I took the girls to Awana's at the Chinese church last night.
It was fun, as usual.
As the girls were playing (it was carnival night),
one of the other moms approached
me and started asking about adoption.
She very boldly told me how brave I was, having FOUR children!
Her friend,
who was close by, listening intently,
chimed in and said to her,
"What are you talking about, you have four children!"
She quickly said, "Yes, but I didn't choose to have four."
Well,
I could see her heart and knew she meant that
of course,
she loves all of her children and WANTS
each of them...
What she was saying was that we
set out to add to our family...on purpose.
She then began telling me that adoption is really
only for rich people...right??
And that you have to have a high stature to adopt, right?
Me, stopped.dead.in.tracks.
Wow, this was an opportunity I had been looking for...
God has put on my heart to help the
sweet people in this church to fully realize
the orphan issue in this world...and in their home country.
I assured her that we are not rich.
At least not in the way she meant.
And I also assured her that my husband was
not a judge or of high stature (as she suggest he might be).
She was pretty shocked to hear that
my hubby is an electrician...and I'm a stay-at-home-mom.
I quickly told her of the resources available to
help families adopt...
but mostly,
I stressed how God WILL provide for those
He's called to serve Him in this way.
It really left me wondering
how many Christians think this way...
that adoption is only for
infertile couples...
for rich families....
for families of "high stature"....
I recently saw a statistic saying that 34% of Christians
think about adopting...
but only 1% actually do it.
You gotta be kidding me.
What if....
100% of Christians thought (PRAYED) about adopting
and perhaps somewhere around 50%
actually did??
I wonder what the orphan count of the world
would be then.
Certainly not 147 million....
as it is now.
It was fun, as usual.
As the girls were playing (it was carnival night),
one of the other moms approached
me and started asking about adoption.
She very boldly told me how brave I was, having FOUR children!
Her friend,
who was close by, listening intently,
chimed in and said to her,
"What are you talking about, you have four children!"
She quickly said, "Yes, but I didn't choose to have four."
Well,
I could see her heart and knew she meant that
of course,
she loves all of her children and WANTS
each of them...
What she was saying was that we
set out to add to our family...on purpose.
She then began telling me that adoption is really
only for rich people...right??
And that you have to have a high stature to adopt, right?
Me, stopped.dead.in.tracks.
Wow, this was an opportunity I had been looking for...
God has put on my heart to help the
sweet people in this church to fully realize
the orphan issue in this world...and in their home country.
I assured her that we are not rich.
At least not in the way she meant.
And I also assured her that my husband was
not a judge or of high stature (as she suggest he might be).
She was pretty shocked to hear that
my hubby is an electrician...and I'm a stay-at-home-mom.
I quickly told her of the resources available to
help families adopt...
but mostly,
I stressed how God WILL provide for those
He's called to serve Him in this way.
It really left me wondering
how many Christians think this way...
that adoption is only for
infertile couples...
for rich families....
for families of "high stature"....
I recently saw a statistic saying that 34% of Christians
think about adopting...
but only 1% actually do it.
You gotta be kidding me.
What if....
100% of Christians thought (PRAYED) about adopting
and perhaps somewhere around 50%
actually did??
I wonder what the orphan count of the world
would be then.
Certainly not 147 million....
as it is now.
12 comments:
I heard once that if every Christian family adopted one child, there would be no more need for orphanages. Wouldn't it be awesome to reach that before Christ returns?
Lori,
Just as soon as all my "ducks are in a row" I plan on adoption. We have some debt that needs to be paid and a few other things but I cannot wait to see what our future son/daughter will be like. For now I can pray all things fall into place and become my reality! Thank you for sharing your family and your journey with all of us! I cannot wait to see Linny's post, she is on her way to get sweet Jubilee!
I saw a statistic the other day that said if 7% of the world's Christians adopted a child there would be no more orphans.
This really kind of blows my mind. I'm not trying to be judgemental here but I don't understand how people can make assumptions without having the least bit of information to back them up.We have 5 children, 1 adopted and looking into another adoption. I can't tell you how many people tell me that they thought of adopting but_____. You have to be willing to move out of your comfort zone and make some sacfices when you are a Christian, I'm by no means a perfect Christian but the Word of God is pretty clear on alot things. Yes it is costly to adopt a child but how can you put a price tag on a child's life?
GREAT POST!!
Amen, Amen and Amen.
We are by no means wealthy. Well, by American standards anyway. My husband is an HVAC contractor.
Kind of the same boat as yous guys.
I hear the same thing. Often.
And I think, um... what? ? High stature? rich?
ROFL.
Orphans & widows. Foundational to Christ.
Enough said.
Oh my gosh, my friend, what an amazing opportunity God gave you to shed TRUTH on the matter. I am always so amazed and shocked at how uneducated people truly are about adoption. Then I remember that I was the same way five years ago--completely ignorant. Oh how the Father needs those who will have a VOICE--those who are willing to share the message of adoption. What a blessing that He gave you such an amazing opportunity. I love it. Praying that He will give you more and more and more opportunities in the future.
thank you for that poignant post. very encouraging.
xx
Wow, great post. As I read this we have just sent off an LOI for our second daughter from China...one I thought would never be ours, you see she is 8 years old. We really are not sure where the money will come from but we are committed to bringing her home and figuring it out one day at a time. :)
Do you also find that the people who 'know' the most about the orphan and adoption have never considered our orphaned state before our Father adopted us, and our status is never as high as when we are in His family.
Great post, my friend!
Wow, I did not know about that statistic!! Glad God gave you the opportunity to share with this lady at your church!!
Great post! I read it a couple days ago but didn't get a chance to comment. You are so good when the Lord gives you opportunities to speak for him! I hope she "got it" and I hope she tells someone else!
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