Answers to a couple of questions

We've received a few questions from friends and family members about our decision. A few people have asked us if this means that we have chosen not to have any other children of our own. We do still hope and plan to add another biological child to our family. We have always planned on having 2 children and adopting a third, and as John mentioned in an earlier post we're conscious of how long an international adoption can take. We decided it would be wise to start the process earlier rather than later. And, if we're blessed with a biological child in the same time frame, we'll figure it all out:)

Others have asked why we chose to do an international adoption rather than to adopt domestically. I think there were several big reasons that led us in that direction. (John can add to this if I'm missing anything.) First, when we considered the needs of children in other countries it seemed that we would be able to provide opportunities to them that they would not otherwise have. While we are certainly experiencing rough economic times here in the US, it doesn't compare with the level of poverty in a country like Ethiopia. Also, many of the children that we might think of when we consider children in the US who could benefit from assistance are not actually available for adoption. They are still living with parents or other family members. I do believe that we are all called to help these children as well, but that help will be in a different form...not adoption. Finally, as John mentioned, when you choose to adopt domestically you do have to accept the risk of the birth mother or father choosing to rescind the adoption. That's something that I don't think I'm emotionally prepared to deal with. For all of these reasons, we feel that international adoption is the better choice for our family.