Think of the New Testament story of Jesus feeding the masses with five small loaves of bread and two fish. He had some food, not a lot, and on any given day that could be lunch to a few people. We don’t know what type of fish they were or how big the small loaves were, but let’s be generous and say it could feed eight people. That’s half a loaf and some fish, enough to make a respectable sandwich. So technically Jesus had enough food to feed eight people. Yet when he prayed over it and gave it to the disciples, it didn’t run out. It multiplied and fed five thousand people. No one baked more or ran to the lake to catch fish, the initial effort put into the loaves and fishes was enough because of the miraculous power of God.
Your networking and marketing can work similarly, thanks to the power of sharing.
You put your best efforts in to write and create your profile, to build and update your Facebook page, to create and tweak your advertising campaigns. That is effort you put in once. It took some time and commitment on your part, but for the most part it’s done. Pray over it and send it out to the masses. The most important piece, however, is the share – recruiting others to share it.
When Jesus fed the multitude, He was feeding the people who were there to learn from him. In fact, that is where the initial loaves and fish came from, the disciples gathered the food that the entire group had. He didn’t send the disciples into town to feed more people, he was feeding the ones that were sitting at His feet. And in doing so, He created an experience that they were eager to go and share with others, to draw more people into recognizing that the Messiah was here.
It’s time to do the same with your adoption.
Reach out to the people around you. Share your vision of becoming parents. Enlist them to take the things you have created and share them with others they come in contact with. Adoption is no less of a miracle today than the loaves and fishes were back then.
For example, invite all of your Facebook friends to LIKE your new adoption Facebook page. Once they have, ask them to invite all of their friends to LIKE it too. Then, when you have a really good post, such as a video uploaded directly to Facebook introducing yourself to a birth mother, ask them to SHARE it on their pages. This generates buzz and is what makes things go viral. When they LIKE and SHARE it, more traction is generated and MORE people see it. This will inspire you to keep adding and sharing, adding and sharing,… to create the miracle that you are seeking.
Printed profiles work the same way. Once you make some, identify some key people you know that you can ask to get them in the hands of people who may meet women experiencing an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy. For instance, friends who live across the state or country may be willing to sit down for a brief meeting with their pastor and give him two copies of your profile, along with a personal testimony of why you would be such great parents. Perhaps a friend who works in a local salon wants to be on your ‘Sharing Team’ too, keeping a profile with her if she hears of patrons who may be discussing a niece or granddaughter dealing with a crisis pregnancy. Or even a friend who has teenage girls and is very in touch with her daughters friends, can be a witness for you. Teen girls know more teen girls and they all share their problems!
Think of other ways you can magnify your efforts through the power of sharing. There are many opportunities out there!
