How to Discover Your Story in God’s Plan | Adoption, Family, and Purpose w/ Emmanuel Jean Russell

What if understanding your story and God’s purpose for it could change your family’s perspective on faith, adoption, and belonging?

In this episode of the Collide Kids Podcast, host Christen Clark is joined by Emmanuel Jean Russell: first-time author, adoptee from Haiti, and son of bestselling author Karen Kingsbury. Emmanuel opens up about his “shadow memories” of childhood in Haiti, the incredible faith journey of his adoption, and how every child, adopted or not, can discover purpose and position through Christ. They explore international adoption, supporting adoptive families,  and how discipleship and family time shape kids to know God’s love in tangible ways.

• [00:05:49] Emmanuel’s early memories in Haiti, and his grandmother
• [00:09:27] The meaning behind Emmanuel’s name (“God with us”)
• [00:13:30] Adjusting to family life in a new country
• [00:14:13] Writing his new children's book: “Hello, My Name Is Emmanuel”

Resources:

• https://www.emmanueljeanrussell.com/
• https://www.tyndale.com/p/hello-my-name-is-emmanuel
• https://www.karenkingsbury.com/onechancefoundation
• Website: collidekidspodcast.com
• Instagram: @collidekidspod

Clip Finder

The Nature of Faded Childhood Memories: "I call my memories in Haiti shadow memories, because I can't fully remember them. But like, if you're like on a beach, you can see the shadow and you know, like, kind of maybe if the person's tall or like if it's a female or male, but you can't see the details. And so my memories in here are like shadows."
— Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:05:56 → 00:06:12]

Dreams That Shape Destinies: "And so for that dream to come true, she gave me up to an orphanage."
— Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:06:57 → 00:07:01]

Honoring Family Through Storytelling: "Well, there are a lot of reasons, but one of the main was, like, as I said, I don't remember what happened to my grandma, but I believe by telling her story and giving her an image, because I don't actually even remember what she looked like, but by giving her an image in this picture book, that it would help the memories become more clear."
— Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:08:54 → 00:09:12]

Finding Purpose Beyond Circumstances: "So by having my story, that it can help kids and adults know that there is purpose and you can find it through him who is Jesus."
— Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:10:59 → 00:11:08]

Helping Orphanages Without Adopting: "But you can always give to those companies that are helping people get the chance to adopt."
— Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:16:04 → 00:16:10]

The Beauty and Caution in Adoption: "But I believe there's beauty in everything. And so if you are willing, if you're looking into it, ask other families who have done it, do research, because you do hav

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Transcript

Christen Clark [00:00:31]:

Welcome back to the Collide Kids Podcast. I'm your host, Christen Clark. The Collide Kids Podcast is a show for kids and families where we learn together how life and faith collide. I am so glad you're here. Don't forget, at the end of every episode, we have our let's talk about it questions so you and your family can keep the conversation going long after the episode ends. Be sure to make some time for that family discussion this week.

Christen Clark [00:00:56]:

And, hey, I just want to say thank you so much for all the encouraging feedback that you've been sending about my new show, the 7 Minute Devotions for Busy Parents. I really just love hearing how these episodes are giving you some quick encouragement in your day. And if you haven't checked it out yet, I'd love for you to give it a listen. Just find 7 minute devotions for Busy Parents wherever you get your podcast. Now, this week is special because Monday was the first official day of fall. So to celebrate, we're going to play a quick game of this or that. Here's how it works. I'll give you two choices.

Christen Clark [00:01:31]:

If you like the first choice best, hold up one finger. If you like the second choice best, hold up two fingers. And you can raise your hand really, really high in the air if you're really excited about your pick. Okay, are you ready? Let's play this or that. Here we go. Are you team Pumpkin Spice Latte or Team Apple Cider? Put up one finger for Pumpkin Spice Latte or two fingers for apple Cider. M. All right, here's the next one.

Christen Clark [00:02:00]:

Do you like a cozy sweatshirt or a flannel shirt? One or two? What about this? Corn maze or hayride? Which finger are you putting up? Here's the next one. Football game or fall festival? Ooh, I know which one I'm picking. Okay, how about this? Apple picking or visiting a pumpkin patch? Both. Give mom really great pictures. Right, but which one do you prefer? Apple picking or pumpkin patch? Here's the next one. Crisp fall morning or cool fall evening? And the last one. Would you rather rake leaves into a giant pile to jump in or skip. Skip the work and just sit by a bonfire with s'? Mores? Well, that was fun.

Christen Clark [00:02:59]:

And I don't know about you guys, but all of those things got me really excited about Fall Right. Especially the cozy sweatshirt and the football games. Ooh, I can't wait. Well, now onto today's guest. I had the privilege of talking with Emmanuel Jean Russell. Emmanuel is a first time author with a film degree from Liberty University. That's where I went.

Christen Clark [00:03:19]:

He was born in Haiti and adopted in 2001. And his story is both powerful and inspiring. Today, Emmanuel works with his mom, author Karen Kingsbury, and the youe Were Seen organization. He loves walking his sweet dog, Molly, playing sports like spike ball and soccer, and watching movies with friends. One of his favorite things to do is to sit in a rocking chair on the porch during a Tennessee thunderstorm. Doesn't that sound peaceful? In our conversation today, Emmanuel shares about his new book, hello, my name is Emmanuel and his heart for orphans, foster kids, and anyone who needs to know that God has a purpose and a plan for their lives. I can't wait for you to hear this story. So here is my conversation with Emmanuel Jean Russell.

Christen Clark [00:04:13]:

Well, Emmanuel, I am so excited to have you on the Collide Kids podcast.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:04:18]:

Yes, hello. I'm excited to be here too. Thank you.

Christen Clark [00:04:21]:

Yeah, thanks for being here. This is going to be so fun. Tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:04:27]:

So my name is Emmanuel John Russell, and I was adopted when I was five from Haiti and we moved to Washington State. I grew up in Washington state for about, like 10 years. And then my mom, who you may know as Karen Kingsbury.

Christen Clark [00:04:41]:

Yes.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:04:42]:

She we decided to move to Nashville because her fan base was bigger here.

Christen Clark [00:04:46]:

Mm.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:04:47]:

So I went to high school for like, about three years here and then went to Liberty University and I was a film degree major. And so after film, I came back home to Nashville and I started working for her.

Christen Clark [00:04:58]:

Oh, okay. So it makes sense because we're gonna talk about your book. And you are. You're in a family that has a lot. I'm sure you're surrounded by books all the time with your mom being Karen Kingsbury. Yeah. So this is gonna be a really fun conversation. I'm excited to talk to you.

Christen Clark [00:05:14]:

But before we get into your story, because this is a show for kids, I always ask my guest to tell me a joke. So do you have a joke for us today?

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:05:22]:

Yes, if you're ready. Are you ready?

Christen Clark [00:05:24]:

I'm ready.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:05:25]:

Knock, knock.

Christen Clark [00:05:26]:

Who's there?

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:05:27]:

Hutch.

Christen Clark [00:05:29]:

Hutch who?

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:05:30]:

God bless you.

Christen Clark [00:05:33]:

I like that. I should have done a little more enthusiastic.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:05:35]:

Hutch. That's my best joke.

Christen Clark [00:05:39]:

I love it. I love it. That's so good. Well, let's Talk about your story. You have a very interesting story that you, like, shared. Really short. So we're going to go into all of that. You're originally from Haiti.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:05:49]:

Yes.

Christen Clark [00:05:50]:

What can you tell me about Haiti? What was that like? Do you remember a lot about your home country?

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:05:54]:

So in Haiti, I kind of call. I call my memories in Haiti shadow memories, because I can't fully remember them. But like, if you're like on a beach, you can see the shadow and you know, like, kind of maybe if the person's tall or like if it's a female or male, but you can't see the details. And so my memories in here are like shadows. And so I remember the warmth, I remember the storms. I remember my grandma, just like her walking with her. But again, I can't fully, fully remember. But yes, it's.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:06:23]:

I can remember the beauty and also the trash. And I can remember the ocean. I can remember the colors. And so, yes, mangoes, the fruits, coconuts, bananas. And yes, it was just me and my grandma, so I didn't really know anybody else.

Christen Clark [00:06:39]:

That's an interesting way to describe it, those shadow memories. So you started out in Haiti and you live with your grandmother. Grandmother. And then what happened to that process for you to be adopted?

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:06:50]:

So my grandma, one night, it was probably a stormy night, I would have to guess, she woke up and had a dream that I would get adopted. And so for that dream to come true, she gave me up to an orphanage. And so about maybe six or nine months passed until I got adopted from that orphanage. And so her dream came true. But what's sad is I never knew what actually happened to my grandma after she gave me up to the orphanage.

Christen Clark [00:07:14]:

Hmm, that is sad. So you have those memories of her, but nothing more to go back on?

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:07:20]:

No.

Christen Clark [00:07:21]:

And so you were at this orphanage, and then a lady named Karen Kingsbury walked in the door, or how did that work?

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:07:29]:

Yes, she found me. I guess I was on the Internet and my picture was cute. Enough picture for them to choose me.

Christen Clark [00:07:35]:

Okay, and so what was that like moving from Haiti to, you said Washington state. What was that like?

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:07:42]:

So I got to go on my first airplane, obviously from Haiti to. And then we landed, I believe in Florida. And then from Florida we took a flight, like a whatever, 10, 12 hour flight to Portland, Oregon, actually, because. And then from Portland, Oregon, there's a bridge called the Columbia River Bridge, and that's where you cross that. And then you're in Washington state. And so we land in Portland, Oregon. And I can remember it was a Misty, obviously, Northwest day. But when it was raining, it was actually not warm.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:08:12]:

It was colder. And so that was a little different. And we had to have rain jackets. So they had the. My parents. My doctor parents had rain jackets for us. And so. But it was.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:08:23]:

I just remember a little chill in the air.

Christen Clark [00:08:26]:

Yeah. That had to be a big difference, going from Haiti, a tropical climate, to northwest.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:08:34]:

Yeah. Yes, it was. But I remember, too, flying in, you could see, I believe it was Mount Hood from the window. And that's in the book?

Christen Clark [00:08:42]:

Yeah.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:08:43]:

Yes. And also, too, having my first, like, soda drink. All that is in the book. Hello, my name is Emmanuel.

Christen Clark [00:08:49]:

Yes. So tell us about why you wanted to take your adoption story and create a book for that.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:08:54]:

Well, there are a lot of reasons, but one of the main was, like, as I said, I don't remember what happened to my grandma, but I believe by telling her story and giving her an image, because I don't actually even remember what she looked like, but by giving her an image in this picture book, that it would help the memories become more clear. And so, yes, it's just to honor her and also to help kids know, like, in my story, that you are part of God's plan. And so. And to know what your name means. And many of you do know that Emmanuel means God with us.

Christen Clark [00:09:27]:

Yeah. Those are some of my favorite songs to sing at Christmas. Emmanuel. So I love that you have that name. Now. Was that name given to you by your family in Haiti?

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:09:36]:

Yes, it was.

Christen Clark [00:09:37]:

Okay. Wow.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:09:38]:

Because of that, it gives me hope that I will see them again because it's a religious name. And so I will maybe see my mom and my grandma again in heaven.

Christen Clark [00:09:47]:

Absolutely. I believe that. How is that idea of God being with us, how does that shape your life?

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:09:54]:

What's cool about my name is it always reminds other people. That's what I think is the strongest thing, is because people say, I love your name, you know what it means. And I always have to tell them, of course I know what it means. But it just reminds all of us that, hey, God is with us no matter what.

Christen Clark [00:10:08]:

Right? He is. He's always with us. And I think that's something that is easy to forget when we feel discouraged or when we're in a difficult situation, and we just want to be reminded of that. So just hearing someone say, hi, Emmanuel, makes them remember.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:10:24]:

It always brings a smile.

Christen Clark [00:10:26]:

Yeah. God's presence is with us. That's amazing. So when you look back on your adoption journey, what do you think is the most important thing for kids to understand about adoption, I think they need.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:10:37]:

To know that it doesn't matter where you come from, that you need to know that God has a plan for you. So, like. Like knowing that there's a plan for you, it doesn't matter if you're adopted or not. And especially in today's world, I think kids and even adults, including me, we sometimes look for purpose and of this world. And so when you do that, you can feel empty. And so by having my story, that it can help kids and adults know that there is purpose and you can find it through him who is Jesus.

Christen Clark [00:11:09]:

Absolutely. That's good. And I think there's a lot of people that are not really sure of how international adoption works. So they know. Maybe they know of people, like, in the foster system or people that are adopted here in the States. But hearing a story about an international adoption, what do you think the difference is in that and being adopted from another country?

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:11:29]:

Well, the difference is, like, you come into a place where I didn't know English, so I knew broken English.

Christen Clark [00:11:36]:

Okay.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:11:36]:

Because Haiti, the. The language is called Creole. And so it's a mix. It's. It's a mix of, like, three languages, actually.

Christen Clark [00:11:43]:

Yeah.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:11:43]:

And so it's got some English in it, but it's like, the broken part. And then it's got Spanish and French. French. And so it was kind of. It was scary to, like, move and not know a language. But we learned it pretty quick because when I got adopted, we had to learn it fast to be able to go into school that coming year.

Christen Clark [00:12:01]:

Oh, I see. So do you remember any Creole words or phrases?

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:12:06]:

I remember, like, fwet. I believe it's sweat. I can remember some. But what's cool is the book actually on every page has a Creole word.

Christen Clark [00:12:16]:

Oh, I love that.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:12:16]:

So, like, you can learn some.

Christen Clark [00:12:18]:

Okay, so what were. What were the words that you struggled with? Because I feel like a lot of people that learn English, there's, like, lots of things that, like, don't always make sense or are hard to understand. So do you remember it being difficult or was it pretty easy to pick up?

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:12:32]:

Yeah, so I remember it was pretty easy to pick up, like, just the main stuff, but, like, my. Like. Or my spelling was always off, and it's always been off because I knew a different language. Yeah, so, like, those early years are really important to learn, and that helps you, obviously, when you get older. And so I've always been a little slower, and I had to take extra English classes growing up. Extra, like, intensive. But I Never let that stop me. And so I just kept.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:12:56]:

Because I'm a creative person. So I let. I still just write, but it has slowed me down sometimes. Just the spelling wise.

Christen Clark [00:13:04]:

Yeah. I think there's lots of people that struggle with spelling, especially now because there's autocorrect, so you don't even have to fix it for you. That's great. And I think too, kids are so good about picking up languages like that. Like, they're so quick at just understanding. So that's awesome. What was that like, going into a new family? Like, just being like the new kid. Do you remember those feelings or what that was like to be a part of a brand new family?

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:13:30]:

It was amazing. We went to a zoo. I remember my first zoo trip, which actually I'm trying to write a little book about me going for my first zoo trip. And so it was. We just went on tons of adventures, camping. We have Bible study nights, story nights, which I never got in Haiti. And so it was just all great.

Christen Clark [00:13:47]:

That's good. And just being surrounded with lots of people.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:13:50]:

New siblings.

Christen Clark [00:13:51]:

Yeah. How many siblings do you have?

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:13:53]:

I have five. One sister.

Christen Clark [00:13:55]:

Wow, that's awesome. I love that. That's so cool. What was it like to write a book? Cause I think there's lots of people that maybe they don't have the same story as you, but they have ideas or maybe they're really good at writing or drawing and they want to write a book. What would you say to people that are thinking about writing a book?

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:14:13]:

Well, first is just write it. Because you have editors, like, so that's the first thing. But to write a personal story, it was easy. But what made my story easier is I could see kind of the images. And so I had the images in my head. I just had to put words to it to make it flow.

Christen Clark [00:14:30]:

Okay.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:14:30]:

Yeah. So it was a. It was a little bit of a process, but because I could see the images, the words came pretty easy.

Christen Clark [00:14:37]:

Okay, well, was that hard for you to go back on that part of your life to think about those memories, or was it a good thing that you got it out?

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:14:45]:

The parts where with my grandma were hard, but, like, I added like, an imaginary character named Chip. He's the chameleon. So because I knew I was writing this for kids, so I didn't want it to be just all like, sad and like, just down. And so Chip is kind of like. He's like my little imaginary character that keeps it warm.

Christen Clark [00:15:04]:

Okay. That's fun. Do you like lizards? Is that your.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:15:07]:

I do but he's on every. I like chameleons because they can change colors.

Christen Clark [00:15:11]:

Yeah.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:15:11]:

Yes. And he's on every page.

Christen Clark [00:15:13]:

Okay. That's fun. That's fun for the kids to look for.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:15:16]:

Right?

Christen Clark [00:15:17]:

So I love that you've put this book together because I think it's so important for kids to understand what adoption is like and what people experience. And just like you said, for them to be reminded, no matter where they are, what their family situation is, they still have a purpose. So I love that you've done this. And also you've created this as almost as a resource for families who might be interested in adoption. What would you say to families that might be interested in thinking about adoption or considering adopting a child from another country?

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:15:47]:

So my thing about that is you don't necessarily have to adopt, but there are ways you can help the orphanages. So my mom, who is again, Karen Kingsbury, she has a one chance foundation where you can actually donate grants. They take grants and then they help families who are trying to adopt because not everybody's called to adopt. But you can always give to those companies that are helping people get the chance to adopt.

Christen Clark [00:16:10]:

I love that. That's really important. What do you think is important for a family who's considering that? Like, is there something they need or they need to make sure they have everything set up a certain way? Like, what would you say to those families who are wondering if they would be the right choice to adopt?

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:16:27]:

Yes. Well, I think it's different for every family. And it is a scary thing to do because you're adding a whole new person. Like, it's. Everything is. It will change. But I believe there's beauty in everything. And so if you are willing, if you're looking into it, ask other families who have done it, do research, because you do have to be careful on sometimes where you adopt to.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:16:50]:

But I believe in the end, if you're. If God keeps calling you, then just take the chance and it's going to be worth it. Just like having a kid, it's going to be worth it in the end.

Christen Clark [00:16:59]:

Absolutely. Absolutely. And just like with any situation, like, if God's telling you to do something, he's going to provide. He's going to give you the means to be able to do the things you're supposed to do.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:17:09]:

Yes.

Christen Clark [00:17:10]:

And that applies to anything, right?

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:17:12]:

Yep, exactly.

Christen Clark [00:17:13]:

Yeah. I was actually sharing this with someone today that sometimes we have to just tell God. Yes. And then find out what the question is later. So if we just give God our surrender, and we say yes, Lord, whatever you're gonna ask me, I'm gonna say yes. Then that goes a long way. And just like you and your family, it benefits both, you know, it benefits someone else. And it'll benefit you if you say yes to God.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:17:36]:

Exactly.

Christen Clark [00:17:37]:

Well, Emmanuel, this has been so great talking with you about this book. Tell us about your book, where we can find it, and how we can pre order it.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:17:44]:

All right, so, hello, my name is Emmanuel. It's available on all platforms where they sell books, but you can pre order on Amazon right now. But if you're, like a part of a church and you want to do a bulk order, you can order it through the website, my publisher's website, which is Tyndale.com and you get. You get 50% off every book you buy. So it's like it's 11.99 on their website, but with 50%, it's just $6.

Christen Clark [00:18:09]:

That's amazing.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:18:10]:

Yes, it's a great deal.

Christen Clark [00:18:11]:

Yeah. And what a great way for your church to get together and pray for adoptive parents and promote that. So I love that. Well, I am so excited for our listeners to get ahold of your book, and I hope that lots of people read this and learn about your story and learn about the journey of adoption, because I think it's so important. And like you said, every kid has a purpose, and so we need to be reminded of that. So thank you for sharing that with us today. Hey, before I let you go, I always ask my guests to tell me a memory from when they were a kid. So what memory do you want to share with us today?

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:18:44]:

Okay, well, this is a. It's a pretty funny memory, but I don't recommend kids doing this, so. Well, maybe I shouldn't share this. That it's a. It's a bee hunting story that goes wrong. I don't know if that's too much.

Christen Clark [00:18:56]:

Oh, let's hear it. You. You've, like, teased it. Now I gotta hear it.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:18:59]:

Yes. All right. So when I was little, my four. So my five siblings, not my sister, didn't join us. It was the four brothers. And we would go bee hunting. So we only went and hunted bees that were like hornets, yellow jackets, never honeybees or bumblebees, because those are the good bees.

Christen Clark [00:19:16]:

Those are the good bees. Right, right.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:19:18]:

And so we hunted the bad bees. This one summer day, though, there was a jet black bee that was bigger than the normal bees. That should have been a warning to just, like, leave it alone. But we squirted with Our squirt guns. And it flew. And it flew to our backyard, which we had, like, five acres. So. And it went into a hole.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:19:38]:

And at that point, we should have been like, let's just leave it alone. But we were 10 and 11. And so we went back and we loaded our sword guns again with water, and we just squirted this hole, and one at a time started coming out that were wet, and we would smash them. And then it was like three. Then it was 10. And by the time it was 20, we realized we were all getting stung. And so we had to run back to our yard, back to our house. And our mom was like, why did you guys chase a bee into a hole in school? But so the.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:20:08]:

The whole point is leave things alone that go into a hole.

Christen Clark [00:20:10]:

I think that's very wise.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:20:13]:

Yes. But we all. We got stung. But what we did find out that day is none of us were allergic to bees.

Christen Clark [00:20:18]:

Thank the Lord. That's so good. Especially if that was your brother's favorite activity.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:20:23]:

Yes. But I don't recommend anybody doing that.

Christen Clark [00:20:26]:

No, no, no. Thank you so much. Well, thank you, Emmanuel, for being here today, and thank you for sharing your story. Thank you.

Emmanuel Jean Russell [00:20:32]:

Yes, thank you. Thank you for having me.

Christen Clark [00:20:42]:

Wow. What an incredible story. I loved hearing Emmanuel's adoption story and how his vague memories of his life in Haiti, he called them shadow memories. That's so interesting. I also think it's a beautiful part of his story that his grandmother had this belief that God was telling her that he was supposed to be adopted, even though that was probably a very hard decision, and she still followed through with it. And now he has this book to honor her and to remind kids and anyone else that reads his book that they are all part of God's plan, whether they are born into their family or adopted or foster kids or whatever. And like we said, Emmanuel means God with us. What a beautiful meaning to his name.

Christen Clark [00:21:24]:

No matter where you're from or if you're adopted or not, God has a purpose for your life. And that's what Emmanuel wanted to share with us today. I'm so glad we got to talk about this, and I'm so excited for you guys to get ahold of his book, which comes out today, September 23rd. So if you are interested in learning more about this book, head over to Amazon or wherever you get your books and order. Hello. My name is Emmanuel. I think you're really gonna love it. All right, well, now it's time for our family discussion segment.

Christen Clark [00:21:56]:

This is where we ask a few fun and thoughtful questions to help you and your family keep the conversation. Now you can pause after each question and talk about it together, or listen to all the questions at the same time and chat about them later on. Whatever works best for your family. So let's talk about it. Here's the first question. Some kids are adopted into a new family. How do you think God shows His love to kids through adoption? Okay, here's a fun one. Emmanuel said that he had shadow memories from his early childhood in Haiti.

Christen Clark [00:22:29]:

What is one of your earliest memories and why do you think it stuck with you? And here's the last one. Emmanuel wrote his book to remind kids that they are part of God's plan. What do you think it means that you are part of God's plan. And how does that make you feel? Well, I hope you had fun with those and some of those questions sparked some great conversations with with your family. Hey, if you enjoyed today's episode, make sure to connect with me on social media. I'm on Instagram and Facebook @CollideKidsPod. And don't forget to share this episode on your social media platforms or share it with friends and family who could use some encouragement. You can always head over to kids podcast.com to catch up on past episodes and to sign up for the monthly newsletter so you don't miss out on any updates and giveaways and fun things like that.

Christen Clark [00:23:25]:

And subscribe to our YouTube channel so you can watch the full interview from today's show. You know, one of the best ways that you can support the podcast is by leaving a quick rating and a review on your favorite podcast app. It really does help other families discover this show. Also on our website you will see links if you'd like to shop through our Amazon or support the podcast through Buy Me a Coffee, which is just a few dollars here and there. It adds up and it really does help. And as always, I am so grateful for your prayers over this ministry and this show. It really means so much. Well, I'm so thankful that you listened today.

Christen Clark [00:24:01]:

I hope you're enjoying this first full week of fall. And in case no one has told you today, I would love to be the first to remind you that God loves you so much. Thanks for listening.