I will not leave you as orphans
This video is of some friends of ours that adopted a little boy from Ethiopia (it was shown this weekend at church). Get your Kleenex ready. You can read about their story here. The cliff-notes version is that they had tried, unsuccessfully, to have a baby and eventually felt called to adopt. They both had a heart for Africa (both came from missionary families), and it seemed a natural fit to adopt from there. Ethiopia, at the time, was the only country allowing US adoptions, so the choice was an easy one. Malak has now been home (US) for about 2 years, and is the cutest kid not named Gabe that you’ll ever see. Serious stud. Megan and I plan to adopt at some point in time, and being around these types of stories makes us that much more excited. (side note: some of the pictures in the video were taken by my uber-talented wife). It really is an incredible story and shows, clearly, the heart and character of Jesus.
I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. – John 14:18 (ESV)
Have you adopted? Have you thought about it? Do you know anybody that has? Share stories/thoughts
I want to adopt! Growing up, I always dreamed of having a family of kids from all over the world! Being single puts me at a serious disadvantage to make that dream come true… and so I wait and love on the people around me.
you are great at loving on all the ones around you! i actually had a client in kansas (from my previous job) that was single and she adopted twin girls. she was a bit older, and i think she adopted 9yr olds – which I think would be tough.
Great post. We will adopt in a few years. Right now our plan is to have one more (2 girls already) and then start the process. In fact, we've already been to some info meetings at ATL-area agencies and met with some couples at church who have adopted/gone through the process. I'm excited thinking about it.
dang, 2 girls. that frightens me! though i do want a little girl. we are the same way though, have 2-3 of our own, then adopt. it’s a really exciting thing to think about, especially seeing the hope and change that it offers (to both child and family). where are you guys thinking about adopting from?
absolutely, couldn’t agree w you more. and in regards to having a couple girls- it is frightening, make no mistake about it. as their dad, i’m terrified. but at the same time, its the best thing in the world. my heart has definitely been softened. Re: adoption, kinda funny- we are actually leaning towards ethiopia. some factors – its one of the lower cost programs, only would need to travel there for a week, and the one agency that we like has a strong presence there (Christian World Adoption). but of course these are all just prelim thoughts…
Thanks for posting this, Kevy! (I call you that sometimes. Well, starting now) I love hearing peoples adoptions stories, and hope that even if our story influences even just one family to move towards adoption- AWESOME.
The good news is that we're going to Sierra Leone and will be spending lots of time with sweet children who need families! The bad news is that Sierra Leone is closed for adoption and it is probably going to rip my heart out to not be able to take a few (dozen) home with me. Guess we might just have to stay there forever so I can keep them all for myself.
yeah! i hope it spurs lots of people on to adopting little ones. that’s crazy about sierra leone not allowing adoptions – didn’t know that. excited that you guys are going, but that definitely will be tough, knowing that there aren’t options for those kiddos.
I love this! I follow your twitter and was excited to see something about adoption. My husband and I are adopting domestically right now. Some friends and I started a group for support and education for anyone interested in adoption or foster care each Saturday night at Crossings Community Church. It’s called “Chosen” – check us out athttp://www.chosenokc.org and twitter @chosenokc There is also an amazing organization that is brand new to Oklahoma called Angels Foster. They rescue children ages infant-3 years from the foster system and put them in “forever families.” I hope your post spurs conversation, awareness, and more families getting involved in the orphan/foster crisis. As the body of Christ, these children are our responsibility.