For teenager Ian Amundson, Christmas will always mean something extra special: Adoption Day.
The thirteen-year-old was officially adopted on Christmas morning 2024, becoming a part of Ed and Shannon Amundson’s family, alongside his three new brothers. The family served as a foster family for Ian for seven months prior to adopting him.
The Amundsons, like many families, have a usual Christmas morning routine. They eat birthday cake, sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus, and spend the day with family and friends.
But on December 25, 2023, the Amundsons had an unusual, very special, final present for Ian to open.
“We asked him on Christmas last year if he would like to be a part of our family permanently,” said Shannon Amundson.
For Ian’s final Christmas present, he received a t-shirt with the words, “Adoption loading.”
“I felt actual love, and I felt like I was part of a family, and I just felt more comfortable than I ever have been,” said Ian.
This Christmas, “Honestly, it just feels like home; it feels like family,” said Ed Amundson.
You can watch a brief news clip of the adoption below:
The Amundsons decided long ago that they wanted to adopt.
“We knew early on that we wanted to adopt … we grew in our faith, in our church, and came across James 1:27, which says ‘pure religion is taking care of the widows and orphans,’ so it hit us again,” Ed said.
After fulfilling that calling, the couple now hope to adopt again soon.
“We would love to adopt again; it’s important to us,” Ed said. “I hate the fact knowing that a recent Ombudsman report said that there are foster kids who are sleeping in offices and state resorts because there’s no home for them.”
He is also encouraging others to consider adoption. “I’m praying you will at least give it a chance,” he added. “And I think you’ll be blessed. I think there are people just nervous, and they take that step and trust. Because these kids are tremendous.”
Of the almost 400,000 children in the foster care system in the United States, about 117,000 are waiting to be adopted. As we at Focus on the Family have pointed out repeatedly, there are roughly 400,000 Christian churches in the United States.
If just one-third of Christian churches adopted a child, every child needing a home would have one.
If you think God might be calling you to consider adopting a child or getting involved in foster care, check out some of the great resources we have below.
Currently, the United States has more than 391,000 children in foster care. Focus on the Family’s Wait No More program helps inspire families to become involved in the lives of waiting kids, whether through adoption or in a different way.
You can learn more about Wait No More.
Related articles and resources:
What You Can Do to Help Kids in Foster Care
Changing the World Through Adoption
Resources: Foster Care & Adoption
Counseling Consultation & Referrals
States Exclude Christian Parents From Foster Care
Adopted Christian Singer Makes ‘American Idol’ Top Seven After Singing ‘There Was Jesus’
Little Boy Left Speechless and Joyful After News of His Adoption: ‘I’m Your Dad Now’
Firefighter Adopts Newborn He Rescued From Safe Haven Baby Box: ‘She Is Very Loved’
Photo from YouTube.
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