Ever thought of adopting?

As we think long term about our lives, we would like to see our family with both biological and adopted children. Several of each, if I can help it. And right now, we are thinking more about what we're going to do with the next few years. We've come to the conclusion that it would be nice to throw some kids into the mix, just to shake things up a bit, you know? Whether we have biological children or not, we still want to adopt.

Last year, I read a book called Adopted for Life by Russell Moore, which one of our friends gave Chris. Though we have talked about adopting kids since before we were married (can you believe that's six years ago?), the desire to do so was fueled by that, right along with our discussions about having biological children. This book helped clear up some ideas about adoption that were confusing to me, as well as encouraged me to pray more about. If you haven't read that book or The Connected Child, I would recommend both.

In thinking about adopting children in the future, we are slowed by a major hurdle; non-Muslims are legally not allowed to adopt Muslim children. Really, neither are Muslims. As we comb through the research, statistics, and legal information to see if it can be done, we continually come up short. No Gulf, Arab, or majority Muslim country run by Shari'a Law permits adoption as we know it. In an article from an Egyptian news source, someone states it very clearly:

"In Islam, the concept of child adoption does not exist. Islamic Law does not permit an orphan to take the family name of a non-biological parent. 'They should be named after their fathers,' said Al-Azhar University scholar Abdel Mouti Bayoumi."
Orphanage Day puts Adoption into Spotlight
Besides taking a name, non-Muslims are not allowed to be entrusted with the foster care of Muslim orphans.

So, how do we accomplish something that God's put in our hearts, but the state doesn't want us to do? We're currently looking at countries that are Muslim majority, but have a statistically optimistic success rate of adoptions by parents who are US Citizens. In the mean time, we continue talking about having children in general.

Pray for us as we continue to talk about our plans for our family and our future.

Some say...

Some people say that children should not be adopted internationally. Here's a good argument that I read in favor of international adoption at the Abba Fund website . I think about where we live and the children who are "orphans" because they are the product of illicit relationships. Their mothers are women who have been vicitimized, so the children are either disposed of or left at a hospital or orphanage. Unfortunately, (though they would tell you otherwise), a person cannot formally adopt in many Muslim countries. Now, that's a hurdle to overcome...