Choose Joy 2015 Breakaway Sessions

There will be four Breakaway Sessions scheduled throughout the Choose Joy conference.  You can choose to attend any four sessions that you would like.  It's a good idea to read through these descriptions ahead of time and make your selections so that you are not scrambling at the conference.

Led by: Allyn Ann Simpson

In this session we will cover such topics as: What does the bible have to say about infertility? What treatments are available and how do they line up with God's plan? How to navigate difficult decisions in IVF such as how many embryos to fertilize. Pre-implantation genetic testing. Freezing embryos. What to do with extra embryos when your family is complete.

My goal for you is to leave this session with a clearer understanding of fertility treatments and how to honor God in all your medical decisions.

 Q + A with a Panel of Experts

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Q + A with a Panel of Experienced Foster Moms

Led by: Kate + Ashley Gregg

Bitterness in infertility is almost a guarantee if one does not choose to allow the hope of Christ to pierce and soften one of our greatest hurts. Infertility is often associated with loneliness, shame, competitiveness and grief. Although it hasn’t always been easy walking this journey together, what is often a very lonely road for most women, has been filled with late night rants, tear filled cries to God, and in many ways therapy sessions for the both of us. We’ve learned that in this life the only guarantee we have is that Christ will walk right beside us in our pain...therefore, that should really be our only expectation. When we align our expectations in Him, speak truth to ourselves, and begin to trust Him, we can turn away from the mire and muck of bitterness and walk through this difficult season with grace, integrity, and even influence for the Kingdom of God. Through our unique, yet similar journeys, we have learned to allow God to transform our deepest pain and realign our expectations and hopes with his plan for our lives. In this session we will discuss the real emotional realities of infertility and how they often result in bitterness. Overcoming bitterness is so much more than burying our emotions. We will share how we have navigated the complications of infertility within our (sisters-in-law) lives, friendships, and marriages. We have learned to have genuine peace as opposed to bitterness. Please join us as we openly discuss and share about our experiences.

Led by: Lesli Westfall

Do you feel like your heart is being squeezed to death? Are your emotions all over the place? Then come and join Lesli to learn what’s happening to you. She’ll discuss the different emotional phases of infertility, how it affects you and your relationships. Along with her personal story she’ll share Biblical truths to bring healing to your hurting soul. And…you’ll learn principles on how to live life {with joy} while you wait for the desires of your heart.

Led by: Julie Carson

Sometimes getting pregnant is not the problem.  Sometimes staying pregnant or delivering healthy babies are the problems we face in infertility.  In this session Julie will share of hope: delivering four healthy babies after many losses, and talk about how to trust God and love Him even when you are hurting.

Q + A with a Panel of Experts   

Led by: Brian Dean

As men, God has given us the amazing calling and privilege to lead our families. This is a tremendous privilege, but also a challenging and dangerous mission. Families and marriages all around are under serious attack. Many seem to be hanging on just by a thread. Add infertility and/ or adoption into the mix and all hope seems to be lost. But with God there is always hope! God made men for the purpose of leading in the midst of crisis and battle. It is here that the strength of men can shine! Our strength, however, is not found in our own strength but His! When we find ourselves facing an impossible situation in our family, we are in the perfect place to stand fast in faith and see God do the impossible!

In this session I am excited to share my own journey of leading my family through infertility and adoption. I want to share real stories of my success and failure through this journey. I want to testify to how God has lead us and proved Himself faithful. There are unique challenges that men face while leading their families through infertility and adoption. I also want to share practical tips for how to love your wife through the stormy journey of infertility and/or adoption.

I believe God wants to encourage the men and strongly support us for the journey ahead. He wants to increase our confidence and peace, so that we may lead our families through every storm of life.

Led by: Sean + Dena De La Torre

When you set out on the journey of adoption people will tell you it’s a roller coaster of emotions. People like to tell you horror stories of “my friend did an adoption and…” and deep down you think “Oh how awful, that will never happen to us!” We knew God called us into the journey of adoption to grow our family. We thought we were strong and could endure the little bumps in the road. Little did we know the journey would be more like getting thrown into a massive storm in the ocean and gasping for breaths as you are about to go under. You always want to believe the journey will be painless and without heartache. Our journey came with more pain and heartache then we thought we could endure but with God’s redeeming love and grace we survived. We now daily look at our sweet family and see God’s hand in every aspect of our adoption process. All the pain and heartache was worth it when we hold our amazing son in our arms. We want to encourage you along the journey ~~ God is good and His plan is so much bigger and more amazing then anything we could have ever imagined. Come ask those hard questions, share your fears, and know you are not alone riding this crazy roller coaster of adoption.

Led by: Jason + Lesily Davis and Matt + Amber Dyer

The Davises and the Dyers are both blessed with very open adoptions with their children's birth families.  In this session they will talk about the highs and lows, using an open adoption relationship to share Christ with your birth family, the different forms of open adoption, benefits of openness for the adoption triad, and common fears that come along with it as they share their own personal stories.

Led by: Lyndsay Boulton

Why would anyone CHOOSE to parent a child with special needs? Why would anyone take on the responsibility of parenting a child that may never be independent enough to live on their own? What does it look like, in a practical sense, to parent a child with HIV or other special needs? What is it like parenting an "older" adopted child? My answers to these questions and many others just might surprise you! I am the mother of a child with HIV and 2 children with Down syndrome. I am looking forward to sharing with you and answering your questions such as these and more.

Led by: Matt + Brianne Kopp

A quick scan of the Old and New Testaments displays the heart of God in caring for the Orphan and lonely. Chances are, if you are attending Choose Joy, you already have a heart to adopt or care for the Orphan. Unfortunately, local churches often don’t have ministries to support those who have adopted or are participating in Orphan Care or provide a way for others to be involved in similar endeavors. However, the call to care for the Orphan is not just for individual believers, but for the local church as well.

After having two children biologically, God led Matt & Brianne down the glorious and crazy road of adoption. When they first started down this path, they were serving in a volunteer capacity at their church and had the privilege of getting to labor and lobby to begin an orphan care ministry at their church. God was gracious and began a work at the church from the leadership down…a work that continues today! Since that time, Matt has come on staff as a pastor at the church and one of his responsibilities is overseeing the orphan care ministry.

This session will explore what you can do to be a part of starting an orphan care ministry at your church. Whether you are an “average Joe” church member or a leader/staff member at your church…God can use you for His glory in the cause of orphan care at your local church.

Led by: Matt + Kristi Lyons

We have been married for 10 years and have experienced infertility for almost 6 years and are still learning to cope with the loss. Throughout this time we have had our share of successes and failures in supporting each other.

Our goal of our session is to come along side you and in raw honesty share with you the ways in which we have learned to support each other. Our session will focus on practical ways you can help each other immediately. Some of the topics we will focus on include:

*Why lowering your expectations for this season is okay

*Ways to find support

*Reading resources

*Ways to communicate your needs fairly

Led by: Brooke Mardell

In the storm of infertility, doubt, faith, emptiness, hope and even humor hit with unpredictable force. And sister, it takes some brave to face our storms. The kind of brave that lets us ask raw questions and find real answers. The kind of brave that says freedom is worth it. The kind of brave that will draw you even closer to the heart of God. Come ready to laugh, cry, and put on your brave.

Led by: Matt Kopp

No…I’m not a Harley-riding, alligator-wrestling, skydiving, triathlete, safari-guide, stunt pilot…and I’m guessing you aren’t either. But men, if I told you there was a house filled with orphan children held against their will, I don’t doubt that you would grab your baseball bats and breakdown the door alongside me as we jumped into action to save those kids! After all, what could be more manly than coming to the aid of the helpless? But is that the only way that manliness and adoption could collide? In this session we will explore the intersection of manliness and adoption. We will look at how true manliness is modeled after the heart of God, who is the Father of the fatherless. We will also see that this Christ like manliness doesn’t end the day a judge pronounces an adoption final. Rather, it continues on through the day-in and day-out privilege of being a father. As we look at the manliness of adoption we will ask the tough questions like: could I love an adopted child as my own? Thankfully God gives us the blueprint for true manliness and He gives us the answers we are looking for.

Led by: Jen Dean

Three years into my marriage we were neck deep in infertility and desperately trying to find the Lord's leading in the midst of our painful circumstances. I found myself asking, "God where are you in the middle of all of this?" God slowly began to edge open the door of my heart to adoption as a way to grow our family… It was a process. A LONG process of totally surrendering my plan A for my life to HIS plan A for my life. Come join me as I share my raw, unedited story of making the transition from infertility to adoption… My prayer is that as I share my journey and the nuggets of truth God spoke to me in this deeply confusing time, you might find healing in your heart… no matter where you are in that transition.Note: This session may even be for some that find themselves needing some healing from the wounds of infertility even after starting the adoption process or even after having adopted.

Led by: Nick + Mindy Kinnier

Being a transracial family is a beautiful picture of God’s diverse family and a visual representation of the gospel to the world. Transracial adoption comes with its own unique joys and challenges. Recent events have revealed the reality that racial tension still exists in our country, which poses important questions and concerns for transracial adoptive parents. How do we as Christians talk about race with our children? What’s the relationship between our gospel identity and racial identity? What is a biblical theology of transracial adoption? In this session, we will discuss how the gospel endorses and expands our imagination for transracial adoption. We will also address the challenges of transracial adoption in a race conscious culture, with some practical tips for addressing these issues.

Led by: Beth Lauder

In my session I will discuss why it is so hard to wait for a child, some of the reasons why God makes us wait, and the resources He gives us to comfort and encourage us so that we can come out of our season of waiting and be able to stand before Him unashamed because we waited well.

Led by: Megan Larson + Brooke King

Your role as a support system when someone is suffering loss is huge! Whether you’re a friend or a family member, we want to help you as you walk alongside what can be such a difficult grief. We’ll be talking about what grieving looks like as families walk through miscarriage, failed IVF, as well as loss through failed adoptions. We’ll be giving you tips on what to say (and what not to say!) as you support your loved one.