Four kids and in the process to adopt more?
In today's culture, yes even I think we're crazy.
Jeff and I have always 'talked' about international adoption, but never really did anything about it. We wanted four children, and God has blessed us with four amazing biological children. We watched my sister & her family go through with adopting their sons from Ethiopia, and it was an amazing experience. We fell in love with our new nephews - so that was good enough, right? We are also sponsoring four children through Compassion International and World Vision. Maybe that's good enough...
Until Mikiyas, my sister's 6-year-old from Ethiopia asked his Mommy about bringing home more children. He says there are so many in Ethiopia without Mommies or Daddies. She told him that they would love to but can't right now. He then said, 'We bring home some. Aunt Becky & Uncle Jeff bring home some. Oh, and Church! Church know God. Lots at church. God tells church to bring home all!” Leave it to a 6-year-old to convict us. That combined with our own children praying for orphans and talking about adoption... And some life-changing books we had been reading that all had similar messages...
After reading a lot, we kept feeling this need to simplify; to reduce a lot (If you'd like to feel this way too, read '7' by Jen Hatmaker). We even thought about our big house and how we really have no need for so much space. (not that we live in a mansion by any means, but I was nearly ready to sell our four bedroom home to cram our family into a small 2-bedroom house - that's being a radical Christian, right?). Then, God taught us a lesson in being content with what we have, and to use what he has blessed us with to bless others. Maybe there's another meaning to what Jesus said about selling everything we have to give to the poor... When there are over 153 MILLION orphans out there, maybe we are called to do something about it... Maybe we need this space for more children!
So I knew we should start looking into the adoption process. I asked Jeff who said, 'Well, I'm not getting any younger. Let's do it.'. This surprised me, as I always thought of adoption as 'some day', but never thought about it actually happening! I thought Jeff would be more reserved about it, but he seemed way less nervous than I! And the kids are so excited! They're already setting aside stuffed animals and clothes for their 'new sisters'. We have no idea what is in store, but we're trusting God!
After praying about which agency to use, we have chosen one and are now in the process of getting our Home Study ready. We have decided to be open to older children (up to age 10) and sibling groups. These children are often over-looked. But God has not forgotten them and is calling us to do something about it. "God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure." - Ephesians 1:5
And another 'scary' thing - we will have to look into getting a much bigger vehicle! With our current vehicle, we can only squeeze in one extra person - and that is if they sit sideways. So no room for another car seat or booster seat!... We always joke that, with a family of 6, we don't visit, we invade. Well, watch out for a Reese Invasion!
Please pray for us as we go through this process. It can be a long (and expensive) process before we bring them home, but with us being open to older children & sibling groups, it could move fairly quickly. And please pray that my mind doesn't get all sensible. ;)
Please also pray for the orphan ministry that my sister is starting at our church - a ministry that will include local adoptions, international adoptions, child sponsorships, etc. "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." - James 1:27
