Morgan:
When we tell people we are adopting internationally, there are usually a few basic reactions: 1) the “wow”, that’s amazing face 2) the “that’s interesting”, pensive look 3) or “why would you do that?” confused expression. It’s enjoyable to watch. But in all honesty, these are the same inward reactions Kort and I had when the Lord was tugging us in this direction. It was a whirlwind of emotions, and we weren’t sure what he was doing. We always said that if we adopted, we would pursue the domestic route. We always said we wanted to help the children that were right around us. We have always been locally focused, hence the whole church planting thing. But God was pushing us out of our comfort zone with this one. He kept bringing us back to His word, gently reminding us that true religion is caring for the widow and the orphan (James 1:27), and that we are missionaries, not only to our city and our country, but we are also held responsible for ministering internationally, to be his “witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). So it is to the ends of the earth (a.k.a Kyrgyzstan) we will go, rescuing one child and fulfilling this ministry he has called, not only us, but all believers to pursue.
With this being said, Kort and I understand the cultural and racial implications that this process brings. We by no means think that because of our white skin color, we have all of the answers and the responsibility to “rescue” our child from his/her race or culture. Indeed, it is quite the opposite. As believers, we have been called to racially reconcile, to love and care for all races and cultures. And this does not mean converting them to the White ways of life. Yes, naturally, our child will spend the majority of his (I’ll use “his” from now on for more clarity) life in a suburb of Houston, and he will adapt to a new culture. But we hope to only nurture his heritage and show him the Lord’s love for all races and backgrounds.
The other day, I had a doubting moment. It was a tough day, and I was discouraged about the whole process. I started to question our decision to adopt internationally, wondering why we chose the international route. It is triple the cost of domestic adoption and potentially triple the waiting time. I thought, “Isn’t there any easier way to do this?” But as always, the Lord was gracious to put my soul at ease. That Sunday, Cory preached a sermon on racial reconciliation, challenging us to be more multi-culturally focused as a church as the scripture calls us to be (check out the sermon HERE). And in that moment, I felt the Lord gently confirm our internationally calling. This is a way he has called us to reconcile racially, by adopting children unlike us, by committing to them and raising them in the truth of the gospel. And although this is our unique story, this isn’t only a call for the Marleys. This is a global, church-wide call. Adoption is a means through which we can celebrate and display the great news of the gospel. The international side peels back a beautiful layer of gospel truth; all peoples are now one people in Christ.
…
Kort:
The current climate of our society is one of racial tension. Growing up as a child of the ’80s and ’90s gave me a unique perspective on race. My parents were children of the ’60s and ’70s and were always vocal in reminding me of the equality of races. I knew of the civil rights movements and understood the significance. Yet, I also always felt we were kind of “over it” as a society. I had friends of different races and I didn’t see them as beneath me. I kind of figured it was a thing of the past.
The news stories coming out of Ferguson and Baltimore in the recent past reveal a different story. Terms like “systemic injustice” and “White privilege” dominate the headlines, while Christian articles online underscore the significance of a whole different idea entirely, namely “White guilt.”
The Scriptures are not silent on the issue of race and injustice. From Old Testament to New, God is seen as the great liberator of slaves (Exodus 20:2) and the one who pleads the cause of the stranger and sojourner in foreign lands (Exodus 12:49; Exodus 22:21). However, like most issues, we do not see a more clear response from God to racial inequality than in the person and work of Jesus.
Jesus was a Galilean carpenter who was raised under Jewish law. Racial and ethnic squabbles were common in his day, as Roman rule was so widespread that the kingdom itself touched most of the ancient world. Jesus commonly leaned into racial and ethnic tension with clear, objective truth. He sat with a Samaritan woman and dialogued about worship (John 4), he boldly discussed ministerial priorities along ethnic lines with a Syrophoenician woman, ending the conversation with a strong commendation of her faith over his Jewish brothers (Mark 7:24-30). Jesus came to preach the gospel to the house of Israel, but his message of ethnic inclusion and racial reconciliation was so strong that it almost got him killed in his hometown (Luke 4:14-30).
The power of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection towards racial reconciliation did not come to full fruition until after his ascension
as his disciples looked to respond to his mandate to make disciples of all
nations (Matthew 28:18). The message would no longer be a Jerusalem mainstay,
but would be proclaimed all over the world. Samaritans would believe (Acts
8:4-13), Ethiopian officials (Acts 8:26-40) and even Italians would soon be
reconciled into the fold of God (Acts 10). Paul, speaking to the Gentile
Ephesians writes:
“Remember that you were [once] separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:12-13
Paul acknowledges that there was a cost that had to be paid
to bring in the distant nations of the world who were ignorant and had no
knowledge of God. Israel had the covenants and the promise. They had the law
and ordinances of God. He had revealed himself on Sinai and countless times throughout
history. But now, a new people were to be brought near. This people who were
far off and ignorant to God and his ways. The blood of Jesus has brought both the near and far together under one glorious name. Paul continues:
“And he came and
preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For
through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no
longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and
members of the household of God.” Ephesians 2:17-19
As the story unfolds, we begin to see God’s precious
tapestry of grace displaying a snapshot of the heart of God for all people.
Adopting a child internationally is not namely about doing a
good deed for the unfortunate. It is not about making up for our ancestors
shameful history to appease the “White guilt” that we may subconsciously carry.
No, it is about joining in the glorious work of redemptive history.
International adoption is about being a magnifying glass to the world and revealing
God’s grandiose plan to redeem all nations, tongues, ethnicities, and races unto
himself. And not only does he bring us in to make us citizens of his kingdom, he
makes us children in his house.
In some odd months or years, Morgan and I will make the arduous
trek to the Kyrg Republic. We will be take two or three plane rides, each for over 24 hours, and land in a foreign country. We will pay a high cost to be there. It will be
taxing and tedious. We won’t know the language, we won’t know the culture, and
we will incur all the risks. Our hearts will be on the line. And once we stand
before the judge and receive the rights as full parents, we will do a few
glorious things.
We will change our child’s name. He/she will bear the name of his/her mom and dad.
We will change our child’s citizenship. He/she will have a new country – a new nation.
We will bring him/her home to our house. He/she will have a new home – son or daughter.
We will pay the price.
He/she will never pay a dime or do a thing for this love. It is the cost we
want to pay.
We will be one family.
He/she may have different skin tone, different heritage, different
genes, but we will all share in the same great God and Savior.
International adoption is about more than just getting a kid
and pursuing racial reconciliation. It is about the glory of God.
Adoption Update:
Thank you to everyone who has helped us financially,
emotionally, and spiritually through this process so far. It has gone very
smoothly, and for that, we are extremely grateful. To update everyone, we just
completed the Home Study and Dossier portion of the adoption, which we have
been working on since June. It was a lot of paperwork, a lot of scanning &
signing, and a lot of talking, but the Lord was gracious enough to sustain us
through it all! Just this week (October 14th to be exact), Kort drove to Austin to take our papers to get
apostilled. Strange word, I know. In layman’s terms, the state has to put their
stamp of approval on all of the notarized documents we have, verifying that
everything is legitimate. Now that that portion is complete, we will send that
off to our Kyrgyzstan representative, he will send it to the ministry of
Kyrgyzstan where it will be translated, and they will begin reviewing and
examining our whole lives on paper. In the meantime, we are going to begin our
USCIS process (dealing with immigration for our child). This process can take a
couple of months. Again, thank you all for you support thus far.
We ask that you continue to pray for continued fluidity in
the next several months, and more importantly, that we would be placed on the
referral waiting list sooner than later. In addition, we are coming up against
some major financial responsibilities. In the next couples of weeks or so, we
are going to have to shell out close to $10,000. We have a small portion of
that ready to go, but we are short about $7,500. Deep breaths. In all honesty,
we completely trust the Lord in this. We know he will provide the money we need
along the way. With that being said, we still understand our responsibility to
take action in order to raise and gather the funds. This blog series serves
that purpose- to remind our friends and family (and strangers) of the wonders
of adoption and to allow the Lord to move on hearts to give. If you cannot give
financially, we ask that you would continue to pray for us! Though it is not
tangible like green paper, it is even much more crucial to the process!
If you would like to give financially, you may do so here:
Thank you for supporting the Marley family and for helping
us bring our little one home.
