There is a child waiting at your doorstep. Will you turn her away?
What would you do if she showed up at your home with a child who needed a place to stay? What would you say? It’s not a trick question. Keep reading to find out where I’m going with this.
I remember when John and I were looking to adopt from China and people asked me, “What about all the kids in the U.S. who need homes?” Honestly, I didn’t realize there were that many. I also didn’t realize LOTS of kids in the foster care system need forever homes. These are the ones whose parents’ rights have already been revoked. Of course, these aren’t the cuddly babies that come straight from the hospital. They are needy, and they have issues—to no fault of their own. Tens of thousands of kids age out of the foster care system every year, never being adopted. Once they age out, they have no where to go for Christmas. They are given a bus ticket and a few bucks to start a new life. Most girls end up in sex trafficking. Most guys end up in jail. Where else can they go?
Most people don’t realize that these kids are there, waiting . . . praying. I didn’t realize that. Most people also don’t realize it’s FREE to adopt from the foster care system and that until the adoption is finalized that you get a monthly stipend for their care. And that in some cases (with “older” kids, sibling groups, or special needs kids) you’ll continue to get that financial help until they turn eighteen years old. These kids also have their health care taken care of, and some states pay for their college education. They just need someone to welcome them into their family, to help them, to believe in them, and to love them.
And yet people don’t know this . . . or they think they can’t do it. They think it’ll bring too much disruption to their lives.
It will.
But what if God is asking you to open your doors? Open your hearts?
I told John I imagine that if I were to knock on the door of some of my Christian friends and said, “Hey, look. I have this five-year-old little girl. She is hungry (physically, emotionally, and spiritually), and she needs a place to stay. This little one has just been through some very traumatic events, and she’s lost her parents. They didn’t treat her well, but they are the only ones she knew. She is shaken up, and she has no where to go . . . would you take her? Look at her face—her blonde hair and her blue eyes. Can you see the pain in her gaze? Will you hug her, even when she pushes you away? Would you give her life value? If you don’t take her in, she’ll end in the gutter, guaranteed. Do you have a blanket and a pillow to offer? Can you share a few leftovers in your fridge?”
I’m guessing that most of my Christian friends would say, “Yes, of course. How could I turn this child away? I can give her a place to stay and some food.” They’d welcome her in. I mean, there’s a needy child standing on their doorstep . . . who could turn her away?
It reminds me of the Holocaust. There were those who took in Jewish children and hid them in order to save their lives. They put their families at risk, but they did it because it was the right thing to do. They saved the children . . . and the generations to follow.
By adopting a child from the foster care system your life won’t be at risk, but your family dynamics will change. You will most likely have struggles, hardships, and for a while you’ll have to pour love into someone who can’t give love back. But in the process you save a child . . . you also save the generations to follow.
Can you tell this has been really on my heart lately, especially after welcoming in these two kids into our home in January. I’m not saying it’s easy. It’s hard work. They have issues. We’re going to special counseling and seeking out special schools. I have to be 100 percent “on” every day, but seeing the changes—even in the last three months—has been worth all the work.
What about you? Have you asked God, “Lord, what about me?”
Do it. Ask Him. He may not call you to this. Then again, maybe He will . . . maybe He has been. Maybe He sees YOUR child waiting for you to open your door, your home, your heart.
For more information about adopting from the Foster Care System:
Heart Gallery of America
There are nearly 400,000 children in foster care in the United States.
Over 200,000 will never return home.
Over 115,000 need adoptive homes right now.
More than 25,000 age out of foster care every year, at age 18, without anyone, to live on their own, unprepared and unsupported.
Can you change the life of a waiting child?
Focus on the Family, Adoption from Foster Care Resources
“There is never so much love in the world that reaching out is a bad idea.” —an adopted child
In Arkansas:
Immerse Arkansas
At Immerse Arkansas we partner with foster youth and provide them the professional and emotional support needed for a successful future.
Project Zero
Project Zero exists for the sole purpose of helping children, who are available for adoption through the state foster care system, find their forever families. Please join us as we pursue out-of-the-box ways to make the dream of “zero” waiting children a reality.
Imagine a world where 1 + 1 = 0
The Call in Arkansas
Mobilizing the Christian community to provide a future and a hope to children in Arkansas foster care.
Consider supporting Walk for the Waiting!
A Family and Future for Every Child
Thank you for sharing this!! I am a foster parent of 2 little girls with the intent of adoption (very long process due to their situation). I suffered for 10 years from a chronic illness that began when my youngest son was 2. We were planning to try for #3 when the pain hit. For so many years, I did not feel like my family was complete and continued to pray that God would allow our family to grow. I felt that He had children for us. But I was only interested in adoption for fear of the pain that fostering could cause. Then we met a baby girl in desperate need of love. Without any premeditated thought, I phoned Social Services and asked what would it take to take her in. She was in desperate need of love, and I wanted to love her. (Then I phoned my husband and told him what I had done. He was hesitant at first, but then very supportive.) She spent the next 3 weeks in the hospital (10 days on life support) while we prayed that she would live so that she could experience the love that she deserved. Things were hard at first as we fought to keep her healthy, but I was told later by one of her nurses that it was our love that saved her life. I believe that our love gave her a reason to live, but I also believe that God kept her alive so that she could be a part of our family. She is now 2 years old, healthy & happy. People say that she’s lucky to have us, but I tell them that we are lucky to have her. 3 months ago, her baby sister joined our family. She is now 7 months old, healthy & happy. Our girls have added so much joy to our family!! Our 2 teenage boys adore their “sisters” and dote on them constantly. We hope to say that they are ours soon, but there is a lot that has to happen first, Thank you for sharing these beautiful words about loving children who need it so desperately!!