why adopt

We are still here....We are progressing through our home study. Our visits have been completed, our paperwork is almost completely gathered. We now are waiting on our FBI criminal history to arrive in the mail. The next step is to submit a formal request to Citizen Immigration Services to adopt internationally. Some moms have growing bellies...I have a growing binder or paperwork.

Now that summer has arrived I have a little more time to sit down and write so I thought I'd address the questions we get most often about our adoption.

As we have told friends and family about our desire to adopt we often get one of two responses. Excitement or the strange look of why?

The answer to that question is I'm not sure why but I know several thing for certain...

I've always had a desire to adopt. In the early 90s I remember seeing many newsline type shows reporting on the conditions of orphanages in Romania. I will never forget seeing those kids rocking themselves to sleep and banging their heads against their cribs. It totally broke my heart. I remember thinking to myself that I would take one. Of course I wasn't old enough but I knew I could do it. I had always been a babysitter... I have 20 first cousins and I'm older than all but one of those. I was often asked to keep an eye on or babysit all of those at some point in time. I was responsible I could do it....
It got me thinking and I have always looked at children in bad situations and asked myself "Could I love that kid as my own?" and most of the time I concluded that I could. I then began to question this desire I had and wondered why I had it. I began to convince myself that maybe God was preparing me. Maybe I was not able to have children and this was his way of bracing me for it. I even went so far as to warn my husband about this premonition I had. He was fine with adoption and even liked the idea.
Obviously I was able to have children. It was even easy and I still am able to have kids. So, I could have more or I could act on this somewhat unique desire...
Which leads me to my next reason...

God calls us to it.... Not everyone is called to adopt but it clearly says in His word "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress... James 1:27" I know that this doesn't mean we are all to run out and adopt but God has given me the desire and therefore I should. Kids need parents and we want and are blessed enough to be able to provide for another so we should. Let me re emphasize that....God has blessed us as a family beyond measure. He has done so much for us that honestly I feel like I have more to give and this seems like a great way to do it.

We want a big family... Willem and I have always wanted a big family. At this point in my life, I am not that into the whole pregnancy thing. I've been there done that. Same goes for babyhood. We cherished it for our three but we are happy to be done with midnight feedings, bottles and soon to be diapers! We want our kids to have each other, to depend on as they grow older. We want lots of grandkids and big Christmas dinners... Adoption fits the bill and we get the bonus of picking the age and sex of our child...perfect!

So there you go...a little explanation of this journey we are on.....

Hope everyone out there has had a great Memorial Day weekend...