Adopting in the Empty Nest Years

Terrie and Cal’s son is 38. Their oldest daughter is 34. Abbey, their youngest, is 12.

That’s right – 12.

How did that happen? Well, it’s quite a story. It’s something of a miracle, too. Not a medical miracle, but the sort of miracle made possible by adoption.

Before she stepped into Terrie and Cal’s lives, Abbey was removed from her biological mother at a young age, then cycled through a revolving door of adoptive families, foster parents, and residential treatment centers for adolescents. She was broken, rejected, and alone.

Foster children often come from difficult backgrounds like that. Many kids feel like they’ve been discarded emotionally. They don’t understand why they’re different from everybody else. In some cases, they’ve been abandoned by their birth families. That’s what it was like for Abbey.

Then Terrie and Cal came along and Abbey found her forever home.

The journey hasn’t been easy, for her or for Terrie and Cal. Terrie and her husband were empty nesters and weren’t looking to raise another child. But God was on the move in their lives.

Terrie Morrow is with us on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Adopting in the Empty Nest Years” to share her story of adopting a young girl named Abbey out of foster care and a system that failed her.

Many of you may hear God’s call through Terrie’s story to be involved in foster care in some way. The research shows it takes five families to support a foster family well. Most need help with everything from the laundry to grocery shopping to respite care (that’s a fancy word that simply means giving foster and adoptive parents a break).

Adoption is a huge decision. It takes a lot for a family – especially an empty nest couple like Cal and Terrie – to welcome a new child into their home. There are many steps along the way, many important issues to consider.

This program may move you to consider adopting yourself. If so, give us a call at 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459) and ask about our resources for adoptive families.

If God hasn’t called you to adoption, you can still do something extraordinary for these kids. You can play an important part by supporting our Wait No More campaign, which helps recruit families for adoption.

If you’re wondering where to start or are just in need of more information, visit our website Wait No More. We’ll help you discover what you can do to step into the life of a foster child in the name of Christ.

In the meantime, I invite you to tune in to today’s program to hear Terrie’s full story. You can hear it on your local radio station, online, or on our free phone app.