Adoption Through the Rearview Mirror
Adoption is a tangible way for families to live out their faith and fight social injustice.
BUT IS A HEART TO SERVE ENOUGH TO HELP ADOPTIVE FAMILIES OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES THEY WILL FACE?
After more than fourteen years of working in orphan care and adoption advocacy, author Karen Springs set out on a road trip across the US to explore what happens after families bring their adopted children home and real life begins. Using her own experiences and those of the 63 adoptive families she interviewed, Karen unpacks the lessons we all can learn through the brokenness and beauty of adoption.
YOU’LL DISCOVER:
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Your family is not alone in the challenges of the adoption journey
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Suprising treasures can be found in the harder aspects of adoptive parenting
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Gaining a rearview mirror perspective of the lesser discussed aspects of adoption can better prepare you for the road ahead
This is a road trip you won't want to miss!
What people are saying...
“If you’re considering embarking on the adventure of adopting, or if you’re struggling with some of the harder moments, I know the wisdom found in Karen’s book will be both encouraging and challenging . . . you will enter into the rearview mirror of adoption and perhaps find a piece of your story here.”
-TERRY MEEUWSEN, Cohost, The 700 Club, Founder, Orphan’s Promise
“A remarkably honest and multifaceted picture of what adoption is like in real life. Here is all the sweetness and celebration, sorrow and struggle that adoption includes—often within the very same story.”
-JEDD MEDEFIND, president of Christian Alliance for Orphans
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About the Author...
A Pacific Northwest native, Karen Springs lived in Kyiv, Ukraine for over fourteen years advocating for orphaned and at-risk children and working with hundreds of adoptive families. Karen has managed humanitarian and child advocacy projects throughout Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East with Orphan’s Promise. Today Karen continues as an advocate for children in families around the world and is passionate about seeing nations collaborate in solving their orphan and vulnerable children crisis through the World Without Orphans global movement.
How it all Began...
“For over a decade of serving in Ukraine, Karen had the opportunity to walk alongside children and families and experience the gift of watching them be joined together through adoption. Fourteen years after beginning her journey, she received another gift—to return to many of those families, hear their stories of joy and challenge, and learn from them. We now have Karen's gift to us—this incredibly insightful book, Adoption Through the Rearview Mirror. Throughout this book, Karen deepens our understanding of the needs of adopted children, adoptive parents, and biological siblings, and she teaches us so much more. I highly recommend this book.”
— JAYNE SCHOOLER, author of Wounded Children, Healing Homes and Telling the Truth to Your Adopted or Foster Child
“Karen gives a gift to the adoption community by sharing vulnerably her experiences and the experiences of adoptive families. In a culture primed to put its best foot forward, we are at our best when we share with one another lessons we've learned, and that intention is at the heart of every story contained in this book… Helping adoptive families and their children thrive is not just a battle we win with best practice but one that requires us to acknowledge the spiritual fight and the One who has already won. Your family will benefit from all the wisdom shared!”
—BETH GUCKENBERGER, author, speaker, adoptive mother, missionary
“For too many adoptive families, when glamorized expectations meet sometimes harsh reality, they can fall apart. What Karen has communicated through the pages of Adoption Through the Review Mirror should be required reading for every potential adoptive family as full preparation for the beautiful and broken journey that lies before them…The old saying goes that if you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail. I’m so grateful for this book, for these stories, and for Karen’s faithfulness to capture a realistic picture of adoption. Through it, precious families will succeed and precious children’s lives will truly be transformed.”
—PAM PARISH, founder and CEO of Connections Homes, author of three devotions for foster and adoptive families: Ready or Not, Battle-Weary Parents, and The Gift
“In her remarkable book, Adoption Through the Rearview Mirror, author Karen Springs reminds us that adoption is always a journey for an adopted child—and also for the adoptive parents and siblings…Karen views joys and sorrows through the eternal perspective and insights of Scripture. This book has been a revelation and encouragement to me as an adoptive parent. I wholeheartedly recommend it to parents who have adopted or fostered children—or are considering this step. And to all who care for the millions of children globally who don’t have families.”
—ANITA DEYNEKA, Board Member at A Family for Every Orphan, Mission Eurasia, and World Without Orphans
“A refreshingly honest, vulnerable, and empowering book about the adoption journey. With personal stories, real-life accounts from families, and timeless applications, Adoption Through the Rearview Mirror is a must-read for anyone involved in the care and advocacy of vulnerable children.”
—MIKE AND KRISTIN BERRY, authors of Honestly Adoption: Answers to 101 Questions About Adoption and Foster Care