Inside was a $150 check for our adoption and the following verses and story. I just don't know how it could have been said better.
2 Corinthians 12:9 "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: For my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
The Price of Adoption by Amy Adair
"How much did she cost?" the cashier at the grocery store asked, pointing to my daughter.
I nervously shifted Evie, on my hip and swiped my credit card. My husband and I had just gotten home from Bejing, China, with our new daughter and I wasn't prepared for prying questions from strangers.
"How much did you pay for your car?" I shot back.
She wrinkled her forehead, frowned, and was obviously offended by my question.
"I'd just heard that it was $100,000 to adopt from China" she hissed.
"It's not $100,000," I sighed. "She didn't cost a penny. We did however, pay a social worker and an agency to help facilitate the adoption."
As I headed back to my car, I had a sinking feeling that more people would ask the same question. I was right. The first week Evie was home, my dentist, a neighbor, and a stranger at the park al wanted to know: How much?
It is true adoption isn't cheap. There are a lot of fees that add up quickly. We paid for a home study, visas, passports, immigration papers, plane tickets, and hotels. Quite honestly, it is a financial sacrifice. But so are other things that people don't question, like sending your child to college. People find a way to do it. much like financing a college education, there are grants, loans, and federal tax credits available to adoptive parents.
I wonder, though, what's the cost of not adopting? It was never God's intention for children to grow up in an orphanage without the love of a mother and father. Clearly God weeps for those who suffer, especially the fatherles. In fact, in Matthew 19:14, Jesus berates his disciples for turning children away from him. Jesus invites the children to stay and declare that the kingdom of Heaven belongs not to the grownups but to the kids. It is one of the many beautiful pictures in the Bible that illustrates God as our Abba or Father.
It is also a call to action. Just as Jesus welcomed the children, he asks us to reach out the the neediest to the least of these.
How well written and how true. We are applying for grants, but time is of the essence. We need to have funds prior to leaving. What Jeremy needs to have a family is such a small drop in the bucket in the big picture. By donating you can know that 100% of your donation is going towards this little boy. How many charities out there have that sort of return rate? So many have such high over head costs that only a very small percentage of you dollar ever makes it to the cause you are supporting. A donation to his grant is tax deductible and be assured 100%! goes to bringing Jeremy home.
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