Yes, we are a family business.
Teresa
Chaos Coordinator
Teresa is a retired school teacher and the doctor's mother. She moved to the Brownsburg area in 2010 to be near her grandchildren. She manages all the day to day scheduling, billing, and insurance. She enjoys reading classical literature and watching SciFi. She is an active member at Pittsboro Baptist Church. She has 3 children and 9 grandchildren.
Joel Starns
Doctor of Chiropractic
Dr. Starns moved to Pittsboro in 2005 to open his practice. He is originally from Vermilion County on the Indiana/Illinois border. At the age of 16, he decided to pursue chiropractic medicine with the intent to open a practice in the Brownsburg area.
Education: Graduated from Bob Jones University with honors in Biology/Chemistry. He is also a valedictorian graduate of Logan University with a B.S. in human biology and doctorate in chiropractic medicine
Past professional activities: Dr. Starns was a staff member at the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana and the Neurorehabilitation Center of Carmel for five years.
Family: Joel and Suzanne Starns were married in December of 2001. They currently have 4 children.
Adoption Blog
The following is a copy of the adoption blog that was written in real time on the previous website.
This special time in our lives is rapidly receding into the past, but the world remains full of children that still need a loving family. I leave this story in place with the hope that it will inspire someone else to open their home to a child in need. For those of you reading this long after the events, I truly hope you enjoy our story.
September 1, 2015
Dear family and friends,
Joel and I would like to share with each of you our desire to grow our family through adoption! Joel and I are greatly blessed with two wonderful boys, Jackson and Jude. Aren’t they cute? Don’t tell me if you said “No.” It would be hard to imagine life without their personalities in our home.
It has been on my heart for some time to go on a mission trip to an orphanage. I knew that doing this would change my life forever. Year after year has gone by, yet the desire never quieted. I began searching for ways to get involved. Through research, I located an informational meeting introducing mission trips, safe families, foster care, and adoption. I did not intend for my husband to go with me, but events unfolded in such a way that he came. We gathered all the information with our hearts open for God to use me or us to minister to children. We moved on from that meeting and did not say much to each other, but we were certainly praying and pondering. A week or two went by, and Joel stated that he was thinking about the meeting continually. If you know my husband, I was shocked to hear that he had been thinking about something other than Dr. Who or Star Wars! I asked him what he was thinking, and he replied that he desired to adopt a little girl!! As I shared earlier, this was not the specific avenue I was pursuing, yet I cannot help but think that this is what God wants for me— an opportunity to go to an orphanage to adopt a child rather than volunteer. I believe that God orchestrates events we haven't exactly planned if we are willing and have open hearts. We are truly excited to have started this journey. We have seen God confirm our beginning steps in multiple ways thus far. We have been told that adoption is a “spiritual battle” because Satan himself hates adoption and does not want children in a home where they will hear about God. Joel and I would like to ask you to pray for us throughout this journey. It’s special to hear our boys already praying for their sister.
We have an approved application through Chinese Children Adoption Agency (CCAI) for a 1-3 year old girl. Joel and I have chosen to take a girl with medical needs which will either be temporary or manageable life long needs. We will need to seek out appropriate doctors here in the U.S. for her care once the match is made. The adoption process takes approximately 1½ to 2 years. This could be much faster depending upon the availability of a match. Joel and I then will prepare for approximately 3-5 months for the trip to China where we will complete the adoption of our daughter during our 2 week stay. During that time, we will visit the orphanage where she will have grown accustomed.
The cost of an adoption should scare anyone away. It’s a wall, but we truly believe if God wants to bring our adoption to fruition, then He will tear it down by providing all of the funds needed. Our plans to generate the necessary funds are through 4 sources: 1) added income by extra work 2) donations/fundraisers 3) grants and 4) tax credit. Keep posted through our face book accounts and emails on our progress toward the $34, 000. You will also find ways in which you can get involved with bringing an orphan to her forever home. If you are on FB and not on either Joel’s friend list or mine, please request us to be “friends.’ Joel's patients may keep up to date by liking Pittsboro Chiropractic Center on Facebook.
Your prayers and support will truly be appreciated.
Joel, Suzanne, Jackson, and Jude
Locked into China!
The paperwork is DONE!
After six months of hard work, we finally have completed the first half of the adoption process. All of our papers have been walked into the appropriate agency in China. We have a receipt that it is in their system. Now comes the hard part; we wait.
June 6, 2016
Both Hands
We have completed our major fundraiser with Both Hands. We served Judy Parker, a widow of about 8 months, on August 13th 2016. We had a lot of fun and made a real difference in her life. I hope you find this video documentary of the project inspiring. Please share on your social media feeds.
August 15, 2016
We have a child match.
We are officially matched with our daughter. We are not able to post her picture until more paper work is signed. This is her footprint. She will be two years old on February, 14 2017. We will be leaving for our 2-3 week tip to China in late March or early April 2017. I want to say thank you to all of our patients who have supported us though this journey.
January 12, 2017
Home from China.
Our China Trip lasted 18 days. The first two days in China we toured Beijing while recovering from 12 hours of jet lag. We then spent a day traveling to the city where our daughter lived (Zhengzhou). We spent 4 days completing and waiting on the Chinese portion of the adoption paperwork. We then traveled to the south part of China (Guangzhou) to complete the US portion of the paperwork at the US consulate. Our daughter was with us from the moment we first met her in China. The following video documents our 18 day journey.
April 10, 2017
The final Indiana paperwork
Done at last!
Today I filed with the Hendricks County Superior court a copy of our international adoption. This allows Indiana to recognize the international adoption, and it allows her to inherit property as if she was our biological child. Indiana will also issue her a US birth certificate. We expect to get the approval in 2-3 weeks.
October 12, 2017
1 Year update
March 28, 2018
Today is one year since we signed the paperwork in Zhengzhou, China making Wen our daughter. This will be the last update since our patients walked through the adoption process with us, but don't necessarily need to follow our child rearing.
One year ago Wen had just turned 2 years old and was still an infant. She took 2 naps per day and took 3 bottles per day. She did not speak, and she could not independently walk or stand. Her sitting was unstable and limited to a W-sit.
After a year of love, she has blossomed in to a beautiful little girl. Her speech is difficult to understand, but she is starting 2 word sentences. She can sit stably in any position, and can steadily walk on flat surfaces. We are working on traversing inclines and uneven ground. She still has poor balance and falls frequently. Her favorite words are NO and MINE. We have also started potty training.
Thank you to all that have supported us during this process. Wen has a long road ahead of her to catch up with other kids her age. She makes consistent slow progress. We are blessed to have her in our family. She has enriched our lives beyond anything that we could have imagined.
We are going back to China!
Our first adoption opened my eyes to the need 1/2 a world away. We were home about a week when my heart began longing to return. We saw hundreds upon hundreds of children from infant to late teenagers in just one orphanage that we visited in a relatively small city in China (10 million). I could not get their faces out of my mind. I knew that we must return. Suzanne agreed, but she needed a little more time before she was ready to begin again.
We quietly yet actively started to pursue a second adoption this summer (2018). We are once again using CCAI as our agency. We have been approved for a girl 2-8 years old. Our paperwork is now complete. It should arrive in China by the 1st of December. At this point we have not been matched with a particular child. We will be able to bring her home 3-5 months after we are match.
I want to thank all of my patients for walking down this road with us. Many of you still ask about how my daughter is growing and developing. Your love and thoughtfulness is much appreciated. We are off and running on a new adventure. I look forward to sharing the journey again with all of you.
The Starns Family
November 12, 2018
Child Match!
January 22, 2019
We are matched with a 5 year old girl in the Shandong province of China. She was found abandoned the day of her birth. She was cold, weak, and appeared to be premature. She has medical conditions effecting her heart and kidneys. China has given us final approval to move forward with the adoption. US Immigration is currently processing our paperwork. We expect final travel approval to be issued in March. Our China trip will most likely be in May 2019.
We are cleared for travel to China.
This has been an exciting week. We were given our appointments in Jinan to complete our adoption and in Guangzhou to complete her US immigration visa. We will depart for China on May 15th and return to the US on May 31st.
We also received an update on our little Jia with new pictures/video. She is now 6 years old and attends kindergarten in the orphanage. She can count to 10 and knows her colors. Her speech is still so so with poor pronunciation. She knows that she will be adopted, and she is excited to meet her new family.
March 29, 2019
Home from China 2019
We have been home from China now for 3 weeks. The trip was a success, but it is bitter sweet as can be typical of many adoptions. Jia has more serious health conditions than we had hoped. In many ways she is between a 2-4 year old rather than her age of six. Her curiosity in her new home may be the death of her. She has never learned that a stove top is hot, that electrical outlets will shock you, that chewing on an electrical cord is dangerous, or that cars kill little girls who don't look before crossing the street. Baby-proofing the house is more difficult when a child is taller than a kitchen counter, can move furniture, and can climb. She is a clever girl, but she will have a long road to catch up with her peers. She came guarded and stiff, but she is now starting to receive and show affection. She is generally happy and does not typically show her fear of the transition. She is starting to understand English and can say about a dozen English words. I can already see some growth in maturity. Love cannot heal everything, but it makes a huge difference.
I will post a 1 year update to show how she has blossomed into a beautiful little girl. Thank you all for your prayers and support through this journey. Please continue to pray for her growth and development physically, mentally, and emotionally. You may also want to pray for her kindergarten teacher.
June 23, 2019
Adoption Trip 2019
Pick the trip summery video that best suits you time and attention span. It is almost impossible to stop watching once you have begun. It has also been recommended to watch with a box of tissues.
Short Video 8 Minutes
Long Video 14 Minutes
Adoption Trip 2019 Long
You know you want to watch the long one!
Final Update
January 13, 2020
I promised a 1 year update, but a little pandemic got in the way. As I wrote a new website, I realized that I had never finished this blog. Jia has lived with us for two and a half years. She has turned our world upside down. She is energy incarnate. She is in the 1st grade and loves to read. We don't know how much she comprehends. She still has difficulty with speaking English. She struggles with math, but that is typical of children with her particular genetic disorder. She is generally happy, but fights with her sister as if they had been together from birth. It is amazing to see the changes in this little girl. When she came home from China she would pull away from a hug. Now she hugs my leg and says, "don't go to work, I will miss you." Thank you all for your love, prayers, and support through this process.