Adoption

Several weeks ago I mentioned that Eli and I had been accepted into the Ethiopia program with America World.

I want to share a little of our vision with you.

Adoption has been on our hearts for years. We began going to various adoption meetings in WI, focusing mainly on fostering to adopt children with special needs partly because of the daunting amount of money domestic and international adoption costed. Because of the age of our children, I never felt at ease with the idea of fostering due to the age and issues of the kids we would be taking into our home compared to the vulnerable ages of our own children. During that time we were beginning to plan our move here to Utah, and were advised to wait until we were more settled to continue to move forward.

Here in Utah, our community is so supportive of adoption. Eli was challenged by a friend here who told him, "We hear people tell us all the time that they thought of adopting, but then they never did anything about it." Meanwhile, staggering amounts of children grow up without parents.

I love the quote from Katie J. Davis from her book, Kisses from Katie. "The truth is that the 143 million orphaned children and the 11 million who starve to death or die from preventable diseases and the 8.5 million who work as child salves, prostitutes, or under other horrific conditions and the 2.3 million who live with HIV add up to 164.8 million needy children. And though at first glance that looks like a big number, 2.1 billion people on this earth proclaim to be Christians. The truth is that if only 8 percent of the Christians would care for one more child, there would not be any statistics left." She also wrote, "God did not make too many people and not enough resources to go around. Because we are living in His world, there HAS to be a solution." I want to be part of that solution!

We recently sent in our first program payment. It was a big step for Eli because he had to sell stock, which he views as our financial security, in order to pay it. I was excited to see God answer the prayer that had been on my heart for him to be fully engaged in the adoption. Plus, I felt like I could not ask others to sacrifice financially until we had done so ourselves.

Here are a couple of things that we are contemplating right now. We are thinking about adopting a sibling group age 8 and under with special needs. The special needs we are are considering could be physical or mental disabilities or HIV positive. The  next step will involve getting out dossier together and sending in the program fees that go along with it. We are unable to apply for financial assistance or loans until our home study is done.

Here's where we are asking for you to partner with us. We desperately need your prayers. Sometimes, I lie awake in bed and my wandering heart begins to wonder if I'm making a mistake of epic proportions. I get overwhelmed with the thought of children with special needs and wonder how my already thin patience level could handle a child with mental disabilities. I worry about things like laws and insurance policies changing for HIV medicines. About losing our home, because we are unable to pay our future bills. I even think about things that haven't ever been recorded as happening yet, like my present children contracting HIV from their siblings.

This is something I can't do without THE PEACE that passes understanding.

But how can I not do it.

How can we not do this, people of God?

What if it was Riley, with his incredible brain power, that was always overlooked, because of a PHYSICAL DEFORMITY.

What if it was Raelyn--with so much potential for loving those around her, that was labeled unadoptable, because of a DISEASE that she had contracted outside her control.

What if it was Baylee, that so needs a mother and father to comfort her in her insecurities, that was unadoptable because she is TOO OLD.

What if it was Landon, and all the joy and laughter he brings, that nobody wanted because of mental DISABILITIES that he had from not having enough to nourish his little body when he was a baby.

I ask you friends, please pray for us.

So here it goes! This part is hard for me! Secondly, Eli and I have committed to try to do this adoption without debt. I know it may seem presumptuous, but we have seen God supply all our needs here to date and believe he will do the same with this adoption. We are praying that God will supply all the finances to do this adoption without going into debt.Our next payment is $8,000 (if we decide to adopt a single child) and probably $4,000 more if we do a second. I hesitate to ask already, because the penny pincher in me wants to save my asks for when I have obtained a matching grant. But we simply don't have the money, so I am asking.

If you are willing, please help us. I can't emphasis how much we need your prayers. We waver. I'll be the first to admit it. Secondly, we need your help financially. This is a two or so year process, so if you aren't in a position to help us out at this point, please pray. Help us live out the words of James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to LOOK AFTER ORPHANS IN THEIR DISTRESS and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (This verse is the one that finally gave me the courage to send in my application.) Thanks, friends.