The Need

Chad and I really struggle with the whole economics – “supply & demand” for lack of a more compassionate term - of the adoption process. There is a "high demand" for healthy babies. But other kids, who may be a little bit outside of the majority’s comfort zone, also need families… maybe even more so because they have greater needs than can’t be addressed in an orphanage.... 

Since the beginning, we’ve felt conflicted about this. We wanted to put our name on the “special needs” list… but we hesitated. The adoption process alone is overwhelming. And even the most physically healthy child will come to us with cognitive, emotional and developmental needs… But as time passes and we continue to read and research, we are feeling more confident in our knowledge and understanding of this whole world of orphan care… (I also acknowledge that we probably really don’t know a thing. Afterall, reading the “What to Expect” and Dr. Sears books didn’t really prepare me for the reality of a newborn!) 

There is an unending list of questions and what-ifs for a child coined “special needs.” (And I should pause here to explain that “special needs” in international adoption is WIDE open. This “category” includes disabilities and illnesses, but it also includes sibling sets, certain ages, certain ethnic backgrounds, family histories, high risk groups, etc.…) What accommodations will they need? How will they fit in at school? Will it be difficult to live/treat XYZ? Will they have extra struggles with XYZ? What will their future relationships be like?

But here’s the thought that I keep falling back on: these kids are already on this earth with those needs… so the questions and concerns apply to them with or without us being a part of their lives. The real question, for us, has come down to: can WE handle walking through all of their challenges WITH them. And how can we possibly answer no to that question when we have a God who promises to walk through life WITH US?

So we have expanded our dossier… And we continue to wait and trust…

For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him! - Isaiah 64:4