Adoption Sunday

So this is a little holiday that most don't know about. It's not so much of a holiday as it is a day to remember. Remember what? Remember our call to take care of orphans. Adoption is such a gift from God. But let me get into my teacher mode (I am a big sister. I have a very prominent teacher attitude.) for a minute and share some statistics.

Over 130 million children have lost one or both of their parents. They are here in America, Ukraine, Africa, Peru, Germany, Mexico, France, you name the location! 130 million. But you see, that is just big number, right?

Even when I write out. . .

130,000,000

. . . it is still just a big number I can't wrap my mind around.

How about we think about it this way. The May Day Stadium is the largest football stadium in the world. It is located in North Korea. This thing is HUGE! Largest football stadium in the WORLD! And it can only hold 150,000. It would take 867 of those stadiums to hold all of the orphans in the world. Even with that it is hard to imagine.

Do you know how many people consider themselves Christians in the world? 2,039 million. 

That looks like:

 2,039,000,000.

So wait a minute! That's a bigger number than the first! Hold on here! Then that doesn't quite make sense! That would mean there is 1 orphan in the world for every 15 Christians.

Doesn't that make you wonder why there are still orphans in the world?

Here is another little orphan fact. Children age out of the system, weather adoption or foster care, at age 18. In some places younger. They go into the world without any support. They were raised without love and a family. They lack a solid foundation that only a family can give. Can you imagine when you were eighteen and moving out on your own or going to college and having no one to call and remind you of home? No one to encourage you to go after your dreams? In fact, in your whole life, you were never told that you could reach your dreams? It's not easy to live that way. Many of them end up involved in crime or commit suicide once they age out. Suicide rates are higher among teens who were not raised with parents than any other group of people. That statistic is true for EVERY culture. America and all over the world. And once they commit suicide who is there to cry for them? Who is there to miss their presence and personalities? Who loved them enough to miss them?
Everyone deserves someone to cry for them.

Now I want to make this point clear. I do NOT believe that everyone is supposed to adopt. Adoption is something that my family was called to. I have one sister who is adopted. And maybe our family will be called to adoption again. Maybe one day I will be called to adopt in my own family. I just don't know. But I do know that every Christian is called to take care of the orphans. If you have not been called to adopt support a family who is. I can say from experience (as a teenager involved in the process.) that an adopting family needs support both in the process and once they have the child at home. It is the churches (universal) job to provide that support. If  you can't adopt or even support someone financially and all you can do it say "Hey let me watch your kids while you go get paperwork done." that is amazing to parents who are adopting! One less stressful thing for an adopting couple.

I have seen the relief on my moms face! Trust me!

So my whole point to this post is that it is that everyone can and should take part in caring for the orphans.

Everyone needs a forever family and everyone deserves someone to cry for them.

CCT