Be warned: this video is very moving. I have watched it several times and I'm still moved to tears every time I watch it. Most of you know we found our John Sergeant "at the end of Reece's Rainbow." What an amazing ministry started by one woman who wanted to see orphans with Down Syndrome find loving homes! Andrea is just a wonderful person but I know she would also want me to point the glory to our God and not her. I'm just so thankful she allows God to work through her! (Plus she's a Bama grad) :)
So before you watch this video, I want to ask you a question: what are you doing for "the least of these?" If your answer is "nothing", then pray and ask God what you should be doing to help care for orphans. I know not everyone can adopt. But there are so many other ways to participate in orphan care. For example, there are many families who want to adopt waiting children featured on this video. I have become friends with two of these waiting families. The reason they aren't able to adopt? Money. That's the only thing that keeps them from giving these children a loving home. It costs anywhere from 16-35K to adopt a child internationally (and for those of you who are wondering...it is about the same to adopt domestically...adoption is EXPENSIVE regardless of the country). Most people don't have that kind of money just lying around. You may be thinking, "well, if they don't have the money then they shouldn't adopt." If that is your response, let me ask you this: Would you say the same thing about someone trying to have a biological child? Most of us who have children the "normal" way don't have to come up with that kind of money to get pregnant. My opinion is that the expense of adoption is a tool of the enemy to keep orphaned children from having loving homes. There are great families, Godly families, who long to adopt one of these kids but simply can't because of the money required to pay for all of the adoption fees.
My hope is that through watching this video, or maybe reading this blog, or whatever way the Holy Spirit moves you, that you will prayerfully consider participating in orphan care. If you don't know where to start, please email me or leave a comment and I will get in touch with you. Or maybe God will even move you to adopt one of these orphans with Down Syndrome! I'm here to tell you, a year ago, we could not have imagined adopting a child with Down Syndrome. But once we opened our heart and eyes to God's will for our lives, we knew without question we were supposed to parent one of these children.
Finally, as I mentioned in an earlier post, 90% of babies with Down Syndrome never get the chance to come into this world because their parents choose to terminate the pregnancy. These children featured on the video are the lucky ones. Now they need families to care for them. Please help them find those forever families! OK, enough begging...here's the video:
Thank you so much for your openess. We are praying though this weekend that we get a good word on Monday about our adoption. If you could share the word Id appreciate it. Weve been waiting on the call to fly since APRIL and just found out that our adoption was put with our agencies "reaccreditation process" even though its supposed to be a separate action. She has gotten a lawyer to go before the council Monday to plead our case and remind them that 5 of her other special needs adoptions have been "grandfathered in" like ours was supposed to be. God provided the money and weve been ready for so long! I am just praying we dont have to change agencies to get her home as we will be at this agencies mercy as to the fees etc. (another couple was quoted $32K!) Thank you in advance.
ReplyDelete