fostering hope in ghana

one of the things you have to come to grips with when you start an adoption is that its costs money.
a lot of money.
in the end, though, its not EVER about buying a child.  it is ransom money.  every penny gets you closer to gathering YOUR child into your arms.
think of it this way: if your child was taken from you and placed in the deepest, darkest jungle on the other side of the world, is there anything that would be too difficult or too costly to get them back?  no, of course not.  and when you are called to adoption, that is exactly how you feel.  YOUR CHILD is out there somewhere, waiting for you...of course there is no amount of money too great, no hoop too ridiculous to jump through, no dance you are not willing to learn so you can welcome them into your home.

that said....we spent a lot of time researching adoption agencies.  since we were going to be spending a lot of money, we wanted that money to be used in a way that would do more than simply bring our child into our arms.  we wanted to work with an agency that would help to keep families together and alleviate the orphan problem worldwide.
this is why we love bethany christian services (www.bethany.org).
they have foster programs and small business loans and gobs of other GREAT ideas in place in so many countries around the world.  in the US, they support birthmothers who choose to keep their babies and help them get back on their feet.  these are the things we believe in.  these are the things that help to keep families together.  adoption is ONE of MANY solutions to help orphans!  we love that our support of bethany christian services helps more than just our family...

here's a nice little article about what bethany is doing in ghana:  Fostering Hope in Ghana