{"id":302698,"date":"2013-03-11T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-03-11T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/1-3-nurturing-a-heart-for-adoption\/"},"modified":"2013-03-11T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2013-03-11T15:00:00","slug":"1-3-nurturing-a-heart-for-adoption","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/1-3-nurturing-a-heart-for-adoption\/","title":{"rendered":"1\/3 Nurturing a Heart for Adoption"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Have you ever considered adoption?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2013-03-11.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"21.45M","filesize_raw":"22495510","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2818],"tags":[2712,5253,4798],"podcast_series":[7274],"cwp_profile":[8869],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-302698","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adoption-and-orphans","tag-adoption","tag-forever-family","tag-kids","podcast_series-a-very-special-family","cwp_profile-michael-and-sharon-dennehy","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/302698\/1-3-nurturing-a-heart-for-adoption","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/302698\/1-3-nurturing-a-heart-for-adoption","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"QeXj6DAG5h\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/1-3-nurturing-a-heart-for-adoption\/\">1\/3 Nurturing a Heart for Adoption<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/1-3-nurturing-a-heart-for-adoption\/embed\/#?secret=QeXj6DAG5h\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;1\/3 Nurturing a Heart for Adoption&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"QeXj6DAG5h\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Have you ever considered adoption?","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2013-03-11.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Mike and Sharon Dennehy had already felt God was calling them to adopt; but Sharon says she found herself surprised by another prompting of the Spirit, in the middle of the process.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon:<\/strong>\u00a0 While we were doing the home study, we saw a little blurb about him in a newsletter. It said, \u201cLittle boy, born with no arms, desperately needs loving home.\u201d I saw that and I said, \u201cI really feel that God wants me to be his mom.\u201d It was something just unexpected because I was afraid. I had no experience with that; and I was afraid to even mention it to Mike because I thought, \u201cHe\u2019ll think I\u2019m crazy!\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Monday, March 11<sup>th<\/sup>. Our host is the President of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine. We\u2019ll introduce you to Mike and Sharon Dennehy on today\u2019s program. They\u2019ve had a lot of people who thought they were crazy over the years, and you\u2019ll find out why today. Stay tuned. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us. I\u2019ve had people, over the years, who have said, \u201cHave you guys ever interviewed those people from Arkansas with all those kids\u2014you know, the Duggars? We have not had the Duggars on. We have not crossed paths with them.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 We haven\u2019t. We don\u2019t have a table, here in the studio, big enough.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 I don\u2019t think we have one in the ministry big enough, anywhere. There may not be one in the state, other than in their dining room, big enough to handle that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 But you don\u2019t have to have all the kids to do the interview. The couple we\u2019re going to have share their story today, with our listeners\u2014well, you\u2019re going to get it after just a few moments. I\u2019m going to keep a little suspense here as I introduce Michael and Sharon Dennehy to our listeners. Sharon, Michael, welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today.<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0 Thanks\u2014great to be here.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon:<\/strong>\u00a0 Thank you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Michael and Sharon live in Virginia. Michael is in technical software sales\u2014security on the internet, and phones, and computers, and iPad<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>s, and the like. Does that capture it?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0 That\u2019s pretty good, yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 It\u2019s close, but let\u2019s be honest. He got near it, but not there; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0 Grazed against it. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Sharon, on the other hand, is a mom.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon:<\/strong>\u00a0 That\u2019s right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 A glorious, glorious mom; and Michael is a glorious dad. I had a question for both of you. Here is my leading question\u2014we haven\u2019t established how many children you have: \u201cWhen you guys were dating\u2014be truthful\u2014did you like kids? Did you think about having a family full of kids? Michael?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0 I would say that when you\u2019re dating, kids are sort of an annoyance, to be honest; right? You\u2019re trying to gaze into your date\u2019s eyes and make googly eyes, and the kids are next to you, at a table, making noises. They always seemed, to me, like the ones that make noises and mess up, at key moments in life.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 So did you like them? Did you like kids?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0 I had a little, tiny sister\u2014that was sort of a miracle baby\u2014that wasn\u2019t supposed to be alive\u2014and my mom had a lot of problems. So, when I was able to have my little baby sister, I sort of changed my view about kids before I met lovely Sharon. I\u2019d say, \u201cYes, I did like them; but I didn\u2019t like them when I was on dates.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 But as you started to think toward the future\u2014and think maybe Sharon was the one you would marry and maybe you guys would settle down\u2014did you have an ideal family size in mind?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0 Two point five. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 You were going for the national average; right? Actually, that\u2019s a little higher than the national average, at this point.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon:<\/strong>\u00a0 That\u2019s right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Sharon, what about you?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon:<\/strong>\u00a0 I actually didn\u2019t want children, at first. I wanted a career. God changed my heart in a big way. I think you\u2019d agree when you know how many we have. I think it was something that grew on us. Actually, it\u2019s funny because when we first got married, we said: \u201cLet\u2019s have our children while we\u2019re young. Then, we\u2019ll have so much freedom. We\u2019ll still be young when they\u2019re all out of the house.\u201d We kind of ruined that plan.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes, you did ruin that plan.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 You did. Well, I want to have you introduce your children. Instead of having you do it, here on <em>FamilyLife Today, <\/em>both Bob and I watched a video that had pictures that accompanied, really, you introducing all of your children.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 We have a link, by the way, to the video at FamilyLifeToday.com. So, if you want to watch and see the pictures, you can go there and click on the link; but you ought to stay here because, even without the pictures\u2014some great stories.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 There are some great stories, but this was one of the longest introductions I\u2019ve ever heard to anything.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0 I\u2019m Irish. I can\u2019t help it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 But you have to get there, you know. You have to introduce all of them. We\u2019re just going to cut to the chase here and go to the Rock Church in Richmond, Virginia, and listen as you introduce your family.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Recorded content]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0 I just want to tell you briefly about each of the kids. These are the bio-kids. We call them our \u201chomemade cookies\u201d. [Laughter] We have store-bought cookies and homemade cookies. These are our three homemade cookies\u2014just a quick word on that. I\u2019m not going to preach to you; but when we started doing adoption, everyone said to us\u2014and they meant well\u2014but they said, \u201cDon\u2019t adopt because your kids won\u2019t get enough of your love and attention,\u201d or, \u201cThey won\u2019t have enough of your time.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWell, I tell you, it got in their DNA. I\u2019m telling you\u2014if you\u2019re here tonight and you happen to be a parent\u2014if you live out the Gospel in whatever way you choose to live it out\u2014it doesn\u2019t need to be adoption\u2014but if your children see you living out the Gospel, it gets in their blood. [Audience applause] Marissa, who is up there, she just got back from China. She spent a year. My son, Ryan, who is up there, was really involved in InterVarsity at JMU. Erin is now bugging her husband to do foster care, and he is barely able to resist. So, I just want you to know.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSome of you, probably, are sitting out there going, \u201cIt\u2019s crazy. How do you even have that many kids?\u201d Well, I think Heaven\u2019s going to be pretty crowded. So, if adoption is a model of the Gospel, I think we ought to, at least, try to mimic it a little bit. I\u2019m the brakes and Sharon is the gas pedal in this relationship. Somehow, it works out. When we had three children, I tried to tell her: \u201cThree is good\u2014this is a trinity\u2014God\u2019s number\u2014the trinity.\u201d Well, a bunch of things happened, and we got to seven. I\u2019m like: \u201cSeven\u2019s good. It\u2019s the number of creation.\u201d Now, we\u2019re at 12. I\u2019m still trying to put the brakes on a little bit. So, I said, \u201cEven Jesus stopped at 12.\u201d [Audience laughter] \u201cPlease, Honey.\u201d\u00a0 I don\u2019t know where this train is actually going to stop, at the end; but it should be interesting to see. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis is George. He\u2019s going to get up here and play some music for you. All I\u2019m going to say about it is\u2014when we met George\u2014he was our first adoption\u2014he weighed nine pounds. He was about a year-and-a-half old. I don\u2019t want to embarrass him, but he was kind of a hurting little soul. The last line of his medical report says, \u201cThis boy will soon die.\u201d And there were three dots after the word \u201cdie\u201d that the Romanian doctor had put there.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNext in our family was James. James was just a <em>National Geographic<\/em> for kids. James has an amazing sense of humor. He was born in Bangalore, India, with no arms. We were down at the Outer Banks, a couple years ago, and I came walking out of the ocean with James. He just had his swim trunks on. This little girl was walking up the beach with her daddy, and she just stops. Little kids don\u2019t have a filter; right? She says to James, \u201cWhere\u2019s your arms?\u201d James looks down and says, \u201cWhen I was your age, I didn\u2019t eat my vegetables.\u201d [Audience laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAfter James came along\u2014Tommy\u2014Tommy came to us when he was four days old, right out of the hospital. We were able to go to the hospital and actually bring him to our home and raise him up from that very first moment. So, he\u2019s a precious little bundle. The state of Connecticut told us\u2014we were up there then\u2014they told us we couldn\u2019t have him because he was in foster care with us. So, we just said, \u201cLord, You\u2019re in control.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe phone rings one day. It\u2019s the state, saying, \u201cCan you adopt him?\u201d We said: \u201cI can. Sure, bring it on.\u201d Well, we get a phone call one day\u2014be careful what you pray for, you know, because sometimes you get it\u2014I\u2019m outside, right after we got Tommy, about a year after. I\u2019m raking the leaves. It\u2019s a sunny day; and I\u2019m saying, \u201cLord, You\u2019re amazing! You made all things. Look at the sun. Look at the clouds. You did it all. I\u2019m just a speck. I mean nothing.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe front door comes open. My wife comes out, with a cordless phone pressed against her neck: \u201cTommy has a sister. They want us to take her.\u201d That was the fastest adoption decision, ever! I think it was ten seconds of pondering, \u201cYes, Lord!\u201d So this is Siobhan. Siobhan is Tommy\u2019s biological sister. She joined us, right after Tommy joined us; and she\u2019s also a precious bundle of love.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCaris came to us from China. We got to go to China for two weeks and be with her. She was on the older side when she joined our family. Don\u2019t be afraid if you\u2019re looking at orphan care, foster care, helping out, adoption, any of that. Don\u2019t be afraid of eight-, nine-, ten-, or seven-year-olds. They\u2019re just beautiful kids\u2014all of them\u2014that just need some guidance. Caris joined us, kind of on the later side, when she was ten. She\u2019s fit into the family amazing. She\u2019s an amazing kid, and she\u2019s part of the team.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tFriends of ours had just gotten back from Ethiopia. They said: \u201cEthiopia\u2014the kids over there just need a home. They just need somewhere to go. There\u2019s a lot of infant mortality, and malnutrition, and starvation. Just give them a chance.\u201d They inspired us. They had come back with two beautiful girls. So we got Kalkidan, who is here tonight. That\u2019s Kali\u2019s before and after picture, by the way. That\u2019s probably a little bit how our souls look to God before we come to Him; right?\u00a0 Everyone in the room here\u2014you have a before and after picture\u2014before Jesus and after. Her sister\u2014Andinet\u2014so Andinet and Kalkidan get over here from Ethiopia. They start learning English, very slowly. All of a sudden, one day, they say, \u201cWe have a sister.\u201d We\u2019re like, \u201cYou have a sister!\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tMy first thought was, \u201cGod, you could have saved us about 10,000 miles and let us grab her on the first trip.\u201d But Sharon had gone to Africa, all by herself, to pick up Andinet and Kalkidan because I had started a new job. She went solo and brought them back. I was thinking, \u201cLord, what do You want us to do?\u201d Well, bang! He says: \u201cGo get this girl. Reunite her with her sisters.\u201d So Tamer is here tonight. This is their sister, Tamer\u2014before and after. We had a very weepy, beautiful reunion at Dulles Airport when the two sisters and Tamer got to see each other, after two years apart. It was really emotional. So, that was a joy.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis is Hope. Hope was born with no arms and no legs. She has a little foot that is attached to her hip. She is here tonight. We were able to go to Bangkok, Thailand, and bring her back this year. So, she\u2019s number 12. I think Hope is a great name because she gives all of us hope. She uses her little foot for <em>amazing<\/em> things. She\u2019s mousing on the computer, doing the joy stick on her wheelchair, zooming around, bringing light into everybody\u2019s life. She came from a Buddhist country; and now, she\u2019s telling everybody how much she loves Jesus. [Audience applause]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Studio]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 I wish listeners could see the pictures. Actually, they can. They can go to FamilyLifeToday.com and see the pictures of each of these kids, as they were being introduced. What a great family.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 And I wish they could see the faces of their mom and dad, as they kind of relive it. What I want to know is: \u201cHow, in the world, can you get all the way through all of those without crying; huh?\u201d I mean, I was weeping by the time I watched this.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes, I don\u2019t know. It\u2019s a privilege and honor to even talk about it. I almost feel like I\u2019ve been photo-shopped into my own life, by God\u2014and sometimes, a chance to speak to others\u2014my prayer, beforehand, in something like that\u2014is just that somebody\u2014maybe one, maybe five, maybe ten\u2014are out there, right on the bubble: \u201cI\u2019m thinking about doing foster care,\u201d \u201cWe just talked about adoption,\u201d \u201cMaybe that\u2019s the little nudge we need tonight.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 A dozen kids, three homemade, nine store-bought\u2014that\u2019s how you started, sharing about this. Sharon, you didn\u2019t think you wanted any, to begin with.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon:<\/strong>\u00a0 That\u2019s right. Well, God did such a work in my heart to change me. When we finally started feeling a heart for orphans, we went and did a home study with Bethany Christian Services<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>. We said to them, \u201cNo special-needs children because we have three children, and that\u2019s a big family.\u201d Mike and I each had a sister\u2014so three seemed like a big family, to us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 So, you put the stipulation, \u201cNo special needs.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon:<\/strong>\u00a0 No special needs.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 But your first adoption was George.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Tell everybody about George.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon:<\/strong>\u00a0 George was born with no arms. While we were doing the home study, we saw a little blurb about him in a newsletter. It said, \u201cLittle boy, born with no arms, desperately needs a loving home.\u201d I saw that and I said, \u201cI really feel like God wants me to be his mom.\u201d It was something just unexpected because I was afraid. I had no experience with that. I was afraid to even mention it to Mike because I thought, \u201cHe\u2019ll think I\u2019m crazy!\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 This little boy weighed nine pounds, at a year-and-a-half, from Romania.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 He is a talented, talented man now.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Tell everybody what he does today.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon:<\/strong>\u00a0 He plays musical instruments with his feet and sings. He was a throwaway child. In Romania, they are superstitious about handicaps. They believe that it\u2019s a curse from God. So, when he was in the orphanage, they barely touched him and they barely fed him. He was a failure-to-thrive baby. He would have died, probably, if we hadn\u2019t come gotten him when he was a year old.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Mike, do you remember when Sharon came to you and mustered up the courage to say, \u201cI think God wants us to adopt George\u201d?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes, one hundred percent. I remember the day; I remember the morning. She had kind of put a circle around his picture and left it out where I got my coffee. So, I did flip out a little bit. I have to admit.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 So you walked down, and it\u2019s right there on the kitchen table?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0 George\u2019s picture, yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 And you look at it. There\u2019s a circle around it, and you think\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes, and you have to picture the picture\u2014you know what I\u2019m saying? It was a little black and white picture, maybe an inch by an inch. It was smudgy. In the picture, he looks like he\u2019s in agony. It\u2019s not a glamour picture. He\u2019s wrapped in some bandages or something. It just looked like he was almost dead in the photo. The thought that we would somehow get him\u2014originally, it just blew my mind\u2014I have to admit.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen, during the day\u2014I think I was driving around, thinking about it. I called Sharon and said: \u201cI think you\u2019re right. Something\u2019s telling me that this is the right thing to do.\u201d But I was more afraid than Sharon, definitely.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 The Bible makes it real clear\u2014and many times, we quote this verse when someone goes through a difficult time\u2014that, \u201cAll things work together for good to those who love God, and to those who are called according to His purposes.\u201d We don\u2019t apply that verse, I don\u2019t think, to children who are born with handicaps. I think there is something within us that resists fleeing to that verse and going, \u201cYou have something good, here, God; really?\u201d And yet, George continues to prove that statement is powerful\u2014that God blessed this young man with these talents.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0 The beauty of what you said about the verse, the Scripture verse, is that George is now telling thousands and millions of people that same thing: \u201cI was not a mistake. I know that God had plans for me.\u201d George even wears a shirt that says \u201cIntelligently Designed\u201d when he performs in public.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Wow! Sharon, I just have to ask about the transformation in your own heart from \u201cI don\u2019t think I want kids,\u201d to, \u201cLet\u2019s adopt a special-needs boy.\u201d First of all, to, \u201cLet\u2019s adopt.\u201d When did the seeds for that begin to blossom in your heart?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon:<\/strong>\u00a0 I think once our biological kids were school-age, I started feeling like I wanted to do more to serve God. That seemed to match up with my gifts. I really just\u2014He made me to be a rescuer and a nurturer. I guess I didn\u2019t realize that until the Holy Spirit showed me that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 So that starts to blossom. You start talking to Mike, and was he right in-sync with you?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon:<\/strong>\u00a0 He was to an extent, I think. I think he was in-sync to adopt one. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, that\u2019s what you were thinking, at the beginning; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, that\u2019s what I was thinking, at the beginning, too.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 You think, \u201cWell, we\u2019ll adopt one.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon:<\/strong>\u00a0 Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0 Baby steps.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, he described you as an accelerator and he\u2019s the brakes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon:<\/strong>\u00a0 Right. Well, he\u2019s the provider and the protector, as the man is in the family. It\u2019s natural for him to want to protect and be careful about those things. I\u2019m the nurturer. So, I\u2019m thinking, \u201cWe need to love these babies.\u201d I think we both have that\u2014those roles were important for both of us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 I want to go to a place, here, that you usually wouldn\u2019t go because, I think, when you introduce a family like this\u2014and you see the pictures, and you see the children, and they\u2019re growing up, and they\u2019re becoming young men and young ladies, and there is a before and after\u2014before they were adopted, what their faces looked like\u2014and now, after they\u2019ve grown up in a family, and had a forever-family that they\u2019re identified with. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYour family is composed of 12 children\u2014a lot of special needs and a lot of very hard moments. What are some of the most difficult moments in having to take care of nine children, many with special needs?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon:<\/strong>\u00a0 I think we expected it to be much harder than it actually is. I was expecting doctors\u2019 visits and therapists for our two sons with no arms. It turns out that they just are so independent.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 I just want to know: \u201cHow long from the time you brought home\u2014and I presume it was nine-pound George that you brought home\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon:<\/strong>\u00a0 Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 \u2014a year-and-a-half old\u2014he\u2019s nine pounds. How long from that time until you said, \u2018Maybe, there\u2019s another one of these in our future.\u2019 Was it months? Was it years? What was it?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon:<\/strong>\u00a0 It was probably less than a year. I think I had caught the bug. It was such a rewarding experience. It was such a blessing. There was a website, out at the time, called <em>Precious in His Sight<\/em>\u2014that was all special-needs children that needed homes. I got looking at that one day. God was really in that, too, because I had never thought about the country of India\u2014had never desired a child from India. I was just messing around on that website, and James\u2019 little face popped up. I read the description, and he was the exact same condition as George. I said, \u201cWow! I think these two need to be brothers.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Did you even know she was messing around on the web like this?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michael:<\/strong>\u00a0 She called me over and said, \u201cLook at this,\u201d because George and James\u2019 actual condition is fairly rare. They, literally, have nothing on the arms. It\u2019s some outrageously rare thing. She said, \u201cLook! I found a boy <em>exactly<\/em> like George in India.\u201d She was showing me his picture, and it was kind of interesting. Then, afterwards, I thought: \u201cYou know how Christian families have these web filters to keep out the bad stuff? I\u2019m going to have to get an adoption-site web filter.\u201d [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 You know, I was thinking about that as Bob asked that question. She\u2019s surfing the web.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 Going to limit her time on the internet.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michael:<\/strong> Yes. \u201cI\u2019m taking away your credit card and all your adoption stuff.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon:<\/strong>\u00a0 And as you can tell, his filter didn\u2019t work! [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, I think the message, to our listeners, is clear. It\u2019s not that adoption is for everyone\u2014that foster care is for everyone. But I do think going near the orphan\u2014somehow, someway, through prayer, through giving, through going\u2014I think when you go near the orphan, you go near the heart of God. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of our six is adopted\u2014we\u2019ve shared many times, here on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. We don\u2019t remember which one of the six\u2014and I think you probably feel the same way about your dozen\u2014that three biological, nine adopted\u2014they\u2019ve all been grafted in and they\u2019re all yours\u2014they\u2019re all in the family.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 You\u2019ve shared and Barbara has shared, as well, that there are challenges that come with the decision to adopt. We have to not get seduced by this romantic notion that it\u2019s going to be a perfect bonding situation, but you have to be aware of what some of those realities are going to be. In fact, the Hope for Orphans<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> team, that we have here at FamilyLife, worked really hard to put together a DVD workshop for families considering adoption\u2014that forces you to look at all of the issues so that you go in with your eyes wide-open because, as you said, not every family is called to adopt\u2014but for those who are\u2014they just need to be wise about that decision and then move out, take a courageous step, and do what God has laid on their heart.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you go to FamilyLifeToday.com, you can find out about the <em>If You Were Mine<\/em><em><sup>\u00ae<\/sup><\/em> DVD workshop. This is something you could host in your church, or you could get it and watch it with a few other couples you know about, who have been thinking about adoption. Again, go to FamilyLifeToday.com. Look for the <em>If You Were Mine <\/em>DVD workshop; and there are links to other resources we have available to help with adoption and orphan care, as well. The website again: FamilyLifeToday.com; or call if you need more information: 1-800-358-6329; that\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then, the word, \u201cTODAY\u201d. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, I need to talk for just a minute to those of you who are regular <em>FamilyLifeToday <\/em>listeners\u2014you tune in most every day if you can. God has used this program in your life; and maybe you\u2019ve been to one of our events\u2014a <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em><em><sup>\u00ae<\/sup><\/em>marriage getaway or an <em>Art of Marriage<\/em><em><sup>\u00ae<\/sup><\/em>event. Maybe you took part in the <em>Stepping Up\u2122<\/em> Super Saturday event last month. Whatever the situation\u2014if you\u2019re a regular listener and if God has used <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> in your life\u2014I want to ask you to consider joining with us as a Legacy Partner. These are folks who agree to pray for the ministry of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> and to make a monthly contribution to help support this ministry. Really, our Legacy Partners\u2014that is the team that provides the financial base for this ministry. You help us with that regular giving that makes it easier for us to plan and to pay the cost of syndicating and producing this daily radio program. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis month, during the month of March, we\u2019re asking <em>FamilyLifeToday<\/em> listeners to ask the question, \u201cCould we become Legacy Partners?\u201d Call and make a pledge of $25, $30, $40, $50 a month\u2014whatever you can afford. We\u2019ll send you a welcome kit that acknowledges you as a Legacy Partner. We\u2019ll keep in touch with you each month\u2014keep you connected to the ministry, keep you up-to-date on resources we\u2019re developing or on new initiatives that are going on here. Go to FamilyLifeToday.com and click on the button that says, \u201cI CARE\u201d. From there, you can make a one-time donation if you want to; or you can find out more about signing up to become a Legacy Partner. Again, the website is FamilyLifeToday.com. You can also call 1-800-FL-TODAY and say, \u201cI\u2019m interested in becoming a Legacy Partner.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBy the way, we are hoping, this month, to hear from many of you who can share with us how God has used <em>FamilyLife Today <\/em>or the ministry of FamilyLife in your marriage and in your family. Here\u2019s what we\u2019d ask you to do: Take a minute, jot down a few thoughts\u2014so, you can be brief\u2014and then call 1-800-FL-TODAY. When we answer, press the number \u201c8\u201d; and you can leave your story with us. We may share some of those with listeners, at a later date. So, we\u2019d love to have you get in touch with us. Again, call 1-800-FL-TODAY, and press the number \u201c8\u201d when we answer, and share your story with us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, we hope you can be back with us again tomorrow. We\u2019re going to find out more about the dozen kids who live at the Dennehy house, and about some of the challenges that come along with, not just adopting kids, but adopting special-needs kids. Hope you can be back with us for that tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, and our entire broadcast production team.\u00a0 On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine.\u00a0 We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelp for today.\u00a0 Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you.\u00a0 However, there is a cost to produce them for our website.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2013 FamilyLife.\u00a0 All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/302698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302698"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302698"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=302698"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=302698"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=302698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}