Heres a good question [found on] StillHaventFound blog:
“America has nearly 115,000 orphaned kids in foster care waiting to be adopted. Some wonder how this is possible in a country with Christian families. Surely, there are 115,000 missional families in America, right? Missional families, for example, embrace the redemptive mission of God and practice “true religion” in their local communities (James 1:27). Missional Christians in America could eliminate the foster care system tomorrow if we would stop “shootin’ up” with the American Dream (heroine) in order to get high on a lame life lived for the sake of comfort and ease.”
Doug and Shelley Pagitt of Emergent Village, adopted two young Mexican kids named Reuben and Chico. I cant remember if they were orphaned or not but I got to meet them in Minneapolis and i was REALLY impressed by that. Wonderful kids. Wonderful example of the Jesus life. If I didnt have 5 kids, and if people stopped prophesying another one, despite my wife’s operation, I think we would be open to adopting.
At Glenwood Community Church (called Minnehaha back then) when i was on a pastoral team with Paul Jackson, a guy named Chuck Fox and his daughter went out to Romania to adopt an orphaned girl. They came back and showed some slides that were incredible moving. Chuck went back to Romania and helped to start a few orphanages and a mission. I suppose we dont all need to start orphanges and mission organizations but I bet a few of us have a spare room in our house [and our hearts].
Amen to that! We’re adopting a baby girl from Guatemala, born to a 15 yr old single mom…a father that’s abandoned them, and a grandmother that’s passed away.
Pro-life? Have you adopted?
I can’t help but be struck by how the stories you then told, dealt with foreign adoption.
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for the link to my blog. FYI, I actually didn’t write that! It’s a quote from Resurgence’s blog at:
http://theresurgence.com/ab_blog_2007-06-04_orphans_vs_american_dream
God bless! =)
Jonathan
maybe the prophecies you’ve received are about adopting a child? 🙂
I don’t have any numbers, but I know from experience that many of America’s unadopted children are older kids and teenagers. Most people want to adopt small children and infants and not teenagers.
I know a foster care family that hosts six teenagers, I really do not see how they manage.
we explored adoption prior to having our first daughter only to be told that we were selfish as we could conceive naturally and were depriving other couples who have difficulties conceiving. this was in scotland where there is a huge waiting list and bear in mind that we were happy to consider older children or families. as the situation now stands, our youngest chid has to be atleast 2 years of age before an adoption agency will consider us and then a further 2 years before we are considered for a placement. however, should we wish to foster we could ‘earn’ up to £345 per week looking after a single child with additional needs (and how many in long-term care fall into that category). alternatively, if we separate, become single parents or are a gay couple we would be considered for adoption sooner.
isn’t it strange that a happily married couple in their early thirties who wish to adopt older children in a sibling group(the hardest children to place) cannot do so because of the above reasons? we didn’t want to adopt a child or children as the tailend of our family after we had our own birth children … we wanted to include them as a natural part of family growth. yet we are the ones who were told were being selfish and thinking of our own needs…not the needs of the child or other parents who were waiting to adopt (newborn babies, incidentally).
I really think that the practice of adoption is growing amongst younger Christians in America. The wife and I talk about it alot.
If you listen to a couple of dougs podcasts you can hear about Reuben and Chico, and I think he is talking about it in the book he is working on right now.
http://goodenoughfamily.blogspot.com/
friends of ours, they have had adoption on their hearts for many years, and have blessed a few orphanages with their ministry as a family and band (yum-yum children).
My wife and I just began fostering two boys about 2.5 months ago. We have 3 of our own ages 12,11,and 8. the boys are 2.5 and 9 months and are quickly becoming a very significant part of our family. It has absolutely been a huge blessing to us, knowing that these boys (both born addicted) may have a second chance at life. I would encourage anyone to look into it if you have the space in your heart and home.
Andrew,
This is very timely. Today my son goes into the U.S Navy. We therefore have some additional room. This is something we will be praying about.
Just a thought and then I will shut up. Andrew put out a post on a ring being band in schools, there were 35 posts until all posting was stopped. Andrew puts out posts on what the Lord is doing or adoption and there is a handful of posts. Are we a little out of balance or what?
Yep I am one of those people who commented on the ring thing.
One of my favorite adoption blogs is my friend Melissa’s…Her mom and dad had 9 bio kids before they started adopting from around the world. She is living in Guatemala serving orphans and their adoptive families.
http://seekingtheforgotten-melissa.blogspot.com/
9?
there goes our excuse
We’ve adopted once, had a biologically-ours son, and are now in the process of a foster adoption (probably of siblings) which would happen in 2008.
So.. I’m with you on this plan 🙂
For American readers, this link is really helpful and informative: http://kidsarewaiting.org/ – check out foster care statistics in your state.
Adopting is great. Well, actually, parenting adopted children is just as difficult as being a parent to one’s biological children. The love you need to do this grows as you add the children. Resources get stretched a bit but that is not necessarily a bad thing – everyone learns to make do.
The youngest of our adopted children just graduated from high school. I can’t imagine what our lives would have been like without her and her 6 older brothers and sisters.
There are some real advantages to adopting – one is that I only had to give birth three times. And the others came along pretty much after diapers!
IMHO the parents who foster children are the ones that have the harder job. We knew ours were forever ours. Foster parents share all that love and often have to let the loved one go.