Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Frustration

I am feeling a great amount of frustration when talking to people in general and The Church more specifically about adoption.  There is a great divorce between what adoption is and what orphan care means.  Now, orphan care is huge, I am just talking about the "adoption" facet of orphan care here. 

When someone says "adoption", the only need anyone thinks is being met is the parent's desire for a family, and that means infant.  Someone wants a baby.  Needs a baby.  Is adopting a baby.  That family couldn't "have their own" (I cringe as I write that- I have 5 of "my own" children and one more waiting for me.  God intrusted me with them and I have the paperwork to prove it!) and so they are adopting one. 

Where is the ORPHAN here? 

The ORPHAN is missing!!!!!

Adoption has been so sanitized that the baby being adopted didn't exist until the parents' need did.  This is why the need is so great.  This is why no one feels obligated to help.  This is why it is not the responsibility of The Church.  If you choose to encrease your family, that is really on you.  Why should anyone feel moved that you have a void that you feel needs to be filled by babies?  Family size is personal and is not anyone else's responsibility that you need more kids.

DO YOU SEE WHAT HAS HAPPENED????!!!!

ORPHANS  DON'T EXIST OR HAVE NEEDS. 

ONLY BARREN MOTHERS HAVE NEEDS AND THAT IS YOUR PROBLEM, SORRY.

You know what?  I didn't need any more kids.  At one point, for a very long time, I didn't want any more kids.  Mel, Biruk, Hanna and Bianca are not filling any deep seated desire in me for more children. 

GASP!!!!!  WHAT ARE YOU SAYING, TRACI!!!!  HOW DARE YOU? HOW DARE YOU ADOPT CHILDREN WHEN YOU AREN'T MEETING YOUR DEEPEST NEED TO PARENT A BABY!!!

The only need of mine that I met was my need to OBEY my Father.  He said I was to meet the needs of orphans. He even took me to Ethiopia and showed me the need.  I didn't need any more kids, but I did need to obey.  The need we met in adopting was the need of ORPHANS. 

MY ADOPTIONS WERE DONE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF ORPHANS. 

ORPHANS!

ORPHANS! 

I'LL SAY IT ONE MORE TIME.  ORPHANS!

THERE ARE 147 MILLION ORPHANS IN THIS WORLD.  THEY EXIST AND WE ARE IGNORING THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ORPHANS THAT GOD HAS COMMISSIONED US, HIS CHURCH, TO TAKE CARE OF. 

James 1:26-27 (New International Reader's Version)
 Suppose you think your beliefs are right because of how you live. But you don't control what you say. Then you are fooling yourselves. Your beliefs are not worth anything at all.
 Here are the kinds of beliefs that God our Father accepts as pure and without fault. When widows and children who have no parents are in trouble, take care of them. And keep yourselves from being polluted by the world.

You know what I don't read here?  It doesn't say " When a couple experiences infertility and have exhausted all options for having a child naturally, God will provide an infant for them to adopt to fill their void and meet their need.  That is how God shows us he loves us."

This is what I believe.  I believe we live in a fallen world.  A world that is no longer perfect.  I do not believe that "everything happens for a reason", that all bad things happen so God can do something good.   I believe bad things happen because we live in a sinful world.  Period.  However, bad things happen and God does DO something good through them, but it's conditional. 
What happens is Romans 8:28:
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.


Guess what?  If you don't love God and aren't called according to his purpose,  you just have a sack full of fallen world bad things happen because the rain falls on the just and the unjust circumstance, the same as everyone else.  But if you do love him, He can work that infertillity together for the good of you who love him.  Through my infertillity, God worked Svetlana and Andy together for our good. They were ORPHANS WITH A NEED, and I was a childless parent.  Through this, He worked their circumstance and mine to our good.  He gave us a heart for the ORPHAN, and allowed us to see His direction, and he caused Biruk, Hanna, and Mel's ORPHAN STATUS to work together for good to them and to us, and we are a family because  our obedience meets their needs. 

Bottom line:

ADOPTION IS NOT ABOUT ME. 

IT IS ABOUT ORPHANS!!!!!!!!

Monday, December 7, 2009

Biruki wisdom

Biruk has a very centered view of life.  Here are just 2 of his gems of wisdom:

I asked him if he was ever sad about events in his past and if he is ever missing Ethiopia and his former life. 
He said, "Why I be sad?  Your life is your life.  You live it.  Why I be sad about it?  I can't change it.  It's just my life."

This is what I heard him tell Hanna today when she said she couldn't do something because it was too hard. 
"Everything is hard when you don't know how to do it. You just have to keep doing it until it is not hard anymore.  That is why things are easy for me."

This is from a 13 year old boy who lost his father when he was very young, was physically abused by subsequent men his mother was involved with, was shuffled between the homes of other family members, watched as his younger brother was sent to America while caring for his mother who was dying of AIDS.  He had the choice to stay in Ethiopia but chose to go to America with Hanna and become my son because if he didn't, his older sister could not take a job as a servant in Dubai. He has told me that until his mother died, he loved his life.  I could go on, but I think you get the point. 

I can't help but recall my own paltry list of "trials" in comparison to his.  Shame on me for being so insulated that I can't see how my heavenly Father has abundantly blessed me. 
Who expected my son to be so much like Paul.  Would that I were more like them both.

Philippians 4:11-13

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.