Continuing my ask Jamie series today with a question from Kelly:
"My husband and I are prayerfully considering international adoption, and I've read a lot of scary stuff about the very shady ethics that can be involved. I'd love to read any advice from your perspective about how to be sure everything is legit when going through the process."
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Steve and I began our first journey into international adoption in 2005. A lot has changed since then. International adoptions have declined compared to what they were a few years ago. That sounds bad on the surface, but part of the decline is because countries are required to put more steps in place to ensure that ethically all is done as it should be. So in a way, it's a good thing.
But it also means that adoptions can now take two years or more to complete. For those who are curious: Our adoption of Elijah took about six months start to finish, which was even considered radically quick way back then. Trishna's adoption from India took 13 months. This was also a quick process by Indian standards, due to the fact that Trishna had special needs and had already been waiting for a family for four years.
The best thing you can do to make sure you're dealing ethically along the way is to choose a reputable agency that has been facilitating adoptions for a long time. The agency we used for Trishna's adoption is Holt International. They are highly respected, and actually pioneered the first international adoptions from Korea decades ago. I appreciate the fact that they make it clear they are out to advocate for children's best interest around the world, so they have many other efforts aside from adoptions.
To those reading today: Have you completed an international adoption with an agency you loved and trusted? I'll leave the comments open on today's post so you can share your story and leave a link to their website.
Here are a few other posts I've written about adoption:
“Adoption is a beautiful picture of redemption. It is the Gospel in my living room.”
~ Katie J. Davis, Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption
