Since 2008, 2,774 families have initiated the process of adoption from foster care as a result of the collaborative efforts of our Wait No More program. It’s been amazing for us to see that many of these families are choosing to adopt hard-to-place kids like older children, sibling groups or those with special needs.
Results like this are the reason why the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute has named Wait No More a national best practice in foster care adoption recruitment.
The real people behind the stats
As extraordinary as those figures are, what really makes me thank God is when I think of the real people behind the numbers.
I want you to capture the heart and vision behind Wait No More and our adoption and orphan care efforts, so I’m going to share some of the stories of families who have written into Focus on the Family after their experience at Wait No More.
Jeff and Sarah Beneze, who attended a Wait No More event in Texas, said:
A few months after the Wait No More conference, we finally made the decision to pursue becoming licensed to be a foster family. This had been something we’d considered for a year or more before the conference but had always pushed aside. Through the conference and in other ways, God continued to bring the need before us and guide us to the decision to move forward.
Being a foster family is a blessing beyond what I can describe. It is hard for people to understand the joy that comes from what we do. Most of the time people can only focus on the loss a foster family experiences when a child returns home. And, no doubt, the loss is great and something only God can get us through. But even greater is the joy we experience being able to love and care for these precious little ones for the season God has placed them in our arms.
I am so thankful God took us to the Wait No More conference. Hearing the information and stories presented there was instrumental in our decision to obey God in what He was asking us to do and start the journey of fostering! Thank you for providing the conference.
Ethmundo & Jene Rosales, who participated in our Arizona event, had this to say:
My husband and I had been thinking about adoption for a while and the Wait No More event was God’s way of talking to us and giving us an opportunity to get the process started. We were able to get in contact with an agency that day and began the application process and courses to become licensed foster parents and certified to adopt. As of May 23, 2013 we were able to officially adopt our 5- and 6-year-old boys. It has been an absolutely amazing journey and we have seen the hand of God working in the lives of these children and in our own lives. Thank you, Wait No More!
Natalia Parker, who attended one of our events in Colorado, shared her story.
Since the Wait No More event in 2008, we have welcomed home two little girls, completing the most recent adoption in April of 2011. These little girls are precious! They are such a gift to our family from the Lord and they were certainly worth waiting for. Our walk with the Lord has also been strengthened through this process and our trust in Him has grown.
Won’t you join us?
Our next Wait No More event will be held on Sept. 20 in Charlotte, North Carolina at Carmel Baptist Church from 10am to 2pm. (You can learn more at www.iCareAboutOrphans.org/north-carolina.)
In the meanwhile, we’d appreciate it if you could partner with us. We need your prayers and gifts to continue holding these life-changing events.
Please prayerfully consider giving the gift of family today – especially since a contribution to Wait No More will be doubled by a matching gift to help twice as many families open their homes to children who are waiting in the foster care system.
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