Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Check this out!
Here's a link to a friend's blog...shirt sales for adoption! They were in Ethiopia the same time as us getting their sweet boy. Help support this sweet, sweet family! Check it out HERE!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Adoption 101
Adoption is a beautiful thing. It's a Biblical thing. But it's not easy.
Let me preface this by saying we adore all three of our children. We're crazy about them! We've had some of the happiest moments and we've also had some pretty sad ones too, and we're only on week 2.
The movie Annie gives such a false impression of adoption. Most people think of orphans as innocent children who sit and dream of a family coming to rescue them. And the parents who come to rescue them are saints, to which most people say, "I could never do something like that!" And once again, for the orphan, life is perfect.
Wrong.
Orphans are, most of the time, innocent children who have faced more hardship and loss than the ordinary person. Orphans in 3rd world countries have seen their parents and siblings die of disease and starvation. One word. Poverty. They've been dropped off at an orphanage by their only living relative who was too poor to care for them. Maybe they were abandoned. Then, a "rich" family takes them away from all that's familiar, even though the living conditions may be absurd, and brings them to America or some other prosperous country, where they will sleep in a new bed, wear different clothes everyday, be overwhelmed by the amount of food and toys, and expect to be happy.
But for these children, they're just now getting to the point where they can grieve. Grieve whatever horrible loss they had to face. And they ALL had to face something. Every single one of them.
Think of the mom or dad that dropped their child off at the orphanage knowing they would never see them again. Knowing they couldn't provide even the basics like food and clean water, and this was their only option. That's sacrificial love like no other.
Well, like one other.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
John 3:16
What a sacrifice He made so that we could have life. A second chance. And we come with hurt, pain, baggage, mistakes, and He takes us just as we are.
What a privilege to extend the love of Jesus, our Rescuer, to these two...just as they are.
Let me preface this by saying we adore all three of our children. We're crazy about them! We've had some of the happiest moments and we've also had some pretty sad ones too, and we're only on week 2.
The movie Annie gives such a false impression of adoption. Most people think of orphans as innocent children who sit and dream of a family coming to rescue them. And the parents who come to rescue them are saints, to which most people say, "I could never do something like that!" And once again, for the orphan, life is perfect.
Wrong.
Orphans are, most of the time, innocent children who have faced more hardship and loss than the ordinary person. Orphans in 3rd world countries have seen their parents and siblings die of disease and starvation. One word. Poverty. They've been dropped off at an orphanage by their only living relative who was too poor to care for them. Maybe they were abandoned. Then, a "rich" family takes them away from all that's familiar, even though the living conditions may be absurd, and brings them to America or some other prosperous country, where they will sleep in a new bed, wear different clothes everyday, be overwhelmed by the amount of food and toys, and expect to be happy.
But for these children, they're just now getting to the point where they can grieve. Grieve whatever horrible loss they had to face. And they ALL had to face something. Every single one of them.
Think of the mom or dad that dropped their child off at the orphanage knowing they would never see them again. Knowing they couldn't provide even the basics like food and clean water, and this was their only option. That's sacrificial love like no other.
Well, like one other.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
John 3:16
What a sacrifice He made so that we could have life. A second chance. And we come with hurt, pain, baggage, mistakes, and He takes us just as we are.
What a privilege to extend the love of Jesus, our Rescuer, to these two...just as they are.
Africa: Embassy (2 weeks late)
I'll just post a bunch of pictures from our trip. Once again, it was a great trip. Jack was such a trooper! And our moms were a huge help. Honestly, navigating through the airports was probably the hardest part! Right now, we're adjusting to life at home. These guys are hilarious and they adore Jack. More to come later...
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