National Adoption Awareness Month

November is national adoption awareness month.  So since this is a topic that is near and dear to my heart, I thought I would write about it as a resource for those interested. 

As of 2013 there is an estimated 153,000,000 orphans in the world.  Children orphaned by sickness, famine, poverty, social practices, domestic violence, parental drug addictions and some even orphaned just because they were born with a special need.  These are just to name a few.  It is a hard sad fact that children are living part or all of their childhood without the love, security and commitment of a forever family.  No family to love them or tuck them into bed at night, many only getting human contact for a daily diaper change.  No one to feed them regular meals, many only getting a meal quickly force fed to them once or twice a day.  So many in orphanages having no personal belongings, many wearing clothing that is not the right size for their bodies and not ever having a toy to play with.  I know this all sounds harsh but it is true.  These are the things that we all know about but don’t want to think about because it becomes too real.  We all know about orphans.  Most of us have read or watched the movie Oliver Twist, The Little Princess or Annie.  Some of us have seen a few commercials on TV showing some orphans and how to donate to help feed them or care for them.  But if we take the time to educate ourselves about the current, true orphan situation world wide, we soon find that there are so many more orphans than what we ever thought.  That some of their situations are so much worse than we could have ever imagined.  If we even take the time to look at waiting lists of children, waiting to be adopted, it becomes even more real.  As we see them each as an individual.  Never asking to be born to the life they now live.  It is a problem that is very close to Gods heart.

Psalm 68: 5-6 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.  God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

It is mentioned many times in the bible.

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for the orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.  James 1:27

Because it is Adoption Awareness Month, I truly would like to help people just become aware of what they may not know about adoption.  As the more people who know, the more can share.  The more people that share, the more can act in any way the Lord leads them.  What I want to share today is, the plight of the orphan world wide, ways to help and the options for adoption.

The plight of the orphan world wide is for the same things many of us daily take for granted.  Many need better orphanages, more nutritious food, money for more experienced care givers.  Advocates to help rally for funds to improve their lives. All these things are true...but first and foremost, there greatest need is for a family.  Every person has a desire to be touched, talked to, cherished and loved.  To feel like they have a place in this world and belong somewhere.  If you read adoption stories very often, especially those dealing with older children, you will hear repeated pleas from older children for a family.  Many saying they have seen children they knew, being adopted all around them and how much they want to be adopted as well.  The most recent story that touched my own heart was one that took place here in America by a young man named Davion Only.  His was a simple plea, made by a young teen, before a church congregation, for nothing more than a family.   Just a mom or dad to call his own.  Another thing I read recently, that really moved me deeply was a post written by a man on a blog called Stinky Tofu and Other Things.  It is about how he was adopted when young from foster care and how that changed his life forever.  It isn't often we get to read things written from an adult, that was adopted young and hear that perspective.  It really changed me.

When I gave birth to my first child, I held him in my arms and I might not have said this but in my heart, I knew I was going to love him deeply and do everything in my power to give him the best life possible.  To make sure he knew God.  Every thing I did for my son, for the rest of his life showed him that underlying thought.  It still shows him that mindset to this day.  That I love him and want whats best for him.  Orphans don't have anyone in their life for them like that.         

I constantly look at the websites of available children world wide.  I read adoption blogs and their adoption stories to keep it real because when it stays real, I stay involved and active in supporting it.  The stories and pictures often make me cry and keep my heart raw, so I stay passionate and faithful to share and help in any way we can.  If I can not adopt at this moment, I can at least financially help support someone adopting.  If I can’t financially do that at the moment, I can at least reach out and help a family locally that has or is adopting or fostering.  If I can not reach out and physically help a family locally doing foster care or adopting…I can at least pray.  Prayer is not a small thing at all…it is a powerful thing.  Praying is probably the easiest and most practical way for many people to help.  One could find a family that is adopting and pray for them daily and for the child/ren that they are adopting.  Or spiritually adopt, by choosing one orphan.  Just find one precious child off a website and become a prayer advocate for that child. Print out their picture and put it on the fridge or tape it to your computer screen corner and every time you see that little face, pray for a family for that child.  It works.  It helps.

The basic three ways to adopt waiting children is thru International Adoption, Domestic Adoption and Private Domestic Adoption.

International Adoption is adopting from other countries that are open for adoption.  Here are just a few places to look.  Rainbow kids.   Reece's Rainbow.  One that advocates for China adoptions is...No Hands but Ours.  Domestic Adoption is adopting one or more of the approximately 130,000 children in the U.S. foster care system, free for and waiting to be adopted.  Two good sites for this one is AdoptUSKids and  Adopt America Network.  This type of adoption is very inexpensive and often free.  Private Domestic Adoption is the most known about adoption process and  is also know as birth mother placements.  Usually, these are new born placements.   There are so many agencies out there for this type of adoption.  But here is one resource.      

I know many people who are afraid to adopt because of the unknown.  Like how to pay for an adoption.  There are a lot of ways to pay for an adoption from fund raising to grants to blogging.  Most people who adopt are not wealthy people.  They are just ordinary people that God has called and have stepped up in faith to do it.

If you are feeling the Lord is calling you to adoption, know that He owns the cattle on a thousand hills.  He owns the world and all the money in it and if He calls you to adopt, He will provide every penny, every bit of strength, every bit of energy and every bit of love.  He will provide.  

I have often seen near cat fights break out on adoption blogs over where to adopt from.  People fighting over whether there is a greater need to adopt over seas because of the hard situations some of these children survive in.  Or people defending the side that there is a huge need here in America already so why go over seas to adopt?  It baffles me a bit.  As the need is so huge and God calls different people to do different things.  If someone is adopting from anywhere, they need love, support, prayer and praise God are meeting a huge need.  Glory to God!

I think all of the above stated adoptions are wonderful ways to bring children into families.  After all we were adopted into Gods family too.  But one type of adoption is especially special to me and that is the adoption of Special Needs children.  If you are feeling led to adopt, please take time to pray and search your heart to see if God is calling you to adopt a child with special needs.  Special needs adoptions, sometimes take less time, are given special lower rates and is a huge need as well.  Special needs does not always mean a child has a special needs.  Any child that is hard to find a family for is usually considered a special needs adoption.  So older children, sibling groups and children with special needs are included in that category.   Of course you know how I feel about adopting children with special needs!  Tim and I have been blessed beyond measure by having adopted our children.  God has mightily helped us thru every moment of every day.  God is so good!

May we all be used in a mighty way by God.  May we be His hands and feet to all those we meet in life...especially those who have no family...the orphan.

Psalms 10:14   But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
    you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
    you are the helper of the fatherless.

Blessings,

susan