Domestic vs International

One of the first questions people have asked is domestic or international? Short answer: international. We thought and prayed about this one question considerably. For us it came down to a few things. The first being our current family dynamic. We have four natural children. I have a difficult time believing that a birth mother would look at 10-15 presented dossiers of families and choose to place their child with a family who already has 4 children vs a family who has dealt with fertility issues and has not been blessed with any of their own. And quite honestly, I would not want that birth mother to. I would never want to step in the way of a mother and father receiving that child for which they have longed.

Our second determining factor was the staggering statistics. Worldwide the current estimate is around 143,000,000 orphans. Millions. Millions who will never have a real family home. 85% of young, orphan girls will be sold through human trafficking once they age out of their orphanage. 75% of young orphan boys will turn to drugs, crime or be sold through human trafficking when they age out. The suicide rate among these orphans is the highest among any other group of people. It is unbelievable really.

Now please do not think I am saying there is no need domestically. There is! There are approximately 18,000 infants adopted domestically each year in the United States. There are also a little over 100,000 foster children available for adoption here. But for us it came down to the most important factor, the calling. We have not been led to domestic (at least right now). We both feel very strongly that the Lord has directed us to international. And it feels overwhelming to try and make such a small dent in such a huge number. My only comfort is that I know the Lord sees them in their need. He is the Father to the fatherless (Psalm 68:5) and I know He hears their heart's cry. I can only begin to hope that our journey will inspire others to make their own tiny dent. For some that might also mean adoption. For others it might be giving to those in need. For all I hope it inspires a fresh vision for the need of others outside our comfortable circles. I covet your prayers, not just for us, but for those millions of orphans awaiting rescue.