Adoption has changed our lives. It’s made our home so much more full – more colorful, more joyful – it’s made our hearts more full than we could imagine. When my son was placed in my arms for the first time, every doubt and fear was washed away by the flood of certainty that he was exactly where he was supposed to be.
Adoption has also opened our eyes. It’s required time and resources. It’s made us aware of the incredible sacrifice birth mothers make as well as the challenges they face. It’s caused us to research the plight of children in foster care and the staggering number of orphans around the world. It’s challenged us to question the system and mourn the brokenness.
But as anyone can attest, when you encounter a realm into which you’ve never before ventured, suddenly you’re called to account on what you’ll do now.
Adoption has undoubtedly demanded a response.
As you may know, November happens to be National Adoption Month. This particular November has been emotionally tumultuous for all of us (regardless of sides), and now – more than ever – we need to lift up our country (and world) in prayer and center ourselves on all the good we can do as individuals, families, and communities.
Whether you’re interested in the actual process of adopting or not, this is a huge, world-wide issue that affects us all and thankfully, there are ways we can all pull together!
Here are two important dates and resources to mark:
World Adoption Day – Tuesday, November 15th
Check out their website for three ways to get involved, but the first couldn’t be easier: SPREAD THE WORD! Draw a smiley face on your palm and share a picture using the hashtag #WorldAdoptionDay.
Their whole mission is to not only bring greater awareness to the tremendous need regarding foster and orphan care, but they partner with Adopt Together https://www.adopttogether.org/ to raise funds for adopting families as well as offer assistance in getting started with the adoption/foster care process.
National Adoption Day – Saturday, November 19th
Last year on National Adoption Day 4,000 adoptions were finalized! How amazing is that? According to their website, this annual celebration, “is a collective national effort to raise awareness of the more than 100,000 children in foster care waiting to find permanent, loving families.”
This website offers statistics about foster care and tons of information about how to get involved (which does not necessarily mean fostering), as well as provides adoption resources.
My heart aches when I think of the millions of children world wide – and hundreds of thousands on our own soil – that are without a loving home and forever family; but what a privilege it is to fight on their behalf. I pray that if this tugs at your heart even the tiniest bit, you’d check out these websites and learn more about how you can get involved!
