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Show 1990 words Intended for a general audience in church magazine such as Ensign SHARED SON For several years my husband Doug and I considered becoming involved in the Indian Placement Program of our church. We had heard conflicting reports from those who had participated in the program but at last, after talking it over with our four children, we decided to take the step. Now as our family drove together to the "picking up p l a c e , " we were alternately pensive and excited. Our new ten-year-old foster son would be a Navajo Indian from New Mexico, whose name was Wayne. The case worker had told us to think of the arrangement on a long term basis; that it was literally a commitment to acquire a new family member until his high school graduation or even longer. During the month before Wayne's arrival, we had tried to imagine what he would be like. Many Indian students spoke only a few words of English. Would we be able to communicate ? Would he fit into our family ? Would we like him? Would he like us? As we adults pondered these questions, our ten-year-old son John built a big box with Wayne printed on the side for his new brother to "keep his stuff i n . " John was eager for a new brother his own age. |