Why adoption?
This is a topic that is difficult to sum up into a paragraph. I (Julie) had always wanted to adopt. Philip came to the table a little later, but once his mind was made up, he dove right in! James 1:27 states that,
"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."
Caring for orphans is on the shoulders of the church. We can't rely on governments, organizations, and orphanages to care for the orphan. God has called HIS adopted children to fill that role. Does this mean that I think all Christians are called specifically to adopt an orphan? No, but I do believe that we all should prayerfully consider where we fit into the orphan care spectrum. With 147 million orphans in the world, there is room for each Christian to play some part.
Why Colombia?
We started researching countries and their individual processes in early 2007. Each one is unique in their requirements. We did not fit the criteria for adopting in some countries due to our young age. Others had a quick average referral time, and we wanted something that would take a bit longer. When we began, we were told that Colombia had an average two year wait time for an infant (0-35 months). This seemed perfect, as I still had a couple of years of research left for my dissertation. So, we anticipated getting a child about mid-2009 {insert laughter from anyone ever involved in international adoption}.
Why the hold up?
We have learned that change is the nature of international adoption. Agencies close (as did our original placing agency, Commonwealth Adoptions International). Countries change processes. Requirements are altered. Wait times lengthen. Some countries close their doors. In summary, God's ways are not our ways. For that I am thankful.
What's the process been like so far?
A very simplified overview: We were approved by ICBF (Colombia's welfare system) to adopt one infant between the ages of 0 and 35 months in April 2008. For four years, we waited on the master list of international adoptive families, slowly but steadily creeping our way up toward the top.
However, our plans changed in 2012. We saw the face of our daughter, Luisa, a waiting child at an orphanage in Cali, Colombia. You can read part of our journey toward adopting her here. We anticipate traveling in September 2012 to get her. She will be with us beginning on the third day of our three to four week in-country stay.
