Ok- so here's the thing- I keep being told that people don't understand 2 things about adoption-
how can it be called missionary work- you're not living in a desert after all...
and
How is adopting a ministry? What are you doing that make this a ministry according to a church?
So here's my problem- I thought I have made that clear time and time again. So now I'm asking for your help! I know many of you are SOO much better at writing than I am. Can you help me? Adoptive parents- can you answer these questions? Obviously my take and opinion doesn't make sense. Either email it to me at nicolebspa@yahoo.com and I'll post it on here or you can leave your thoughts in the comments section. Or blog about it and post your link here. Maybe if people were overwhelmed with many points of view on how this is a ministry and a mission field- maybe one of the responses would hit home- or hit their heart. So won't you help me?
Maybe you can tell them that he would otherwise grow up in a mostly spiritually subdued country and have a very hard time coming to know the Lord, that is if he would live past the age of 18 as a HIV positive orphan where the stigma is so high, he would most likely no be able to find employment, have to turn to crime to survive, and die an at a sad an early age.
ReplyDeleteBut instead you will bring him home and minister to him, as well as inspiring others to do the same. Maybe share with people the stats of HIV children in the Ukraine, the suicide rate, how they are running out of HIV meds, etc.
But who care what others think, some people even if you explained it to them just can't understand that not everywhere it like the US and that there are millions of children suffering and at risk right now. Maybe if they thought too much about it, it would endanger their fun and relaxation.
You guys are doing an amazing thing, saving a life.
xo,
Amy
Well, first of all, being a PARENT is a ministry :) My first ministry is to my family (spouse and children). So - if we feel "our child" is "out there" and needs us to go adopt him/her - then it is our "calling" as parents to go get our beloved child and bring them home.
ReplyDeleteThis is how I would explain it...
ReplyDeleteMany people do not understand how adoption can be seen as a "mission" or a "ministry" because adoption in general is usually a "personal interest" action. In many cases people want to expand their family, so they adopt. Simple as that.
But in the church, adoption can and should take on a whole new form. Jesus said, "true and pure religion is this: to care for the orphans and widows." Therefore, adoption is not only a mission, but it should be a part of how we express our love towards Christ. So there is a Biblical standpoint.
Also, foreign adoption can be very closely correlated to missionary work for a number of reasons. First, most often, the parents have to go the country from which they want to adopt, and spend time there with the child. This time frame can vary from a few days to a few months (like most missions trips)...during which, the parents would be loving on that child, and likely sharing their love of Christ to the people around them. Next, with most foreign adoption, the mission is not simply to bring a child into all that is America's luxury, but rather the mission is to SAVE that child's life. Let me explain... In most foreign countries, the orphanages and conditions that the children face are not only difficult, but they are often life-threatening. The horror these children face on a daily basis is beyond our comfortable, spoiled, close-minded, Americanized comprehension. These children don't just need our help, they need our rescuing.
So you see, It is a mission, it is a ministry, it is a call that the Lord places on our lives as Christians, and it is the burden that the Lord has placed specifically on my heart. It is my prayer that the hearts and minds of Christians will be more opened to the ministry of adoption.
"Here I am Lord, send me"