"Why China?" Is such a common question. Those in the adoption community most commonly answer it as simply as "That's where my child is." But I would like to give more information than that.
While I was still in high school I had a yearning to mother an Asian child. This was about the time that China opened it's international adoption doors. I don't remember this. But maybe I heard about it and it got my wheels turning. In college I started research adoption from China and Korea. Occassionally I have kept up on it. And when I met Mr. Tato I made sure he was in agreement that we would adopt as part of building our family.
So we had to wait until we met the requirements. And we have added almost 3 children to our family.
We have had family and friends tell us that they "don't agree" with adoption. I don't know why. This is just hurtful and completely not understandable to me. Why? Do you have to be biologically related to someone to love them? Are you related to your husband or wife? Hope not. And if there is a child without a mother and father, does that matter to you, bother you, make you want to reach out? Just think...an innocent child.
When it comes down to it, God has called us to do this. I believe this was planted in my heart a long time ago. It is Godly. Just think what a difference the Christian community could make if each family would take in an orphan.
A related question we have gotten is "Why not domestic?". We find many errors in the domestic system. When it comes down to it, we need to make wise decisions for our family. We need to be good parents to the homegrown children God has given us. Not only is there a great risk of our entire family becoming attached to a child and then the birthmother miraculously pull herself together, taking our baby from us. That isn't what we want for the baby, our children, or us for that matter. We want to parent children, not temporarily care for them. Then there are the older children that are bounced from foster home to foster home. To think of the many horrific things that these kids were pulled from originally, then bounced around; the damage is great. At this time in our lives with 3 toddlers, we can't gamble with our biologically children in risking harm to them in any way.
We applaud anyone that will bring an orphan into their home either temporarily or longterm. If someone feels it is a good choice for their family that is great! Everyone has different levels of what they think would be wise for them to take on.
With China there may be some malnutrition or short term attachment issues that we will need to work through, but the chances are very small that there will be longterm harmful issues to members of our family. The child will be officially ours once we hit American soil. A day we look forward to.
I found this a while ago and would like to share:
Ten Ways a Christian can Care for the Orphan or Waiting Child
(1) Plead with the Father for Them:
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek,and you will find; knock, and it will beopened to you. For everyone who asksreceives, and he who seeks finds, andto him who knocks it will be opened.Matthew 7:7-8
(2) Speak Up For Them:
Open your mouth for the mute, For the rights of all the unfortunate.Open your mouth, judge righteously,And defend the rights of the afflictedand needy. Proverbs 31:8-9
(3)Give Them What They Need:
If a brother or sister is without clothingand in need of daily food, and one ofyou says to them, "Go in peace, bewarmed and be filled," and yet you donot give them what is necessary for theirbody, what use is that? James 2:15-16
(4)Support Those Who Support Them:
… and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds …Hebrews 10:24
(5)Provide Them a Safe Place:
The Lord protects the strangers; Hesupports the fatherless and the widow, But He thwarts the way of the wicked.Psalm 146:9(6)Go Visit Them:Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress,and to keep oneself unstained by theworld. James 1:27
(7) Give Sacrificially to Them:
Each one must do just as he has purposedin his heart, not grudgingly or undercompulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.II Corinthians 9:7
(8) Cheer Them On:
We urge you, brethren, admonish theunruly, encourage the fainthearted, helpthe weak, be patient with everyone.I Thessalonians 5:14
(9) Give Them a Forever Family:
A father to the fatherless, a defender ofwidows, is God in his holy dwelling.God sets the lonely in families …Psalm 68:5-6a (NIV)
(10) Mobilize Your Church for Them:
Go therefore and make disciples of allthe nations, baptizing them in the nameof the Father and the Son and the HolySpirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you … Matthew 28:18-20
