This is a question we have prayed about and discussed at length. First off, God put an initial burden on my heart for SE Asia. Having been there in the past, I have seen first-hand not only the unimaginable living conditions for many of these unwanted children, but I have also seen first-hand the extremely dark area they will grow up in, which essentially means there is little to no hope for these children to ever accept Christ as their Savior and Lord. For example, in the slums of New Delhi, India, I cannot put into words the living conditions. If you have seen Slumdog Millionaire, it does not even come close to what the actual conditions are like. On top of the living conditions, the percentage of Christians in northern India is 0.02%. To bring that home, that would equate to about 400 total Christians in the State of Alabama.
I have put together a brief slideshow giving some staggering statistics about orphans around the world, and specifically in China. The sites that produced the statistics can be found on the links on the side.
We must make a choice! The ultimate question we must ask, “what do I find the greatest joy in doing?” There are only two possible choices in answering that question: 1.) Doing what I want 2.) Doing what God wants. Real lasting joy and satisfaction comes when what we want is the same thing that God wants! That is when real change in our lives occur! As one of our key verses in the picture above says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart,” Ps. 37:4, if we are truly seeking Him, He will change our hearts to want Him more and He will give us more of Himself, which is what we treasure above all else! “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” Matthew 6:21.
Also, the value placed on human life is far different in China than it is here. This is a billboard that targets college age women in a Chinese city that has a huge college population, approximately 11 million college students. Notice her wiping her forehead as if saying "WHEW!"
Here is how this billboard translates:
Students are our future, but when something happens to them, who will help and protect them? Chongqing Huaxi Women’s Hospital has started Students Care Month, where those students who come to get an abortion can get 50% off if they show their student ids. Abortion surgeries are the most advanced in the world, won’t stretch (your womb), won’t hurt, it’s quick, and you can do what you want afterward, it won’t affect your studies or your work.
How sad it is that people advertise the best way to do what you want is to have an abortion. This clinic also advertises “You can get your life back” and have a quick and confidential abortion. In one year, this single clinic has an average of 230,000 abortions. It is also important to note than countless abortions in China are “forced abortions” due to the “one child policy”. This law is a primary driver behind the celebration of boys being born, as the future of the family will depend on him. As a whole, China has far more abortions than the rest of the WORLD COMBINED, approximately 13,000,000 per year with a worldwide total at about 16,000,000. The overwhelming majority of these abortions in China are girls.
With all of these almost unreal statistics presented here, it is no wonder that God has called us to adopt a girl from China. One of the big questions nagging my mind is this, “WHY HAVE I WAITED SO LONG?” I can only trust in God and His timing to answer that question. There is no justification that will suffice, especially in light of His Word.
MAY HIS CHURCH ARISE!
Seeking Him,
Andrew
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