Why can't adopting be easy and inexpensive?

By Lonny:
I have had this question cross my mind many times. I don't claim to know all of the answers but I did have this thought. Maybe God knows that true happiness and joy comes with hard work and sacrifice.
It has been such a wonderful experience for us to be part of our friends experience adopting these two children: twomore.blogspot.com/. People have been so generous with time, clothing, baked goods, and, of course, money. As I watch the money being raised I see in all of those involved, " when we're helping we're happy". I think that God often gives us these impossible situations so that we have to work together to solve them. In working together and serving each other we develop a greater love for each other and find much more happiness in life.

Guiding Principles of a Perpetual Education Fund

As I participated in a discussion about this Perpetual Adoption Fund idea on linked-in, I found myself creating a long list of guiding principles that would be important to include as part of this concept. Below are my comments as posted on that site:
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First of all - it's important for us all to realize that there is a big difference between being able to afford to RAISE children and being able to raise the funds to ADOPT them. This is not about sending children to homes that don't have the resources to raise them. It's the upfront cost that is prohibitive. It would be essential, of course, to closely screen applicant families and make sure that the resources were available and it was a loving home where the children would be better off than where they are now. It's not about letting young families adopt "willy nilly" - for heaven's sake, adoption is a HUGE commitment, everyone in this discussion is aware of that. This isn’t about just writing out a check for the asking. There would have to be a thorough application and screening process, along with a commitment to pay back the loan, perhaps one small payment at a time over a 20+ year period, with additional contributions encouraged from the children themselves when they are grown.

I believe that it's totally unfair to say that a family that doesn't have $30-$60K of liquid cash in the bank is somehow not able to afford to raise them. How in the world can a typical family come up with that kind of money quick enough to make it worth it? If it takes years of regular "saving up", the child would be all grown up before the adoption ever took place.

Genola couple proposes the start of a perpetual adoption fund

By Lonny:
This is a great article about the Morfords.
Daily Herald

Sponsoring a family from Laos

By Lonny:
Adoption is  a great way to help an individual to have a family. It is not always possible for families to make such a big commitment. One way to help other families is to sponsor refugees and help them to get on their feet.
I will always remember the surprise and excitement in our family when my father announced that we were going to have a refugee family from Laos. We were living in the lower level of our farm house and made room for their family in the bedroom next to my parents. We were packed in very tight but I don't remember too much about that. What I do remember is learning from these humble people and having fun playing with the children.
I remember when Pang the 12 year old boy shot a bird out of the tree with a wrist rocket and brought it in for his mother to prepare for dinner.
We were shocked as we butchered a pig and the father went and cleaned out the intestines saying in very broken English "Lao eat. Good".  We decided that we would take his word for it.
After several weeks we were able to secure a small home for them in town and a job for the father at a local factory. It was sobering for us to hear the stories from their country and appreciate more the freedoms and protections that we had here.
It was challenging for my family to have another family that didn't speak any English live with us but it was a wonderful experience that we will always think of with fondness.

Snatched from Death

By Lonny:
In conjunction with my work in Ethiopia, I have had the opportunity to work with some wonderful people that are involved in helping Ethiopian orphans and abandoned children. I can happily report that these children are the lucky ones. They have all been adopted now and are doing well. There are many others that are not so fortunate.
In some areas of rural Ethiopia the villagers have many superstitions. If certain conditions are not met or criteria followed they feel that the child is a curse to the village. At this point they will blame anything bad that happens in the village on the child. The parents are required to take the child outside the village and leave it. It is felt that when the child leaves the village the curse will be lifted. Most of these superstitions focus around the conception and birth of the baby or its early toddler years. Up until recently these defenseless babies left outside the village are taken by hyenas. In some cases the child is thrown into the river for the crocodiles.

Several individuals and groups have come forward to rescue these children. The villages only require that the child "with the curse" leave the village. When there is a child that is identified as a "cursed" child the villagers can contact these groups and they will come rescue the child. How sad it is that these wicked traditions have developed. I salute these people that give of their time and resources to save these children. Their next challenge is to find a home for these wonderful little ones.

Our hope is that with the Perpetual Adoption Fund we can make it possible for more families that want children to have them even if they don't have the immediate cash to pay for them. It will also provide a way for those that may not be able to adopt themselves but have the financial resources to help to be involved in this miraculous work.

Intense discussion on Linked In

By Lonny:
When Marsh mentioned the idea of a Perpetual Adoption Fund to me I immediately liked it and saw a great need for it. Although I haven't adopted children myself, I watched as many close friends and family members have adopted. It is a wonderful miracle for all of those involved and usually comes with great sacrifice. I wanted to help get this idea off the ground. Marsh has asked me to post on the blog so here it goes.

I posted the following comments on an LDS Professionals discussion group on Linked In:

"We are familiar with the miraculous affects of the Perpetual Immigration Fund and the Perpetual Education Fund. What about a Perpetual Adoption Fund? Young families that could and want to adopt can't.

Adoption is very expensive as my good friend Marsh is finding out. His idea was the PAF: http://www.perpetualadoption.blogspot.com/. Have any of you had experiences with financing adoption or know people that have overcome the financial hurdle to adoption?"

It has been interesting to see the comments flood in. Several people have shared their touching experiences of bringing these special spirits into their homes. Others have expressed support for the idea of  this fund. One person has been very negative in his comments stating that encouraging adoption especially international adoption is just burdening our society with more people that use government programs to fund their family.

How much does adoption cost the government (us taxpayers)? I will have to research this issue. In the meantime I love hearing the miraculous adoption stories. Please post yours as a comment here.