When Less is More

Paul Harvey used to lament that “noise makes news”—which was a pithy way of saying that journalists are drawn to the negative and the sensational. Fortunately, there are exceptions, and I’d like to tell you about one of them.

This past Friday’s edition of the Denver Post featured an extensive story on its front page by a reporter named Electa Draper. It was entitled:

Adoption Initiative Halves Numbers of Kids Needing Families

Admittedly, I’m a bit biased about the story because it highlights the great work our team here at Focus on the Family has been doing. To quote Ms. Draper:

“The number of Colorado children in foster care awaiting permanent adoption has been cut in half by a partnership between churches and government that places parentless kids in ‘forever homes.’

“When the Colorado Springs-based ministry Focus on the Family began spearheading the ‘Wait No More’ adoption initiative in November 2008, the state had 8,000 children in foster care. That number included almost 800 children who were eligible for adoption because their parents had lost parental rights after the state found serious and repetitive neglect and abuse in their families.

“In early 2010, only 365 children eligible for adoption remain in foster care, said Sharen Ford, manager of permanency services for the Colorado Department of Human Services.”

What’s exciting is that the report beautifully affirms what I felt the Lord was calling us to do several years ago. Having been a child embroiled in the foster-care system, I’m keenly aware of the opportunities out there to give love-starved children a chance at growing up in a stable home. I would urge you to consider doing three things:

1. I hope you’ll take a moment a read the article (click here).
2. If you know of anyone who might be interested in the plight of orphans and troubled children, perhaps you can pass on the link to this story.
3. I hope you’ll prayerfully consider whether the Lord is calling you to minister to children within the foster-care system. The opportunities are many, and the need is great.

I’ll end with a moving message left in response to the Denver Post piece:

“We should all be watching out for the Widows and Orphans and calling the Church to action is a great idea. Those kids will appreciate all your hard work. We have several adopted cousins and enjoy them all. A niece gave the gift of a unplanned baby girl to a family that could not have children and the huge ‘forever’ family celebrated her first birthday this week. It was beautiful.”

Thanks to the help of friends who have given financially to our efforts, the commitment of parents and most importantly, thanks to the favor of the Lord, we have reduced by half the number of waiting children in Colorado!  In a country where most think more is always better than less, I’m so pleased that when it comes to the number of adoptable foster-care children, less is so much better than more.

Thanks for your friendship and support. To learn more about our Adoption/Orphan Care initiative and dozens of other practical programs designed to help families thrive, please visit us at Focus on the Family.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: adoption, family, kids March 9, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura