2. What are their interests and talents?
3. What are their favorite colors? Ice cream flavor? What makes them laugh?
4. Do we have any hope of making up for lost time and getting to know them well enough to help them develop their strengths and interests?
5. How will they respond to the materialism in the U.S. and the overt sexuality?
6. How many people should we introduce them to at first and how soon? A big welcome home party or peaceful seclusion to allow our family time to bond and the kids time to adjust?
7. What if the unrelated boys and girls develop a crush on each other?
8. How quickly will they learn English?
9. How will our Spanish hold up?
10. Will they take advantage of our poor Spanish to sneak around and get away with things?
11. Will they be able to find good friends here in Philly?
12. Will they feel horribly awkward and out of place?
13. Do Peruvians and Mexicans get along?
14. Will they call us Mom and Dad?
15. Should we stay at our church or find one that has Spanish translation and/or other teenagers?
16. Will they do well with homeschool?
17. Will we do well with homeschool?
18. Will we regret not moving out of Philly to live closer to family?
19. Will the girls get along with each other?
20. Will they/we face racism and discrimination?
21. Do they have deep emotional and psychological wounds that will manifest in challenging ways?
22. What about school??!
23. Will they be extremely behind in school? Will they be able to catch up?
24. The girls will be 16 by the time they get here ... how soon could they graduate high school? What about college?
25. How do we handle the scary online world?
26. Do we buy them cell phones?
27. Will they want to stay in touch with their friends back at the orphanage?
28. Will they retain their Peruvian culture or grow ashamed of it?
29. Will they feel like we're a real family? Will we?
30. How do we decide how much / how far to let them travel by themselves?
31. Will they like living with us?
32. Will they bond with our family and friends?
33. How will we weather the drastic change in our relationship and home?
34. How will our friendships change?
35. Will we ever have free time again?
36. Will life always be chaotic?
37. How long till we feel like a family?
38. How will they find out about our desire to adopt them? Who breaks the news to them, when and how?
39. How will they react? How will the other kids at the orphanage react?
40. What if they say they don't want to be adopted by us?
41. Will the other kids be jealous or angry with us?
42. How to we divvy up responsibilities in the house?
43. How do we decide what values we want to instill in them?
44. Is this even possible now that they'll already teens?
45. Will they like reading?
46. Will we be able to continue living without TV?
47. Will we have conflicts because of different spiritual/theological views?
48. Will they freak out if we have alcohol in the house?
49. Will the two that have living birth parents want to search for them someday?
50. Will they want to go back to visit the orphanage?
51. Will they like our kind of food?
52. How expensive is it going to be to feed a family of six?
53. Will the girls teach me how to cook or will I teach them how to cook?
54. Will it be traumatic if we decide to move away from Philly in a year or so?
55. Will our friends and family grow to love them deeply?
56. Will they trust us?
And on and on it goes... Now you know some ways to pray for us!
3 comments:
Wow karen! Those are some really good questions...and really valid. I don't even know what to say. The one question you asked about What if one doens't want to be adopted? That struck me the most as I did have one adopted brother who had expressed that he did NOT want to be adopted. it didn't work out...there were so many problems. Anyway, I hope they all want to be. You and David have so much to offer. Keep trusting in the Lord to guide your ways and direct your steps.
I remember growing up, all I wanted was love and attention (still kinda true). I think I got all 70% love I wanted, 50% of the attention I wanted. Turns out that was probably all I needed.
Thanks Sonya. All the kids have been asked by social workers and by the orphanage directors if they want to be adopted, and they say yes, as long as they can stay with their sibling. They'll be asked again before it's all finalized.
Kancheng- I think that's what we all want. Love and attention! :)
Post a Comment