Some of My Thoughts on Adoption

Today our agency, CCAI, held our Travel Group Conference Call.  It is led by the Owner/President of the agency Joshua Zhong.  He and his wife Lilly, both grew up in China and run the agency and also an organization called Chinese Charities that helps fund various orphan care programs.   They are both Christians and are passionate about caring for the children in orphanages in China. 

The conference call actually made me pretty emotional.  I am still waiting to get more info about the families in our Travel Group but I think most, if not all, are adopting children through the special needs program.  There are many possible reasons for the abandonment of these children with medical needs besides just the well known one child policy. 

Culturally many families believe that the birth of a child with a special need, deformity, medical condition/defect, etc. is a curse on the family for some past wrong doing.  Thus, to have a child with a special need reflects negatively on the family and illuminates the fact that the family does not have favor with the gods.  This bad luck or misfortune holds much weight in Chinese culture.
Some families may face the very harsh reality that they will not be able to afford proper medical treatment for their baby and thus feel that the prospect of a possible international adoption is in the best interest of their child. 

Whatever the reasons behind the abandonment of these children, the mere fact that they are carried full term, survive the birth and actually live to make it into the orphanage system is ultimately an act of love on the part of their birth mother (or possibly birth parents.)  Abortion, although not culturally accepted, is a relatively easy and inexpensive option for unwanted or undesirable pregnancies. 

As Joshua explained today on our conference call, these children with special needs, do not have a fighting chance for a life in China.  Although domestic adoptions in China have begun to increase a bit, that increase is in healthy children with no known medical conditions.  The special needs children are not considered desirable or adoptable for domestic adoption.  If these children are not adopted, they will remain institutionalized with marginal medical care/treatment and very limited education.

As I consider this...specifically in light of my youngest daughter, Kate... my heart feels so heavy.  Yet, I am also full of thanksgiving and praise to my Heavenly Father for the true gifts that are my daughters.  I am humbled by the blessing of parenting these most precious children. 
Adoption is such an absolutely beautiful concept. 
But Adoption, in real life...actually living it out, requires a transformation of our heart that only comes from experiencing the love and grace of Christ.  It is an acknowledgement that as a sinner/a very broken person, I come before God from a lowly and imperfect place and it is only by grace that Christ stood in my place on the cross.  Thus allowing me - broken and imperfect to receive the full benefits and divine inheritance of our Heavenly Father...Wow! adoption by the King of Kings!
So, for me...adoption is redemption...and who wouldn't want to be a part of that!

Ephesians 1:5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.  (NLT)

Note: I'll post tomorrow with our itinerary (Gotcha Day is August 15th)...I had really intended on outlining our travel plans in this post...but got kind of caught up in some big thoughts tonight.