Pequenopie “Little Feet” July 15, 2009

I have been doing a lot of surfing and checking out other adoption blogs and adoption forums. It is really interesting and exciting to see so many people in the same situation that we are and some that are further along or have their awaited child already. I found a forum that an adoptive family posted a discussion on international adoption. It was really good to see many peoples ideas and some that weren’t very positive.

This family had a family member that was trying to support them and at the same time asking why they didn’t choose to adopt from the US or foster adopt. There were many people that seemed angry and vocal about their feelings. 

What I found is there are many people that want to foster and hope to be able to adopt that child. Also that Adoption in the US is very difficult. I know a friend of the family just adopted and my sister also and had everything run quickly and with no problems. Checking out this blog ,many people found that they were willing to adopt children with minor disabilities and most of the time, they waited years with no child.

Sometimes it sound like if the social worker wants a child to stay in a certain state they can decide, that you won’t be able to adopt that child. I also heard of families wanting to adopt a older child and that child being fostered to another family and then let out of the system when they were 19 and never being adopted.

I think there are issues in the foster care system and the adoption system. Things that don’t seem right to the children in question and the families willing to love them and keep them. Is it better to have a system that has flaws and issues then no system? I think not. I wish the adoption system would just make sure a family qualifies to be a safe home and would take much of the expense out of it. Also the time these families have to wait and the children.

I don’t think it is fair for people to judge others decisions. We thought of fostering at some point and didn’t feel like it was right for us. I don’t know if I would handle the child possibly being a part of your family for a short time and then gone, out of you life. We also thought of our children, how would that affect them. I think there are some amazing people out there that God has gifted with this ability to love a child and let them go.

We also feel like God birthed something in our heart for the children in orphanages that hardly have enough food every day. That have no heat, no water, no chance. Even though it may be more money to adopt from another country, these children need to be adopted. They have no chance without loving parents taking them home.

I thank the Lord that he puts people out there to adopt from the US and from other countries. That there are also people that open their hearts and homes to foster children also. We need all of them to do what they are called too. I hope people can get past judging and just do what is right for them.

 

Total Adoptions to the United States

*NOTE:  All statistics given correspond with the U.S. Government fiscal year, which begins on October 1 and ends on September 30.  For example:  Adoption statistics for 2008 = Number of adoptions from October 1, 2007 through September 30, 2008. 

Fiscal Year 2008 Adoption Statistics

 

	FY 2008	FY 2007	FY 2006	FY 2005	FY 2004
1	Guatemala4,123	China5,453	China6,493	China7,906	China7,044
2	China3,909	Guatemala4,728	Guatemala4,135	Russia4,639	Russia5,865
3	Russia1,861	Russia2,310	Russia3,706	Guatemala3,783	Guatemala3,264
4	Ethiopia1,725	Ethiopia1,255	South Korea1,376	South Korea1,630	South Korea1,716
5	South Korea1,065	South Korea939	Ethiopia732	Ukraine821	Kazakhstan826
6	Vietnam751	Vietnam828	Kazakhstan587	Kazakhstan755	Ukraine723
7	Ukraine457	Ukraine606	Ukraine460	Ethiopia441	India406
8	Kazakhstan380	Kazakhstan540	Liberia353	India323	Haiti356
9	India307	India416	Colombia344	Colombia291	Ethiopia289
10	Colombia306	Liberia314	India320	Philippines271	Colombia287
11	Haiti302	Colombia310	Haiti309	Haiti234	Belarus202
12	Philippines291	Philippines265	Philippines245	Liberia183	Philippines196
13	Taiwan267	Haiti190	Taiwan187	Taiwan141	Bulgaria110
14	Liberia249	Taiwan184	Vietnam163	Mexico88	Poland102
15	Nigeria148	Mexico89	Mexico70	Poland73	Mexico89
16	Mexico103	Poland84	Poland67	Thailand72	Liberia86
17	Ghana101	Thailand67	Brazil66	Brazil66	Nepal73
18	Kyrgyzstan78	Kyrgyzstan61	Nepal66	Nigeria65	Nigeria71
19	Poland77	Brazil55	Nigeria62	Jamaica63	Brazil69
20	Thailand59	Uganda54	Thailand56	Nepal62	Thailand69

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I pray the you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints,to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Eph 3:17-19

More to come later!

Pequenopie “Little Feet” March 5, 2009

This is Diana holding little Tristan at Phillip Hayden Foundation. He is one of the little babies there, that have cleft lip. He was such a happy baby, who jumped like crazy in his little jumper seat and always smiled his big silly grin.

Just a baby who wants and needs love. These kids had our hearts wrapped around their little fingers. We wanted to hold and be with them as much as we could every day.

 We witness a miracle every time a child enters into life.
But those who make their journey home across time & miles,
growing within the hearts of those who wait to love them,
are carried on the wings of destiny and placed among us
by God’s very own hands.
— Kristi Larson

God can change our hearts instantly, radically different, to show us his heart and to direct our lives. I know without a doubt, that he is the one orchestrating all this change in me and my heart. I also know that it was very evident that he was doing things to me, changing me. Never would I say that I would want another child, I thought that our family was complete. That to have children in our home again, they would be our grandchildren.

Well, never say never. When God wants you to step out, he will do the work, he will be the one in charge. My husband and I have prayer to be changed, well God answers prayers. It was hard coming back home, even though after two weeks, I was missing my family very much.

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.  Ephesians 1:4,5

 

More to come later!

Pequeno pie “Little Feet” January 30, 2009

As of the last post I wrote about the mission trip to Phillip Hayden. I held, played, laughed, prayed and had my heart changed by these amazing children. I was there for two weeks, loving on them and missing them so much when we were doing other things.

There is a little boy named Tristan, that has a cleft lip.. He is such a happy baby. He would swing in the swing, in the nursery and it would really get going. He smiled and would have his whole fist in his mouth.. Just a baby that has a defect, that wants to be wanted. He needs to be needed. That needs to be loved and love.

Kennedy is a little boy who sat in a stroller all the time with a very large head… He was so sweet and very quickly we all cared and loved this little boy. One day he was in his room with his nanny and Diana (another missionary on the trip) and I, went in there. Very quickly he started singing to us in chinese. Diana was clapping her hands with his inside of hers.. It touched both of our hearts so heavy.

Both of these boys may be adopted, they may not. It depends on the government, even if a family falls in love with these boys, it’s the governments decision. I would have taken both of these boys home with me, if I could have. The nannies show these children so much love. They are their mommies in every sense of the way. The nannies take care of them, feed them, play with them, put them down to sleep and love them, just like a mommy would.

There is hope for these two precious boys. There is hope for them to get the surgeries their bodies need and hope for a family. A family that God has called for them to adopt. To not be stopped by the economy, by any of those things. To know that there are children that just need to be loved. If every Christian adopted there would be no orphans. Jesus adopted us, in our sin, knowing that we were dirty and sinful. He loves us so much.

Here is Phillip Hayden’s website, for $35.00 a month you can sponsor one of these beautiful precious babes, one of these miracle wonders of God.

“Whoever recieves one such child in my name recieves me.” Matthew —18:5

http://www.chinaorphans.org/

More to come later!