Last night, we went to the birthday party of my one-year-old nephew. First of all, he is the first baby in my family for 4.5 years. And we love our nephews. Several people have watched my family fight over him and said, "There isn't enough of him to go around."
Yes, we love him and his cousins.
As I read the scrapbook his mother made, read his birthday cards, and watched him being cuddled and snuggled and tossed up into the air, it made me sad for the children who don't have this.
What about the 143,000,000 million orphans in our world? Some don't have enough food, clothing, shelter, safety, and love.
What are you going to do about it?
Monday, June 13, 2011
Adoption Contemplation
Before I (Lisa) got married, I thought that adoption might be part of my life. Sometime. Then, we were married, and through some challenging things, conception of biological children looked unlikely. Yet, both of us were happy and content.
I strongly felt that I should not concentrate on what we didn't have, but what we did have. Instead, I wanted to trust God to refine us in whatever way He wanted to. Then, I heard something that gave me such courage. A woman who struggled with infertility for eleven years said this: "If there had been any other way for God to make me who He wanted me to be, He would have done it. For some reason, infertility was necessary in my life. And God knew how painful and how hard it was, but I trust Him with my life."
Through the years, we talked about adoption periodically, but we weren't ready to start. Someday, I will explain what made me pick up the phone and call.
In March, 2011, I called The Baby Fold and found they do adoptive parent training every 2-3 months. Due to an upcoming surgery, we declined that spot, but called in April to get into the May 23rd training. Our social worker, Lara, came out to our house on May 2 with a mountain of paperwork. On May 23rd, we were sufficiently overwhelmed with more paperwork.
I am convinced that adoption is necessary when I hear stories of abandonment, poverty and abuse. I understand that true religion is visiting the fatherless and the widows in their affliction. I know that institutionalization, children growing up without parents, and living in an environment without love or nurturing is not the best way to grow servants for the King.
But this adoption decision has not been an easy one.
I strongly felt that I should not concentrate on what we didn't have, but what we did have. Instead, I wanted to trust God to refine us in whatever way He wanted to. Then, I heard something that gave me such courage. A woman who struggled with infertility for eleven years said this: "If there had been any other way for God to make me who He wanted me to be, He would have done it. For some reason, infertility was necessary in my life. And God knew how painful and how hard it was, but I trust Him with my life."
Through the years, we talked about adoption periodically, but we weren't ready to start. Someday, I will explain what made me pick up the phone and call.
In March, 2011, I called The Baby Fold and found they do adoptive parent training every 2-3 months. Due to an upcoming surgery, we declined that spot, but called in April to get into the May 23rd training. Our social worker, Lara, came out to our house on May 2 with a mountain of paperwork. On May 23rd, we were sufficiently overwhelmed with more paperwork.
I am convinced that adoption is necessary when I hear stories of abandonment, poverty and abuse. I understand that true religion is visiting the fatherless and the widows in their affliction. I know that institutionalization, children growing up without parents, and living in an environment without love or nurturing is not the best way to grow servants for the King.
But this adoption decision has not been an easy one.
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