7%

i heard a statistic at church last week that blew my mind.
our friends had just got home from adopting their little girl, lili-kate, from china and said that if 7% of christians worldwide would adopt 1 orphan, there would be no more orphans.
what? 7%? that is not a very big number.
so i got home and i dug, dug, dug.
here is what i found:
christianity today states that there are 2 billion professed christians worldwide.
cry of the orphan states that there are 130 million orphans worldwide.
so that means that the statistic bobbi made was incorrect. it is not 7%... it's 6.5%! six and a half percent. seriously.

so then i dug deeper.
christianity today also stated that there were 159 million professed christians in the usa.
cry of the orphan stated that there are 500,000 children in the foster care system in the usa.
that means if .3% of professed christians in the united states would take in 1 foster child, they would all have a home. not 1%. not even a half of a percent. but point three percent.
this is ridiculous people
and let's get even more ridiculous
120,000 of those foster kids are waiting for someone to adopt them.
want to hear that percentage?
.07%
i'm not kidding
oh, and did i mention that all of these percentages would significantly drop if we were willing to adopt siblings?

in james chapter 1 we are urged, as the body of christ, to take care of orphans and widows. it's our job. someone has got to do it.
we, as followers of christ, need to rise up. we need to take responsibility for what God has called us to do.

i am well aware of the facts- all of these numbers are not exact. that not everyone is called to adopt. that adoption can be expensive and a lengthy process. that being a foster parent is hard. i know this, trust me. i have friends who have gone down several of these roads. i have worked with foster kids and the foster system at royal family kids camp. i know these things.

but lets just get real here- how many christians have even contemplated adoption?
according to cry of the orphan about a third of all americans (not just christians) have contemplated adoption but only 2% have actually done it. i firmly believe that if more christians would open their hearts to this world, and put aside their fears & feelings, that they may hear God speak to them what He spoke to my husband and i...

"you are called to adopt."
"you have the spirit of adoption on your life."
"you will help take care of my children."

and in God's time, we will. that is why this struck a chord with me... it's what my heart beats for.
as soon as the Lord gives us the go-ahead with our finances & home, we will jump in with both feet into whatever outlet He wants us to- either foster care or adoption.

and if you are not called to adopt or do foster care (which not all of us are), there are many ways you can help. this site helps christian families adopt, both with legal resourses & information on how to get financial help. they take up donations to help fund adoptions for families who may not otherwise be able to afford it. this camp that i spoke of above gives foster children a week of camp- free of charge- so they can experience love, fun, & christ. not only can you make donations to this organization, but you can find one near you to get involved in as a counselor or other helper.

what it boils down to is it's time that we are made aware of these facts. we need to be God's hands, heart, love, & family to those who need it most.

i also firmly believe that as a body who is primarily pro-life we need to realize that these lives that are spared are going to need families to raise & love them. we can't be pro-life without being willing to take care of that life. but that's all another day, another post...