Needing Adoption

I've been thinking about adoption lately.
My brother and sister-in-law shared news that they are adopting a puppy from a rescue shelter, which is a joyous occasion for both them and the dog. I'm also reminded of the joy that we experienced in adopting our beloved Penny as a stray, bringing her into our home after she had been wandering the streets (even if it wasn't for too long). Adoption is an incredible act of love, grace, and providence, and I think it often goes overlooked in our society. It has recently gained attention once again in the aftermath of the disaster in Haiti. The devastating earthquake in Haiti seems to be a distant memory from many months ago, yet news continues to flow from the impoverished country that indicates there are still countless examples of sorrow and need that have yet to be addressed.

On a recent edition of a Foreign Dispatch podcast I listened to, Greg Myre introduced a story in which he described continuing struggles in Haiti. "Haiti is a country of children," he remarked. "Half of the population there is under 18, and since the earthquake in January, you see kids everywhere in the streets. They carry water buckets, they push wheel barrows full of rubble, or they pass the time playing with homemade toy cars."

The story continues to follow a group of teenage boys who are unrelated but "formed a brotherhood in the disaster." After the earthquake claimed their families, homes, and neighborhoods, they gathered together in the park to find a safe place to sleep and met one another. As they live "without shelter or adult supervision" in a park in Port-au-Prince, they hopefully wait for the day they will be adopted. To earn money, they perform odd jobs such as fixing cars that break down on the highway to the airport, and they share what they have with each other to survive.

These boys do not go unnoticed or forgotten, as the story follows efforts of social workers to place the boys in suitable homes. "It makes me so happy that I have a chance today," comments one of the boys who awaits news from a social worker regarding his placement in a local orphanage. He hopes to eventually be adopted by a family and go back to school so that he can continue his education. Yet even as humanitarian workers strive to register homeless children and find orphanages or caregivers, perhaps even distant relatives, to adopt the boys, there are many children that still are searching for a home in the aftermath of disaster. Some children in Haiti have even been subject to exploitation, adopted by wealthy families who then use the children as slaves. However, this despicable practice took place well before the earthquake, and workers are fighting cultural barriers to bring an end to such exploitation practices.

Unfortunately, the story proceeded to note that the boys' hopes of being placed in an orphanage were crushed when the social workers brought news that the orphanage couldn't accept the boys because they were considered too old. Instead, social workers then try to arrange a tent for the boys in a settlement camp in the city. After receiving the news, one boy notes that he is "not happy" and pleads, "I need adoption...please help me."

As I consider such haunting and heartbreaking news, I again wonder what, if anything, can be done by those of us living in comfort to help those in need. I'm challenged to look for ways to move beyond complacency and support those who are working to bring mercy and justice to tragic situations throughout Haiti. I am also challenged to consider how God relates to us as His adopted children. This is a consideration I often overlook and take for granted, yet the story of the homeless boys in Haiti is a picture of all of us who live in a broken and fallen world, struggling to find our way, and longing for the love and security that we cannot obtain on our own. I believe this ultimately fulfilling love and security comes from God, and that He is our loving Father who has adopted us from our helplessness. God has intervened in our tragic states, hearing and knowing our need for adoption - even when we do not know our own need - and providing us a place in His home. May I live in thankful recognition of God's adopting love, and may I continue to pray for Haiti!