I saw this "Four Things Adoption Meme" on Mary's Ethiopian Adoption Blog and thought it would be nice to participate.

My husband and I adopted through foster care, so that may be helpful to keep in mind as you read my responses.

Four things I thought about adoption when I was a child
**It was hard to wrap my mind around the fact that someone wouldn't want their child.

**It would be incredibly difficult for an adopted child to find their parents.

**Adopted children must struggle with feelings of abandonment.

**Adopted children can be really spoiled by their adoptive parents.  (As I child I witnessed this!)

Four things I've learned since then
** Adoption requires a great deal of prayer.

**Our adoption experience was every bit as fulfilling as our birth experience was with our biological children.

**Attempting to adopt through foster care can be heartbreaking and you must be able to trust the Lord with the outcome...even if it doesn't seem to make sense to you.

**The Lord used our adoption experience to build our faith in an amazing way.

Four silly things people have said to me about adoption
**Is that your natural child?  
**Don't kids adopted through foster care have "issues"?
**She looks like she belongs in your family.
**Which children are your own? 

Four things that are hard about adoption
**Waiting
**Seeing children reunify when they shouldn't.
**The uncertainty of adopting through foster care.

**Visits

Four ways my adopted children have surprised me
**The way my little girl stole my heart the moment I first saw her!

**The way my little boy stares at me with completely adoring eyes that just melt my heart! 

**The way they seem to develop and thrive inspite of significant drug exposure.

**The uncanny way my adopted little girl resembles my biological son, who is five months younger than her.

Four things I wish everyone knew about adoption
**That there are so many children in foster care that need loving families.

**That an adopted child is every bit "your own child" as a biological child is.

** That adoption is a ministry that holds blessings beyond measure.

**If the Lord calls you to adopt, He'll provide the means to do so.

There isn't a day that goes by when our family isn't reminded of the Lord's goodness towards us in bringing these precious children into our family.  Adoption is truly and amazing miracle.