Celebrating 3 Years of ADOPTION NOW!

Wow, what an amazing three years it has been! Three years of telling your adoption story, of sharing your heartbreak and triumph, and of connecting with you through the powerful journey of adoption.

In this commemorative episode, April and Noah start off by sharing their favorite moments from all three years of ADOPTION NOW. To start, Noah shares one of his favorite early memories with host April Fallon. This goes back to when ADOPTION NOW had just started.

“Every Saturday morning we’d get a cup of coffee, sit down at a specific time, and the radio station would play our show…we’d cry, we’d laugh, and be in amazement of all these people who were so brave and willing to share their stories.â€

April agrees that those were amazing memories. She reminds listeners that ADOPTION NOW used to be a radio show that aired every Saturday. Overall, April admits that she underestimated how many people love adoption. In those early days, she was overwhelmed by the positive response they received.

April says that she absolutely loves every person and their shared adoption story. It still amazes her that so many people have poured their heart out about sensitive issues, all for the betterment of the adoption community. 

One of the greatest benefits of the show so far has been the learning experience. Noah stresses just how much he has learned and will continue to learn about adoption.

April goes beyond this and refers back to their first adoption experience and how close to a breaking point both she and Noah were in their marriage. As she states, they have experienced the lowest of the lows and highest of the highs in adoption. 

Through marriage counseling, the nerve-wracking uncertainty of their first home study, each subsequent, joyous adoption experience, and ever to the very present, it has been a journey worth it in every way.

As April states, if you open up your heart, adoption can change you from the inside out. It’s a very transformative experience. To participate in adoption often means to go beyond yourself. This usually includes heartbreak and grief along the way, but all for the sake of something greater.

April then shares one of her favorite adoption stories: Nellya’s adoption experience with her child from India. For those who have not listened to her story, it is an incredible journey to an orphanage in India, where she fights for her baby who was hospitalized. After being lied to from her agency, she hired an undercover investigator, bought a plane ticket, and fought for her beautiful child. Just an overall beautiful story.

To expand upon the fighting spirit that Nellya showed, Noah also talks about how adoption in general takes the form of a battle. More specifically, he goes beyond this and talks about the spiritual aspect of adoption as well–how a shift from spirituality can naturally happen in the adoption experience.

April adds to this by saying that confusion, jaded feelings, and a disconnection from God can happen. She states that during difficult times, it’s easy to say that “God would never do that to me.†When talking about God’s plan, April says this:

“How could he lead me into a nightmare? He would never do that. And the truth is, yes, he would. He would because something amazing comes out of that.â€

April reminds listeners that there are treasures in the darkest places. But she also understands that not everyone is a Christian who has an adoption story to tell. She stresses that ADOPTION NOW is for all types of stories because it is such a privilege to give voice to all of these incredible perspectives, she approaches adoption through the diverse lens of all backgrounds and worldviews, and learns from every single story as they are told.

As Noah admits, he thought he knew it all about adoption. He has two siblings that are adopted, so he has been exposed to the adoption world early in his  life. But soon he learned that adoption is not black or white, but instead, gray. There is no one adoption experience that transcends all. 

Later in the episode, when addressing the questions that April and Noah posed for followers of ADOPTION NOW on Instagram, they talk about the question: “what are some of the conflicting emotions that you have with adoption?â€

Someone expressed how difficult it is to take a child from their birth parents and the grieving process that can occur. April and Noah both agree that it can be extremely hard to walk away with a child from grieving birth parents even when the birth parents want the adoption and have signed papers.  Noah says that domestic and international adoption have their own varying difficulties for this facet. He reminds listeners not to look at adoption with a ‘my way or the highway’ mindset. God may allow us to go through difficulties, but will never leave us and He will pull us through if we do not give up. April and Noah have seen this first hand through the 7 adoption stories they personally have gone through and by hearing other stories from the adoption community.

There is much more said within the episode, including answers to the questions you had for us, words of encouragement, and advice. Thank you to all who have shared your stories and for our listeners who have helped us grow the show!

Here’s to many more years of ADOPTION NOW! 

For a visual experience of this episode, watch us on YouTube.