Well Doug and I have been prayerfully considering something about our adoption for a while now and we feel like God is leading us in a certain direction...in a direction we never would have thought but isn't it awesome how God's plans are better than our own!
We have decided to be open to adopting an HIV+ child.
I did a report on Uganda for my school and when I put it together I learned about the major AIDS devastation there. Over half the orphans of Uganda or orphans because of AIDS. God really stirred my heart and now I realize that it was for a reason. Our adoption agency contacted us to let us know they are working with an entire orphanage of HIV+ children and than no one that is adopting through the agency is open to that. There are all these children and no one wants them : (
So we have been praying, discussing it with others, and doing lots of research. As a result of our research we realized that we were really uneducated in regards to HIV. The more we prayed, the more we felt like God was leading us in that direction. Once we learned more about HIV we realized that we are willing to adopt an HIV+ child.
Here is what we learned:
1. Our biological children are at no risk of contracting HIV.
2. That the HIV + child will have a normal life expectancy and a normal life
3. That medication can make HIV relatively undetectable and that an HIV+ child can actually be healthy
So what does this mean? Well this means that we will be adopting an HIV+ child. Being open to an HIV + child when no one else is means that we will be specifically matched with an HIV+ child. It also means that our adoption may be sooner than we had anticipated. We have lots of fundraising to do. We have lots of preparing to do. We have lots of praying to do!
So please will you pray for us? Pray that we will be prepared. Pray that God will provide the funds we need before they are due. Pray for our future child.
Thank you all for your love and support! For your prayers and encouragement!
