National Adoption Month

November is National Adoption month.  I'll be completely honest that I've never observed this special month before.  I didn't even know it was coming up this month until I noticed so many blog posts from other adoptive families recognizing the orphan crisis in our world today.   The truth of the matter is that I am just now beginning to understand the depth of the problem of children needing families in this world.  Did you know there are 147 million babies in the world without families right now?  I didn't then, but now I do.  When our hearts were called to adopt, all we knew for sure was that we loved God and He called us to love this little girl.

And now here we are just six months after we saw this little picture and God has opened door after door after door to lead us to her and her to our home.  We love Hope.  Today Hope is just one of 147 million, but soon there will be "One Less" (cue the song "One Less" Matthew West) and she is going to make our family bigger and better than ever.  We aren't on a mission to change the world, but we're ready to do our part right now for this child.


If my I had heard just a year ago about the many children, both domestically and internationally, that needed families I'm sure my response would've been lack-luster.  My eyes and my heart were closed to the world's need and to the love that I most certainly had to share with a child grown not in my womb, but in my heart.  I had no idea that this is the special path we'd be heading down to follow God's lead, but He did and now we're "celebrating" our first Adoption Awareness Month with a whole new perspective.  Adoption is going to change our lives forever.  It already has.  I guess I just want to encourage those of you who may be feeling that gentle nudging on your heart for orphans.  Don't be afraid to step out in faith if your heart is drawn toward adoption.  Maybe God's plan for your family doesn't involve a journey around the world to a little one, but instead He will open doors to mentoring at risk youth, foster care, orphan ministries in your church or supporting adoptive families.


Happy Adoption Awareness month!!!  Just another month closer to bringing our baby home :)  


James 1:27 “Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for the orphans and widows in their troubles  and refuse to let the world corrupt us.”