I thought I was done with this blog! I used to blog to remember my children's younger years, but as they grew older it was too time consuming and there was less change from day-to-day. We now have a new daughter joining our family soon (4 yr old coming from China in early 2018!!) & I feel the need to document this experience.
So here we go!
Our Story:
Brian & I have always felt a desire to adopt. As the years went by we determined that we would adopt internationally and wait until Addie & Mason were old enough to be involved in the process. We've been fortunate to watch & help several families around us adopt and have learned from their experiences. For a while we became a foster home. We had friends introduce us to fostering & once we saw the need, we couldn't turn away. We looked at it as a way to meet a need until it was our turn to adopt. It was a very rewarding experience and we highly encourage those who can to open their homes to fostering. Good homes are needed. For those who cannot, please support those who are. Though at times it was a wonderful experience, it ended horribly. It ripped apart our hearts and left us battered and broken. We closed our home and spent the next few years mending our wounds, questioning our faith and focusing on our marriage and family. Over time, we healed. And slowly, the desire to expand our family returned. Our experience solidified our choice to adopt internationally. I had always thought that those who could adopt, should. I now realize that it is certainly not for everyone or every family, but we think it is a fit for us. Orphans in any situation need & deserve loving homes. We see being born in America as a luxury and a privilege. We have the ability to give that to someone who was not as lucky as us. It seems the perfect metaphor for God's love for us. We don't deserve it and have no way to earn it, yet we are invited into his family, offered new life and redeemed. But we aren't God. We understand that this child does not need us and God doesn't need us to "rescue" this child. We just hope and pray that God will use this adoption for His glory - that we provide a wonderful life for our new daughter and that our family grows in ways we could never imagine. We are the lucky ones and we can't wait to meet this amazing little girl!
Why China?
We chose China for a few reasons. Some logical, some logistical and some heartfelt.
-China has a stable international adoption program that has been in place for many years. In recent years many countries have closed their adoption programs, sometimes halting for delaying adoptions that are already in process, so stability is very important to us.
-China has increased their requirements and is basically only open for children with special needs or over the age of 5. This is because there is a big push to encourage in-country adoptions for the young, healthy (most adoptable) children. We highly support keeping children in their home countries whenever possible. These regulations discourage fraud and corruption.
-China is one of the worst countries for human trafficking and orphans are especially vulnerable.
-Drugs and alcohol are not a large problem in China, so children, though not without neglect and trauma, are not usually marred by substance abuse.
-To adopt from China, only one trip is needed that lasts 2-3 weeks. Other countries require multiple trips, some for extended periods of time, which is not something we are able to do.
-We were drawn to Chinese culture as they are similar to us...small in stature, reserved, and traditional!
-Lastly, when adopting, adoption agency matters. We just happen to live in the same state as the largest & most respected Chinese adoption agency in the US: CCAI. They came highly recommended and we have several friends who have adopted with them and gave them glowing reviews.
These are just our reasons for going this route. We strongly support all varieties of adoption and love that each family has a different purpose and plan and it is all very beautiful and messy.
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