Burning Questions

Over the next few days,  I'm going to be posting a series of "Burning Questions" people may have about our adoption.  Some are actually questions we have received.  Others are questions that you might want to answer, but just sort of think you shouldn't...

So, here we go!

1. Don't you have enough children already? 

YES!  If God had said stop at one child, we would have stopped at one.  We are not adopting because we feel the need for more children.  We LOVE the season of life that we are in and could easily stay right where we are without rocking the boat.  This isn't about us getting more children; it's about the joy we are experiencing as we follow the call of God to be His hands and feet to care for the "least of these."  And, it's about one little girl who needs a family.



2. Aren't there children in the US who need to be adopted?  Why do you have to go to Ukraine to adopt? 

This question was actually asked to one of our children last summer when we were having a yard sale to bring Katya over for the hosting program.  We were glad that the children had the opportunity to face a hard question.  They answered truthfully and with grace.  Yes, there are plenty of children in our foster care system who need to be adopted, but for reasons beyond our understanding, God has matched us with this little girl in Ukraine.  If He's calling you to domestic adoption, go for it!  We love our country, but our allegiance is first and foremost to God and He tells us that our citizenship is in heaven.  So, if He calls us to go to the ends of the earth to rescue one of His lambs, we'll do it. 

3. Isn't adoption expensive?  How are you going to pay for it?

  Adoption is incredibly expensive and for most families, this is a major barrier.  Yet, there is a growing number of people who want to live out God's command in James 1:27 to care for widows and orphans by supporting those who adopt.  This is a new concept for many.  After all, no one helped us with our hospital bills when we gave birth to our children.   We understand that it takes people a little bit of time to get their hands and heart around this one.  Yet there are more and more organizations and churches who have ministries that enable people to give of their financial resources to support those who are adopting.  So, we've pulled out our own reserves AND we are going to be raising money through "old-fashioned support letters" and through a James 1:27 Dinner in which people will have the opportunity to make a financial contribution as well as hear more of our story.  Lifesong for Orphans and the JamesFund have committed an Adoption Matching Grant of $3000 to help raise the money for Katya's adoption.  We are so thankful for their belief in our call and for others who have already indicated that they would like to  financially participate in bringing Katya home. 

More "Burning Questions" to come, but if you have some you'd like to ask, just leave a comment.  You can even do it anonymously!