Orphan Statistics

These last few days have been so hard! We are waiting for our home study to be finalized so that we can take the next major step in our paperwork process - filing a form with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, an orphan petition.  And our social worker doing our home study is just AWESOME, we feel so blessed that she is our home study worker... so I am trying so hard to just let her finish and not rush her...but it's so hard, I am so ready to finish our documents!

To keep myself from going crazy I thought I would just look up some information on Tanzania, and on orphans and adoption.  Here is what I came across from "The Joshua Tree" Blog, I thought it was worth sharing:

via the SHOW Hope facebook page

*  The births of nearly 230 million children under age 5 worldwide have never been recorded, depriving them of their right to a name and nationality.

* As of 2013, an estimated 17.7 million children worldwide had lost one or both parents to AIDS. Most of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa.

* Last year, 9000 children were adopted internationality.

* 81.5 million Americans have considered adoption. If just 1 in 500 of these adults adopted, every waiting child would have a permanent family. 

Wow. Is adoption something that has ever crossed your mind? I wonder if so many people have considered it at some point because at the very heart of our Creator IS adoption.  Have you ever dug into the Word of God and seen how many Bible stories involve adoption? Including our own adoption story for those of us who love and follow Jesus Christ as our Saviour?