HIV Adoption! Oh yes you can!

People sometimes ask me why on earth we would ever consider HIV adoption when there are perfectly healthy children that need a home. Why on EARTH would I ever subject my children to something as scary as HIV? Am I CRAZY or just plain irresponsible? Usually it's just that they have old school notions on how the disease is spread. They don't know the facts about HIV adoption. Truth is there are only a few ways to contract HIV. There has never even been a single solitary report of ANYONE getting infected just from living in a home with some one who has HIV or AIDS. That includes sharing drinks, kisses, hugs, sharing utensils, bathing , swimming together. I'll elaborate more on that later. The main reason I wish to adopt an HIV or AIDS orphan is because well, SOMEONE has to. Those millions of people dying in sun shara Africa, and in many other parts of the world often times have children. Those children still exist after the parent passes on. I have prayed from childhood that God would allow me to adopt the children that would otherwise perish. I have seen how these poor children deteriorate if they do not have access to proper food and medication.

Honestly though, the idea of HIV adoption occured to me years ago in Junior High. I remember I was in the Principals Office for misbehaving. ( I was a bit of a hand full, heck, still am) There was an article in a magazine or newspaper about a young little orphan girl that was dying of AIDS. She had no family to care for her, to love her, pray with her, to whisper sweet words of comfort to her in her final hours. She didn't have anyone to show a mothers tender care. It spoke of how she died in some hospital type setting unnoticed. There at 11 or 12 years old my heart broke at the thought of a child slipping into eternity without ever being LOVED. No one to wipe her forehead, no one to hold water to her parched lips. No one to make she she was comfortable or held and rocked and sang to as she took her last breath. The injustice of it all tore at my heart and flooded my soul in anguish. I vowed to either adopt children like that or to start an orphanages or children's home to take care of children like that. Here we are years later and I can't get the image of of my mind Sadly this is all to common for many HIV AIDS children. JUST READ THIS STORY ABOUT THE 6 year old that is shunned by the community because he is an AIDS orphan. http://master.dailychilli.com/news/7638-the-lonely-life-of-a-six-year-old-boy Who will look after him when he becomes to weak to care for himself. I look at my 6 ear old daughter and picture her living on her own by herself... Does that break your heart open yet? Selah HIV adopted daughter of the Twiet-meyers says " Children aren't dying because people aren't helping. the need families like mine. Read her compelling story HERE. http://positivelyorphaned.org/2010/11/27/hiv-adoption-article/
Worldwide, 42 million people are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS. Of these, 3.2 million are under 15 years of age. In the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control, there were 816,149 reported cases of HIV in the United States. Of these, 9,074 cases of AIDS were in children under the age of 13In 2010, the number of children worldwide who have lost one or both parents to AIDS is expected to reach 25 million :( In sub-Saharan Africa alone, over 15 million children have been orphaned by the pandemic. This is the first video I ever watched on HIV Adoption. Please watch it is SO informative and inspiring. It will open your eyes to the suffering of these precious little ones. You;ll probably learn a thing or two you didn't know before.
HIV Adoption, Oh YES YOU CAN! http://www.facinglife.tv/episode/season_3/episode_7/episode_307_video_full.htm
Ezekiel 34:16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak…I will shepherd my flock with justice!

Not much news on our adoption journey.

Well not much has changed on the status of our application. We are waiting in a sort of limbo waiting to even get our home study done. sigh. I sometimes wonder if the Lord is closing the door for us as it seems to be taking so long. I keep having to remind myself that it should be His will and not mine.

Day after day drags on, and still no word on our paperwork. :-( Waiting is hard. I want to be approved already and hold our children in my arms. I checked the website and two of our children had birthdays. sniff sniff, they had birthdays without their mama and daddy, and loving siblings. ;-( We love these kids but we truly are open. if the Lord wants to do something completely different. Though I really would like to adopt these particular children, only the Lord knows what is best and who would be the right match. A gal I met recently encouraged me by telling me that "God already knows which children are for us, He knew it before He created the foundations of the world, Even Before I was created, they were mine. " ;-) Well when you look at it that way. i seem,s so much easier to trust Him and His timing. It is still hard to be patient.

We were even prayerfully considering a teen that is raising a 5 year old. We don't want to limit God in what gifts He'd have for us or what the package (children) will look like. Truly, only He knows what is right for our family.

It breaks my heart to see so many orphans and kids in foster care all over! All different ages needing loving homes. I don't know how folks aren't completely grieved about the number of children going to bed hungry and/or parent-less each night. But I realize that this isn't every persons calling in life.. Did you know
Nearly 40 percent of American adults, or 81.5 million people, have considered adopting a child, according to the National Adoption Attitudes Survey. If just one in 500 of these adults adopted, every waiting child in foster care would have a permanent family?Isn't that amazing? Anyhoo, if you want to check out a cute video, watch this. Be blessed in Jesus Christ, our GLORIOUS REDEEMING SAVIOR! :-)