend, Susan Hillis, visiting orphanages and had just met two orphans who just might be our siblings - a brother and sister named Kristina and Pasha. My dad talked excitedly on the phone with her as my sisters and I stood by, and then he looked at me and said, "Rachel, mommy wants to talk to you." I stepped up and nervously took the phone in my hands as my mom said from millions of miles away "Rachel, I know you didn't want an older sibling, but Kristina is two weeks older than you. Would you be willing to set that aside and welcome her into the family?" When I think back on that moment, I just want to laugh at how futile our plans for our lives stand in the face of God's awesome vision for us. Kristina was older than me by TWO WEEKS, shattering my plans but in the end giving me a best friend with whom I have shared homework and friends, experiences and fights, emotions and secrets. I am so thankful that God wasn't limited by my narrow vision and fears.

Rachel (center) embraces Kristina as we pose in the orphanage
for our first photo as a family of 7.

Kristina embraces Rachel at the beach

The adoptions have shaped my life completely

Rachel (in red shirt) welcoming Andrei and Sergei
home at the Atlanta airport.

Two years later we adopted Andrei and Sergei (as many of you might already know from reading my other siblings' accounts, we met Andrei and Sergei the same day we met Kristina and Pasha, and prayed for them every day for two years until God pretty much said "enough already, why don't you adopt them?" And we did.). As I said before, the adoptions have changed and shaped my life completely. When I meet new people I talk about adoption; when I wrote my college application essays I wrote about adoption; when I picked my major I thought about adoption; when I show friends family photos I talk about adoption. I say all this to show that adoption doesn't just change those who are brought into your family - it changes you to the core. It expands you, challenges you, and fills you up until it overflows into every area of your life.

God bridged the gap between each of my family members

All 7 children, Rachel on the right,
hugging Andrei.

People ask me a lot of questions about my family. Do you feel more loved than your adopted siblings? Who are you closest with? Did you feel neglected by your parents? I can honestly say that my family is one unified unit, not separated into the "biologicals" and the "adopted"; I can also say that I NEVER once felt neglected by my parents, or that the adoptions caused them to not care as much about me. When I respond this way I almost always get a surprised look at the least, a doubtful "Really?" at the most. At first I was both shocked and offended at people's disbelief, but then I thought it over. Maybe the human heart is not infinite, and from an outsider's perspective, stretching it to not only accept but incorporate 4 strangers into your family seems almost impossible to do fully. But what I know for certain is that God's love is infinite, his heart is universal, and his vision is endless. God bridged the gap between each of my family members, connecting us with threads of supernatural love that cannot be broken and that pulled and shaped us into a wholly unconventional and wholly beautiful family. Yes it's hard, and there were bumps and bruises on all sides, from having to share my friends with Kristina to getting used to having smelly, loud boys in the house (who were also handsome and wonderful of course). And yes my family doesn't look like many peoples'. But thank God that he is strong enough to heal the broken parts in all of us, and to not be constricted by terms like "normal families". I love my family, and I love God for bringing it together in such a powerful and beautiful way. 

An Adopted Child's Perspective: Kristina (Part II)

We wanted to share some of the stories of adoption from the point of view of the children, both biological and adopted. It has been fascinating and faith-building to hear them tell their own stories of life from their perspective. The fourth in this series is from our precious Kristina, now a 20 year old college sophomore who is spending her spring semester studying abroad in St. Petersburg, Russia, as a Russian Studies and Environmental Studies major.

Kristina and Pasha's adoption announcement--we wanted to treat the
adoption of our children the same as the births.

I didn’t like being told what to do

Kristina's 4th grade Science Fair--The
Simple Machine. It was the first time she
spoke English in front of the class. 

Adjusting to my new siblings was as easy as pie because they were all very kind and loving. It was no problem adjusting to my new parents because they were everything parents should be and more. But adjusting to a routine and being told what to do was miserable. I remember long nights of crying, throwing fits, and being a stubborn child. Having been the boss and parent of myself my whole life I didn’t like being
told what to do.  I often thought, “who are they to tell me I have to do my homework?” It took a while to really trust and get adjusted to the idea that they were my parents. Truthfully I have no idea how my parents survived that period of my life. However of all the hard things that I had to face in adjusting to a new family and culture was school. The frustration of not being able to communicate very well what you want, how you feel or ask questions was the most frustrating thing. Soon after I arrived in America I began to attend 4^th grade with only knowing the alphabet, Old McDonald had a farm and how to write my name. I remember a couple of long horrible nights of staying up late and writing or reading something. But being a very motivated person, even while I was living in Russia, I adapted in almost six months.

Emma welcoming Kristina to their room
on the first day home.

Kristina (front left) and Pasha with their new siblings in the
hotel pool in Moscow.

Advice for adoptive parents

To those adopting parents I would say that beware of that “post honeymoon” feeling. Adopting is one of the most wonderful things someone can do. You’re giving another child a great chance at life and particularly a good and healthy life. When you are in the process and right after coming home with the child you feel so happy and good inside knowing that you did something good and are ecstatic that you got someone so wonderful in your life. But the post honeymoon feeling comes when you begin to see the not so good sides of the child and are presented with many difficulties that you have never faced. Don’t forget this child is not only going to have normal child issues that any child faces, but also extra difficulties that many children (or even adults) have never faced. Be prepared to face some months if not years of hard work. You know God is doing miraculous things when you come against difficulties because it means changes are occurring. Don’t get discouraged because in the end there are few things that seem more wonderful then when you see the fruit of your labor in that child’s life. Maybe my parents can testify to that. Of course those parents should discipline the kids, but there also has be understanding where they came from and what they went through. It’s hard to suggest what the parent should do, but maybe compromising and agreeing some way. Not always allowing the child to have his way but also not being so determined to have something go your own way.

Why did You allow all these horrible things in my life?

 I believe with all my heart that God’s plan in using my new parents, family and culture is to save me and prepare me to do his work back in the country and with the people that brought so much pain in my life in the first place. I accepted Jesus into my heart very soon after being in America and around my family, who showed how important God is in their lives. Even when I was in the orphanage I remember reading the children’s version of the Bible with my best friend. We were curious souls even then. Year after year, my family returned to Russia for different reasons; to see friends, to visit the orphanage and to minister. 

Our 2003 ministry trip back to Kalinina Orphanage. Kristina
is in the center (gray sweater) surrounded by the girls
in her group. Her best friend, Natasha (front right,
red sweater) used to read the bible with Kristina;
they still keep in touch.

Now that I think about it, it was such a God thing that even at such a young age I was so drawn back to Russia. There was nothing there for me, but it was like God was preparing me to one day return and do what he initially was calling me to do. I didn’t receive this calling till I was much older. One day when I was battling with God, I remember asking him, “ Why God, why did you allow all these horrible things in my life? Why did I have to see and feel all the things I did at such a young age? And why did you chose me to bless in such a tremendous way?” God’s reply was “So that when I call you to minister there you can relate to those kids because you have felt what they feel, you have done what they do and you have seen what they see. But above everything else you can give them hope for a new and better life because you have seen all the blessings and good I have done in your life.”

So here I am ten years later, once again back in Russia. This semester I am a study abroad student, but doing some ministry wherever and however I can for the people of Russia need to see God’s face and the love he has for them. 

Our family trip to visit Kristina (in grey coat)
in St. Petersburg, Russia,
Spring Break, 2011

In Vyborg--Kristina has visited the orphanage
she used to live in a few times during
her time studying abroad.

In front of the Hermitage Museum during our
visit in April, 2011

I know that God has a good future in store for me

The most important decision that I made eleven years ago still affects me today and in many ways it will affect me for the rest of my life. I know that without God I would not be where I am today. I was so young when I said yes to being adopted by a strange family that lived on a different continent. In many ways I did not know what I was doing and God guided me to the perfect family and gave me a future that so many could only dream of. Once again I learned to trust, experience feelings such as love, happiness and sadness. This decision gave me the confidence to make other important decisions in my life. Now I am no longer afraid for my future because not only am I confident that I will make the right decisions for the college that I go to or whom I marry, but I also know that God has a good future in store for me.

Our Kristina at Stetson University the Fall of her
sophomore year.

You are welcome to respond to Kristina with any comments or questions you would like to ask her.

An Adopted Child's Perspective on Adoption: Kristina (Part I)

We wanted to share some of the stories of adoption from the point of view of the children, both biological and adopted. It has been fascinating and faith-building to hear them tell their own stories of life from their perspective. The fourth in this series is from our precious Kristina, now a 20 year old college sophomore who is spending her spring semester studying abroad in St. Petersburg, Russia, as a Russian Studies and Environmental Studies major.

KRISTINA’S STORY

I taught myself not to feel

As I look back eleven years ago when I made one of the most important decisions of my life, I rejoice that I do not regret making that decision for one minute. I have to admit that I do not really remember my feelings and thoughts at that moment. One might think that I should remember how I felt during such an important time in my life. People remember how they felt when they said “I do” at their wedding ceremony or how they felt when they gave birth to their first precious child. For me, however, remembering my feelings and thoughts is not something that comes naturally. Partly it might be that a child at the age of nine does not have the capacity to recall the overwhelming emotions, thoughts and changes that were occurring to her. However it just might be that I simply taught myself not to feel. How and why would a little girl do such a thing to herself, one might ask? Unless you know how it feels to be both a grown up and a parent at age seven, then the idea of a little girl learning not to feel might be incomprehensible. Looking at my life today, it is hard to believe the things that I have lived through. I myself have a hard time believing that in fact I, Kristina Rebekah Templeton, was able to survive my childhood. By now you are probably dying with anticipation to know what happened to this little Kristina. What was so tragic that the poor girl learned to not feel?

Being adopted is a blessing from God

I receive two types of reactions from people that find out I am adopted; one reaction, “Oh that’s cool” and moves on afraid to ask further questions for fear of hurting me or touching upon such a sensitive subject. The other type of person gets so intrigued and asks questions like, “Oh how did it feel being adopted? What was your life like before you were adopted?” and so on. From my point of view people should never feel awkward or fearful in asking such questions. It’s not like being adopted is some kind of crime or bad thing that I committed or happened to me. Being adopted is a blessing from God that he cared so much about you that he gave you a better life.

There were a few happy moments in my life

I was born into a middle class family in Pushnoe, a little village in northern Russia. This village was so small that I could walk around the center of town in fifteen minutes or less. Hardly anyone owned a car; there was one public bus that served as transportation into the city. There was one elementary, middle and high school in the town, as well as a few produce shops, apartment buildings, a coal-mining factory, a mail house, and a gathering building. The things that I remember of my childhood are those that made the most impact on me as a child. There were a few happy moments in my life. My mother, father and my infant brother, Pasha, lived in a three-room apartment. The two things that I remember about my father are his injured leg, from which metal rods protruded, and that he was a kind man.  I remember beautiful summer days when my friends and I would walk to a nearby sea to swim and pick blueberries and strawberries. I remember my first day of school, dressed up in the traditional new fancy pink dress carrying an enormous bouquet of flowers to the teacher. The joy of starting school, getting school supplies, and meeting new friends made my life happy, but only for a short time. 

Kristina and Pasha in front of the school in
Pushnoe in 2006.

Kristina's flat was in this building in Pushnoe. She and Pasha
lived here until they were taken to the orphanage.

Survival became my life’s purpose

Unfortunately the rest of my memories are almost too unfortunate to recall. Sometime before first grade my father was killed right in front of my own eyes. I stood behind a door, helpless, watching as some man was beating up my father. As soon as I got enough sense I ran home in order to find help, but I was too late. By the time rescue came, he was already dead. The killer ran away, never to be found or punished for the crimes he committed.  From that day on, everything in my life changed; survival became my life’s purpose. I learned that survival is easier if I did not process the traumatic things that I experienced. My life to that point taught me a strong lesson that if I opened myself up to the feeling of happiness, then sooner or later I must feel sadness, loneliness and hunger. So for me it was better just to just not feel anything at all.  Without my father, my mother became a prostitute in order to support her family. Many days I would have to go and beg for some flour or bread from our neighbors or pick berries so we could eat. Many nights I would have to sleep all alone in the house, protecting my little brother. For days my mother would not come home. From time to time she would bring money home, and I would be the protector of that money. She relied on me to be the parent, not only of my little brother, but also of her. But somehow we survived many hard days. And thankfully this is not the life that God had for me and my hardships were short lived.  Even though my mother scarred my life, I cannot help but forgive her because in the end she cared about her children enough that she made money the only way she knew she could. However, one surprising day two women came to our house and took my brother and me away to an orphanage in Vyborg, Russia,  where we were to reside until November 15, 2000.

Kristina (far right) and Pasha (2nd on left) in hospital
in preparation for adoption.

Kristina and brother Pasha, ages 9 and 5, a few months
before adoption.

I was not so sure what was happening to me

On that special day happiness was once again restored in my life. I was adopted into a new family. An American family from Atlanta, Georgia, traveled all the way to Russia in hopes of finding a little girl to adopt, not knowing that they were going to adopt a little girl and her little brother. I remember when my current mom and her friend, Susan Hillis, came to see me at the orphanage and how after that day everyone started treating me so well and giving me attention. By God’s amazing planning I met an American missionary, Judy Grout, who lived in Vyborg and who began to come to the orphanage and begin to give us English lessons. It was so fun having her come and somewhat prepare me for my new life, even though at that time I was not so sure what was happening to me. It was all a dream. Every child dreams of being adopted into a picture perfect family not realizing that there would be hard times in adjusting. All they dream of are nice toys, clothes, room, good food to eat, parents who are nice and even some brothers and sisters to play with. They never imagine that the parents will discipline them and tell them when to go to sleep, or to brush their teeth and do their homework. In the orphanage there are people who watch over you, but all in all you don’t really have to listen to them because they are of no relation to you. 

Spring of 1999, a year and a half before Kristina and
Pasha came home. I met them for the first time on
Pasha's 5th birthday! 

Judy Grout teaching English to Kristina (standing on left)
and her friends. The girl in the pink vest, Olya, has died,
Natasha has a baby boy. Ruslan, on the right, has been
adopted by a family in Sweden. Kristina stays in close
touch with both of them.

Stay tuned for Part II. Kristina will share more about her transition into our family and American culture, give some advice to adoptive parents, and share with us what God said to her when she asked Him why so many bad things happened to her.

An Adopted Son's Perspective: Sergei (Part II)

We wanted to share some of the stories of adoption from the point of view of the children, both biological and adopted. It has been fascinating and faith-building to hear them tell their own stories of life from their perspective. The second in this series is from our son Sergei, who is now an amazing 16 year old young man.


Sergei's Story, Part II

Andrei, Pasha, and Sergei in Red Square, Moscow, after Sergei's adoption.

 I didn't really know what it meant                                                       
 One day someone told me that I was going to get adopted. I was 7 years old. I didn’t really know what it meant, but I knew that it was a good thing. As the adoption time came closer, I noticed that everyone was much nicer to me. I didn’t know why. Eventually after what seemed like years, the adoption day came. I spent the whole day waiting, sitting in the same chair for hours. Andrei had to go to court with my parents. I was left at the orphanage because I was too young.                                                                                    


I was so happy

Finally they came. I remember getting in the car with my new family and leaving the orphanage. I was so happy. I knew that I would never be treated the way that I was there. I was given toys and things what would never be taken away from me. I was so happy.

A beautiful Welcome Home party at the Atlanta Airport
Sergei--front and center!

 I loved having parents who loved me

I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know what my home was going to be like. I didn’t know what it was going to be like living in a new country. I remember coming home and seeing the biggest house I had ever seen. I was so amazed by the amount of room. I had to adjust to this new place. I had all the food I could eat. I was never hungry again. I loved having parents who loved me, and took care of me.

Sergei (front right) with all 21 cousins and 
their grandparents = FAMILY!

School

Going to school was a challenge. I didn’t know any English. I learned how to ask to go to the bathroom, and spent most of the day in first grade asking to go to the bathroom. By the time I was in second grade I could understand everything. Math is still hard though!

Sergei (left) doing a presentation at school
with his friend, Alosha

I didn't know who God was

Going to church was new too. I didn’t know what it was. I had never been to church. I remember people coming up to me and loving on me. I made friends with this guy named Alex Hillis. From then on, I would always want to go to church because Alex always played with me at church. I liked going to church to play. I didn’t know who God was.

Sergei's baptism--with his daddy and our
pastor, Greg Haswell

How can I not love this God?
I gave my life to the Lord, and was baptized. I didn’t really know what it meant to be a Christian. Through the years, I have developed my relationship with the Lord. My love for him has grown so much. It was all because of Him that I was adopted. He worked everything together for my good. How can I not love this God? Even now I learn new things about Him. Looking back, I see all the times God has changed things so that His plan could work. I wonder how different my life would be if I stayed with that foster family. I thank God for putting my grandmother in my life.

Spring Break in Orlando--Sergei in center back

Feel free to leave a comment for Sergei. He will be happy to respond to any questions.

A Biological Child's Perspetcive on Adoption: Julia (Part 2)

Julia's Story, Part 2

Here is the second part of Julia's Story. Read Part 1 HERE. So beautiful to hear what God does in the hearts of those involved in adoption!

Little did we know....

Andrei and Sergei reunited in the
orphanage.

When we were in that room, the director also brought in two brothers who had just been reunited in the orphanage. They were so happy to see each other and were hugging and holding each other. She introduced them as Andrei and Sergei. Little did we know at that time that they too would join our family just 18 months later! After our visit to the orphanage we had to go to court to legally adopt. I was too young to actually attend so my sisters and I waited in the car while my mom and dad and Kristina and Pasha went in. I remember sitting there playing on a game boy and talking to my sisters and grandparents, totally oblivious of the significant event going on inside that court building. After we went to court and had legally adopted, we flew to Moscow. I remember that first night we went to the pool in the hotel and had a wonderful time; everything was so new and exciting at that point. Finally it was time to go home. After the long flights and layovers and countless hours of being awake we finally reached home. We showed Kristina and Pasha their rooms, all made up with toys and signs and pictures from people that already loved them, even though they had never met.   

Things were pretty good, however...

The new siblings in the hotel pool in
Moscow after the first adoption.

The first couple weeks after we adopted were full of emotions for me. Kristina and I had already become best friends, playing with dolls and speaking in a combination of broken Russian and broken English. We really hit it off and I finally had someone who enjoyed dolls as much as I did. We all took family outings and did things together. I learned to communicate in some form of Russian, and they were steadily learning more and more English. Things were pretty good, however not all the time. I remember some times crying and thinking that my life wouldn’t be the same. I remember thinking that my parents wouldn’t love me as much now that they were giving all of their attention to my new siblings. There were times when I was completely happy with my situation, having more people to play with and new family, but there were also times that I was sad and felt like I wasn’t important. Those first couple of months were full of wonderful and tough times and emotions, but eventually all of those emotions steadied into happiness and acceptance.

                                                                          

I can't imagine my family any different way

Julia and Kristina became best buddies.

Now, looking back, I can’t really remember what it was like without my adopted siblings. I don’t think I would want to go back to that time because I can’t imagine my family any different way. To me, my sister and brothers from Russia are my siblings, sure they were adopted and weren’t always a part of our family, but now they are. I sometimes forget that they were adopted and that my life used to be so different. I think that I was at a perfect age to accept and move into my new family. Today I see my siblings as truly part of the family and I can’t imagine my life without them. We truly are one big family, no division and no differences, just one family.     

Arriving home in Atlanta--exhausted but happy!

I grew to know God as a wonderful, loving Father

My family life was not the only thing changed by the adoption, but my spiritual life and relationship with Christ evolved too. I was only eight when we first adopted, so at that point I had already accepted the Lord as my Savior and had given him my life. But I didn’t have a relationship with him, or at least not like I do now. While the adoption didn’t magically change my relationship with God or make God closer, it did give me a better understanding of him and his love for us. I grew to know God as a wonderful loving father who not only gives us his love but he adopts us into his family and gives us his inheritance, just as my family adopted our earthly family members. The adoption definitely helped me nurture and develop a lasting relationship with God that would continue to grow in understanding and love as I got older. My growth and closeness to my heavenly father has definitely been affected by our adoption and the impact it had on my family and those around us.