Exploring Adoption

Mega Book Giveaway: 'The Adoption Network'

I'm passionate about helping churches and faith-based organizations start adoption/orphan care ministries.

In the November issue of Adoption World e-zine, I announced that I am donating copies of my book, The Adoption Network: Your Guide to Starting a Support System, to churches, denominations, seminaries, para-church organizations, and faith-based adoption events.

What a response! During the past two weeks, I have shipped out over 700 books! People have ordered anywhere from one to 200+ copies at a time. Several church denominations have requested copies for every church in their region.

Now that I'm relatively caught up, I thought I'd let the rest of the world know about my mega-ministry book donation.

A bit about the book:

The Adoption Network is a 112-page, softcover workbook for those who want to start a face-to-face community of support for adoptive and foster parents, first/birth parents, and/or adopted people of all ages.

The book provides step-by-step instructions and worksheets for how to:

• develop a mission statement
• plan a budget
• recruit leadership
• create workshops, support groups, social events, mentoring programs, and more

While The Adoption Network specifies how to create faith-based ministries, it is generic enough that it can be used for any type of adoption network. The book retails for $9.99, so getting multiple copies for the price of shipping/packaging is deal that can't be beat.

The generosity of some dear friends enabled me to purchase several thousand copies of The Adoption Network (yes, authors have to purchase our own books!).

I'm "paying it forward" by donating copies of my book to ministries. Do you know people who could use this handbook? Whether it's one individual, a planning team of 20, a regional governing body of 200, or a conference of 2,000, I will donate copies of The Adoption Network.

I request two things:

1. You pay shipping (let me know how many books you need and I'll calculate actual shipping costs).
2. You "pay it forward" by giving the books to those who can use them. Feel free to use the books as door prizes (not door stops), as small group study guides, and as gifts for church leaders and others interested in adoption/orphan ministry.  
   

Contact me today: laura@laurachristianson.com, and we'll set up your book shipment.

Tell everyone you know about the ministry giveaway of The Adoption Network, and feel free to link to this post or reprint it on your own blog/Web site.

Interesting in Adopting a Child with Down Syndrome?

It's so encouraging to know that droves of people are interested in adopting children with Down syndrome. Over the four years this blog has existed, I've received more inquiries about how to adopt (or place for adoption) a child with Down syndrome than any other request.

You'll find a helpful, informative article on Down syndrome adoption in the November 2008 issue of Rainbow Kids e-zine.  You'll read about Shelly and Robert Bedford, who adopted their 4-year-old son from Ukraine, and then another son, from Serbia.

Martha Osborne writes:

The Bedfords are part of a growing trend of families that turn to intercountry adoption to find a child with Down Syndrome. In prior generations, mothers were told when they had a baby with Down syndrome or another disability, 'Put the child in an institution and forget about them,' today there are long waiting lists in the USA to domestically adopt children with Down Syndrome. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many developing countries, where Down Syndrome is still looked upon with embarrassment.

The article will introduce you to several agencies that specialize in the adoption of children with Down syndrome. If adopting a child with Down syndrome is on your heart, be sure to read this article!