Resources are very limited for adoptive families or professionals on how to effectively meet the needs of the adoptive children. Recently the translation of the book, Becoming a Family was completed. This book explains how parents can help their children heal from abandonment and learn to attach to their adoptive families. It is now available for purchase for the first time in Romanian!
A new bi-weekly support group is meeting to offer support to adoptive families. Six to eight families are meeting together to work through an attachment workbook. A program for the children is being developed with the objective to reinforce attachment methods.
A 3-day Attachment seminar was attended by 170 professionals, foster parents and adoptive parents in October 2013. Lynn Wetterberg, MS and Dr. Sally Popper, Ph.D. from the USA spoke on the effects of abandonment and the process of attachment and development. This seminar qualified as continuing education credits for the professionals. Counsel was provided for adoptive parents on a personal level throughout the day.
Several opportunities are available to serve with this ministry. They include working with a local woman who visits a hospital daily to hold, change, feed and interact with babies who have been abandoned. Many people are needed to join her in these daily visits. Additionally help is needed to work with a home for abused children and several orphanages. They have requested people to come visit the children, to celebrate their birthdays, to serve as hospital parents and to help them with their homework. This is a first-time opportunity to work within the social services system.
If you have a heart for orphans, adoptive families and missions, please contact Aaron and Ana Stafford using their Facebook page or on their website and find out about opportunities to serve with Living Well Romania.
– YWAM Cluj