GoodnewsEverybody.com: Adoption, Adoptees, Orphans, Orphanages, etc...Outreach

Did you know that Moses from the Bible: Old Testament in the Book of Exodus (starting chapter 1) was adopted?

8 Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9 "Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country." 11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly. 15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 "When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live."

The Birth of Moses
*see GoodnewsEverybody.com Religion: Judaism, Hebrews/Israelites, Torah, Bible-"Old" Testament, etc...

1 Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, 2 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. 4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. 5 Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it. 6 She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said. 7 Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?" 8 "Yes, go," she answered. And the girl went and got the baby's mother. 9 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." So the woman took the baby and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, [1] saying, "I drew him out of the water."

....from Bible Search

Related Sites:
Moses Part 01/23

Moses-jewishencyclopedia.com
"The birth of Moses occurred at a time when Pharaoh had commanded that all male children born to Hebrew captives should be thrown into the Nile (Ex. ii.; comp. i.). Jochebed, the wife of the Levite Amram, bore a son, and kept the child concealed for three months. When she could keep him hidden no longer, rather than deliver him to death she set him adrift on the Nile in an ark of bulrushes. The daughter of Pharaoh, coming opportunely to the river to bathe, discovered the babe, was attracted to him, adopted him as her son, and named him "Moses." Thus it came about that the future deliverer of Israel was reared as the son of an Egyptian princess (Ex. ii. 1-10)....
AboutBibleProphecy.com Moses
"Moses ("I drew him out of the water") son of Amram and Jochebed from the tribe of Levi, and the younger brother of Miriam and Aaron. At the time of his birth, the Israelites were experiencing severe oppression in Egypt. Moses was adopted by a Egyptian princess and lived in Egypt many years....

Other folks in the Bible are:
-Esther who is Hebrew/Jew that lived in Medea-Persia (present day Iran)

This is just one example of how infants-kids get adopted-through political-economic oppression. This still occurs today, like a friend I know that got adopted in Guatemala and many other Koreans raised in Minnesota.

Your Story

I've met many people who have been adopted while living in Morris, Minnesota alone. Many would be blessed to hear and read their story, which is why I'm dedicating this website to open it up to have people share their experience (good/bad).

I hope people's heart would be change by reading this story before, during, or after adopting. I've heard many sad cultural sensitivity issues, which is why I'm doing this.

I would love to hear your story on being adopted? Please contact me with your written story via e-mail or a personal interview.

Below are some examples of questions to e-mail me back w/your answers, but feel free to add any others:

How old are you now?
When were you adopted?
What country were you born in?
Where do you live now?
What were some positive-good experiences? What were some negative-bad experiences What were some struggles you faced growing up (eg. identity issues?)
What would you like your adopted parents to know?
Have you thought about finding your "biological" parents? If no, why? If yes, why?
Have you found them?
What was that experience like?
What are some suggestions that you would like to share with people in the "same boat" who have been adopted? What are some lessons that you feel people should know before they adopt from your personal experience?
Any additional questions, suggestions, prayer requests?

What's your adoption story?=>

Sorry, if these questions might be very sensitive, but feel free to answer whatever you feel comfortable. Many of these questions came out of this Korean "Chasms" Adoptive Documentary Video, which I never knew what it was like being adopted. God has touched my heart with this issue because of the many adopted friends He has put in my life. I never experience adoption, but I can say we have been adopted by Christ-God's family-when you come to know-Him!

Articles

Ethical Concerns

Families

We always knew, from verses in Ephesians, Romans, and Galatians, that we have been "adopted" by God. We did not know Him or seek Him, but He reached down and chose us to be part of His family. But the meaning of that passage never hit home until 1983, when God gave us our fifth child.
Barbara and I were in New York City, about to speak at a marriage conference. We received a message to call a friend back in Little Rock—an obstetrician. For three years we had prayed about the possibility of adopting a child, and we had mentioned it to this doctor. When we called him he said, "We've got a baby for you. We have a teenage girl who is having a baby girl right now and she told us some time ago that she wanted the baby raised in a good Christian home. We thought that yours might be a likely one."
Soon we found ourselves conducting a family conference by speakerphone with our four kids. "Hey kids, how would you all like to have another baby?" The unanimous cheer went up, "Yeah!" They didn't even need to vote on it.
So we returned home to a newly enlarged family. The little girl's name was Deborah and she has been a wonderful addition to our family. We believe she has been divinely placed in our home. We adopted her—making her our own. This is the same model of unselfish love that God set by adopting you and me. We are His. We have been redeemed, placed in the family, and given His full inheritance!
We believe that Christian couples would do well to prayerfully consider adoption or foster-parenting. What better way to take a pro-life stance? What a powerful legacy for the next generation!
Adapted from Moments Together for Couples, © 1995 by Dennis and Barbara Rainey. Used by permission of Regal Books. All rights reserved. "

Movies

Annie trailer

"It's a hard knock life... " Antwone Fisher (2002), imdb.com
"...a young navy man, is forced to see a psychiatrist after a violent outburst against a fellow crewman. During the course of treatment a painful past is revealed and a new hope begins. ..
antwone fisher movie trailer

Memorable quotes for Antwone Fisher (2002) More at IMDbPro imdb.com

"Jerome Davenport: "Regard without ill-will despite an offense." That's Webster's definition of forgiveness.
Antwone Fisher: Why do I have to forgive?
Jerome Davenport: So you can get on with your life. "
Moviequotes.com Repository - Movie Quote From Antwone Fisher - 2002

Fisher expresses gratitude for Navy experience By JUDY R.LAZARUS
" Author, screenwriter, director, producer and Navy veteran Antwone Fisher returned to Great Lakes where he was a recruit in 1977. The guest of honor at the recruit graduation, on Aug. 20, found his 11 years in the Navy taught him a lot about himself.
"The Navy changed my course,” he said. "I was able to achieve. I learned to be the kind of person I didn’t know I could be.
"I made a home in the Navy,” Fisher said. “It is willing to give young people a chance even if they’re not perfect. I’m not the only one. So many people who get out of the military do well with what they have learned. The Navy understands it is dealing with human beings. It treats you with dignity. It took the time with me.”
The former ship’s serviceman’s early life was rocky, with foster homes, reform school, and homelessness at 17.
In the Navy he began seeing a psychiatrist, and was surrounded by mentors. He learned to accept responsibility. “If you learn that when you’re 21 or 22 it gives you a head start,” he said. Touring Recruit Training Command last week, Fisher was impressed with all the changes since his last visit in 2003."
Questioning the Story (Q&A with Antwone Fisher), chasingthefrog.com
"...The story actually takes place from the late '50s thru the mid '80s but the film's timeframe is more contemporary. Why was that done? I was born in 1959 but for the movie's sake, we decided [to change it] so that children - kids - would find it contemporary. If we did it like I grew up in the '60s and '70s, then some kids might say, “Well, that's an old story.” And people might say that a long time has passed since then. But we wanted it to be current so that people would identify with it more....
How accurate was the portrayal of your foster parents?
I was kind to them in the movie and the book. I was kind to them. They are worse.
....Antwone Fisher Mini-Bio:
Antwone Fisher was born in prison to seventeen-year-old Eva Mae Fisher and twenty-three-year-old Eddie Elkins. His father, Eddie, was shot and killed before Antwone was even born. Antwone was placed in foster care within the first few weeks of his life, and for two years he lived with a loving family. The state eventually put Antwone back in the foster system, claiming that Antwone's attachment to his foster mother could be problematic. He was subsequently placed in the home of Reverend and Mrs. Pickett, where some of his most traumatic childhood experiences unfolded. For fourteen years with the Picketts, Antwone suffered both emotional and physical abuse. ..
ANTWONE FISHER Biography , antwonefisher.net
"...Today we know Antwone Fisher as an award-winning film and literary writer. However, his life did not begin with such promise...
Born Antwone Quenton Fisher in an Ohio prison to a teenaged mother, Antwone became a ward of the state and was placed in foster care immediately. He spent two years in a loving foster home, but when social Services deemed that the foster mother had become too attached to Antwone - coupled with his father having been murdered tow months before his birth and determining a reunion with his birth mother would be too difficult for him - Antwone was placed in another home. Unfortunately, he would suffer twelve years of abuse at the hands of this new foster family.
Unable to locate new placement for him at age 14, Antwone was sent to a reform school in western Pennsylvania were he remained until he graduated high school at age 17. However, having graduated and as well as being emancipated from foster care, he found himself in the world alone, homeless living on the streets of Cleveland ohio. Antwone survived foster care's cruelties and the brutalities of homelessness and set on a course of healing when he joined the United States Navy where he served this country for eleven years, and became fluent in the Japanese language.
After his honorable discharge from military service, he applied and was accepted to the Federal Law Enforcement Academy at Glenco Georgia, and graduated as a Federal Correctional Officer with the Federal Bureau of Prison and after three years of service, he took a job at Sony Pictures Entertainment working as a Security Officer. It was at Sony Pictures Antwone was referred to a free screenwriting course, and the rest, as they say, is history...
Antwone has now worked in Hollywood for 17 years as a writer and producer, with an impressive fourteen writing projects or assignments with the major studios.
Among those project is the feature classic, Antwone Fisher (Fox Searchlight), directed by and starring Oscar winning actor Denzel Washington and written by Antwone based on his own life. Antwone the film and cast garnered quite a few nominations and awards. Antwone individually received the renowned Humanitas Prize, The Screenwriter of the Year Award from the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO), and the Best Original Screenplay nomination for the film Antwone Fisher, from the Writers Guild of America West. Antwone was also listed in Variety's "Fifty People to watch" and Fade in Magazine's "Top 100 People in Hollywood you Need to Know".
Antwone also took the literary world by storm with his first book, Finding Fish: a memoir (William Morrow), about his inspiring story that became a New York Times best seller. Unable to fully cover all that he wanted in the screenplay (and therefore the film), Antwone decided to write Finding Fish to not only expand on his incredible life's journey, but to divulge other challenges and triumphs in his life.
He followed Finding Fish with his collection of poetry entitled, Who Will Cry For The Little Boy? (William Morrow), that became a National Best Seller. Through his book of poetry Antwone creatively discloses the inner truths of the road from his tumultuous childhood to the man he is now. Today, Who Will Cry For The Little Boy? is considered one of the all time best-selling books of poetry. In addition, Antwone work of poetry is featured in the revered poet, Nikki Giovanni's book for children, Hip Hop Speaks to Children. Antwone's third book A Boy Should Know How To Tie A Tie And Other Lessons For Succeeding In Life, won the award for Outstanding Literary Work Instructional from the 2011 NAACP Awards and is already in it's third printing, Simon & Schuster's Touchstone Fireside.
Due to the breath of his life and career, Antwone has received other accolades including: the National Angel in Adoption Award and a Doctor of Humane Letters from Cleveland State University. Antwone was conferred the honorary degree for his professional achievements as an author, producer, poet and screenwriter, his loyalty to his community, his personal triumphs and his indomitable spirit of never giving up.
Antwone is now entering the theater world with his new stage project, Finding Fish: a Play. Based on his New York Times bestseller, this one act stage adaptation written and by Antwone, not only probes further into the depths of Antwone's early life, but discloses stories not addressed in the film or the memoir. The structure is verbal and emotional parry between Antwone and Commander Williams, the Navy psychologist Antwone had to see to determine if he was fit for military service, after yet another fight with a fellow sailor. What unfolds is a story that ranges from dramatic to humorous to heartbreaking, but in the end, is triumphant.
Antwone directed and produced the play in a sold-out special benefit presentation at the acclaimed Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica California, with captivating performances by Isaiah Washington (as "Antwone") and Keith David (as "Commander Williams). Antwone was honored to have a multi-generational and multi cultural audience, that also gave the play a standing ovation.
In addition to securing the next production of Finding Fish: a Play, Antwone's latest screenwriting project is Training Day 2 (Warner Brothers). Antwone made his film directing debut with the award winning thirty minute short film, "My Summer Friend", presently on the film festival circuit.
Antwone also teaches in UCLA Extension Writers Program, the country's largest continuing education writing program.
About how far he has come, Antwone states, "I think back on a childhood full of longing for belonging, and see my life now as what I have created out of my dreams. An image comes to mind of Mrs. Brown at the orphanage in Cleveland, me sitting at her side, telling her, "you'll read about me someday." I was definitely dreaming then. With no evidence of that ever being possible, I clung to that preposterous vision and with the force of those dreams willed it and made it happen. Not because I needed to be famous, but because I needed a world that made me feel uninvited to be wrong, So Imagined myself free, I imagined myself loved, I imagined myself... as somebody."
Antwone no longer needs to imagine....
The real Antwone Fisher January 10, 2003|Meriah Doty CNN cnn.com
"...The problem he speaks of is child abuse.
Fisher reports his earliest memories are of being sexually abused, beaten, tied up and left in a basement for hours, sometimes days. "I thought that there were no good people in the world -- especially adults," he says.
The abuse left him in a state of paranoia: "When I was a kid I thought everyone was after me."
But his story, as told in "Antwone Fisher," starring Derek Luke as Fisher and Denzel Washington as the navy therapist who helps him, is one of triumph trumping tragedy. Washington made his directorial debut with the film, which goes into wide release Friday.
Fisher also told his life story in "Finding Fish: A Memoir," a book he wrote while the film was stalled in development.
"I feel a great sense of accomplishment," Fisher says. "I feel that [my story] was worth telling even though I was ashamed of what my life had been."
Not everyone agrees.
A recent Salon.com article accuses Fisher of being "something of a hustler to convince a star of Washington's stature to choose [Fisher's story] for his directing debut."
The article goes on to say "Antwone Fisher" shows that "movies may be new territory for people who want to flaunt the stories of their horrendous upbringings."
Fisher isn't fazed by the criticism. "Anybody who thinks I've done this to promote myself -- they're not fair and they probably wouldn't be fair to even their own," he says.
He adds, "I think everybody should write about their lives. I don't think people should come to this earth and pass through time and 10 years after they've gone nobody remembers them. What about their thoughts? What about the things that they've been through? Can it assist anyone else? Is it interesting?"
That may be a reason Derek Luke, the 28-year-old actor who plays Fisher in the film, decided to go public with his story of abuse. (Luke tells CNN.com about his struggle with abuse for the first time. Read more.)..
Antwone Fisher From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"..(born August 3, 1959 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American director, screenwriter, author and film producer. His 2001 autobiographical book Finding Fish is a New York Times Best Seller. The 2002 motion picture Antwone Fisher was written by Fisher and directed by Denzel Washington...
Early life
Antwone Fisher was placed in a foster home weeks after he was born and through most of his childhood. After living with a foster mother for two years, Fisher was taken away from her.
Navy
He was then placed into another foster home with a family named the Picketts. He spent 14 years of his childhood with the Picketts and was abused physically, verbally and sexually. He was then removed from the Pickett home after having a fight with his foster mother. Antwone was sent to a male institution called George Junior Republic School from which he graduated prior to joining the US Navy....
Fisher joined the U.S. Navy to escape homelessness. Fisher spent 11 years in the Navy. Here, he met Commander Williams, a psychiatrist who helped him work through his emotional traumas.
Life after the Navy
After the discharge from the Navy, Fisher joined the Federal Bureau of Prisons as a federal correctional officer, and after three years with the bureau, he began work as a security guard for Sony Pictures. It was there Fisher decided to find his true family members. He contacted Annette Elkins, who turned out to be his aunt. Within months of this contact, Fisher met all of his family, including his mother Eva Mae. He learned that she had given birth to four other children who were all taken away as wards of the state. Fisher said after their meeting: "In the place inside me where the hurt of abandonment had been, now only compassion lived."
Interest in story
Fisher soon penned his screenplay. Stories about Antwone Fisher's life soon began taking off all over Sony's lot and many people from Hollywood lined up to develop the project. He initially declined all offers and after writing over 40 drafts sold the rights to his story to 20th Century Fox. The film Antwone Fisher was set for production with Denzel Washington behind the camera as director and Derek Luke playing the title role. Antwone Fisher was credited in the movie as both writer and co-producer.
Antwone Fisher Continues His Inspirational Journey with A Boy Should Know How to Tie a Tie

"In his new inspirational memoir Antwone Fisher shows how he learned to confront and overcome the challenges of adulthood, from learning how to tie a tie to finding a purpose in life."

Music

Avalon - Orphans of God - Front Row Live - Gospel Music Chan

"Avalon singing "Orphans of God" on Front Row Live on Gospel Music Channel"

Reunions

Brother discovered next door

"A Louisiana woman discovers her adopted brother lives across the street. CNN affiliate KTBS reports.Source: KTBS Added On May 19, 2009

Services

-North Carolina
Yahweh Center Children's Village in Wilmington, NC - Today's Christian Videos

"Yahweh Center Children's Village in Wilmington, NC, provides residential care, child placement, adoption, and outpatient services. It offers hope, healing and restoration through the power of Jesus Christ to abused, neglected, and at risk children ages 5 to 12 years. For adoption information or to contribute, please visit www.YahwehCenter.org online."
-South Carolina
Christian Adoption Service

"A Charlotte area adoption service"

Social Issues

-Abuse

=>Stories

Stories

Jodi's Adoption Story

"I am a Pastor's Wife. This is My Adoption Story. It was entered into the Mark Schultz Adoption Story Contest which features his newest release "Everything To Me." UPDATE: MY ADOPTION VIDEO HAS WON THE CONTEST! Thank You so much to those that took the time to vote for me! http://www.markschultzmusic.com/news-... is the link to Mark Schultz's website where my video is being aired and recognized as FIRST PLACE WINNER! May the Lord bless you for taking your time to vote for my video! This has been an awesome opportunity for me to spread the word on how the Lord has blessed my life. You have really touched my heart with your sweet comments! A special thank you to Carol Giordano from Precious Memories Photo DVD who turned my photos into this adoption story. She is amazing! Check out her website at http://www.preciousmemoriesphotodvd.c... She has many great sample videos for you to look at!"

Testimonies

I love my Foster Mom and Dad Written by Derek Clark

"I wrote this song as a dedication to all foster and adoptive parents. Thank you for working hard to restore love in a child or youth. I sincerely appreciate and love mine. I am so fortunate to have had foster parents who never gave up on me...even when I was not adoptable. My foster parents are very special to me, although being the hell-raiser I was, it wasn't always obvious. I do consider them my Mom and Dad. They have earned it. They said they loved me but I continually tested the limits of their unconditional love. No doubt it was tested to the extreme. They had to put up with so much more than the average parents. ...

Animals-they too get adopted

The Hippo and the Tortoise -Tsunami Survivors
" NAIROBI (AFP) - A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoise, in an animal facility in the port city of Mombassa, officials said.
The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean, then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him."-(fwd by Tom W. of Canada)
-Urban Legends: "true"

Celebrities

Angela Jolie & Brad Pitt adopted kids from Cambodia and Ethiopia
"This is the first biological child for Jolie, 30, who is already the mother of son Maddox, 4, whom she adopted from Cambodia, and daughter Zahara, 1, adopted from Ethiopia in July. "-from People Magazine WEDNESDAY JANUARY 11, 2006 05:00 AM EST
Madonna adopting boy from Malawi

Ethnic Groups

ASIAN
Adoption Video of our daughter, Elisha

'POSTED June 5, 2007 This is a video of our daughter adopted from China. We hope it inspires people that are thinking about adopting from China. Make sure you watch til the very end for a special message from the special girl!"
EUROPEAN
-Ukraine
An Adoption Story - The Richt Family

"POSTED October 29, 2008 An Adoption Story - Do something today"

-Korea

Ministries