National Adoption Month

Natural Child: Any child who is not artificial.
Real Parent: Any parent who is not imaginary.
Your Own Child: Any child who is not someone else's child.
Adopted Child: A natural child with a real parent who is my own child.
November is National Adoption Month but our family is blessed by adoption every month! (Borrowed from Beth Gore and P. J. Wolfarth.)



Things to think about:



Every 15 SECONDS, another child becomes an AIDS orphan in Africa



Every DAY 5,760 more children become orphans



Every YEAR 2,102,400 more children become orphans (in Africa alone)



143,000,000 Orphans in the world today spend an average of 10 years in an orphanage or foster home



Approximately 250,000 children are adopted annually, but…



Every YEAR 14,050,000 children still grow up as orphans and AGE OUT of the system



Every DAY 38,493 children AGE OUT



Every 2.2 SECONDS, another orphan child AGES OUT with no family to belong to and no place to call home



I really never thought about the stats on orphans until I was blessed to call one my son. I always knew we would adopt a little one. It is hard to believe that 3 years ago our lives would change. DH said yes to bring LM into our family. The following is some scripture about orphans and openig our hearts:



"Once our eyes are opened, we cannot pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act." Proverbs 24:12



"I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you."
John 14:18



"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
James 1:27