{"id":303575,"date":"2015-07-15T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-07-15T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/defying-the-odds\/"},"modified":"2015-07-15T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-07-15T15:00:00","slug":"defying-the-odds","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/defying-the-odds\/","title":{"rendered":"Defying the Odds"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Romanian-born with no legs, Jen Bricker found a loving family in the home of Gerald and Sharon Bricker. The Brickers encouraged her to try whatever she wanted to-including gymnastics. Jen shares her story.<\/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\/fl2015-07-15.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"22.79M","filesize_raw":"23895927","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2818,2090],"tags":[5225,5745,5748,5747,5749,4475,5746],"podcast_series":[],"cwp_profile":[9394],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-303575","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adoption-and-orphans","category-special-needs-child","tag-disability","tag-disabled","tag-olympic-games","tag-olympics","tag-olympics-2012","tag-orphans","tag-orphans-in-need","cwp_profile-jen-bricker","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\/303575\/defying-the-odds","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/303575\/defying-the-odds","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=\"zdEIlF33Xs\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/defying-the-odds\/\">Defying the Odds<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/defying-the-odds\/embed\/#?secret=zdEIlF33Xs\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Defying the Odds&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"zdEIlF33Xs\" 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":"Romanian-born with no legs, Jen Bricker found a loving family in the home of Gerald and Sharon Bricker. The Brickers encouraged her to try whatever she wanted to-including gymnastics. Jen shares her story.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2015-07-15.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>When Jen Bricker\u2019s mom and dad adopted her, they knew their daughter would have special needs; but somehow, the idea that she had special needs never dawned on Jen.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>I\u2019m sure there had to be a time when I was younger that I wondered, \u201cI wonder why I don\u2019t have legs,\u201d but it was that fast because it had been ingrained in me that: \u201cThis was meant to be. This was the way I was born for a purpose.\" When that\u2019s all you know, that\u2019s all you know.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Wednesday, July 15<sup>th<\/sup>. Our host is the President of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine. We\u2019ll go to the Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit in Nashville, Tennessee, today for a special edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> as we hear Jen Bricker\u2019s remarkable story. Stay tuned.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>1:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\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 think, because we have a large studio audience joining us here for today\u2019s program, I think we have some folks here who have probably had first-hand experience as adoptive parents. Are you an adoptive parent? Clap your hands if you are. [Applause] I\u2019m guessing that some of you have adopted kids who would qualify as special needs kids. Clap your hands if that\u2019s the case. [Applause]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI almost hesitate to refer to our guest as a young woman who has special needs because, when you meet her, it\u2019s like there aren\u2019t any special needs.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I think she has a life that is marked by God, and there are two things I love to be about. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>2:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne is telling great stories of adoption and redemption because our God has a heart for adoption and redemption\u2014that\u2019s a good thing. How many of you are redeemed in this room? [Applause]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes. [Applause]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Yes. The other thing that I\u2019m excited about\u2014telling a story about\u2014is providence \/ the providence of God\u2014that our God is the Lord God Almighty. He is not a weak God. He is in control of this universe and what befalls us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou are about to hear a special story about a woman, who\u2019s a motivational speaker \/ former gymnast. She lives in LA. I\u2019d like you to join me in welcoming a young lady, who was adopted, whose name is Jen Bricker. Join me and welcome her; would you? [Applause]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>Hi guys. How are you?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u00a0Welcome.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>Hi.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>We are glad you are here.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>I\u2019m glad to be here!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>I want you to tell us a little bit about your family.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>That\u2019s pretty vague!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>3:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>That is. You have some brothers, and a sister.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You\u2019re really here as a result of your mom\u2019s prayers.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen:<\/strong> Yes. Well, my mom had already had three boys and really wanted a baby girl. She had a hysterectomy after her last son\u2014so she couldn\u2019t have kids anymore. She just kept praying and praying for ten years for a baby girl. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tShe finally heard about me one day. Basically, her friend was looking to adopt as well\u2014she wanted a second child. Well, she ran a daycare. She wasn\u2019t really sure what it would be like or if it was possible for her to run a daycare and adopt a child with no legs. She didn\u2019t know if there\u2019d be special requirements or extra doctors\u2019 visits, bills\u2014things like that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo, my mom heard. I think she just heard, \u201cBaby girl needs a home.\u201d \u201cI want her,\u201d\u2014it just made sense to her. She called a social worker\u2014told her that she wanted to adopt me. They said, \u201cOkay, we\u2019ll talk it over with your husband and your\u2026\u201d\u2014they had my three older brothers that were 10, 12, and 14 years old. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>4:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThey told me they sat them all down, individually. My oldest brother would be dating in a couple years\u2014so they\u2019re like: \u201cWell, how would you feel if you bring a date home, or a friend home, and you had this sister without legs? What do you think\u2014what if they thought it was weird?\u201d\u2014something like that. They all three, individually, came across and just said, \u201cYou know, if they have a problem with her, then I don\u2019t want her in my life anyway.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Wow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>Right? Isn\u2019t that cool? [Applause] So, she and my dad agreed to it \/ my brothers agreed to it\u2014and they got me in record time. My parents had never fostered \/ never adopted\u2014knew nothing about disability. My mom was 40\u2014so they were pretty much the least likely candidates ever\u2014and it was just a testament to God\u2019s plan.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>From the beginning, you were doing athletic things. I saw a video of you and your dad\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>\u2014on a trampoline.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Tell us about those early memories of starting to get on a tramp and do gymnastic moves.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>5:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>Yes. Someone forgot to tell me that I didn\u2019t have legs and \u201cYou\u2019re not supposed to be doing all these things.\u201d I was always a little monkey\u2014I was actually the climber out of all of us\u2014go figure. I would climb the apple tree in the back and the stairs. I came out an athlete. I loved sports. I loved gymnastics in particular\u2014but I also competed in power tumbling, softball, in volleyball\u2014all with able-bodied athletes \/ just with everybody else. No, I didn\u2019t use my wheelchair\u2014it\u2019d be kind of impossible to use it for all of those sports, especially gymnastics. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tGymnastics is what I was drawn to the most. I said, \u201cI want to be a gymnast,\u201d\u2014like I said\u2014didn\u2019t realize that it was a big deal\u2014not having legs. My parents, just in true fashion, didn\u2019t discourage it\u2014didn\u2019t tell me all the reasons why I couldn\u2019t. They were like: \u201cAlright, cool. We\u2019ll just kind of figure out how to make it work for you.\u201d They took me to the local power tumbling gym. I grew up in the middle of nowhere\u2014we didn\u2019t have a full-blown gymnastics gym\u2014and the coaches were amazing. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>6:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThey just took it in stride. They, of course, never had taught somebody without legs how to tumble. I just had this fierce determination and, I think, a lot of DNA in me for gymnastics\u2014and it just worked. They didn\u2019t treat me any differently.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>See, this is why I have a hard time thinking of you as a special needs adoption because you treat not having legs almost like being left-handed.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>Well yes, it is. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>I mean, to you, it\u2019s almost like, \u201cOh, okay, so I don\u2019t have legs\u2014now what?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>Well that\u2019s exactly how it is because that\u2019s how I was raised. I mean, it was never\u2014no one made an issue of it at all\u2014at home, or at school, or my friends, or anything. When there\u2019s no limit put on your dreaming\u2014or when there\u2019s no one telling you that you\u2019re certain things since you were a kid\u2014or there <em>is<\/em> someone telling you that: \u201cYou\u2019re an amazing gift. You\u2019re a blessing. You\u2019re powerful \/ you were <em>made<\/em> to be this way,\u201d\u2014<em>that<\/em> is powerful\u2014and that\u2019s what my parents told me all along. [Applause]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>7:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Didn\u2019t you ever have those moments when you were like: \u201cWhy didn\u2019t I get legs? Why didn\u2019t God give me legs?\u201d\u2014a sadness about not being like everybody else?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>I don\u2019t remember a specific time or period of time because I think\u2014because Mom and Dad always told me, from the beginning\u2014they were very open and honest. They\u2019re like: \u201cYes. Probably the reason why you were put up for adoption is because you didn\u2019t have legs; but you have to understand they had a different mindset\u2014they are from a different country\u2014all of these things happen for a reason.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt was never some big pink elephant in the room for me to one day have a catastrophe about, when I was an adult, because I was just exposed to when I was a kid. I think that barrier was broken so early that it just wasn\u2019t an issue. They pounded it into me that it was for a reason. They weren\u2019t just being overly optimistic\u2014trying to be cute, saying \u201cOh, you were born without legs. This was meant to be.\u201d They supported what they said by their actions\u2014by letting me do whatever I wanted to do\u2014by not holding me back. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>8:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know what I mean? So, I think those are all the reasons why I just didn\u2019t think it was a big deal.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>When you were about to turn 16, you had a very important conversation with your mom.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>Yes. Up until that point, I had never really been concerned about who my biological family was or really ever concerned about meeting them; but God put this in my brain one day. My best friend was adopted. She had found what her biological last name was. I just thought, \u201cHuh.\u201d I don\u2019t know why, literally\u2014God just put it in my brain to ask, \u201cI wonder if there\u2019s anything that Mom and Dad know about my biological family that I don\u2019t know about.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAgain, up until this point\u2014almost 16 years\u2014I had never had any curiosity \/ any care to know. Like I said, we were open and honest about everything. So, why would they know something about my biological family? That in itself is just mind-blowing to me. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>9:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo I went home; and I asked my mom if there was anything she knew, really just kind of as a rhetorical question. Then she\u2019s like: \u201cYes. There actually is something I know about your biological family.\u201d I\u2019m like: \u201cWhat could you possibly know? What do you mean?!\u201d She was just like, \u201cYou\u2019re never going to believe this, but your biological last name is Moceanu.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Now, we need to stop you there because, a few years before this, you had been watching the Atlanta Olympics.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>Well, my whole life\u2014since I was six years old\u2014I was fixated on gymnastics and, in particular, Dominique Moceanu. She was my one and only idol\u2014if you will, to ever say that I had one, would have been her\u2014I idolized her \/ I watched her. I said: \u201cOh my gosh! Don\u2019t we look alike? She\u2019s Romanian \/ I\u2019m Romanian! She\u2019s tiny \/ I\u2019m tiny! She\u2019s feisty \/ I\u2019m feisty! What if we were related? We look so much alike,\u201d\u2014just being a kid, you know, not actually thinking that it\u2019s going to happen one day. So that, when she tells me, \u201cYou\u2019re biological last name is Moceanu,\u201d immediately, I knew what it meant\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>10:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0\u2014that my idol, my entire life, was my biological sister. [Audience surprised]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And she won the gold medal in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>Yes. That was one of the most legendary \/ most memorable moments of US Women\u2019s Gymnastics. That\u2019s why they\u2019re called the \u201cMagnificent Seven\u201d\u2014you know, is they were\u2014it was just epic\u2014it was on home turf\u2014it was amazing. I was right there, watching them, just completely infatuated, especially with her. There was this bond that connected us our entire lives, before we even knew we were sisters.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>When you got that information about your biological family, you started to put two and two together. You started to understand some of the specifics why your biological parents had put you up for adoption. Tell us a little bit about what you uncovered with that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>Well, I knew\u2014I mean, we knew \/ they knew that she was my sister and I was always watching her. So, when I first found out, obviously, I wanted to contact her. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>11:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI found out that I had another younger sister, who looked identical to me. When I first saw her on the computer screen, I said, \u201cOh, so <em>that\u2019s<\/em> what I would look like with legs!\u201d [Laughter] It was my face on a different body! It was crazy!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat just motivated me to spend this four-year journey to find them\u2014to let them know that they had another sister\u2014which I was 99.9 percent sure they did not know. I was 99.9 percent sure my biological parents were probably still going to want to keep it a secret, and so it was a series of failed attempts. My third and final attempt was successful. I contacted Dominique through a series of events and was successful at the end of 2007. We all three met for the very first time\u2014me, Dominique, and Christina\u2014in Ohio in May of 2008.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>What was that like? I mean, take us to that moment. What would it be to meet your own flesh and blood that you were related to that really affirmed your DNA and your athletic ability?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>12:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>I land in the Cleveland airport, and it was the longest airport of my life\u2014I\u2019m getting off the airplane and I\u2019m like, \u201cWhen am I going to reach the other side?\u201d I finally reach the other side. The elevator doors open, and I see Dominique with my niece, newly born on Christmas. She\u2019s pushing her in the stroller, holding a long-stem rose, and holding a video camera. I\u2019m like: \u201cWell, so do I wave? Do I say, \u2018Hi\u2019? Do I hug you? Do I take the flower? I don\u2019t really know what\u2019s going on here.\u201d [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo, I think I did all of it\u2014I don\u2019t know which order\u2014but it all happened. Then we were waiting on my younger sister Christina to fly in. We were sitting in a restaurant. It was just kind of surreal and crazy but also natural because we\u2019re essentially strangers meeting but our DNA just bonds\u2014I mean, we look alike, we sound alike, we like the same foods. My younger sister\u2019s now husband \/ then boyfriend looks exactly like my ex-boyfriend. [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>13:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt was like twins re-united type situation\u2014it was <em>crazy <\/em>but amazing.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>When you started to piece together, as an adolescent, that your biological mom and dad had looked and said, \u201cWe don\u2019t think we can raise a daughter without legs,\u201d and they put you up for adoption, did you feel a wounding from that at all?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>Well, like I said, Mom and Dad from\u2014young\u2014like five-\/six-years-old young\u2014told me that probably a good reason they gave me up for adoption was because I didn\u2019t have legs. They were from a different country, they had a different mindset \/ a different way of thinking. They probably weren\u2019t sure whether or not they would have been able to raise me. They said, \u201cThey did us such a favor \/ such a blessing because they probably couldn\u2019t have given you the life that we could give you. We wanted you, and so that was the beauty in the whole situation.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo they spun it, and they made sure I never held any grudges towards them\u2014that was huge. They didn\u2019t make me hold anything negative against them. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>14:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIn fact, they told me not to. I think that mindset was great. When someone tells you that, you\u2019re not going to think negatively of it, you\u2019re going to think positively of it because it was told to me from such a young age.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019m sure there had to be a time, when I was younger, that I wondered, \u201cI wonder why I don\u2019t have legs,\u201d but it was that fast because it had been ingrained in me that: \u201cThis was meant to be. This was the way I was born for a purpose.\u201d When that\u2019s all you know, that\u2019s all you know. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Part of that understanding of this being for a purpose\u2014you grew up in a home where Mom and Dad were talking about Jesus. They were talking about God having a purpose in life. You would have never known that had you grown up in your bio family.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>Right. That was such a difference\u2014I mean, that\u2019s the difference right there, obviously. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>15:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat\u2019s the \u201cGod can turn anything ugly into something beautiful,\u201d and \u201cThere\u2019s a reason and a purpose for everything and everyone.\u201d That was definitely the turning point in that\u2014in knowing that there was a purpose and knowing that your belief in God\u2014you know that He doesn\u2019t make mistakes. He doesn\u2019t just have an off day or an off moment, and He didn\u2019t have one with me either. They clearly saw it when I was born. I see it even more clearly as I get older, through the performing, and speaking, and events exactly like this.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Would you like to adopt some day?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>Yes! I would <em>love<\/em> to adopt one day. I would love to have, naturally, one or two and adopt one or two as I get older. I think it would be unbelievably amazing and full circle moment to be able to adopt from Romania\u2014I think that would just be absolutely amazing. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI actually have the privilege, this year, of working with Livada Organization that specifically works with Romanian orphans. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>16:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI am <em>beyond<\/em> excited and thrilled to actually go over to Romania and meet the kids in the orphanages and just start performing, speaking, meeting them\u2014doing whatever I can to be a part of that\u2014because one day I would like to adopt from there.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You came about to join the Bricker family because of your mom\u2019s prayers. I would encourage our listening audience, here at the orphan summit, to pray for Jen that that might be a reality some day and our listening audience as well. We have a few million people that are going to be praying for you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>Well hey, that\u2019s good to have on your side! [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You need to get a husband though, first; don\u2019t we.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>Have to get a husband first! Got to get priorities first\u2014have to start in the beginning\u2014so yes! [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You know, I want to ask you to do something. Your mom and dad are down on the front row. I\u2019m going to ask them to come up here\u2014Gerald and Sharon Bricker to come up here. I want to seat them where Bob and I are right now, and I would like you to give them a tribute\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>17:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014a verbal tribute to express your heart \/ your appreciation for the sacrifices they made to bring you into the Bricker family, and to give you a name, and a faith, and a purpose.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Can you do that?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>Sure.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Let\u2019s bring the Brickers up onto the stage. [Applause]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Jen: <\/strong>They just love being on stage!\u2014they\u2019re my groupies. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWell, you guys changed the whole course of the rest of my life, just by being you. That\u2019s what makes you so awesome\u2014is they don\u2019t even realize how awesome they are because they\u2019re just like: \u201cWow! She just turned out amazing! I don\u2019t know how we did it!\u201d But it\u2019s because it was meant to be, and you guys totally followed your heart and your prayers. So thank you very much. You guys are awesome\u2014love you. [Applause]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>So, take us back to that scene. This was a friend of yours, who was in a daycare, who got the call about a baby who was available for adoption. Tell us that story.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon: <\/strong>Yes. That\u2019s right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>18:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI was at a friend\u2019s house one day\u2014and this is ten years of praying\u2014so I went in her house, and we were visiting. The phone rang. They had adopted a child \/ a boy the same age as our youngest one, and they were waiting for a girl. The call came in that they had a little girl that was born without legs and she was going to be put up for adoption.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWell, my friend, having the daycare and everything, wasn\u2019t sure she could handle one. She didn\u2019t know if there was other problems or anything, and if she could have her daycare and that. So, it wasn\u2019t possible for her. But on the way home, I kept thinking: \u201cOkay, God. There\u2019s a little girl that needs a family. I want a little girl. Is this the one?\u201d I went home and told Gerald about it. He said, \u201cWell if I thought you could handle it,\u201d and that was all I needed. I jumped up and ran to the phone. He thought I had flipped out. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>19:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Hold on\u2014we have to get Gerald\u2019s\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes, Gerald, take the microphone here. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Give us the commentary on what you were thinking when she came home and said that to you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gerald: <\/strong>Well, I don\u2019t know. She told me the story about her, and we hadn\u2019t even talked about adoption or anything. I\u2014[Laughter]\u2014I don\u2019t know\u2014for some reason or another, I just thought, \u201cWell, let\u2019s go for her.\u201d I just wanted to do it. [Laughter] [Applause]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>So Sharon, you were talking to God; but you weren\u2019t talking to your husband. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon: <\/strong>No. God was the One that I was relying on to get me the girl! [Laughter] [Applause]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>So tell us\u2014and Gerald, I saw and Dennis saw it as well\u2014you and Jen out on the trampoline when she\u2019s doing flips\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>20:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014looks like she was like four or five years old\u2014you\u2019re right there bouncing with her. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gerald: <\/strong>I was a lot younger then. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes. I get that\u2014but when I saw her try to flip and land on her head and her neck, I thought, \u201cSome kids would do that and they\u2019d be done with trampolining forever.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gerald: <\/strong>That girl didn\u2019t give up on anything. She made her mind up to do it\u2014she was going to keep doing it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And you\u2014I mean, you didn\u2019t back off? You weren\u2019t afraid? You said, \u201cLet her go.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gerald: <\/strong>You\u2019d have had to have been around her all the time to watch her. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Sharon, you mentioned that you definitely taught her\u2014you instructed her and taught her\u2014to have a faith in Christ and to believe that God had a purpose for her; but you also made an off-handed comment\u2014we talked earlier\u2014that she was spoiled\u2014that her brothers and you all, as a family, just spoiled her to death.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Sharon: <\/strong>Oh yes. Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>21:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tShe believed she was a princess. [Laughter] We didn\u2019t bow down to her; but we definitely didn\u2019t tell her \u201cNo,\u201d a lot. [Laughter] [Applause]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Thank you very much.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Gerald: <\/strong>Thank you.\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>Well, we\u2019ve had the opportunity today to listen back to an interview we did earlier this year with Jen Bricker at the Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit held just north of Nashville, Tennessee. I just want to say\u2014if you have a heart or a special burden for the plight of orphans in our world, you ought to plan to attend the Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit. It\u2019s held every spring. If you keep checking back, here at FamilyLifeToday.com, we\u2019ll have information available pretty soon about the 2016 summit\u2014both the dates and the location.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>22:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIn the meantime, if you have ever considered adoption, and wondered about whether that\u2019s something God might be calling you to, we have a number of resources, here at FamilyLife, to help you think about that process and to help you make a clear and thoughtful decision about what you ought to do. Go to our website, FamilyLifeToday.com, and click the link in the upper left-hand corner of the screen that says, \u201cGO DEEPER.\u201d You\u2019ll see the Homebuilders Study Guide called <em>Considering Adoption<\/em>, along with other resources we have available. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAgain, the website is FamilyLifeToday.com. Again, click the link in the upper left-hand corner of the screen that says, \u201cGO DEEPER.\u201d You can order resources that we have or look for articles or other information we have available. Or call if you\u2019d like to order resources. Our toll-free number is 1-800-FL-TODAY\u20141-800-358-6329\u2014that\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\t<strong>23:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, what we heard from Jen today is just a powerful reminder of how important \/ how significant a family is in all of our lives, for good or for ill. Family is a part of how God shapes us\u2014it\u2019s a part of who we become, as human beings. At FamilyLife, our commitment is to effectively develop godly families. We\u2019d love to see every home become a godly home. That\u2019s our mission, here at FamilyLife; and we appreciate those of you who lock arms with us in this mission\u2014those of you who support the ministry of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> either as regular Legacy Partners, giving each month, or those of you who will, from time to time, get in touch with us and say: \u201cThis ministry really does make a difference. We believe in what you\u2019re doing, and we want to support the work of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou can do that, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com. Click the link in the upper right-hand corner of the screen that says, \u201cI CARE,\u201d to make an online donation. Or call 1-800-FL-TODAY to make your donation over the phone. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>24:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOr, you can mail your donation to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> at PO Box 7111, Little Rock, AR; and our zip code is 72223.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, tomorrow, we\u2019re going to talk about why intimacy is so important in a marriage relationship. We\u2019re going to hear from Ron Deal tomorrow, and I hope you can tune in as we hear from Ron.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine. We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \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. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelp for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. 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> 2015 FamilyLife. 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