I have been wanting to write this blog for a while, but haven't been sure what to say. God has been showing and telling me little by little and now I think that I can answer the question, "Why Bulgaria?". We get this question a lot. Some people are just curious and some are really asking, "Why not America?". Let me start off by saying that when we started the adoption process, we weren't limiting ourselves to any specific country. And if I am being honest, I thought we would adopt domestically. So we are in no way opposed to adopting children in America! God has given us both an overwhelming burden for orphans. It doesn't matter what country they come from or what race they are. An orphan is an orphan! They all need a family and they all need to be shown the love of God. The idea, that as Americans we should adopt from America only (or first), is absolutely an American mindset not a Christian mindset. We aren't told to only minister to and help our fellow countrymen. In fact, we are told the exact opposite: "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." (Mark 16:15) This command wasn't just for missionaries. We are to love take care of people from every nation. I was reminded of this while reading my devotions this morning. It was the story of the Good Samaritan. (If you don't know it, please read Luke 10:30-37) When Jesus finished telling the story, He asked who had proved themselves to be a neighbor to the wounded man. The answer was, "The one who showed mercy toward him". That speaks volumes to me! "And Jesus said to him, 'Go and do the same'." (Luke 10:37b) We hope one day that God will give us the opportunity to adopt domestically, but we will wait on God's leading. Anyone who is offended or doesn't get it or thinks that we should be adopting domestically, I just ask that you search your heart. It may be that God has placed American orphans on your heart for a reason.
So then... Why Bulgaria?
We started praying for God to prepare us for adoption about 5 years ago. this was before we were even married, but we both already knew that we had a burden for adoption. We did try to get pregnant for almost 3 years, but I hesitate to even tell people that anymore. We are not adopting because we can't have "our own" children! We fully planned to adopt regardless. God has used infertility to get our attention and tell us, "Now, I want you to adopt now, don't wait." So we started looking into it. We got information on adoption agencies and prayed that God would direct us to the right agency. He clearly lead us straight to "All God's Children International". Through them, God directed us to Bulgaria. Do I understand "Why Bulgaria"? Honestly, no. But this morning our pastor preached on two very well-known verses that explained it to me:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths."
(Proverbs 3:5-6)
I don't understand, and I don't need to. But I do know that God has directed us to Bulgaria, and we absolutely believe that is where "our own" children are.
