International adoptions can be exciting and rewarding—but once you throw homeschooling into the mix it turns into full-time ministry! On today’s Home School Heartbeat with Mike Smith, we’ll hear from one homeschooling mother who brought the mission field into her home.
Mike Smith:
Alicia, this week we’ve talked about homeschooling internationally adopted children. Now, your five children from Liberia were older than 12 at the time of the adoption. How would you encourage homeschool parents who are looking into adopting older children?
Alicia Ahlers:
I would first say, be extremely prayerful and careful and convicted of your calling. Adopting and educating older children takes an assurance from God for every member of your family. If you’re adopting out of age order like we did, you want your whole family prepared. Institutionalized children tend to revert to a pecking order mentality that is not conducive to family life. And younger children in your home need to know that they have a voice. Have private talks with every member of your family to make sure you know what’s going on in their hearts. Be sure your motives for adopting are ministry and building your family. I can’t stress enough—know your call to this ministry. Older children come with a past that you must accept and cannot erase. You will have challenges that your biological children did not prepare you for, including educational ones. Be a healthy, God-centered family before you take on more children. Adoption doesn’t fix you or your family, and it is not for every family. It is a ministry, and the risks of taking in older children are high. But if God is calling you to this ministry, all the hard work and effort will pay off.
Mike:
Alicia, thank you for joining us this week. And until next time, I’m Mike Smith.
