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. -Dr. Anthony Bradley
Not sure what we will say to Jesus about this one...
8 comments:
That figure, 115,000 children, has been weighing on my heart ever since I first read it on a Mark Driscoll blog post you linked to a while back.
It drives me nuts. I come from a family where four of my five aunts and uncles are all adopted. I have grandparents because they opened their home to my mom and older brother. Not to mention that whole adoption principle that is the mystery of the Gospels.
I know this is a big statement to make, especially at my stage of life (did I mention I'm single?), but adoption is something I want to be a part of my family in the future. And I will continue to pray that more families will have that desire on their heart.
Late last year God put it on my wife and my heart to adopt one of the 143,000,000 orphans in the world. We are now in the process of adopting a girl from India.
It has been both exciting and heartbreaking. Exciting to see God change my heart and bring me to the point that I can't wait to welcome our little one into our family. Something that just a year ago would have scared the #%*! out of me. Heartbreaking to see how the world governments put such a low priority on the orphan. I'm excited to see the church stepping up to the plate more and more but, also pretty ticked off to learn how little value is placed on these precious lives. At times April and I have felt like we've done something wrong and we're being punished for wanting to do something crazy like give one of God's children a stable loving home! Sometimes I wish I were Bono or some other powerhouse figure so I could raise awareness and somehow shame the world powers into putting a high value on these orphans and thereby scaling back the seemingly endless layers of bureaucracy.
This isn't to suggest that April and I have ANY regrets whatsoever for answering God's call. We are very passionate about adoption and would love to see the bottleneck open up between the millions of orphans and millions of families that want to adopt them.
This is a sensitive subject, especially when it comes to the subject of foreign adoptions. One of our families in our church is on the same path as you are Darin, its been long, frustrating and expensive. There is immense corruption in foreign governments and innocent children and loving families are often victims of the injustice and greed that is part of the system of international adoption.
It's a path that I would only recommend someone to follow if the LORD had directed them. If God truly has directed the couple to pursue it, there will be grace to endure it and overcome it. And I would NEVER aim at discouraging, belittling, undermining or discrediting anyone who is truly obeying the Lord in that endeavor. I admire the love, the sacrifice, the persistence and the bold offensive love of international adoption that chooses to overcome any barrier to fight for a little child.
But, that said...most families will not be able to realistically choose that path and probably shouldn't.
What I honestly wrestle with, is the fact that there are thousands of American children without loving families who are sitting and waiting for a family to love and be loved by. There are no real financial hurdles and there is no or little injustice to fight in our system. There are American officials making sincere pleas to American families to love these abandoned, neglected, forgotten children that sit in institutions in our own cities waiting to be chosen. Most are over looked and left alone.
That is a tragedy that I as a pastor aim at brining to the forefront of peoples minds; who often look over the child laying beaten and robbed on the side of city road they are traveling on...because they are looking off into the distance at the children laying on the sides of the roads of other peoples, other countries children.
I am not saying God doesn't lead people to do that. I know He does and if He has led you or someone else to do that, you won't be defensive ( I am sure you aren't) at my sincere push to help American families, look under their noses at the suffering around them...first.
Why would we ignore the cries next door to answer the cries overseas. Especially when the the corruption, the financial cost and cultural realities involved in international adoption; are hurdles that most families will honestly not be able to overcome.
Those hurdles are not on the path of local adoption. In fact the state we live in is trying desperately to remove them, as they advocate for the kids in the foster care system...which most people could adopt a child through. The state and government want to pay people to do it!
Many people point to the potential challenges of adopting kids from the foster care system. I must ask, do those people think they will be immune to the challenges that will come from re-culturing a child from another country?
Do you they understand the challenges that await a family that will face the racial issues that accompany parenting a child born in another country. Even if that child is young when adopted, as they grow, as they become aware of their story, their homeland, their history...there will be challenges in coming to a healthy understanding and acceptance of the many different aspects of that.
So no family that adopts should naively assume that they will not be stretched, torn, challenged and in need of God's grace to parent whatever child they choose to bring in thier family.
It will be tough on some levels for anyone. So why not remove as many of those hurdles as possible that will possibly insure (not guarantee) a more nurturing, healthy, successful transition for the child and the family the child is going to be a part of? Should we balk at the potential challenges that might await us in caring for a kid that comes from the foster care system? Are those challenges any more difficult than the struggles a child from a 3 world country has faced? Is God's grace somehow less able to empower and sustain the family who chooses one child over the other?
God will be sufficient for the challenges. Fear shouldn't direct love.
I'm not trying to convince anyone to abandon of feel bad about international adoptions...I look forward to meeting our little loved ones that are coming from Africa and meeting ther little girl you will be loving.
I just want to rally a realistic call and response to the church to engage the battle on our doorsteps.
Peace and Grace to anyone who is seeking to obey the command to "care for the orphan"...you are way ahead of most of us. But if you are a family feeling the tug to respond to this command...dont be persuaded into thinking you cant obey today...you can.
That;s all I am trying to empower...for the kid's waiting sakes.
Eric,
You're exactly right. Only pursue adoption of any form - domestic or foreign, if God calls you to do so.
I suppose one could argue that generally speaking, in America there are programs in place and the children who are desparetly in need of being adopted at least may have a fighting chance. In third world countries this is not so.
For example we have close friends who adopted a little girl from China 4 years ago. She has had to have several minor surgeries (eye surgery, shunts punt in, and a pretty major sinus recontruction surgery over the past two years. These surgeries would have never happened for her in China. As a rusult she would have had chronic infections and illness and would have stuggled greatly with impaired eyesight hampering her ability to learn.
Ultimately, it is a privelage for any family to adopt an orphan when God leads them to do so regardless of the arena. The need is overwhelming.
Darin
my son asked if we could adapt a kid...
he really just wanted a playmate around his own age lol...
i told him, if we ever were to adapt, it would only be if my wife couldn't have another baby, and it would be a baby....
i guess i should rethink that idea?
if we were to ever adopt....
i don't think God has called me to that...
at this time, at least....
Darin, as I read about your adoption plans it just makes my heart well up and I know that is only because God wells up within me because of His pleasure in your decision. Adoption is a continuing theme throughout the Bible, and those that choose to obey His heart are in for blessings of the highest kind. God will never be a debtor and when you give your home and love, make way for Him to give a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over. I admire you for answering the call and suffering through the difficulties. All children present challenges, adopted or not.
I agree with you Eric, it is a disgrace that there is one child in the Foster program considering how many Christians there are. Nearly all can at least Foster a child at some point in their life. Of course wisdom dictates the season of life, as in all ministries, but when the season avails itself, to miss the blessing is a woeful neglect, and to shut a flow of blessing from God. I re-iterate- nearly all, not all; at the right time of life. Get counsel, but don't miss the blessing and turn your eyes from the orphan; and strong as it may sound, if you do turn your eye from the plight of the orphan when the season avails itself, you must wonder if you are a Christian. Each of us, must help in some way, Foster Care, adoption, World Vision, Big Brother/Big Sister or like agencies. To neglect so great a command, if it doesn't bar heavens doors, it will surely bar heaven's blessings. I think this post is an understatement.
Thank you Eric for bringing up this all important subject.
Love Dad
"...in America there are programs in place and the children who are desparetly in need of being adopted at least may have a fighting chance. In third world countries this is not so."
Darin, I agree with your statement but I fear that too many Christians have not obeyed the command of Jesus because they are content to let children around them struggle without parents in government systems because they might have a "fighting chance".
I'm not sure that position will hold much water when we stand next to Jesus who was butchered naked on a roman cross to give us more than a fighting chance.
But again, I am not wrestling with trying to diss anything but the indifference, excuses, self focused churchianity that loves to quote scriptures but hates to follow them.
And while kids suffer because of it; the prophetic voices of the biblical prophets will continue to hold us to the fire.
In the end...something more has to happen both abroad and locally. I am pushing forward to try to be actively involved in answering those challenges.
We have done it as a family, at great cost to us and desire as leaders of a church to put the call of James 1:27 into practice.
Amen Brother!
Darin
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