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Sep. 16, 2009
Adoption Update on Kristina - Government Control Over Parental Rights Reigns Supreme
We are not going to be adopting Kristina. The judge has ruled that the DeVries cannot choose the family for their own child, but DHS (social workers) will instead.....even though he can only legally rule that way IF Kristina was a foster child, which she is not. We could and would appeal, with an extremely great chance at winning the case, since this judge is ruling as if Kristina was a foster child awaiting placement. However, the DeVries do not want it dragged out any longer, and we have accepted the fact that Kristina will not be a part of our family.
We are all "okay" with everything and are "healing", although we're out of a lot of money. But it's all in God's Will. The strange thing is that we still really feel like this was the road God wanted us to take...although we have no idea WHY.
During this difficult trial with Kristina's adoption, we also experienced a rather traumatic miscarriage with hemorrhaging during this time among MANY other unexpected and quite "large" trials that I won't go into at this time! We even found out last week that our baby died on the day we were in court in Michigan. It's been a roller coaster ride for our family with trial after trial.
Even though our "flesh" would still like to know WHY God allowed all of these trials, we know that God's in charge and we are learning how Job handled all he went through. We discovered that God's heart reached out to Job and REWARDED him many times over, not after he defended himself as to how righteous he was and why he deserved favor from God, but when he PRAYED for his "friends", some of whom had done him wrong. Wow! He became OTHER-focused, rather than "Job-focused"! In the same way we are determined that we are going to pray for our "friends" (judge and social worker) BY NAME and trust that someday (whether on earth or in eternity) that we will see the BIGGER picture as to why God allowed all this to happen to our family.
Many blessings to all who prayed faithfully! We have really enjoyed all the prayer support we've felt and received through this process. Don't stop praying now...we all need it still!Above all, continue to pray for us and for Kristina to be placed, miraculously, in a STRONG CHRISTIAN family!!!!
Lisa Metzger
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Sep. 1, 2009
Annalise (17) Shares a Story about her Adoption from Kazakhstan at age 10
Jul. 9, 2009
Stand up for Orphans! Sign the Petition! Protest the movie Orphan!!!!
Jun. 30, 2009
New Video of Kristina!
Jun. 8, 2009
Exciting News from The Metzger Family - A New Blessing from Jesus!
Apr. 22, 2009
Obeying and Trusting God for Provisions During Our Adoption
In 2002 my husband, Mark, and I set off on the adventure of adoption. We wanted desperately to adopt a 10 year old girl from Kazakhstan. We first discovered Annalise’s photo on an internet site with photos of children from around the world who needed forever families.
God’s hands were already on the process, even before it began, because I had specifically searched for a child who was closer to our own biological children’s ages. We were thinking of a child that would have been maybe three years old or younger. Annalise was 9 years old at the time, yet God had this “older child” come up in my search for 2-3 year olds. After going to bed that night that I saw her online, I could not get her out of my mind, so the next day I requested a video from her adoption agency.
The video was eye opening and heart-wrenching! The only things this little girl wanted were a bucket of raspberries for Christmas and a mother who would love her. Our hearts ached for her!
Mark and I married during Mark’s last semester of college. We found out we were pregnant with Kaitlyn when we had been married a little over a month. When Kaitlyn was 6 months old, we found out that we were expecting our son, Ethan. Mark had started a new career right out of college, which requires years to build up a client base, so we pinched many pennies. We had only been married for 5 years, and had no savings, when God sent Annalise into our family’s picture. We were unsure as to how we could afford the price tag of $27,000 for a Kazakhstan adoption. After praying, we felt the Lord’s gentle guidance and decided that it was the Lord’s Will to take a leap of faith. So, we started our home study.
Upon making this gigantic decision, we humbly shared our plans, as well as our needs, with our friends, family and Sunday school. We shared our hearts and our financial need, without being specific. During this time, we prayed fervently and we asked others for prayer. Our specific prayer was for doors to be opened or shut according to God’s perfect Will. We sincerely desired God’s plans to come about for us and for that little girl who was thousands of miles away.
The Lord constantly proved His faithfulness by providing the money needed for each home study payment, agency payment, passport fee and INS fees. One day we desperately needed $200 for a home study payment, which was due that afternoon. When we opened the front door, there was a check for $200 from our neighbors! Again, when it was time to travel, we had no money for airline tickets to fly over to Kazakhstan, to meet and pick up our little girl who was waiting for us. My parents were provided by God with extra tithe and offering money to be able to pay for those plane tickets. God worked again and again like this! It was amazing to see God working through others during this time! It was surreal and most definitely supernatural!
The Saturday before we left for Kazakhstan, our Sunday school class gathered at a member’s house for a get-together. After laying hands on us and praying for our journey, they handed us an envelope for our trip with a lot of extra cash. At that time, we did not really see a need for this money since everything was already provided for financially for the entire trip. However, the Lord can see much farther down the road than we can! We ended up with an unexpected stay in Kazakhstan of 36 days due to some problems with our newly adopted daughter’s visa. If it were not for this extra money that we received, we would have had no extra cash for food and lodging for us in Kazakhstan, our two biological children and our new addition. We would have been in a strange country, with no interpreter, knowing only a few words of Russian, in below zero weather with no lodging and no food. God saw the need even before we did and met it before we even left our comfort zone, setting out to venture out into the unknown! He provided for us and saw us through!
God provided us through each step of this adoption! The money was not there a day later than when we needed it throughout the process! And when we did need it sooner, He provided then, too! His perfect Will was carried out through willing vessels that trusted in God, prayed and waited for God’s timing! Now, we have four beautiful children, Annalise, Kaitlyn, Ethan and Julia, with more to come through adoption (and thorough birth, if God allows) in the very near future!
Annalise, our adopted daughter from Kazakhstan, asked Jesus to be her personal Savior shortly after learning English! She, now, wants to go back to Kazakhstan someday as a missionary to the orphans. If we had not been willing vessels; if we had not asked for and obeyed God’s perfect Will and had not taken leaps of faith; if we had trusted in our own power, instead of His; if we had not waited on HIS timing; if we had not prayed and asked for prayer, our Annalise might not be the young woman of God that she is today! And the most exciting thing is that only God can see what our prayers, trust in God and obedience meant for the people that Annalise will touch down the road!
Mark and I are a "quiverfull family" (based on Psalm 127). We are leaving our family planning to God. Since I have issues with infertility (due to endometriosis and adhesions) and have had 5 miscarriages and an ectopic pregnancy, we have decided that in between any babies God sends our way, we will adopt. We desire God's blessings of children wholeheartedly....through birth and adoption! The Lord has really opened our eyes to HIS way of family planning....it's been an amazing and blessed journey so far!
Anyway, there is our story! :) It is soooo difficult to leave the little ones (or in our case, not so little ones) behind that desperately want and need a forever family! If every Christian couple could adopt just one child....can you imagine what a difference that would be?? I am reading a book called, "Birthing God's Mighty Warriors" and that is an awesome book about birthing (or adopting) children and raising them as an "army" for God! She talks about what a profound difference it would make if Christians had larger families and raised them for JESUS! It would make such the difference, for SURE! :) I want to have that kind of an impact on our world for Jesus!
~ Lisa Metzger
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Apr. 20, 2009
Unfit to Adopt? U.S. Foster System Against Homeschooling
This is a GREAT article by Voddie Baucham on the US foster sytem's "agenda" against homeschooling and for indoctrination. Just prior to adopting our two sons from MO, we were rejected time and time again from adopting even large sibling groups or special needs children just because we homeschooled and had "too many kids" (only 4 at the time!), even though we had a great income and a large home. This is a sad fact and we need to wake up and realize that this is just wrong! There are many children who need families and the social workers and government policies are keeping them out of safe and secure forever families! ~ Lisa Metzger
I learned recently that a family in our church was considered unfit to adopt children. Specifically, children who are in State custody, and whose parents have already lost or abandoned their parental rights. These children are available for immediate placement. There is no long, exhausting wait. There is no week-long trip to Russia, China, or Liberia. There is no exorbitant fee. In fact, these kids can be adopted for free!
The family in question was not considered unfit because of their financial situation, their marital situation, their health, or any other factor that usually comes to mind when one thinks about being ‘fit’ to adopt children. This family is considered unfit because of their educational choice. This family falls outside the boundaries set by CPS (Child Protective Services) guidelines because they choose to educate their children at home. That’s right, homeschooling is ‘beyond the pale’ for CPS! By the way, that family I mentioned is my family (along with several others in our church).
In fairness to CPS, their policy is not that we cannot adopt at all. The policy is that we cannot educate a child at home during the six month period between placement and finalization. There are several problems with this policy.
Read the rest HERE....
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Apr. 13, 2009
How to Homeschool and Non-English Speaking Adopted Child - Where to start!
First of all, if you just adopted or are thinking of adopting an older child who does not speak English as their primary language, CONGRATULATIONS! You are taking on a large task that is eternally rewarding!
We have 8 children so far - 5 biological and 3 adopted. Our first adoption was of a 10 year old girl (now 16) from Kazakhstan. Annalise knew no English and had no education when we adopted her, so we were literally starting at square one. Below are things we have learned through our adoption process of an older, Russian-speaking child immediately after she arrived home.
In the beginning, the main focus should be on teaching the established household routine....wake times, bed times, prayer, devotions, hygiene, table manners, chores, etc. For us, our routine included starting our homeschool lessons immediately, even if it was just to learn basic things. I think that it is vitally important that every parent, who is adopting a foreign-born child who does not speak English, have their newly adopted child start at the beginning...preschool! It doesn't matter how old the child is. Just imagine how you would feel being thrown into their grade level in their home country. Basics need to be taught first in order to develop a healthy love for learning. We have seen many friends adopt non-English speaking children start their children at their age-appropriate grade level. They end up realizing that they unintentionally set their child up for failure. The children generally become discouraged, frustrated and angry when being thrown headfirst into a culture and language that is brand new. Do not be tempted to rush them into catching up. They will take off soon enough! Rushing them will only cause you and them a good bit of frustration.
For us, preschool is actually approached quite naturally, so nothing fancy is needed. Let your newly adopted foreign speaking child(ren) experience life and learn basic things as the names of objects, their colors, shapes, ABC's, numbers, common phrases, etc. When all the games have been played and all sorts of new vocabulary learned, consider purchasing a preschool workbook! One of the very first things we purchased after our first adoption was a preschool workbook from Wal-Mart for $4. When we adopted Annalise, I had Annalise and Kaitlyn (3, at the time) go through their preschool workbooks together, learning the basics. They both enjoyed showing off their accomplishments to Daddy in the evening. After Annalise's book was completed, we used ABeka's letter sound flashcards and had her master letter sounds. This led to the ABeka phonics workbooks and before we knew it, Annalise was READING English and her vocabulary had certainly grown! It had only been 3 months! During that time, we also started basic math and eventually used ABeka's mathematics, as well, omitting anything that she had mastered.
Most importantly, take on the important task to introduce the new child(ren) to your family’s routine of daily Bible study, devotions and family worship. Include some fun Bible songs and simple Bible story readings during these times, so that your new child(ren) can learn them and be slowly introduced to Jesus. The Picture Bible is a great tool for introducing the excitement of the Bible to young children! Our children enjoy it greatly!
Remember, do not feel rushed in educating your child(ren)! Take the time to enjoy your new child and to watch them LIGHT UP as they learn and experience new things on a minute-by-minute basis. It's an absolutely amazing experience to adopt an older child who is not used to the simple things we take for granted!
Mark and Lisa Metzger
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