On The Front Lines

Taking a look state-side at the amazing organizations and groups working to join children with their forever families, I have to start with one of my favorites - Project 1:27. According to their website there are 365 children who are legally available for adoption and waiting for their forever families in Colorado. Project 1:27's goal is to work with churches and parents to recruit, train and support adoptive parents and church leaders and to have ZERO waiting children in the state of Colorado. They predict that will be achieved by 2014. Can you imagine?!

Update on Ethiopian Adoptions

(If you have not heard about the changes going on in Ethiopia as far as their international adoption process, please visit here to get caught up.)

Well today the changes went into affect which means, effective immediately, 90% fewer children will be matched with their adoptive families each day (week, month, year). As discouraging as this is, there is still hope and there are still actions being taken and that can be taken by you.

1. Pray

2. Sign this petition.

3. Pray some more.

4. Spread the word.

5. and Pray some more.

Here is a statement from the National Council for Adoption that explains what steps are currently being taken to improve this situation.

Pray With Us

Please pop over to my friend's amazing blog and read her latest post and call to prayer for the children awaiting adoption in Ethiopia. This is an urgent need!

Promising Legislation for Adoptees

Thanks to possibly questionable steps by my mom I always have had a little information about my birth mother. I know her height, weight, eye color, hair color, her interests, that she wore glasses, that she has several siblings who were also tall, wore glasses and enjoyed sports and music. I also know that her parents and grandparents had things like diabetes and cancer. All identifiable information has been blacked out so I could not find her with the information given, but at least I had something which is a lot more than many adopted people from the time when closed adoptions were the norm. Still, every time I go to the doctor they ask the dreaded questions: what is your family history. Ummmm... I don't really have any.

Now the Surgeon General has made a statement strongly encouraging all Americans to know and have their family medical history ready since it can be an important piece in their medical management. Wonderful advice except for those who are adopted and have no access to their medical history. Some states even have made it so that adopted adults cannot even have access to their information. Here is an article that talks about this situation and also the steps that are being taken to change legislation to make medical history more accessible to adopted people. It won't lead to world peace, but it is at least a step towards bringing some peace of mind to those who have no idea what their genes may carry.