Why China?

Don't we know that there are children who need homes right here in America?

Yes!  We do!  We pray for those children!  We want to help those children and we work to do that through our church and other ways.

This question was first posed to me by someone whose favor I needed to sign a form.  She then made a few derogatory comments about wondering why a country who threw away its children would be so particular about the way a form  was filled out.

Take a deep breath people because I'm about to dive into that one!

We feel very called to adoption.  We feel a very real and strong call on our lives.  Much the same way one feels called to ministry.  We have friends who are called to be missionaries in South East Asia.  What?!  Don't they know that people need Jesus right here in America?  Of course they do.

We have people from our church who are missionaries in New England.  We know people who run Christian camps and friends who run inner city missions.  WHAT?  Don't they know people around the world need Jesus!!  Of course they do.

We feel called to adopt from China.  I'll explain those reasons in a minute.  We know people who have adopted from Ethiopia, Korea, Russia, Taiwan.  We know people who have and are adopting domestically.  When Jesus calls his church to care for the fatherless he doesn't specify internationally or domestically.  He says- care for the orphans.  In the great commission he says to go out to all nations.  In order to do that some have to stay in their nation and some have to go out to other nations.  One doesn't trump the other.

Why China?

Because my heart is broken for them.

China has been in the news lately for some shocking statistics.  These weren't knew to me as I have done a lot reading on this very things.  Here is a link to an article, but the nutshell version is that since the seventies there have been more than 300 million abortions in China.  To put that in perspective since 1973 (Roe Vs. Wade) there have been about 50 million abortions in the US.  To add even more shock, many of those abortions were forced, late term abortions because they mother already had a child or because they did not have permission from the government to have a baby.  Let that sink into your American mind for a minute.

http://www.ibtimes.com/more-300-million-abortions-china-under-one-child-policy-ministry-1130895

And another article:

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2013/03/22/china-admits-to-the-greatest-slaughter-in-human-history/

I've had several people wonder out loud to me how someone could leave their child in a market or by an orphanage door.  How could any mother do that? My answer is - I don't know.  I can not imagine.  I can not image the devastating choices Chinese woman face every day.  Especially rural Chinese women.  But for just a moment I want to ask you to pray for those women.  Women who have managed to hide a pregnancy long enough to give birth and get the child to safety before it is taken from them.  Woman who are not given a choice about whether to keep their baby girl or not.  Society, family dynamics and social systems work very differently in China.  Just because she's your baby doesn't mean you decide what happens to her.  I have read two books recently that have shed so much light on these women and their choices.

The Lost Daughters of China by Karen Evans
Message from an Unknown Chinese Mother by Xinran

There is also a documentary on Netflix called "China's Lost Girls".  I highly recommend it.

Don't think that there are only girls orphaned in China though.  It is true that 90 % of Chinese orphans are girls but there are boys as well.  Many have disabilities that there families could not care for.  Some had the misfortune of not being born first.  One child.

I know this is long.  But please don't stop reading just yet.  If you skip everything else, if you don't click the links above click on these.

This is a family that was in China a week ago picking up their daughter.  Her cry for the church to answer the things she saw is my heart's cry.

http://chantelleg.blogspot.com/2013/03/orphanage-visit.html

And the last one I promise but please read or mark for later.  This is in response to Russia's hear breaking decisions to cut off adoptions to the US leaving hundreds of families heartbroken and hundreds of children as orphans.

http://www.lwbcommunity.org/why-international-adoption-still-matters-2?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lwbstories+%28LWB+Stories%29

There are good orphanages and some kids even have foster homes.  There are lots of not so good orphanages.  There are orphanages doing the best they can with what they have.  No matter how well intentioned a nanny is she can't hold and rock and sing to and feed 25 infants.  She can't.  Even a good orphanage is not a family.  It's not a mom and dad.  It's not brothers and sisters.  It's not belonging somewhere where you are cherished.

It's not knowing Jesus loves you.

I think about these children all the time.  They are never far from my mind.  As I sat in church Sunday morning thinking about everyone in their Easter best and how much time and effort and money goes into us looking good on Easter Sunday my heart broke for these children.  My heart broke for my daughter who doesn't even know yet we are coming.  As fast as we can.

My prayer is for others to pray about adoption.  International, domestic.

It matters not.