B12 A36 • November 2013
280 Living
What adoptive families wish you knew By JENNY CLARK Many 280-area families are growing through adoption. It is a difficult, costly and often heartwrenching process, but for those of us who believe that God has called us to adopt, it is worth every tear, every penny and every bit of the wait. Because November is Adoption Awareness month, we decided to talk to three local families to find out what they wish other families knew about the process of adoption and how it affects us all.
The Reeves Family
of her old friends and relatives and for them to realize that although she is deaf, she is worthy and valuable. She wasn’t worthy when she lived in Uganda. She wasn’t valuable in Uganda.
do you wish more people in our Q What community understood about adoption? A
Our family spent many years in disobedience to God, chasing after the
things the world would expect families at our life stage to pursue. People say things like, “It is so amazing what you have done. You have saved these kids’ lives.” But the truth is that they saved our lives. When people see our family, we hope they don’t see black, white, deaf, special needs — we don’t want them to see us at all. We want them to see Jesus.
The Prince Family
Todd and Amiee Reeves have five children and live in Eagle Point. Laurel, 17, and Coleman, 16, are their biological children. Shamira, 13, Joan, 10, and Derrick, 8, were adopted from Uganda at ages 12, 8 and 6.
your family always feel called to A Q Did adopt? A No. Adoption had literally never crossed our minds. Having been married for 20 years and having a healthy son and daughter in their teens, we were so close to being empty nesters. But God used our adoptions as a way to refine us as a family in spite of all of our flaws.
Q
Has your experience been different because you adopted older children as well as kids with special needs?
It has been such a joy to adopt older children who remember the suffering and poverty in which they lived. They appreciate everything and recognize the little things that the rest of us take for granted. They are thankful to go to school because in Uganda finding funds to attend school is very difficult, and even with funds very few go past sixth grade. We’ve already taken one child back to visit Uganda. It was amazing for her to get to see some
Tal and Teresa Prince adopted their daughters Bethany, 11, and JoHannah, 9, from China as infants. They are currently building a new home in Eagle Point.
Q How was your family led to adoption? A
I found out when I was 16 that to be a mom I would have to choose surrogacy or adoption. Adoption was my heart’s desire from the moment I heard the news, and we
went into marriage knowing this as we planned for parenthood. In many ways, we were spared a lot of the financial and emotional pressures of infertility. Adoption was always our dream.