Why are we adopting again, now?
1. We believe there is another member of this family that is not here with us yet that God has asked us to go get. A child that has no family, no home, no security, no love and may never be taught the gospel unless we go to her.
2. It is a command in the bible to take care of orphans- we are able bodies and have enough resources to care for another child. We want to be obedient and we feel the Spirit leading us to act now.
James 1:27- Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after widows and orphans in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Isaiah 1:17- Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless....
Hosea 14:3- ...in you, the orphan finds mercy.
3.We feel the best way to teach our children the gospel of Jesus is to live it out. that means not just preaching to them what we are called to do as disciples but actually going and doing what we have been commanded to do. In this, our hope is to take Ty with us at least once to Haiti in order to show him what is currently happening in the world and the desperate need that people and children are experiencing for basic necessities as well as their need to be shown the gospel. Matt. 28:16-20 (the Great Commission) Matt 25:31-45 (the Least of These)
4.We also believe that we are fighting against a culture that believes it is ok to be complacent and safe. We also feel we are fighting against the idea that God’s word only applied to the disciples back in the bible, and not to us as disciples now. God is unchanging (malachi 3:6; James 1:17; Hebrews 13:8) , the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow. His word is “living and active” (Hebrews 4:12) and it has clearly called us as Christians to a life that is NOT safe and NOT complacent. Instead, called us to a radical life that will do anything in order that others may know Christ. Luke 9:23-25 states this:
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. for what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
In addition, the bible also states that we WILL receive persecution and suffering as disciples of Christ. 2 Timothy 2:3 &10 and 2 Timothy 3:12. People all around the globe are experiencing it....shouldn’t we join in for their sake? Jesus is telling us as a disciple, we should be experiencing this. pretty black and white if you ask me.
5.It is important to us for each member of the family to have someone that looks like them, this will give Nyah a sibling that resembles her.
6.We feel that God has something to teach us while in Haiti, just as He did while we were in Ethiopia. We are excited to go and we look forward to our first trip there. We believe that the emergency situation that is going on there is our responsibility as part of His church- the hands and feet of Christ. And He is moving us urgently.
Why Haiti?
Back in december, Ty- with the passionate and merciful heart that God has given him, told me that He felt God was calling him (TY!) to do something in Haiti. Realizing that he is only 6, I thought it was great that he was thinking globally for God’s kingdom but at the time, I just figured that we were meant to pray for Haiti, as we had been doing as a family after the earthquake.
Time went by and I began to feel the desire again to adopt. After researching several agencies and countries, I was beginning to feel now was not the time and that I should just be patient. Many of the countries are in unrest right now and several of them have gone to two separate trips (ethiopia) that just didn’t seem right for us right now, especially thinking of leaving Nyah for two weeks. And asking someone to WATCH our kids for two weeks also seemed wrong considering the ages that the are.
So, I tried to put it out of my head for a while. I continue to get emails for a website that has a waiting child photolisting....I of course looked at them weekly. Feeling that God was telling us we were not done. I found a picture of a little girl and followed the link to the placing agency that she is with to find out where she was from.....Haiti. Hmmmm. Never read anything on Haiti...not a lot of agencies go through Haiti anymore. I immediately felt a tug. I needed to research!! I texted Brian, who was on a business trip at the time and said “I think we should adopt from Haiti. Pray about it!” Of course, he chalked it up to my wild passion for orphans- but said he would pray. (side note- I am a bit of a loose canon.) That day, I did some research online and by phone. I found out after talking to someone that the requirements for Haiti are quite bizarre and that most people do not fit the bill. Oh. I felt dejected. Countries put so many limitations of who can adopt based on things that would not qualify you as being a good or bad parent. It’s unfortunate but its the way adoption is. I asked the person to just tell me what the requirements were so I could go ahead and rule out the program.
First requirement- at least one parent has to be 35.
Ok, got that one. Brian is 35. Next.
Second- you have to be married for at least 10 years.
I’m getting excited now. We’ve been married- 10 years!!
Third- this is the hard one- currently, most agencies are not accepting families unless they have either no children in the home OR only adopted children. (Biological children require authorization from the president of Haiti and those are not going well. )
I have goosebumps and feel as though my heart my leap out of my chest.
I say- “we only have adopted children!” I had told him earlier in the phone call that we had three kids.
The man says- “All three of your children are adopted?”
“THATS RIGHT!!!!”
“Wow. you are good to go then.”
I’m shaking as I text Brian this new info. He is in an important meeting at the time but this was important too!!! His reply- “Well we have something to talk about.”
I continue to do more research so I can report to him when he gets home.
The next morning, I take Ty to school and we pass a house that has burned down. We talk about how Jesus says in the bible to not “store up” things of this world and that we are not to put our security in our possessions because at any moment, they can be gone. We then talk about how houses, cars and money can give us a false sense of dependence on ourselves instead of on our Almighty God who can “give and take away” as he pleases. We talk about those that have nothing but still can have joy because they know Jesus, have salvation and the hope of eternity in heaven. At that point, Ty says, “you know mom, I still believe that God is calling me to do something in Haiti.” He did not know about anything that happened the day before.
Silence. God is moving. He is making His desires known to a six year old and He is giving me the same desire.
This is not a coincidence and NO ONE will every convince me of that.
This is how our journey to Haiti started.
After this, we prayed, A LOT. Brian, as the head of our house, wanted to be sure this was the right time. God continued to give us reassurance as we sought His will. We also not only felt his reassurance but began to get an absolute urgency to go. We couldn’t think of one good reason to wait. Even though our household is often total chaos, Brian has spurts where his job can require a fair amount of travel, and I am going to start homeschooling this fall. None of it mattered. There are children waiting. And when I look at my three children, I don’t just see my children. I see little faces that were once orphaned, alone, abandoned, discarded.
Thank you God for teaching us. We want to know You more. We want to know Your broken heart for these children and the people of Haiti.
