A Letter to the Woman Who Is an Adopted Daughter of God // Allison Gingras

Letters to Women - Exploring the Feminine Genius

Have you ever witnessed the Lord do something incredible in your life? And when you see him at work, what is your response? Do you share it with everyone who will listen, or do you keep it to yourself?

So often, we make evangelization too complicated. It’s not about knowing just the right thing to say, or having all the answers. The most potent evangelization is the personal testimony of what Jesus has done in our lives.

In this episode, I’m sitting down with Allison Gingras, the author of the brand new book Encountering Signs of Faith: My Unexpected Journey with Sacramentals, the Saints,and the Abundant Grace of God. And while this conversation is full of information about the sacramentals we have in our lives as Catholic women, it’s also a heart story about motherhood, evangelization, and adoption.

I’m so excited to share this conversation with Allison today for so many reasons. First, I’ve known her for years, and it’s so fun to introduce you as the listener to my dear friends. Second, Allison is a woman who has walked and prayed with our family for months.

One evening after a conversation with her on her podcast, A Seeking Heart, I asked Allison for prayers. I knew she and her husband adopted their daughter who has special needs from China, and Joseph and I were in the very beginning stages of exploring special needs adoption. That night, Allison encouraged me to pray boldly and specifically for God’s will with this adoption.

We’re about halfway through the home study process and have the specific hope and prayer to adopt a child with Down syndrome, and Allison's prayers and witness to bold faith have played such a part in that discernment.

Today, I’m talking with Allison about how the sacramentals helped her and her profoundly deaf daughter connect with God, the spiritual motherhood of Mary, and the beauty and depth of those tangible signs of faith in our lives today.

If you’re curious about the incredible amount of sacramentals we have as Catholics and what they mean for our daily lives and relationships with others, sister, this letter is for you.

Topics we talked about in this episode:

• The inspiration behind Allison’s new book, Encountering Signs of Faith
• How Allison and her husband brought their daughter, Faith, home through adoption
• Why each and every one of us is an adopted child of the Father
• Exactly what a sacramental is and how Allison uses them to teach her daughter who is profoundly deaf the Catholic faith
• Allison’s personal saint posse who accompanied her along the journey of adoption
• The promises associated with the Miraculous Medal and the spiritual motherhood of Mary
• How Allison lives out the feminine genius through spiritual sensitivity

Resources you should check out after listening to this episode:

• Pick up a copy of Encountering Signs of Faith at your local Christian bookstore or online
• Find Allison on her website and social media
• Read more about Joseph and I’s desire to adopt a child with Down syndrome
• Check out the sponsor for today’s episode, The Little Catholic Box