James 1:27 says “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” God’s love for the fatherless is made so clear throughout scripture, and we are commanded to relieve them when they are in distress.
Several months ago, through the testimony of a dear friend, the Lord laid a burden on mine and Ryan’s hearts for these precious ones. Every child is made in the image of God and deserves the love and safety that being in a family brings. We know that God has called us to adopt a little girl from India.
According to UNICEF, India is home to an estimated over 30 million orphans. Many of these children live on the streets as beggars and others live in understaffed and underfunded orphanages. Because the dowry system is still in place, little girls are often unwanted and seen as a burden to families. They are often aborted, murdered or abandoned because their parents cannot afford the tens of thousands of dollars it costs for a dowry. Those that do make it to an orphanage will age out by age 6 or 7, where they will be put out on the street as a beggar until they are trafficked as slaves.
As Christians, we could not just turn a blind eye to the horrors these children experience. We knew we had to take action! Jesus did not call us to live a comfortable life; He called us to deny ourselves daily, bear our cross and follow Him. As God’s people, we do not desire to pursue the American dream, rather, we choose to pursue what is precious to the Lord, which are the eternal souls of others. Just as we have been adopted into God’s family, we are so excited to graft our daughter into our family forever!
We would love for you to pray for us as we embark on this journey, and we also greatly desire your encouragement and support along the way! However, adoptions are very expensive, which is why we have set a goal of $40,000. We know everyone cannot adopt, but if the Lord lays a desire on your heart to help fund our adoption, we would be so grateful! We know our God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, and we look forward to seeing His mighty hand throughout this process!
Love, Ryan, Emily, Jude, Eden, Jasper and Emmylou
