Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
Psalm 82:3
The Bible clearly states that Jesus loves children and that our God, in the Old and New Testaments, charge followers of Him to care for oppressed, vulnerable people. Our hearts are burdened for orphans because Jesus’ heart is burdened for orphans. It’s really that simple. And there are A LOT of orphans.
According to UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund), there are roughly 153 million orphans worldwide. Every day, an estimated 5,700 more children become orphans (https://adoption.org/many-orphans-worldwide). Now that we have chosen our adoption agency, we have been added to wait lists of children who need permanent homes. Most of these children have mild to severe special needs, belong to sibling groups, or are older. These children are much harder to find homes for compared to healthy babies or even healthy toddlers. It’s really pretty heartbreaking. Please pray for the caregivers in the orphanages and foster homes worldwide, who care for these children daily- that they might love these children well.
In regards to us choosing international adoption over domestic… well, that has been a journey of research, prayer, pursuing opportunities, doors being closed, as well as seeking and receiving council from adoptive parents. The answer seems to boil down to the truth that there are children in need of safe, loving, permanent homes here in America and in other countries, and there is no right answer to where we adopt.
Read more about our adoption journey in our blog posts under the Adoption category!
Irons in the Fire 