I thought it was time for a little update on the adoption front, since it's been awhile. Well, if we needed a reminder of why we are doing what we're doing, we certainly got it yesterday. We went to the airport here in Bloomington (IL) to welcome home our friends, the Lipics, from Korea. With? Their new baby girl, Nia. She was unbelievably (supernaturally) calm considering the circumstances: new mommy and daddy almost overnight, long plane ride to new country with funny looking people (not the Lipics, all of us non-Korean-looking people, I mean), exhaustion. Talk about emotional topsy-turvy. But she was beautiful. Her two brothers were happy to meet her and see their mom and dad again.
This many people never come to see you in the hospital. So there's another benefit. :) We also got to meet two other families who are adopting from Ethiopia with AWAA from Bloomington/Normal. It's great for us to make those connections.
Well, since the last update at the end of February, our initial application was accepted by America World (Tues, Mar 3), our signed agreement to work with AWAA, some other forms, and our first program fee payment was sent and received (Thurs, Mar 12). We also have our first two (of three, I believe) homestudy sessions at our house scheduled for this week and next. Need to finish our autobiographical write-ups (o, mercy!), an online adoption class, and then just wait to get our list of dossier requirements (more paper chasing) from our soon-to-be assigned family coordinator from AWAA. Nothin' to it!
Well, I should go since my kids will be off the bus in about 3 minutes. But we hear a lot about the high cost of adoption, and I just wanted to comment on that. I heard a man sharing on this topic and he said that it helped him when he went to a conference where they made the distinction between THINGS that are "expensive" and are products, and PEOPLE, who are ransomed. Does $20,000 seem like a lot to pay for the right to save a child from a life of despair, poverty or having no parents? In some places it's more like $40,000, or more! Well, the value of a person, we all know, is far greater than any of these numbers. God surely knows this since he made us. The dollar amount that we need to give for our little guy, when we see his face, I'm sure, will be soon forgotten.
Brenton Brown has a song, Jesus, You are Worthy. These are the lyrics:
Jesus you are mercy, Jesus you are justice
Jesus you are worthy, that is what you are
You died alone to save me, your rose so you could raise me
You did this all to make me a chosen child of God
Worthy is the Lamb that once was slain
To receive all glory power and praise
For with your blood you purchased us for God
Jesus you are worthy, that is what you are
Perfect sacrifice crushed by God for us
bearing in your hurt all that I deserve
misjudged for my misdeeds you suffered silently
the only guiltless man in all of history
___________________________________
Jesus bought us so that we could be his, his chosen children. Did he pay all of his money and then some? No, with your blood you purchased us for God. People are not meant to be bought cheaply. And so, yes, the expenses for all of this paperwork really do add up. But we're going to try and consider this a ransom, an offering of love, the cost of purchasing a little one on God's behalf. And we know it will be more than worth it.
2 comments:
I appreciate the distinction you made between buying expensive things and paying a ransom for a child's life. It's amazing to me how someone won't blink an eye about buying a $30,000 car with a 13% interest rate but you talk about the cost of adoption and people often become astounded and cold-hearted. So bravo, my friend for the reminder of the value of life!!
I have to tell you, to this day after experiencing the journey of adoption and tasting it's lifegiving fruit, I cannot make it through Chris Tomlin's Amazing Grace song without getting choked up over the verses, "My chains are gone, I've been set free, My Saviour God has RANSOMED me". Truly, truly HE ransomed our precious Sarah from the chains of a crib in an orphanage in Guatemala.
Susan, thanks for the continuing updates on your adoption process. I agree w/ you about the "cost" of adoption. Every baby and child deserves warms arms to cuddle and hold him or her. Since I've had Miles, that has struck me even more personally and I often grieve for the little ones that will never have that. Not that they can't have a rich, fulfulling life, but...it's just sad, you know?
I hope to get my hubby over the initial sticker shock someday.
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