Beth and I have been talking and praying about international adoption for the past year and a half. There are several reasons why we have felt compelled to pursue international adoption, but the bottom line is that we feel like we're being led by God. Last Fall we took our first steps in pursuing this by turning in an application to an orphanage in Taiwan - run by some missionaries who are supported by my parents' church. We know several couples who have adopted through them. However, due to lack of need & lots of complications, we decided to start over with another organization - America World Adoption. A new international adoption treaty was recently passed and, while I think it's a good thing, it certainly made our choice easier (because many other options are no longer possible for us). So this past week we were accepted by the agency as adoptive parents for the country of Ethiopia. There are many compelling reasons for us to adopt from there:
1. There is a big need for adoption.
2. There is not a requirement to stay in the country for months & months, instead it's just about one week of total travel time.
3. Our family has a heart for Africa - we have a Compassion International child from Tanzania, our church is currently raising money for Blood:Water Mission, I've spent some time in Ghana, and we've given to some other African charities.
4. The average lifespan of an Ethiopian is 41-43 years.
So we are really excited about the possibilities of welcoming a little girl into our family sometime in '09. (Yes, the process is a long one - they refer to it as the "paper pregnancy.") We recognize that snags & delays are the norm & we still have lots of loops to jump through. So for now I am waiting, praying, wondering & dreaming. We'd appreciate your prayers concerning all of this.