We are looking again. Baby number three where are you?

In the early morning hours ofJune 5, 2002, a young girl in Salt Lake City, Utah was abducted from her home. An intruder cut through a window screen in her family's home, entered her bedroom where she slept, and threatened to kill her and her younger sister if she did not cooperate with him. The news of her abduction swept through the community. By the end of that evening thousands of flyers with her picture on it were disseminated throughout the city, state, and even the country. News of the abduction was reported on all the major news networks. Her face was seen on many billboards along highways throughout the area. After immediately contacting local law enforcement officers, her family helped execute a massive search effort. They were actively involved in recruiting volunteers. They engaged the media in pleading for help in finding their daughter. They regularly expressed appreciation for prayers offered in behalf of their daughter and family' They did not passively sit back and wait for the authorities and others to find their daughter. They were active participants in the search. They sought inspiration and occasionally did things that the authorities counseled against. One initiative they took against professional advice was to contact "America's Most Wanted" to solicit the help of the public in finding a suspect. This act resulted in two people identifying that suspect and ultimately finding their daughter nine months after she was adducted. Against the smallest of odds, Elizabeth Smart was found ! The neighborhood, community, and the nation rejoiced the night Elizabeth and her family were together. What does this have to do with adoption? Alt adoptive applicants have a child that is missing from their families. Recent policy changes at LDS Family Services now make it possible for adoptive applicants 1o take an active role in finding their missing child. Applicants may help in organizing an army of volunteers to aid in finding their child. correspondence with friends and family might include a tactful request for help in executing this search. Colleagues, coworkers, neighbors, and ward members may be made aware of the applicants desire to adopt so that they can also assist. Anytime a member of the adoptive applicant finding army who knows (or knows someone who- . knows...) a young-baby conceived out of wedlock, they might talk to this birth parent about the adoptive applicants and about considering adoption. The potential for adoptive applicants to find their child is infinite. LDS Family Services and Families Supporting Adoption are eager to assist you in finding your child. While adoptive searching is not required many participate in the search for their child, we encourage all adoptive applicants to do everything in their power to assist in carrying out their adoption.