THE CHANGING FACE OF INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION

If I had a nickel for every time my husband and I have been described as admirable for bringing our son home to his family, well, let's just say I could quit my day job. Seriously. Those of you who know us best know that neither one of us plays the harp and we certainly don't wear a halo. In fact, we can be best described as two pretty ordinary people who happen to serve an extraordinary God who enjoys doing remarkable things through people willing to let Him use them for His purposes.

If you are reading this and you have ever adopted a "Special Needs" (SN) child, then chances are you know exactly what I am talking about. Case in point. You are visiting your neighborhood playground with your child. Someone strikes up a conversation and begins inquiring about your adoption experience. At some point during your exchange you hear something to the effect of, "Wow. It takes a very special person to do what you guys have done. We could never do that". At which point this little voice inside your head starts screaming, "Special? You think I'm special? Of course you can do this!"

As domestic adoption gains social acceptance overseas and more and more countries experience an upward trend in economic growth, an increasing number of "healthy" children are being placed with adoptive families in their birth countries. While this shift in international adoption is in my opinion a positive trend, it also means that the majority of children currently needing placement are categorized as "Special Needs". Unfortunately, many families considering international adoption for the first time often buy into the misperception that 1) There is something drastically wrong with these children and/or 2) They are not personally equipped to parent a child with special needs. In most cases this couldn't be further from the truth. While individual needs vary from minor to moderate, and not every family is a match for every child, many of these deserving kiddos come to their families with nothing more than a limb difference, a birth mark or a small scar from a cleft lip/palate repair. Born without his right hand nearly three years ago, our beautiful son is a joyful, intelligent, humorous little boy and we can't imagine our lives without him.

I say all of that to say this: if you are even remotely considering a SN adoption then I want to encourage you! Our family was apprehensive at first but now looking back, we are so grateful that we didn't allow our concerns to stop us from moving forward. In the end, SN adoption doesn't require special parents. It doesn't require us to be equipped in any special way. What it does require is a willingness to allow God to do remarkable things through us for His glory in spite of our weaknesses and limitations. With God's help, you can do this! For further information on international adoption please contact erinm@holtinternational.org