Choosing an Agency

This week, we’re in the process of picking our adoption agency. This choice is pretty important, because different agencies have different approaches to conducting the process. We are trying to find out which of those approaches fits our family best.

Some of you will know more about this than I do... so please correct me if I am wrong. From what I understand, some agencies assign a child to a particular family, based on their desired criteria. This family can then accept or deny the child based on whether they feel like they can meet his/her needs. Other agencies list a group of children (often with videos or pictures) several times each year, and potential parents rush to sign up for the child they want. This approach means that someone else might sign up for the child you are pursuing first.

I can see pros and cons to either approach. Even though the agencies with video show only a few seconds of each child, at least “something” about the child’s personality is available. I love that. However, last week I tried to sign up for one sweet little girl, and she was “claimed” before we even had a chance. I would think that this could eventually become very difficult emotionally.

It’s also hard to watch through over forty videos of actual children waiting in need. Watching so many kids living without homes was very sad. I can still see many of their faces when I shut my eyes.

I trust God’s sovereignty, and I know that we will end up with the child we were meant to have from before time began. However, the emotions on this side of the process are new for us.

So we are trying to pick our agency, and we are asking the Lord which method fits our lives best. We would LOVE for you to join with us in praying for direction on that.