I am sure that anyone reading this blog knows that I have 8 amazing grandchildren. Four of them are adopted. Three are from Korea. These are children who would have been, and for a time were, orphans. One was adopted through the Texas Foster child system. She was never an orphan, but a baby who needed extra care whose mother was not able to properly care for her. I love all of my grandchildren with my whole heart. I tear up thinking about what a blessing each one is. I could write paragraphs about all the special things about each one (and would love to do that). When I think of what life would be like for four of these babies, my breath catches.
And now, there are an estimated 143million orphans in the world. Some living with family members, some in orphanages, some on the streets, on their own. This makes my heart sick. There are a lot of people doing a lot to help these children, but the need is so great. There are hundreds of families in the United States who are going through the difficult process of international adoption. The cost is high, much higher than I think it needs to be. The process is long and very complicated and difficult. Why is it so hard to reach out and rescue one child? The governments of the nations involved have laws that I think are crazy, things like a minimum age of 35, no more than one biological child; the paperwork and red tape make the process unimaginably long. Right now, South Korea has stopped processing these adoptions. Parents have received referrals, which means they have a baby in Korea, with a picture and a name. That baby is in their hearts. But they are waiting for word that they can go to Korea and get their baby. And the South Korean government has not processed the paperwork to allow these babies to leave. The government has come to a standstill in the last year and is not processing immigration and travel papers for the children who've been matched with families to be adopted. Our Abby, Dillon, and Hudson came from South Korea. Waiting for three months to have them come home was heartwrenching. Waiting for a year, with no date set, and no explanation is torture. Please join me, along with so many others, in praying that the South Korean government will process these papers.
Our purpose is to encourage women to pursue a growing, passionate relationship with Jesus Christ through support, fellowship and discipleship. We strive to provide many opportunities to help women grow in relationship with Christ; to live the abundant life that Jesus promised, a life of joy and freedom, and to have relationships that are healthy and fulfilling.
1 comment:
There is a lot going on here in Korea as far as the adoption process. The government is trying really hard through financial incentives to get its own people to adopt. Many people are becoming against foreign adoption, but a lot of Koreans won't care for these children. I fear it will make the abortion rate even higher (which would be and since it's in the 90's) Why would these young girl keep a baby that will only live an orphanage? It's seems to be a big mess and I feel for the families waiting in limbo and the sweet babies caught in the middle!
Post a Comment