You may have heard about the new film called Stuck. This is a powerful film about the challenges that face our orphaned youth who are ‘stuck’ in the system. It’s premiering in Grand Rapids, Michigan tomorrow night (Tuesday, April 30) at 7pm at the AMC Star Theater on Alpine Avenue…and I have two tickets to […]
Author Archive | Valerie Garrett
Day Thirty-one – The Blessing of Community “Part Two”
The first time I posted The Blessing of Community, I didn’t intend for it to have a ‘part two’. However, I’ve been so blessed by the community in my life that I feel compelled to write about it again. Don’t worry…this one is a little different. First, let me define community. I’m not talking about […]
Day Thirty – Families of Promise
There’s a church near us where God has been working in the hearts of a few and is now moving the hearts of many. Kentwood Community Church’s ministry, Families of Promise, began slowly as the ministry passion of one person. It has grown and I can’t share it any better than the founder herself, Jodi […]
Day Twenty-nine – From Foster Care to Adoption
Well, this 40-day blog challenge that was supposed to culminate on Easter Sunday is clearly taking me longer. However, I am determined. In that spirit, here is post twenty nine. I came upon the video below thanks to Foster Care Parents, curated by Foster Care Dad. As I watched I was reminded of a message […]
Fits International AND Domestic
“Our son is 3 and even though it was a domestic adoption he is of half Chinese descent. Most of the life books I saw on the market just didn’t suit our family; they seemed geared toward international adoptions, and I didn’t like the idea of having a bunch of empty pages sitting there!” Theresa […]
Day Twenty-eight – Little Ones on Behalf of Little Ones
I shared some weeks ago that my son’s first grade class has seen several children added to it through adoption and that one of those children is a little boy I’ve called Dawit. (I do change names for the privacy and protection of the folks I write about, unless I have their express permission to […]
Day Twenty-seven – The Foster Care World Daily News
Today I had lunch with a wonderful friend who also happens to be a child welfare worker specializing in adoption. As we always do, we talked about parenting, work, and adoption. We talked about global issues and we aspired to great things. Together, we fixed the world, of course. We figured out how to get […]
Day Twenty-six – “When I First Met My Son, He Was A Teenager”
There are so many challenging issues facing the adotion community and child welfare workers. These are pressing issues that challenge our resolve, break our hearts, and sometimes make us feel like we aren’t having an impact. Beureauocracy causes so many children to be Stuck. That and other factors (one of which is the many families […]
Day Twenty-five – Wait No More
Some ministries have come to my attention that highlight God’s hand with the Christian community on behalf of the orphan. The next few posts will highlight some of them. Focus on the Family’s Wait No More events are major regional events, happening around the nation. These events highlight foster care adoption and call the church […]
Day Twenty-four – Re-post: Set My Feet On A Wide Place
It came to our attention that when we originally posted this and the related giveaway, our blog commenting tool wasn’t working. That has been fixed. We are re-opening the giveaway! If you would like a copy of Kim de Blecourt’s book Until We All Come Home, please comment here and on our Facebook page, per […]