Today is National Adoption Day, featuring many efforts to help us care for orphans, but the orphan crisis around the world keeps growing. Some 163 million children worldwide are considered orphans.
All of us should be praying.
All of us should ask if this a need we should be giving to.
Some of us should ask God if He wants us to follow His model–He adopted us–and bring one–or more–of these children into our home.
This “Creation Groans” video will touch your heart.
There are many places to learn more about orphans and adoption. One of my favorites is the Christian Alliance for Orphans, a uniting of more than 100 ministries serving orphans and families.
Many people have beautiful stories to tell of God growing their families through adoption. Mine is just one of them. It is a story of great challenge and great hope. I have skimmed the top of our story, with five brief “chapters” of our adventure. Here they are all together in case you want to read about our adoption.
Chapter 1: I Am Sending You a Son
Chapter 2: The Road to Adoption
“Defend the cause of the fatherless…” (Isaiah 1:17)
Find me on Facebook
Find me on Twitter
http://www.onehomemanyhopes.org/ – One Home One Hope is an org that builds group homes in Kenya for orphaned girls to train them up to be Godly leaders of their country one day. The founders story is moving, they work they do is wonderful. I’d love it if you would “talk them up” on your blog, to your friends, as a way to support orphans even when you cannot adopt Thanks! M
Hi Judy, Like you, I have grown my family through adopting an orphan. I am a supportive of adoption. Yet, at the same time I truly hope that people will consider carefully whether or not they can help a child through the grieving process.
I agree with Kohana in her quote on a recent adoption interview:
“I would love for adoptive parents to approach adoption with the heart to love their child through a lifetime of growth and healing, and to understand and access the fabulous resources specific to adopted children’s needs. Rather than expect an adopted child to slot right into a family, and fulfill our dreams of what a perfect family looks like, I would like us (adoptive parents) to view them as they are – part of an existing family, and hurt by early experiences. I would love us to be ready to love the children that need family, even if that stretches our comfort zones. At the end of the day, I really do believe in adoption, and I would love if we were doing it more thoughtfully, and with greater intention.”
The rest of her interview including a section on God’s plan for adoption can be found here:
http://writingmywrongs.com/2012/11/13/blogger-interview-a-growing-family/
Here are some things I have shared that people need to consider before adopting:
http://delanasworld.wordpress.com/2012/11/02/orphan-sunday-5-reasons-not-to-adopt/
Blessings,
Delana
I totally agree, Delana. I tell people being open to adoption is right. But make sure it is God’s calling for you. There will be extra challenges, and unconditional love can take on new meaning.