Part 2 of "a controversial blog post"....

Thanks for stopping by again! In case you missed last week, we are on the 2^nd entry dealing with a controversial article in the Washington Times.

Click here to read the 1^st post.

Click here to read the article.

Before we continue on, there are a couple of thoughts that come to mind. The first is that we are NOT here to bash UNICEF, to try and make them look bad or to try and make sure you never give to them again. In the Kingdom of God, we do not make advances by taking shots at or slandering others or other organizations. Although this article is definitely about UNICEF and paints them in a certain light, we are not trying to “expose” them or direct your anger towards them. I think it’s clear that UNICEF has done some pretty good things over the years in regards to children’s rights around the world and if you click over to our “Stats” page, many of our stats have sources from UNICEF.

That being said, it is our hope that you would wrestle with the bigger concepts coming to light here. We want you to think about how we (as people) approach world problems. This article indicates a macro approach and we’re asking the question, why not a macro as well as a micro approach? There are real lives today that are caught in the middle and that breaks our hearts. If you disagree, please comment, we want to start the discussion around these issues and make progress.

We will continue on with quotes from the article followed by thoughts.  

“The stumbling block is that unlike UNICEF adoptive parents do not believe that even a single child should be subjected to life as an orphan, serving in effect as collateral damage, as geopolitical solutions to world poverty are played out. To us, it is patently unfair for children to be held hostage, condemned to life without a family, as the world works towards peace and justice.”

This point was the one that resonated the loudest with me in this article. I have been frustrated many times in life as I hear people talk about lofty ideas to end suffering and poverty with no action. I attended a university where first-world privileged students and professors would sit around state-of-the-art classrooms, drinking lattes and discuss lofty ideas about what needed to change in the world and how big systems and government policies needed to change, without any actual action. I couldn’t help but think, sure these things need to change, but while we’re working on it, could we not take some practical action? It seemed as though people thought that practical action would “impede the process that needed to take place.”

It seems like we could spend the rest of our lives talking about when these oppressive systems will end and when the world will be free of oppressions and suffering and never take any real action to help actual individuals with names, lives and destinies. As long as corruption exists in the heart of mankind, as long as greed is present in this world, these issues are not going to go away. We believe in tackling major issues from the top down and we believe in fighting for justice on the major scale, but we believe even more in fighting for individuals with individual stories, along the way. We believe in helping those that need it today, in this hour. Martin Luther King Jr. fought big systems and won major victories for the world, however, he was one that fought for individuals along the way. He didn’t just set his eyes on lofty goals, he helped individuals along the way and that is what we should be committed to. By helping individuals along the way, he helped many on a grand scale.

Like we asked at the beginning, can this be a macro as well as a micro issue? I think it can. I think we can work towards improving things on a grand scale, while helping individuals on a micro scale. I think we can lobby government, make our voice heard and look for ways to microfinance and improve communities with sustainable options, while still improving the lives of individuals along the way. Why can’t we adopt children out of these systems, while we’re working on improving them?

Next week we’ll post the final thoughts on the last of the quotes for this article. In the meantime, think about your own views and perceptions on these issues and think about your responses in discussion as well as action. Your life and voice will make a difference…it is needed!

A controversial blog post, enter with caution...

Every good blogger needs to stir up some controversy here and there because, after all, that’s what gets the discussion started right? Our hope is that as we bring forth issues and give our opinions, we would cause discussions to start around these issues and stir up the hearts of others for issues that matter to the heart of God.

We recently read an article that stirred up emotions of anger and frustration inside of us. It was posted in the Washington Times, titled “The United States and UNICEF wage war against international adoptions.” How would that title not catch your attention! So we read on and we’re shocked to discover what is behind the title. Before you read on, you might want to scroll to the bottom, click the link and read the article yourself. It might give some better context. Also, keep in mind that we are fully aware that we don’t have all of the answers and there are many things that we don’t understand or claim to be experts on internationally. We are doing our best to navigate the issues and fight for what is in our hearts, the best way that we know how.

Due to the depth of this topic, these posts will come in a short series of “to be continued…” posts. We don’t want to overwhelm you with too many thoughts in one post! I think the best way to arrange this is to provide quotes from the article and then offer thoughts, comments and questions.

“When pressed for reasons why the U.S. Department of State (DoS) and UNICEF they actively engage in closing inter-country adoption programs, the very first response from both entities is that they are protecting children.  They say they are working towards an adoption system that works against child trafficking.  That goal is laudable.” 

There seem to be many arguments on both sides of this issue. Both sides make valid points and we do know that human trafficking is a major problem of our time. A friend of ours once had a great quote around this issue. He said “saying that international adoption leads to human trafficking and should be stopped is like saying marriage leads to spousal abuse and should be stopped.” The point is, human trafficking is an issue that needs to be stopped, but stopping adoption is not going to put an end to it. Humans will be trafficked whether adoption is open or not. A market run by corrupt hearts, with astronomical profits, will continue to operate, regardless of international law. The problem is bigger than that.

“Ultimately UNICEF, and to a lesser extent the Department of State, are opposed to inter-country adoption, calling it a “last resort” for children.  Just what is the first resort?  UNICEF offers what appears to be a vague notion of social and economic justice in the world.”

This is a good question. Many arguments center around the fact that instead of supporting adoption, we need to work harder to support the families in their own countries and communities so they can care for the children there. This is a true statement and we should be working towards sustainable solutions like this. We are big believers and givers to ministries that do such work. I think we can all agree that the best scenario for a child is one in which they are cared for in loving and supporting environment. We can also agree that if that is provided by their birth parents, that would be the best place for the child. Where it gets difficult is that many children just don’t have either birth parent left and many have no family even to care for them. Other children have been abandoned by their birth parents for a variety of different reasons. This is a horrible scenario, but it exists, so the question we should be asking is, where do we go from here? Wishing it were not so is not an option. Dreaming up lofty ideas void of action is also not a solution. What are the options to fix these situations and care for children that are there right now, today?

Many valid arguments have been made to support the families better in these communities so that they can care for their children (referring to children abandoned by their birth parents). This is a great idea. We fully believe in doing a better job of supporting these families so that they don’t get to the place where they would abandon their children. We give to, believe in and support ministries that do just this. A challenge that comes to mind though is, on a large scale, where will the money for this come from. I have volunteered as an advocate for two different sponsor children organizations for about 10 years now and it is difficult to get people to sponsor a child for $30/month, through a trusted and accountable organization where they know the child will be receiving exactly what is promised. I couldn’t imagine convincing people on the idea that their money would go to families to increase their income so that they could support a child. Maybe I’m wrong, but in my experience, it would be a much tougher challenge than signing someone up to sponsor a child, which is already difficult.

We can either wait for major economic systems to change, devise a way where those with money provide for those that don’t, or think of solutions for each of those individual children. We have to ask ourselves, what is the best option for that child, given their situation. We may wish the situation was different, but it’s not, how should we respond?

Click here to read the full article.

To be continued....

We're hosting an adoption information seminar in Langley...

We're excited to announce another adoption information seminar. If you or someone you know is considering adoption, please send them our way!

This workshop will be held at Southgate Church (#120 - 5501 204th St. Langley) on Saturday, January 21, from 9am - 4pm, with lunch and breaks included. The information will be given over a 6-part DVD series, with topics such as: God's Heart for the Orphan, Making Basic Decisions, Evaluating Agencies, Investigating Funding Options, and Paperwork, Completing your Home Study, etc.

There will also be time for discussion. We will be breaking into small groups to discuss common questions, concerns, thoughts and to go over ideas from the DVD series. This will be a free seminar, with a small charge for lunch. This seminar is open to anyone interested in, or beginning the adoption journey, so feel free to pass this on.

Please RSVP to tamara@southgatechurch.ca by January 13th.

If you have other specific questions regarding this event, we would be happy to answer them for you!!!

An interesting perspective on our adoption into God's family and the orphan...

Last October, as we wrote about in one of our first blog posts, we attended a conference called Together for Adoption in Texas. It was basically the turning point or catalyst that helped us to launch this ministry. One of the organizers and speakers, Dan Cruver, is very active in the orphan ministry world and writes some amazing posts that we follow. He has a heart for adoption and seeing the Church rise up to answer the call to care for the orphan. We wanted to re-post a great piece he wrote on our adoption into God's family and today's orphan. It's a great perspective. If you want to read more of his work, check out the Together for Adoption page.

"Adoption is not just about our entrance into the family of God, as great and as wonderful as that is. It’s also about our participation in the grand story of redemption. When God adopts us, He catches us up into the greatest unfolding story of human history. Actually, it is God’s story of human history and involves nothing less than the future renewal of all creation.
God doesn’t merely adopt us in order to place us in His family. His adoption of us is actually the means by which He brings His healing and freeing reign to bear upon all of the created order.

This aspect of God’s work of adoption has massive implications for how we think about caring for orphans (James 1:27). For example, for those whom God has adopted in order to one day bring about the renewal of all creation, orphan care becomes an opportunity to provide a foretaste of that future renewal.

This understanding of the relationship between God’s work of adoption and our care for orphans is extremely important, as it transforms not only the way we think about orphan care but also the way we practice it."

Dan Cruver, Sept. 1, 2011

The Together For Adoption Conference is happening this year in Phoenix, Arizona on October 21-22. For those of you starting an orphan ministry at your church, we would highly recommend attending this conference. You won't be disappointed! It is one of the best initial investments you can make to get your ministry up and running. We still haven't fully sorted through all of the info and resources we picked up in the two days last year!