Why China?

Several people have asked, "Why adopt a child from China?" 

The short answer is:

• When we started the adoption process, China became the clear path we should take.

The long answer is:

• We ruled out domestic adoption because of the fear that the child could be "taken back." The birth mother/father/grandparent may come forward and want the child. There are many wonderful stories of domestic adoption out there, and I would never discourage anyone from adopting domestically, but it isn't for us.

• We had heard a lot about child trafficking in Eastern European countries like Moldova. We began researching adoption from several EE countries; however, with the growing tensions between Ukraine and Russia and the long waiting times for referral, we ultimately decided to look elsewhere for our daughter.

• Next, we asked an adoption agency what country they thought would be a good match for us. They suggested Haiti and Ethiopia. We started researching, but then I saw the face of an angel on the agency's waiting child page. The face belonged to a 2 year old Chinese girl with special needs. I asked Todd to pray about it, because this wasn't what we had discussed, but this program is what I wanted and needed.

I believe that there is a set path for us to take on our adoption journey. We just need to be open to it when the path reveals itself. And when I saw that sweet girl's face on the waiting child list, our pathway was clear. 

So why adopt a child from China? Well... why not?