There was a story recently in Merced, CA where I have my business.  One of my clients and I were talking about how this story really causes pause and consideration.  A brand new baby was found in a recycle bin by a man looking for items to redeem to earn enough for his next meal.  He panicked and screamed.  A woman came to find out what was happening and he told her there was a baby in that bin.  She grabbed the baby out, still wet from birth and not appearing to be breathing.  She warmed this little girl by rubbing her chest and then holding her to herself closely.  The little one began coughing and crying and breathing.  This story caused me to long to know whether this little one was being adopted as soon as possible by a loving family.  With some research and getting in touch with an amazing contact inside of social services, I learned that there are over 700 children in Merced’s foster care system alone.

Both of my brothers were adopted, and our family is intimately impacted with love for one another, no difference being present between the two biological siblings and the adopted.  We are absorbed into one another as a family.  My brothers are grown now and becoming their own men.  My soul finds a great deal of joy when I think of the correlations between horizontal adoption of humanity by humanity and vertical adoption of humanity by the Divine God of the Bible.  God, in love, sought out sinful humanity and made a way to be reconciled to Himself through faith in Jesus Christ.  We too can be sons and daughters of the God Who created us, the God we continually are tempted to run from out of fear of Him.  He is indescribably holy and beyond attaining friendship with, and yet He has made a way to be family with Him.  When you’re family with someone you’d otherwise have no ability to connect with, you’re ushered into intimate love and safety with Him, given access to Him so that you can know Him and His benefits for you as family.  He cares for you and is patient to lead and love you like none you’ve ever known.

This is probably why my heart has been burning for the unadopted in both Merced and Tuolumne Counties since I heard this story.  For all I know this little girl is still unadopted, but I’ve been comforted by knowing that two different couples close to Carrie and I are much farther along in the process toward being approved as foster parents, and we’ve made both couples aware of this little one.  My contact inside of social services tells me becoming a foster parent is not that difficult and fost-adoption is a nearly free way to adopted these little ones or older children (an even more desperate situation as older children are far less often adopted).

What would it look like for the body of Christ to empty the system, empty the foster care system of situations where children are not fostered in love (though they are in many cases, but some are being fostered by people only wanting the financial lift from having kids in their home – these abuses of the system are grieving beyond words).  My wife and I are optimistic that we will have another biological child before adopting, yet our burden for these children continues to grow.  My hope is that through posts like these and face-to-face interactions I can be a voice for these little ones.  This is the gospel of Christ like very few other things.  A friend of mine who is very much a leader in this area says that adoption and orphan care is The Visible Gospel.

Much love, friends.

– Torrey