Christian International Adoption

What are the joys and challenges of Christian international adoption?

I asked this question of various organizations and adoptive families. Below are some of the answers I received.

Lina Ratcheva of St. Mary International Adoptions wrote that "the joys are endless as the end result is a new family." She also offered the following comments by one of their adoptive families – written by Heidi.

The Joys of Christian International Adoption

To be honest, the joys of Christian international adoption are too many to count. We have adopted three children internationally in two separate adoptions. First from Russia then from Poland. All three children are amazing gifts from God as all children are. They are true blessings and such incredible additions to our family. No matter how old your child is when they are adopted there are still so many firsts to experience with your child both small things and big things. Everything is new and exciting for kids adopted out of an orphanage. Alex (turned 7 just after coming home) and Amelia (5 1/2) have been amazed by all the new experiences they have had. Riding an escalator for the first time had both kids laughing so hard, they thought it was the neatest thing. Cooking dinner outside on the grill fascinated the kids as they have never seen a grill before.

Seeing kids get so excited about things most people take for granted puts things in perspective and makes you look at what's really important in life. Watching our kids learn new things every day and get such joy out of life is such an amazing experience.

Kids are amazing and so quick to learn. Our children have only been out of the orphanage a little over 3 months and in the US 2 1/2 weeks. But both act like they have been home forever. They are learning more and more English every day and understand most of what is being said in English now. They love life and love being in our family. We have truly been blessed having them as our children. Being given the opportunity to parent these three amazing children is such a wonderful gift that we will always treasure.

The Challenges of Christian International Adoption

Heidi continues: For me the biggest challenge in Christian International Adoption is the time between trips. Saying good bye to our kids at the end of the first trip and not knowing how long it would be between trips was so hard. It was so hard being away from our kids for so long and not knowing how they are doing for much of that time. We were blessed to know that the kids were in a good orphanage and being well taken care of while we waited.

The length of the second trip is also hard. But at the same time that it was hard being in Poland so long it was also a huge blessing. Having close to 2 months to spend together as a family, bonding, adjusting, teaching the kids what it means to be in a family without interruptions from the "real world" was awesome for our family. By the time we came home the kids were already bonding and attaching to us very well and us to them. All three kids had bonded well and acted like they had been together forever. Thanks to all the wonderful bonding/adjustment time we had in Poland the kids adjusted quickly to being home. Even though we have only been home 2 1/2 weeks they act like they have been home forever. In retrospect I see why the long time in country and I feel like that experience was a real blessing for our family. It was an experience that I wouldn't trade for anything.

Read more about St. Mary adoptions at their web site: Christian International Adoptions.

Jess Durrell, of Christian Adoption Services, got in touch with an adoptive family they helped get four boys from the Philippines. Nikki Esquivel shared the following about their Christian international adoptions.

A single sermon changed our lives for the better. Forever . . .

It was "Sanctity of Life" Sunday and our pastor preached a moving sermon on the value of each human life. My husband and I were always vocal supporters of the "pro life" movement. At least in theory. On the way home from church on that sunny Sunday, our two precious children buckled safely in the back seat, my husband made a proclamation that would forever change the landscape of our family. He said "if we really believe everything Pastor Don just talked about, we need to DO something about it. We need to adopt a child". My heart skipped a beat! I could not have agreed with him more!

I went home that day and began researching international adoption. We wanted a country that was not at risk of closing it’s doors on us. We wanted a place where we knew the children were well cared for. We settled on The Philippines.

The very next day, my husband took our two children to a park and saw a Caucasian couple with a beautiful, brown daughter. He approached the couple and asked them if they are adoptive parents. Much to his surprise, they had only been home a few months with their lovely daughter from... you guessed it... the Philippines!

They shared with my husband a bit about the process and that the adoption agency they used, Christian Adoption Services out of North Carolina, was a phenominal agency. My husband came home with a smile a mile wide and announced "I’ve found our adoption agency."

Fast forward eight years. We now have FOUR sons from The Philippines and two biological children. We are a busy, bustling, LOUD household and would not have it any other way!

International adoption is not easy. The paperwork is plentiful. The financial aspect can feel daunting. The adjustment of new children into an established family can be dicey but every bit of the way, we knew the Lord was sovereignly orchestrating our steps.

He provided us with supportive church friends and family members. He gave us children who we knew were "true orphans" and needed us. He taught us lessons we could not have learned any other way. He led us to an adoption agency that supports families long after the child is home.

God has been so merciful to us through our adoptions. We know that we have RECEIVED far more than we have GIVEN in this endeavor. Far More!

For more information about Christian Adoption Services, and their Christian international adoption services, visit their web site.