#6- Research Paper

My research has been pretty hard so far. I am wanting to study the positive effects of adoption on the family, but most of the research I am finding is pretty broad. I can find tons of information about adoption, but most of it doesn't really apply to my topic exactly. It's hard to find information about how it affects the biological children in the family, but it will be easier to find information about how it affects the adopted child, and the parents. I love the topic though, it is helping me to understand my parents' decision to adopt, and I am gaining a new appreciation for my little sister and her struggles. I have a close relationship with her, but she clearly has challenges that I can't relate to. Since I have known her, there have been many things that I have wondered, and I have always tried to put myself in her shoes. As I do more research on adoption, I have been able to better comprehend how hard the adoption must have been on her. Clearly, her life is better now than it was in the orphanage; however, it must have been very hard for her to suddenly live in a home, with different food, a different environment, and with a different language. When she came to the States, her world literally turned upside down. Many adopted kids struggle with that change for long periods of time. All things considered, I think she has done amazingly well with the adjustment. She is a totally normal 5 year old girl. I am amazed at how quickly little kids can pick up on a new language, new people, and learn new things. I am enjoying the research paper.

#5- Adoption

For my research paper, I am going to research and write about adoption. My family, almost two years ago, adopted my little sister, Sophie, from China. At the time, I was on my mission in Argentina, my sister was on her mission in Florida, and my brother was about to have his second child. I have a big family (there are 7 kids), and the adoption, because of our ages and circumstances, affected us all differently. My parents chose to adopt again, and are in the process right now of adopting a little boy from China. I want to research more about the effects of adoption on the family; I want to know how it affects young children in the family, the older kids, the parents, and the family dynamic as a whole. It is something that interests me because I got home from my mission about a year and a half after the adoption. When I got home, I observed changes in my family, and I realized that the adoption truly has affected all of us, in a way. I want to research the effects of foreign adoption, specifically. Is there a difference in the effects of adoption if the child is from another country? What are they?
This is a topic that is special to me, because of course I love my little sister and she is special to me. Also, I feel that this research can help me to have a better relationship with my adopted siblings, and the rest of my family.

10/21
So far, I am finding a good amount of research about my topic. My question is, "What are the effects of adoption on the adopted child and on the adopting family?" I want to especially focus on the siblings of the adopted child, and how it affects their relationship with their parents, and how they view their adopted sibling.

#4- General Conference!

I thought this General Conference was great, and obviously unique in certain ways. I noticed one common theme throughout the whole conference: we should learn how to interpret the Spirit. There were talks about prayer and receiving answers. There were also talks about listening to the Spirit to know what we should change in our lives, etc.
I also really loved the Sunday Afternoon Session. Normally, by the last session, I am tired, and I don't pay as good of attention. This time, I loved Elder Christofferson's talk. He talked about why the church is necessary in order to become more converted to the Gospel, and to receive essential ordinances. This touched me because in my mission in Argentina, many people believed that going to church wasn't necessary, and that it was good enough to simply believe. Also, Elder Bednar talked about the experience and qualities of the Apostles. I found this very interesting because it is common to hear that all Apostles fit a certain demographic. Elder Bednar's talk helped me to know that not only are these men highly qualified, but more importantly, they are called of God.
General Conference is always a good time to reflect on things we can change in our lives. This Conference definitely served that purpose for me, and I feel motivated to be a better person and to live a more consecrated life.