Do We Care?

There has been bad news in the adoption world this week.  Russia is trying to pass a law banning adoptions to the US.  What does this mean?  Well, in the last year about 1,000 children came to the US from Russia, in the last twenty years around 60,000 Russian children have come to their families in the US.

It has become increasingly difficult to adopt from Russia.  The cost, the requirements, the number of trips required, the random paperwork required by judges, the time away from home, all of this has increased in recent years.  But there are still precious children coming home to loving families.  And if  President Vladimir Putin signs this law that will come to an end.

Friends, do we care?  Do we care that there are 2.5 million (possibly up to 4 million!) children without homes in Russia alone!?  (Reports are rather unreliable) And many, many of them are living in truly deplorable conditions.  Children with special needs especially often live in the worst conditions imaginable.  One author from Russia describes the asylums special needs children are placed in at the age of  about 4-6 as, "nightmarish concentration camps that most people in the Western World cannot even imagine".

I know, "What can we do?"  We can PRAY.  God cares about orphans.  We can pray that this bill does not get signed into law.  We can step out of our comfort zone to care for the 150,000,000+ orphans worldwide!  Have you asked God what He wants you to do? Have you asked God if He wants you to open your heart and home to a child without a home?  Can you give financial assistence?  Can you sponsor a child?  Can you tell others about the need?  Can you commit to praying specifically about these needs? 

We can all do something.

But do we truly care?  Do we care enough to step out and do what we can?  I know it seems like our tiny bit won't make a difference.  But I leave you with a quote from Mother Teresa,

"We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”