We have had a number of people ask us questions regarding our
adoption decision. Most of these questions have been sincere questions
by people who are honestly curious. Adoption is one of those issues that gets people talking, and thats a good thing. I thought I would try to answer some of the questions concerning my family's decision to adopt.
I have given a lot of thought to this article. My wife may write
her own article about this topic soon, but these are my feelings on the
matter. I trust this will answer questions for those who are genuinely
curious. I will list the questions that have been asked, followed by my answer.
1. How did you come to the decision to adopt from Peru? Well...my wife and I put all the countries in a hat and closed our eyes and reached into the hat... Of course we didn't do it that way. Our decision to adopt from Peru was more of a process of prayer and elimination. We were open at the beginning to anywhere. In fact, Peru was not even on our radar. When the decision to adopt was made, we began seeking information and trying doors. Many of those doors seemed to be locked. Many of those doors, which at first seemed open, were later shut. One by one God slowly directed us, through much prayer and discussion, to the country of Peru. He used a relationship we have with a Missionary family in the country of Peru to help solidify this decision. Most of the major decision my wife and I have made have happened just this way. God slowly narrows down the direction until there seems to be one option remaining. I am not saying that God may not still change this, but for now we believe this is the direction.
2. Are you adopting because you cannot have any more children naturally? No. Somewhere people get the idea that the only people who should adopt are those who can't have children of their own, or people whose children are all grown. My wife and I have no incapacity to conceive. This is a choice we made after much prayer, to open our home to a child who had none. By the way, we asked the permission of our children as well. They are excited about the idea of a new sibling!
3. Why are you adopting from a foreign country when there are so many children right here in America that need homes? Wow, talk about a tough one! This is a question which while most have asked sincerely, there have been some who have seemed almost offended. I will try to answer this carefully. First of all, let me express that I am not quite sure why this is such an issue for people. Perhaps it is Patriotism? Americans should only adopt American orphans? Perhaps it is concern about Immigration. "There are too many people from other countries coming here already". We in America are not opposed to legal immigration. It is illegal immigration with which we have a problem.. There are those who have a problem with it because of the racial differences. I am trying to be careful, but my question to those would be this: Which ethnic group is American? American is a nationality, not an ethnicity. America has always been a melting pot of different ethnic groups. We are all Americans. So my natural question is: Does it matter what ethnicity I adopt so long as they are an American?
Secondly, I do not believe adoption has borders. There are just children everywhere that need a home. Here or there, the need is the same.
4. Are you adopting from Peru because it is cheaper to adopt from a foreign country? No. If anything it is far cheaper to adopt from the U.S. There are many programs which make adoption much more affordable in the U.S. than from a foreign country. Also the requirements are no less. We still must meet all of the U.S. requirements just as if we were going to adopt from the States, then there are the requirements of the foreign country. It is actually quite a bit more expensive and demanding to adopt from another country. So why are we doing it? Because it is not a matter of nationality, cost, convenience or anything else but the decision to follow God wherever He leads. Right now, that seems to be Peru.
I am sure there are many more questions that I will be asked as the process moves forward. If you have a question or comment regarding this post, I would love for you to leave one in the comment section below. If you disagree, feel free to leave a comment, but please be appropriate. Please also bear in mind that these are simply our reasons. They do not have to be yours. I am not saying everyone should do as we are doing. I am saying we are doing so because we believe God has led us this way. We cannot make a difference to every orphan in the world, whether we adopt from the U.S. or Peru. However, we believe we can make a difference to one. That is our desire.
Thanks to those who have offered your support thus far. We have a great ways still to go. If you would like to help, please consider donating financially to our endeavor by clicking on the Donate button to the right of the screen. Thanks in advance!
