As you can imagine, we get a lot of interesting phone calls at New Beginnings, but recently Renae, a New Beginnings social worker, has been getting some very unique phone calls.
Two weeks ago, she answered the phone and a young girl’s voice asked her if this was the New Beginnings Adoption Agency. Renae answered, “Yes, it is. How can I help you?” The young girl proceeded to tell Renae that her mother and father had been talking about getting her a younger brother or sister, but all they did is talk, so she had decided to take matters into her own hands.
Renae, as you can imagine, was quite surprised by the young lady’s directness so she asked her how old she was. “I am ten going on eleven,” the young girl said. She asked Renae what she had to do to get a younger sibling and Renae told her she needed to have her parents call. They both hung up and Renae chuckled and went back to work.
That same little girl called back requesting information and was so persistent that Renae sent her a packet of adoption information to share with her mother. “She was on a mission!” Renae said.
The next week, Renae received a voicemail from the mother stating that she was unaware that her daughter had been calling New Beginnings, but thanks for the information anyway!
I just thought you might be able to use the chuckle, but there’s a deeper truth buried in the story. Adoption is in the heart of children. It wasn’t a complicated choice for this little girl. There were no considerations of race of what the neighbors would think. There was only the desire to have a little brother or sister.
I hope God blesses you. Stop by our website or Facebook page to see what’s happening at New Beginnings. There’s always something exciting.
There are many rumors and interesting tidbits of information seeping out of Nepal. Will adoptions be processed in 2010? Will the Nepali government continue to strive to meet Hague Accreditation Standards? Nepal…the home of the New Beginnings of Nepal Children’s Home.
What would you like to know about adoptions from Nepal? Questions? Please send them to tom@newbeginningsadoptions.org
New Beginning’s domestic adoption program is one of the foundations of our ministry to women in crisis pregnancy.With the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, the number of birthmothers opting to carry their pregnancy to term has decreased dramatically.Coupled with the greater acceptance of single parenting, the number of single pregnant women deciding to carry their child to term AND to place their child for adoption has dropped to less than 1%.The challenge for New Beginnings is to make sure that women with an unplanned pregnancy know the truth of what confidential or open adoption (the level of confidentiality or openness is entirely the birthmother’s choice) has to offer them and their expected child.Debbie Velie (Domestic Program Director, LBSW) and Renae Hellen (LBSW), our birthmother counselors, have done a very effective job of counseling with women and supporting them even when they do not choose adoption.
Unfortunately for honest birthmothers and adoptive families, the world of domestic adoptions has changed dramatically over the last 10 years.Where the emphasis used to be on the counseling of birthmothers to make good decisions for their expected child, the field is now dominated by for-profit, non-licensed adoption facilitators.These organizations typically charge $20,000 or more just to connect a family with a birthmother.The revenues generated enable them to have a very attractive presence on the internet and to advertise in newspapers and yellow pages throughout the country.Frequently birthmothers seeing these ads have no idea where the facilitator is geographically located and personal counseling is often waived in favor or receiving financial assistance with their pregnancy expenses.
We have placed 16 children for adoption through our domestic program thus far in 2008 and are currently working with six birthmothers who are making an adoption plan for their expected child.This compares with the placement of 17 children in 2008, but there are still a few days left in December!
Since some families choose to adopt independently through adoption attorneys without the benefit of pre- or post-adoption services, we also provide homestudies in Mississippi for these families at a very reasonable cost.In addition to increased outreach to churches, hospital social workers, school counselors and partnering with other Christian agencies around the country, we are seeking to build our domestic adoption program through advertising that targets the most vulnerable, pregnant birthmothers.
International Adoptions
We have experienced both successes and disappointments with our international adoption program this year.
Hague Accreditation: It is impossible to overemphasize the importance of attaining accreditation under the Hague Inter-Country Adoption Act.New Beginnings achieved 2-year temporary Accreditation in April 2008 and will finalize its 5-year Accreditation process in January 2010. This has been a long, arduous and expensive process.But without it, we would be crippled in our efforts to reach out to the orphaned children of the world with the hope of permanent families.Marcus Davenport (International Program Director) has become our resident expert “on all things Hague,” and our President, Tom Velie (LMSW) is an evaluator for the Council on Accreditation for site visits for other agencies.Our current Hague Accreditation does not expire until April 2010 so we are very comfortable with achieving our 5-year Accreditation in plenty of time.It is significant to note that several agencies which were denied Hague Accreditation have closed their doors.Even for countries which have not implemented the Hague Treaty, the gold standard for quality of services is Hague Accreditation by the Council on Accreditation.In addition, New Beginnings has the largest and best qualified team of Hague-qualified social workers in Mississippi. We are very thankful for the Lord’s help in achieving this level of professionalism.
Nepal Registration:Twenty-five American adoption agencies are registered in the country of Nepal and New Beginnings is thankful to be one of these agencies. Ten adoptive family dossiers are on file with the Ministry of Women, Children & Social Welfare in Kathmandu, Nepal awaiting their matches with children. Ten more families are in the process of completing their dossiers for 2010. Unfortunately, political unrest in Nepal has delayed the administrative process of matching the children in Nepal, but we are told that a new minister is now in place and that the process may proceed more smoothly.
Our Nepali Humanitarian Service Coordinator, Mr. Bobby Adhikari, through generous donations made by a wonderful Christian family, and through the “New Beginnings of Nepal” monthly partnership program donors, opened an orphan home for 10 children in June 2009. What a great testimony this is to the vision of the New Beginnings Founders, Stephen and Evelyn Drury, and to the dedication of “Brother Bobby.”
Poland:New Beginnings is now licensed with the Polish government to provide adoptive services in Poland and is accepting applications for this program. We have hired our Polish Representative and adoptive families can have confidence that their adoption process will proceed smoothly. This program is ideal for the adoptive family that is interested in adopting children over the age of five (some younger children may be available in sibling groups).
Other countries: New Beginnings is in the process of investigating and possibly opening other country programs in several countries. Information will be provided on this website when details are finalized. We are carefully considering other opportunities to reach out to children in orphanages in other parts of the world, but do not want to duplicate already successful programs by our partner agencies.
Summary: It is difficult to write such a short summary of the activities of our agency for an entire year.Our staff has done a remarkable job under very trying circumstances and I am proud of each of them.Some are well known to our clients and some work behind the scenes.But each has made a contribution to our mission.
Please join us in praying for increased activity in 2010 and the opportunity for more children to find their permanent homes. Every Child Deserves a Forever Family.
With the Christmas season upon us, joy and gratefulness should be nestled within our hearts. And for good reason. Every person has something that they can be thankful for, despite what difficult circumstances they may have in their life. We can be thankful for family, for friends, for creation, for joy, for peace, for hope…or, if for none of these other things, for the very breath in our lungs and the lifeblood in our veins.
Family keeps coming to my mind as something I’m most thankful for this Christmas. Our work at New Beginnings is all about family. We see families come together all the time and see what a blessing they are to each other. Families aren’t perfect…they’re made up of imperfect members. But what a blessing to have a group of people you can call family….a group of people who is supposed to know you better than most, and love you anyway….a group of people you can count on in hard times and turn to in lonely times….a group of people that you have traditions with….a group who you celebrate joyous occasions with and grieve through hard times with. And blood lines do not make a family…love does.
It’s our prayer this Christmas season that, for all of those in the world who don’t have a group of people that they can call family, whether they be adults or children, that they will be set in a family, as Psalm 68:6 says: “God sets the lonely in families…” And it’s our prayer that we’ll have the continued strength, resources, and favor from God to have a small part in helping to set some of these people in families through adoption.
Mississippi is the host to a wonderful program…Choose Life Car Tags.
When you purchase your next license plate please remember that Choose Life License Plates support crisis pregnancy centers and adoption programs like New Beginnings in your state.
Choose life also provides training to these centers as well as free resources like literature and grants for the needs of the centers.
A lot of the office staff (Tom, Debbie, Brenda, Marcus, and Stanton) are in St. Louis MO this week for the UPCI General Conference. We have a booth in the Exhibit Area. Come by and see us if you have any questions about New Beginnings or just want chat!
The title isn’t original–Edgar Allan Poe made it famous in 1843.Candy’s (name changed) statement reminded me of Poe’s title. For several weeks she blocked the reality and the end result of her upcoming abortion-choice. Just like the narrator in Poe’s story, she claimed sanity. Candy’s sanity wasn’t so much in question as was her spiritual state. She said it…”I was denying that the ‘mass of tissue” in me was a human life.”
Then there was the “dumb” requirement.Candy had to endure a sonogram before getting rid of the problem. “Just a quick procedure and then we’ll proceed” the abortion nurse told her.
The beating heart…the part of the “mass of tissue” that was pulsing…regularly…strong…in tune with it’s Creator. it was the telltale heart. Then it was “the appendage.” Yes, the little part of the “mass of tissue” that said “It’s a boy!”
“You mean…I’ll be killing my son?” Candy asked in disbelief. Disbelief that she almost committed an act as inglorious as the narrator’s in Poe’s short story. In Poe’s story, the heart beats under the floorboards of the house until the narrator goes mad.
In Candy’s story, the narrator (Candy) realizes the power of the heart before she commits the tragic act of abortion. And then…Candy’s next series of choices…tell my parents…endure the barrage of hurtful words…make an adoption plan (adoption is a loving choice…a choice that both you and your child can live with)…meeting the adoptive parents…giving birth…crying…laughing…filled with joy…crying.
The telltale heart is still beating. It beats in the chest of a healthy little boy who was/is loved by two sets of parents…a birthparent set and an adoptive parent set. He is loved and he will love. His is the telltale heart in this story.
Candy is the hero!
TV
P.S. Thinking of what to do tonight? Abortion in Mississippi is not the answer that will bring peace. Adoption in Mississippi or anywhere in America will bring peace. Did you know that only the Prince of Peace can bring Peace? That’s another story. 800-264-2229 - BIRTHMOTHER HOTLINE.
Repurposed…That’s a word that’s been in the back (sometimes the front) of my mind for the past year. I did this bible study named…Repurposed last summer and I honestly haven’t been the same since. Through viewing the life of Nehemiah, I was shown how God can take even the most broken things and use them for His Kingdom…in essence Repurposing them from hopelessness to usefulness, from crumbling to thriving. All this from a story about a guy rebuilding some city walls with a bunch of refugees. It’s all about taking something broken down and destined to be cast aside and restoring it to beauty!
That’s where adoption comes in. Adoption is the ultimate act of Repurposing that we can perform. In essence, an adoptive parent and birthmother are taking a child that statistically will fall into a life of crime and purposelessness and placing him or her in a family that will help that child find meaning and hope.
Abortion just seems to run counter to everthing good in life. I’m not trying to be insensitive, but it seems as if it’s an admission that there is no hope for anything but a bleak existence, that things can’t Change…that the place you’re in is the place you’ll always be in…That there is no way to be Repurposed into something new…
Adoption not abortion is the answer to the BIG question of “How do we curb the rising crime rates associated with children growing up with absent parents or no parents?”
Children (contrary to popular representations in media) are not consumer products…they are unique individuals with souls and dreams and aspirations of their own…if the path they’re born into seems broken and bleak, that path can be Repurposed in a very real way through the gift of adoption…birthmothers who place for adoption are not women who just want to get rid of a kid…they are women who are most concerned about the welfare of the child inside of them…
Repurpose some things in your life…consider adoption…
Hurrah! We just found out the Nepalese orphanages are starting to send children’s profiles to be matched with New Beginning’s families by the Nepal Ministry which handles adoptions in Nepal.This is a really exciting time as we work to give these children a better life!
Also!New Beginnings has recently confirmed Michael Reagan as the keynote speaker for this year’s Celebration of Adoption on October 20th, 2009.Michael is a popular author and radio/ tv host who is the adopted son of Ronald Reagan!
New Beginnings is also looking for Volunteers and Teams and Hole Sponsors for the Annual Golf For Life on May 5th!
Thanks for all your support and help!
Stanton Blaylock (you can reach me at 662-842-6752 or stantonblaylock@nbicfs.org…ask for Tom Velie if I’m not available…tomvelie@nbicfs.org)
Female, 24, single. Male, 25, single. Male, 24, single. Female, 52, married. Male, 52, married (to the 52 year old female who happens to be six months older…just for the record).
Why do we write?
Because we believe that adoption into loving Christian families offers the best opportunity for children to experience successful outcomes in life. We come from a broad range of Christian denominations, but believe the facts are in…life begins at conception and it is not a matter of religious faith…it’s a matter of fact.
If life begins at conception, then parenting or adoption are the only two options for any individual who believes that human life is only God’s for the taking. Accurate adoption information may be hard to come by, if you avoid asking the professionals. So…ask the professionals!
So…I was floored by some statistics that came across my desk last week. In response to an article by the New York Times about the link between homicide and military service, the author used stats (which i did a check on…and yes, they were legit Dept of Justice stats) the author pointed out the very real statistical link between men raised by single mothers or fathers and homicide rates.
By 1996, 70 percent of inmates in state juvenile detention centers serving long-term sentences were raised by single mothers. Seventy percent of teenage births, dropouts, suicides, runaways, juvenile delinquents and child murderers involve children raised by single mothers. Girls raised without fathers are more sexually promiscuous and more likely to end up divorced.
A 1990 study by the left-wing Progressive Policy Institute showed that, after controlling for single motherhood, the difference in black and white crime disappeared.
Various studies come up with slightly different numbers, but all the figures are grim. A study cited in the far left-wing Village Voice found that children brought up in single-mother homes “are five times more likely to commit suicide, nine times more likely to drop out of high school, 10 times more likely to abuse chemical substances, 14 times more likely to commit rape (for the boys), 20 times more likely to end up in prison, and 32 times more likely to run away from home
Just a little thought on how adoption into a traditional nuclear family is also a way to give a new beginning to our society as well.