Today is the National Adoption Day in the USA. It is a moment to remember all the children who lost their parents and wait for someone to welcome them into their families.
Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto/MissHibiscus
Through the Internet, I came to know some beautiful adoption stories. Like Megan Hyatt Miller and her family, who adopted twin boys from Africa.
It was such a blessing to be able to read about their story, post by post, tweet by tweet. It was a journey of faith indeed. You can read about their story here.
And most recently, Jason Stasyszen and his family decided to adopt a boy from Japan. And they’re counting on our help to raise the money to travel and bring the boy to his new home. Their journey of faith is starting and we can participate too. You can read more about their story here.
Looking out for orphans is one of the missions that God entitled to us:
Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow. (Isaiah 1:17)“And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” (Matthew 18:5)
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27)
Check out this video. Maybe, God has something prepared for you, something that will change your life and the life of a child.
Most people who adopted children tell that God put adoption in their heart long before they were able to actually adopt. I know that He did it for me. He has put adoption in my heart. And I pray about it, so when the right time comes, I will be ready to take that step.
If you feel God has put it in your heart too, you don’t have to rush. Pray about it. Maybe it is something that is in a distant future, or maybe not. Maybe it is closer than you think.
If you don’t feel that God called you to adopt a child, you can still help in many ways. You can donate money, volunteer in an orphanage, pray for the children and the families that are called to adopt them.
You can make a difference in those children lives.
My husband and I have a Ugandan “granddaughter” we support for her schooling. God used a friend and I to rescue her from a hospital at a rebel invasion time… she was caring for her brother. She was 12; he was 14. He died the day after we met her. When my friend and I were given permission to take her to the orphanage where our Ugandan son and his wife lived/worked, they “adopted” her immediately. Her whole life changed. She’s now 19 and doing amazingly well. We support her for school so Sam doesn’t have to pay that extra amount every month. And we’ve helped, supported others before. We send gifts to families in that area when we can. The blessing is knowing that we are helping, preparing them for a stronger capability in their future. Sorry if I yammered too long, but you pushed my button. Blessing.
Joanne, thank you so much for sharing your story, it is such a beautiful testimony of the difference we can make in a child’s life – not only through adoption. I’m so glad for you and your family, and for the lives you all touched. And through sharing your story, you encourage all of us to do something too. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing Cris. There is something about orphaned children, distressed children that captures my heart. I am definitely supporting those I can while I wait on God to provide a way to do it through a greater avenue.
My heart really goes out to street families. I am glad to have read this.
Thank you so much for visiting the blog and taking a time to comment.
I feel the same way about adoption. And I hope and pray that more and more people realize start feeling compelled to adopt a child and make such a huge difference in that child’s life.
God bless you!