I Saw What I Saw

We have gotten a lot of wonderful feedback regarding our recent announcement. I have heard a lot of "kudos" and "what a great thing you guys are doing." We appreciate your support and your well-wishes, but I do have to clear something up.

Yes, adoption is a huge undertaking. And no, couples who can have their own kids don't usually pursue such a long, expensive, emotionally trying, unsure route to expand their families.

And yes, we are Christians.

But that isn't why we are adopting.

And we aren't doing it to make ourselves feel good or to show what wonderful, benevolent people we are.

And we aren't doing it to spread the Word of God to other cultures.

We are doing it because we have to. We can't not do this. We are doing it because we are human.

There are times in life when you have an experience that changes you. In an instant. One moment you know what you know and you are one person. Then, something happens. Your horizons are broadened for a moment. Or, you are allowed a peek into someone else's life. Suddenly, without warning, you are changed. You know something new now. And the thing you know has changed you forever. You have seen what you have seen. You cannot go on without being different, without doing something. You must act.

Some friends of ours recently went to Ethiopia to pick up their newly adopted daughter, Emmy Ruth. Nathan and I met her last December. It is because of the AIDS crisis in Africa that this girl needed a home and a family. We hear about it on the news, but for most, just a brief news report is not enough to inspire us to do anything. It doesn't change our world view. When Nathan first picked up little Emmy and held her in his arms, he knew he had experienced something new. Simply holding that precious child who had been born 7,000 miles away to a woman we will never meet, changed his view of the world. Looking into her deep brown eyes, he saw what he saw. In that moment, Nathan knew he would have to act and his actions would change his future.

Our friend, Brian, met dozens of children while in Ethiopia and took many many pictures. As I looked at those pictures, something changed. Those shining, smiling, hopeful faces warn by beautiful children, dressed in donated clothing, some without pants. Most without families. But still, they smiled, laughed and played. That is when I knew I had changed. I had seen something -- not even first-hand, just through pictures-- and I could not ignore it. I saw what I saw and I was going to have to act. My future had changed.

It seems so hopeless. Even in domestic adoption, African American is the race "least desired" on adoption applications. How awful is that? I can't even begin to express my disgust over this fact and the generations of fear and racism that has lead to this reality. So, if Americans don't want to adopt black Americans, what chance do these children in the photos have? With 6,100 children being orphaned a day, how can they stand there smiling? They must know there is no hope for them.

That was all it took. A glimpse of a story through a photograph. All I could do was swear that there was one child out there whose future would NOT be taken away by AIDS. That one child would not grow up without the love and support of a family just because AIDS kept her from being raised by the woman who gave birth to her.

At times it feels like rescuing a single glass of water from the ocean. Holding that glass and looking out at the ocean, it seems silly. Hopeless. Laughable. Pathetic. But then, I change my perspective. I realize, for this one glass, our small effort means everything. It is the difference. It is Hope. It is a reason to laugh.

All of this has been sparked by a simple act of holding one child and looking at some digital pictures. Imagine how we will feel when we travel to Ethiopia and experience the hundreds of individual stories first-hand? I imagine we will leave half of our hearts in that beautiful country.

This music video was posted on the YWAM Ethiopia blog and I loved it. It expresses our current state of heart perfectly. By the way, the photos I have posted here are also from that site, they are not photos of orphans, I am not permitted to post any of those.