Sacrifice, Courage, and Humanity: American Military and The Gift of Adoption

Posted By Blackfive

“An invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time and circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break." - Chinese Legend of the Red Thread

No one knows more about this invisible thread than those who have adopted needy children and given them the gift of a home and a hopeful future life.  Many families, but especially many military families, have seen first hand what life is like for a child without even the basic necessities in life.  Because so many of our military personal have been stationed in areas where so many children are homeless or living in institutions for orphans, we are seeing humanity in its finest hour:  When families open their homes and hearts to a needy child, that gift cannot be measured, it can only be prized as a blessing to both the family and the child.

One family that knows all about the blessing of adoption is Jed and Alice Moss.  Jed has been in the Air Force for ten years and Alice is a homemaker and personal trainer. It seems appropriate to let Alice tell you about her family’s motivation for adopting, in her own words.  Here is her story:

Jed and I decided to adopt a few years ago.   Jed lost his mother to cancer before he turned 18, and felt he could really relate to a child who has experienced a traumatic loss of family, or a child with no family to call their own.  He has also seen first hand the harsh and brutal lives of orphaned children in the streets in several countries he has visited during deployments while he has been in the Air Force.

I have wanted to adopt for a few years.   I always loved the way large families looked and functioned, so I decided after 4 biological children that adoption was a perfect way to enlarge our family.  I knew I wanted to adopt from Eastern Europe, and Jed has been drawn to Estonia for years. When we finally got ourselves in gear and got the ball rolling, we looked to see if adoption from Estonia was possible, and it was!  It was meant to be, and we just followed the path set before us.

Faced with the expenses of an International adoption, we knew we would have to look for a way to supplement some of the cost.  Being a military family, currently living overseas, and already raising 4 children on a modest income,  we decided to look for a grant source.   I was in touch with another family who also completed an Estonian adoption,  and she told me about The Gift of Adoption.  I was told they give grants in varying amounts to families who qualify. We applied and were awarded a grant of 5000.00!  I remember when I received the news,  I was jumping up and down with tears in my eyes because they were helping us to make all we were dreaming of become a reality.  We also started a donation page on reality charity, which is a web site for fund raisers. We were able to raise 2000.00 from that website, and for the existing amount,  we took out a small loan from the bank.

Our Estonian children are wonderful! We have adopted a little boy who just turned 5, and a little girl who is 3. They are so cute and so loving. They are adjusting well to their new family. Our biological children just love them to death.  We have six children now,  so needless to say,  we turn 1 or 2 heads when we go out.  We also live on a very small American base, so we are very visible in the community.   Many people have come to ask me about my children, which always leads up to me being an advocate for adoption.  I do have to say, I cannot believe how sweet,  loving,  affectionate and well behaved my Estonian children are!  We were preparing ourselves for out of control, wild children coming from an orphanage, and it turned out,  that wasn’t the case at all.  They are bonding to the family,  finding their niche,  and learning to speak English more and more everyday.  They are good sleepers,  and even better eaters!   They eat just about anything we have, and they get especially exited when I make any form of soup,  because that is a typical Estonian supper. They are really happy kids.

Well, now that our adoption has been completed, we are definitely a much larger family. It has also made us even more aware that there are so many more children in need of our help. It is so hard to see all the children in the orphanages still waiting for families.  I have started an Adoption Ministry in our church, to share my experiences, and most importantly to advocate for these children waiting for families. And of course, this adoption has made us want to adopt again.

Gift of Adoption has been an immeasurable blessing for us. We were so worried we wouldn’t have the funds to bring these two children home to us,  and it would not have been possible without the Gift of Adoption.  It enables lower and middle income families like ours to be able to afford an adoption which otherwise would not be possible.

I have told other military families that are considering adoption,  but are hesitant because of the cost, to look into Gift of Adoption for help.

The Gift of Adoption helps families tighten that invisible thread of compassion and humanity that makes life more meaningful, one child at a time,  for all of humanity.

The Gift of Adoption Fund, begun in 1996, was created to bring more children to loving families.  The fund is a national 501c3 organization that “inspires adoptions by giving grants that put adoption in reach for the 140 million children worldwide in need of families, for qualified parents wanting to adopt, and for those of us who want to do something concrete to move a child from a dire situation into a life of hope and promise.”  According to the foundation’s eligibility standards, “any U.S. citizen adopting from anywhere in the world (domestic or international) who has an approved home study from a licensed agency or social worker is eligible to apply.  Financial need must be demonstrated.  The number of biological children or adopted children in the home does not impact eligibility.”

More than 450 grants, far more than $1,600.000.00, have been awarded since 1997.  The maximum grant size is $7,500.00.  Grants are awarded monthly, but in order to continue this great cause, donations are needed.

Financial support comes from individual, corporate, and foundation donors. 

If you or anyone you know is interested in applying for a grant or donating to this worthy cause, you can find out more by contacting www.giftofadoption.org or by writing to Gift of Adoption Fund at:

Gift of Adoption
2001 Waukegan Road
P.O. Box 567
Techny, IL  60082

---

Mission: To protect and promote the reputation and dignity of America's Warriors.
Join us!

Comments

Sacrifice, Courage, and Humanity: American Military and The Gift of Adoption

“An invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time and circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break." - Chinese Legend of the Red Thread

No one knows more about this invisible thread than those who have adopted needy children and given them the gift of a home and a hopeful future life.  Many families, but especially many military families, have seen first hand what life is like for a child without even the basic necessities in life.  Because so many of our military personal have been stationed in areas where so many children are homeless or living in institutions for orphans, we are seeing humanity in its finest hour:  When families open their homes and hearts to a needy child, that gift cannot be measured, it can only be prized as a blessing to both the family and the child.

One family that knows all about the blessing of adoption is Jed and Alice Moss.  Jed has been in the Air Force for ten years and Alice is a homemaker and personal trainer. It seems appropriate to let Alice tell you about her family’s motivation for adopting, in her own words.  Here is her story:

Jed and I decided to adopt a few years ago.   Jed lost his mother to cancer before he turned 18, and felt he could really relate to a child who has experienced a traumatic loss of family, or a child with no family to call their own.  He has also seen first hand the harsh and brutal lives of orphaned children in the streets in several countries he has visited during deployments while he has been in the Air Force.

I have wanted to adopt for a few years.   I always loved the way large families looked and functioned, so I decided after 4 biological children that adoption was a perfect way to enlarge our family.  I knew I wanted to adopt from Eastern Europe, and Jed has been drawn to Estonia for years. When we finally got ourselves in gear and got the ball rolling, we looked to see if adoption from Estonia was possible, and it was!  It was meant to be, and we just followed the path set before us.

Faced with the expenses of an International adoption, we knew we would have to look for a way to supplement some of the cost.  Being a military family, currently living overseas, and already raising 4 children on a modest income,  we decided to look for a grant source.   I was in touch with another family who also completed an Estonian adoption,  and she told me about The Gift of Adoption.  I was told they give grants in varying amounts to families who qualify. We applied and were awarded a grant of 5000.00!  I remember when I received the news,  I was jumping up and down with tears in my eyes because they were helping us to make all we were dreaming of become a reality.  We also started a donation page on reality charity, which is a web site for fund raisers. We were able to raise 2000.00 from that website, and for the existing amount,  we took out a small loan from the bank.

Our Estonian children are wonderful! We have adopted a little boy who just turned 5, and a little girl who is 3. They are so cute and so loving. They are adjusting well to their new family. Our biological children just love them to death.  We have six children now,  so needless to say,  we turn 1 or 2 heads when we go out.  We also live on a very small American base, so we are very visible in the community.   Many people have come to ask me about my children, which always leads up to me being an advocate for adoption.  I do have to say, I cannot believe how sweet,  loving,  affectionate and well behaved my Estonian children are!  We were preparing ourselves for out of control, wild children coming from an orphanage, and it turned out,  that wasn’t the case at all.  They are bonding to the family,  finding their niche,  and learning to speak English more and more everyday.  They are good sleepers,  and even better eaters!   They eat just about anything we have, and they get especially exited when I make any form of soup,  because that is a typical Estonian supper. They are really happy kids.

Well, now that our adoption has been completed, we are definitely a much larger family. It has also made us even more aware that there are so many more children in need of our help. It is so hard to see all the children in the orphanages still waiting for families.  I have started an Adoption Ministry in our church, to share my experiences, and most importantly to advocate for these children waiting for families. And of course, this adoption has made us want to adopt again.

Gift of Adoption has been an immeasurable blessing for us. We were so worried we wouldn’t have the funds to bring these two children home to us,  and it would not have been possible without the Gift of Adoption.  It enables lower and middle income families like ours to be able to afford an adoption which otherwise would not be possible.

I have told other military families that are considering adoption,  but are hesitant because of the cost, to look into Gift of Adoption for help.

The Gift of Adoption helps families tighten that invisible thread of compassion and humanity that makes life more meaningful, one child at a time,  for all of humanity.

The Gift of Adoption Fund, begun in 1996, was created to bring more children to loving families.  The fund is a national 501c3 organization that “inspires adoptions by giving grants that put adoption in reach for the 140 million children worldwide in need of families, for qualified parents wanting to adopt, and for those of us who want to do something concrete to move a child from a dire situation into a life of hope and promise.”  According to the foundation’s eligibility standards, “any U.S. citizen adopting from anywhere in the world (domestic or international) who has an approved home study from a licensed agency or social worker is eligible to apply.  Financial need must be demonstrated.  The number of biological children or adopted children in the home does not impact eligibility.”

More than 450 grants, far more than $1,600.000.00, have been awarded since 1997.  The maximum grant size is $7,500.00.  Grants are awarded monthly, but in order to continue this great cause, donations are needed.

Financial support comes from individual, corporate, and foundation donors. 

If you or anyone you know is interested in applying for a grant or donating to this worthy cause, you can find out more by contacting www.giftofadoption.org or by writing to Gift of Adoption Fund at:

Gift of Adoption
2001 Waukegan Road
P.O. Box 567
Techny, IL  60082

TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341bfadb53ef00e552bae3258834

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Sacrifice, Courage, and Humanity: American Military and The Gift of Adoption: