Hope. On the journey to adopt, we cling desperately at times to hope. We hope it doesn’t take too long to adopt. We hope we will be chosen by an expectant mom who is making an adoption plan for her baby. We hope there aren’t too many ups and downs on the journey. As we start this adoption adventure, it can feel (as it did with my wife and I) that we are all alone. You may not know anyone else who has adopted. You may not have anyone to turn to who actually understands what you are going through. Here’s an important yet simply truth that my wife and I discovered after going through 3 infant adoptions, then working with others who have successfully adopted, talking with birthmoms, and authors and adoption agencies, social workers and other adoption experts… Community unlocks hope. How does community unlock the hope? Because in an adoption community you quickly realize that so many others have successfully adopted. You realize there are real people just like you who are on this adoption adventure. In your community, you can listen to & learn from others. You can ask questions. You can discuss infant adoption with them – which is really cool because you find out they can talk the language of adoption like nobody else can. This breaks down the overwhelm. This stifles the fear you may have. Community unlocks hope. This is what my wife and I found out and still cling to today. Early on when we were feeling alone, our agency and our homestudy provider emphasized the need for community support. We found a small FaceBook group. It was our connection, our lifeline, our people who were the only ones who could “get” where we were and what we wanted to do. We were all in the same boat of wanting to adopt a baby. We were there helping each other and supporting each other and encouraging each other along the way. It was exactly what we needed. This is why having a community really does unlock hope. There are lots of reasons why communities play a BIG part in the adoption journey. Here my top 5 reasons why community is not only important – but will actually unlock hope for you on the adoption journey. What you’ll hear on this episode: * A deep dive into The 5 reasons why a great adoption support community will help you go through the infant adoption process – and unlock hope.* Find out what are the most important parts of a great adoption community. * Find out how and where to find great adoption support communities.* Learn how to become a part of my adoption support group on Facebook <–link is right here 🙂* How you get in as a Founding Member of my brand new INFANT ADOPTION GUIDE COMMUNITY! Inside this one-of-a-kind community, people like you come together to meet and support one another, get answers to questions, get focused learning, AND be a part of our exclusive small “Buddy” groups, where you get your own private adoption support group! Links we talk about in this episode: * Infant Adoption Guide Community – learn more about this unique adoption support community that will help you on every step of the infant adopt...