Prayer

HA! 

Ever have one of these moments?!  I dont think Michael Scott is the only one who's ever felt this way. 

(I bet you didn't think a post titled "prayer" would start with a reference to The Office.) 😄

I was in this same freakout mode on Sunday as I was reading an email from our adoption agency.  We got some pretty scary news that could be a pretty big threat to our adoption process in Korea. We would covet your prayers on this issue and for our hearts as we walk through this uncertain time. 

The issue is about a law in Korea and is basically political mumbo jumbo but for the sake of understanding, I'm going to try to explain it as best as I can. So.... here we go. 

To adopt in Korea right now it takes an agency IN Korea + an agency IN the states to work together to get things done. There are currently 3 large private agencies in Korea who ALL international adoptions run through. Of course both the US and Korean governments are involved to some extent but the process is mainly run through private agencies.

There is a group of politicians in Korea right now who want to close all of the private agencies and instead have all of the international adoptions run through the Korean government itself.  This would be the first step in this political groups bigger plan of closing all international adoption in the Korea for good. 

This group feels deep shamed that so many Korean children are being adopted internationally instead of being brought up in their homeland. While this is an understandable sentiment, completely shutting down  international adoption will only create MORE orphans for the country and less opportunity for these children.

"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

Since Korea has been open to international adoption, the US alone has adopted over 100,000 Korean children. There will still be a large need for adoptive families if these agencies close. Korean are traditionally very unlikely to adopt domestically because their is a high value in the family blood line, adopted children don't fit well into this idea. Single mothers face detrimental social stigma which also contribute to the number of children put up for adopt each year. Neither of these factors are likely to change by simply closing international adoption and thus the problem will still remain. 

Phew! OK- hopefully you were able to stick with me through that. 

For Blaine and I specifically, if this law passes, there are lots of different possible effects but the process would most definitely become MUCH slower and the program would be MUCH less stable. Ha! What a shock to us when we picked this program specifically because it was exactly the opposite- fast and stable! 

After we read the email about this proposed legislation on Sunday, we walked outside and noticed a rainbow over our backyard. The Lord was so sweet to remind us almost instantly of His promises and love for us in the face of such hard news. 

"Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Phil 1:6

Would you pray with us that:

1. IF this law is NOT in the best interest of Korean orphans and won't provide them with forever families, that it will not pass and be voted down.

2. IF the law DOES pass, please pray that the Lord would redeem it and somehow make it an avenue to bless more children with stable homes wherever that might be. 

3. That we would trust the Lord, who began this work of adoption in our lives, to see it through.

4. That our hearts would not be anxious about this possible legislation but  would instead rest in the sovereignty of the Jesus, who was not at all surprised by this.

Thank you so much for praying with us through these uncertain times. We are praying that the Lord would help us to be faithful in the midst of such uncertainty.  Having such a wide net of support helps us to be able to walk through this season with confidence!