One Sought Me

Why international adoption and not domestic for our family? International, domestic, and trans-racial adoptions along with foster care are all crucial in helping children's current conditions and offering them a more promising future. Each type of child care has it's unique set of gains and loses for all peoples involved: the birth parents, the child, and the adoptive parents.  Each adoptive parent has to weigh out the gains and loses and chose which type of adoption or child care is right for them. While we can't claim that one is more noble of a cause than another, Todd and I perceive the needs of an international orphan as much more dire than those in our country's system.  Given that our country has a welfare system in place, though flawed, it still ensures that children are provided with free quality education, meals at school and/or through food programs, medical assistance, and foster care programs.  Third world children are in an entirely different situation...

1. Love .  For our family adoption is our response to what God has placed on our hearts and opened our eyes to as a responsibility that we carry as the family of God.  Read more here and here . We believe that we are adopted into God's family, we are grafted in, and He chose us to be sons and daughters, heirs to the King.  He loves us as adopted children no more or less than He would love a child of His own.  Sound heavy?  This is what He asks of us.  "We love because He first loved us."  1 John 4:19.  And adopting a child is a love we can give because of the overflowing love we receive from our Father. 2. Live . Beyond the call of our hearts, we also believe that we, living in the abundant country that we do, we have much to offer to an internationally adopted child.  There is a great opportunity here in the U.S. not only for adopted children to join a family, but also for their education, medical care, freedoms, and a future that the...

The process of international adoptions could look different for different situations, agencies, and countries, but for the most part, the basic design of the process for all adoptions are the same. 1. Chose an agency and complete a home study 2. Receive a referral for a child and accept 3. Legalize the adoption 4. Return home with your new family member Sound too simple?  It is.  Deciding if adoption is right for your family and choosing to adopt is a process in itself.  Then after the "let's do this" leaps up your heart and out of your mouth, the ball really gets rolling.  This is the process that we have gone through and/or are currently experiencing. 1.  a. Pray and seek, question and research      b. Search the heart and mind to know if adopting is a match for us, our family, our work     situation, our...just anything- think about it from all angles and ultimately pray for what God wants for us.  His ways aren't guara...

The costs of adoption can be overwhelming but it's important for us to keep in focus that "if God is for us who can be against us?" and that as we are faithful, He will be faithful to provide.  We tell our children again and again that the costs that are involved are not for buying a person, but for the paper work.  The costs of adoptions and legal systems are there for the protection of the child in the process. Sadly, this is a corrupt world and people will take advantage of people, even vulnerable children.  The regulations, processes, and paper work trail, as lengthy as it is, stands for the best interest of the child when working with an ethical and reputable agency.  Many countries are sincerely reorganizing their adoption processes due the vast number of human trafficking problems and corrupt motives for adopting children. We have done our research, prayed about it, checked references,called for recommendations and reviews, and feel very comfortable with the ...

I have to admit that Ethiopia wasn't the first place we considered when looking into adopting internationally.  However, various countries that were once available to work with the U.S. are currently experiencing situations that have closed adoption processes either temporarily or permanently with the U.S. ( see this unfortunate current news about adoptions in Russia ). Also, since we already have biological children, and 4 at that, many countries will not accept families with bio children to adopt and/or families with over 3 bio children to adopt.  The list of requirements goes on and on, depending on the country. When we were in contact with our agency in the research and questioning phase, they suggested Ethiopia to us asking if we would consider it. Our response was, "a child in need is a child in need, no matter where they might be on the map."  This is where our heart is.  We do meet all the requirements for adopting from Ethiopia, especially since there is ...