Grandma Johnson

Grandma Johnson

Little did I know growing up that the adoption thread in my family didn’t start with us! You see, I have five cousins that were adopted (from Korea and Costa Rica). But my brother was the first (adopted from Indonesia), or so I thought. I don’t remember when I learned, but my own grandmother was adopted as an early adolescent after being abandoned, going through foster care and living in an orphanage.

The Life and Times…

Grandma’s mother died when she was a young girl. After that, her father remarried. Sadly, her step-mother didn’t really ‘choose to accept’ these step-children and they weren’t treated kindly. Her dad was a bit of a shady character too. He wasn’t around all the time and he had some run-ins with the law. Sadly, she was eventually forced out of her home through abandonment. She entered into foster care and thankfully, had a wonderful foster mom. This woman was involved in a church community where Grandma met a wonderful Sunday School teacher.

Unfortunately, her foster mom had to have a serious surgery and couldn’t care for her anymore. So Grandma was put into the orphanage. This was so sad for her foster mom, that she pleaded with the people in her church to adopt my grandma. After praying, the kind Sunday School teacher and her husband felt like they should adopt Grandma Johnson. So they did!

Changed For Good…

I never heard my grandma talk about her childhood, but God brought about so much good from her hardship. She married my precious and gentle Grandpa Johnson and they had six children. Each of those children had kids (a mix of both biological and adopted) giving her 29 grandkids, six of whom are adopted. In the next generation, my generation, there are so many great grandkids and we’re still counting! But, out of them all (so far) there have been eight adoptions and I hope to add to that number through our own adoption journey.

Legacy…

Grandma Johnson truly started a family legacy. Because of one caring woman who advocated for Grandma Johnson and one couple that listened to the Lord’s leading, an adoption legacy was birthed. I’m so excited to continue it in my own family! It also makes me wonder, what legacy will God write into my story? How will God use the ups and downs of my life to change a generation, and the one after that!