All of our nearest friends are 100% supportive of us adopting internationally. But people just want to know out of curiosity why not adopt domestically? Occasionally (rarely) you feel the person is critical, wondering if we don't care about our own kids in our own country. Or they don't understand the costs. And I sometimes find myself asking the same questions, so I don't want to be critical of these folks being critical :O).
In short, we've always been open to many options for adoption. We signed up to be foster parents while in California, but we moved to Texas before that was completed. Foreign adoption seems to be the path we've been on and a calling for our lives (for several reasons).
I've posted on this before, but I'll summarize. We were lead to foreign adoption, at first, because it seemed like it might be easier to adopt abroad than here in the states, in that parents in foreign adoption are matched with a child by an agency, as opposed as a birth mother picking the parents from scrap books provided by the parents (note: I have learned since then, that not all matches are made this way domestically). You just wonder, would a birth mother pick us (we are getting older, and we don't have a ranch or anything like that makes our family stand out among the others)? And then would she change her mind? Then, in many cases, the adoption isn't complete until a year, and the birth mother could come back for the child. I don't have the same level of fears or concerns now, as I did then. But being younger, and perhaps wanting a more normal parenting experience and less risk, this is how we thought.
We also liked the idea of going abroad. I've always had a heart for the world and cross-culture missions, so foreign adoption was appealing in that sense. However, we also have a heart for children here, of course, so it isn't so much that one option was good and the other bad, but just that we preferred one way, and then became more knowledgeable, and "in love" about that particular pathway.
I feel now more equipped to handle various circumstances that caused me more fear when I was younger. I think Chris feels the same way. All children want to be loved and respond well to love. This is our confidence and He can provide the strength to go through many situations. As we grow, we give up certain things, and you learn that you can't always control the outcome, but you can love.
So, that is why in a nutshell.
We don't see ourselves as heroes in any way, but just willing to be used as vessels of His love, and not to earn anything. We are flawed people ourselves and we need grace. We find a lot of joy in our lives, not without struggles, and we feel we have something to share with one, or two more little ones (girls, it seems!) added to our lives. We will mysteriously become a family, even though we're not related by blood, and those bonds will be stronger than race or culture because this is a "God thing" that lasts forever, a picture of His adoption of us into His family. Culture and race are not entirely insignificant, these differences can be celebrated, but not nearly as significant as our family bonds we will grow.
About the cost. It is quite a bit more than domestic adoption, especially when you figure in travel. It is funny how people don't blink when we spend this kind of money on a car. How much more precious is a soul? Some people think it shouldn't cost at all to adopt. I am very sympathetic to that view!! ha ha. But the people that work in adoption should get paid. This is why I think giving towards adoption is also a way that all God's people can contribute.
Why Bulgaria? I guess it could be answered as "Why not Bulgaria?" It was the country our agency suggested. We have some good friends who are Bulgarian and we feel a connection already with the country. It is also similar to Russia in many ways and we are familiar with that country. We are looking forward to learning and experiencing more about Bulgaria, and continuing that interest for a lifetime.
Thanks for reading my post, please pray for our adoption and for the orphans both here and abroad, and including those with severe medical needs that are more difficult to adopt.
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