There are many things we could do that would be considered noble, but adopting a child is one that few people can do. Those who adopt children realize just how much it can mean to their family.
Kim Lacefield is one of those people who truly understands what it means for her family and for herself as an individual. Although she had three children of her own, she always wanted to adopt a child who needed a family.
One day, she received a phone call that changed her life forever, and the lives of everyone in her household as well. Three ‘god children’ were in need of a home, according to the police. Initially, she had no idea what was going on, but the officers told her that the children were part of the church where her husband worked.
I saw three little faces at my door thirty minutes later. “They had nothing but the clothes on their backs, no toothbrush, no blanket, no favorite pillow.”
Then she met the boys, who were 6, 8, and 10 years old. This was all documented in Love What Matters.
Kim’s older children were reunited with their father, but the six-year-old stayed with her family for a year.
I loved him so much. There was a dad who had just been released from prison and he loved his son. I helped him reunite with him. The best gift you can give a child is a healthy biological parent who loves and wants them. He deserved a second chance because he was holding down a job and willing to drive 10 hours to see his children.
Suddenly, there were new opportunities being open to Kim and her family. It wasn’t long before a call came in about a five-year-old girl.
Later that day, she walked into my house with a trash bag full of clothes. I had to take it outside and leave it there. The girl had head lice, body lice, and pinworms. She came from a dirty foster home where she said she was forced to lay on the floor. She had lived in five foster homes in six weeks.”
Kim was finally able to speak to the girl who initially refused to communicate. Due to her delayed development, the little girl was able to attend school, and the teachers had some concerns. Soon, I was getting calls from the school asking what was going on. “She was in first grade and couldn’t trace the letter ‘L.’ She would mess in her pants and wouldn’t change them,” Kim said.
Kim and the teacher helped the little girl, and it wasn’t long before she was called a miracle child. “Teachers and social workers were amazed at how far she had come in a year,” Kim said. Many of the children who come into care are emotionally five or more years behind their actual ages.”
“She had been living with a relative,” she continued. “She had a broken arm and big sores on her body.”. Her sister was at school, so she came to me during the day.”.
“She was so scared, but after a while, she looked up at my wall of pictures and said, “Addy.” She recognized that as her sister. That moment will never be forgotten. I am now passionate about keeping sibling groups together.”
After a year, Kim was able to get the biological mother to sign over the girl’s rights. Because she was in rehab the majority of the time, her mother couldn’t take care of her. She wanted to adopt her daughters.
Since I was a little girl, Kim has always wanted to adopt. Even as a child, the thought of kids not being loved made me feel sleepless.
Sources: Love What Matters,
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