tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post4791971555891504985..comments2023-09-02T05:01:04.782-05:00Comments on Fleas Biting: Saddleback Church Orphan Summit: Five Reasons Why Rick Warren and Kay Warren Got it Wrong on Adoption and Orphan CareDesireehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00379871315468470235noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-76096297847359911872013-10-27T14:40:38.547-05:002013-10-27T14:40:38.547-05:00When I lived and worked in Indonesia, looking for ...When I lived and worked in Indonesia, looking for Oil, I saw lots of impoverished children every day. To do my part I partnered with local believers who set up 12 Orphan Homes in Country with about 200 impoverished children. These homes survive on about 1 USD per day per child. Such is life in Indonesia.<br /><br />In these homes the children live with an Indonesian House Family. They are clothed and fed and sent to the Public Schools. Each day they have a well regimented schedule of prayer, breakfast, school, playtime, dinner, chapel and so on. If I were to bring any of them to the states for adoption I would be removing them from everything they have ever known. With these children I believe it is God's will that they remain where they are provided men like me and others continue to sustain their needs. Here is a clip I shot of 27 of the Tsunami Orphans in their rental house where they lived before we were able to build them a proper home where they recently moved into.<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCKlHSRZOhI "Tsunami Orphans"<br /><br />You can learn more about Indonesia's Imercy Ministry at this site:<br /><br />www.imercy.org<br /><br />I work with Orphans in 7 Asian Nations and here is my site:<br /><br />www.acts1726.com<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-78055709003950188132012-08-15T22:23:36.975-05:002012-08-15T22:23:36.975-05:00David,
I was not at the Summit you are speaking o...David,<br /><br />I was not at the Summit you are speaking of, but I have been to others. As a parent who has adopted internationally twice (both older), I appreciate the candor of this post. I have so many things that I would like to tell the Christian community about this subject. I would say that adoption is the worst possible thing you could do to your family unless you were 100% sure that God Himself was leading you into it. It is shameful to see so many Christian leaders guilting people into adoption. Where are these leaders when the adopting families are on the verge of insanity from all the stress and dysfunction? <br /><br />It would be great to talk with someone about how to bring balance to the conversation, and how to do so with grace and without causing a schism in the church. I know there are a lot of emotions on both sides of this issue, but I believe that the church is 5 years away from massive blowback which will have resulted from so many families going into adoption blindly. I believe the church has a mandate to care for orphans, but I also believe there is a better way to do it. It just takes a lot more time, thought, and planning that our current model.Ande Underwoodhttp://andeunderwood.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-40002090545409471322012-07-03T16:36:40.340-05:002012-07-03T16:36:40.340-05:00David--I would have to agree with you concerning t...David--I would have to agree with you concerning the adoption of healthy babies...there must be a tremendous amount of fraud going on in that area and I wouldn't ever adopt one of these children for fear that the child was stolen, etc. However, as a parent who has adopted 6 children from foster care (five were older children) and am now in the process of adopting two older children from Eastern Europe who have special needs, I think you are not considering the "whole picture" here. Praise God if you are right and the number of true orphans is WAY less than the 163 million or 137 million or whatever. That is awesome to hear! But to imply that almost all of the children in orphanages have family who visit them is way off. The two boys we are adopting haven't been visited by a relative since they were placed in their orphanages many years ago. They've been raised in a place with only their basic needs being met. They are extremely undernourished, one of the boys went blind in one eye because his crossed eyes weren't taken care of, etc. etc. Is it better to leave these boys in an orphanage, or give them a mother and a father who love them? Are you aware of the statistics for boys who age out of the orphanage system? Drugs, suicide, crime--that's what most of them will face. True, our adopting two children is not even a drop in the bucket, but my husband and I can do what we can. I don't know how all of the countries work but I am pretty familiar with several from EE and they DO NOT make the children available for adoption if they have family members visiting them!!!! In fact, my friend was recently in Ukraine adopting a little boy with Down Syndrome and she became very close with a five-year-old boy who was not available for adoption because his mother comes to the orphanage once every six months so that she won't lose her parental rights. Another little boy we are considering adopting right now is completely immobile and his mother gave him up at birth at the hospital even though doctors told her that he would likely have significant improvement in time. I think you're right that it's extremely important for the church to feed the poor and keep families together and that a child should NEVER be taken from parents who are trying to care for him/her. And I hope that you are spending as much time organizing such efforts as you are at trying to convince people that all types of International Adoption are a bad idea. It's heinous that child trafficking can go on under the guise of adoption--that absolutely breaks my heart. But do you have any first-hand knowledge as to some of the atrocities that go on in some orphanages? I mean complete emotional neglect, near starvation, teenage children who are under 30 pounds due to failure to thrive, etc. And you might think that if we just gave more money to these countries then they would be able to better care for the children in orphanages, but you'd have to deal first with the value they put on life when a human being has mental and physical disabilities. So, like I said before, I think your entire article is right-on if you are speaking only of healthy infants and toddlers, but try to be aware that there are older children who are TRUE orphans and that it is right for the Christian community to do the hard work of taking these children into a family rather than just think they're doing their part by throwing some money into a system when they don't even know if that will do any good. My main problem with the Rick Warren conference is that adopting children with special needs was not more of a point being brought up. But like one of your writers above commented, his heart is in the right place.Lisanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-74750735806506290392012-06-04T13:37:50.453-05:002012-06-04T13:37:50.453-05:00Thanks for responding and I look forward to that p...Thanks for responding and I look forward to that post (this is still Kim from above, just changed my blogger name). My husband and I are currently adopting from foster care. Our preference is older children in large sibling groups but I still struggle with how some of these kids came into care in the first place and maybe shouldn't have but it's too late to undo the damage or TPRs. The entire adoption industry is very broken.Vertical Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10733718946646058007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-88838961301002840432012-06-01T18:11:37.927-05:002012-06-01T18:11:37.927-05:00I agree with much of your blog. There are heinous ...I agree with much of your blog. There are heinous abuses of adoption throughout the U.S. and globally. But as mentioned above, please follow up this blog with suggestions for change. I am sure the Warrens' and other Christians' hearts are in the right place and would be open to learning about and avoiding any hint of corruption in their adoption processes. Additionally, being educated about family reunification would, I'm sure, be welcomed.<br /><br />My own church strongly encourages its members to sponsor children through a charity called Chosen Children of Promise. Our pastor went to Zimbabwe personally to see the work they were doing there and to review their books. Rather than take these kids, many of whom are orphans, living with extended family or one parent, out of their villages, they stay there but are fed, clothed and educated through our donations. We do have church members who have adopted both domestically and internationally, including our family. <br /><br />To even imply that there are only monetary considerations involved is to be monumentally cynical. Yes, there is trafficking in babies. I am not naive. But there are families who desire children. And as an adoptive parent myself, I can tell you that these children bring more joy, pain, craziness, and fullness to life than anything else. We were capable of having another bio child, but felt that a child whose future was bleak, and possibly might be very short, was more important than blood. We don't regret our decision. And yes, I sure do wish it had been cheaper.pattinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-64384737183539922712012-05-20T17:30:07.451-05:002012-05-20T17:30:07.451-05:00With the amount of travel the Warrens do it would ...With the amount of travel the Warrens do it would be unethical for them to adopt. They do far more for orphans by using their enormous pulpit to advocate on behalf of orphans.Timhttp://www.fosterpodcast.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-53852101796004276752012-05-20T17:27:29.398-05:002012-05-20T17:27:29.398-05:00I firmly agree with you that Christians are making...I firmly agree with you that Christians are making mistakes in international adoption and it's our responsibility to have integrity and follow the highest standards. I was at Orphan Summit and I really liked what Rick and Kay Warren had to say. I think there are some unfair assumptions being made here and I hope I can illuminate and clarify a bit.<br /><br />I heard Rick and Kay saying that we need to stop building orphanages and start getting kids into families. Can anyone involved in orphan care seriously disagree with that? That doesn't necessarily mean international adoption is THE solution. The conversation about family-based care is expanding and being implemented in more places. <br /><br />Many of the conversations you said should have been happening at Orphan Summit were indeed happening. They just weren't part of the live web-feed. They were in smaller, more focused breakout sessions. Perusing the list of breakout sessions would probably give you some idea of the topics being discussed outside of the large venue topics.<br /><br />It should be pointed out that the Christian Alliance for Orphans is a sponsoring organization of the Faith to Action Initiative, which promotes best practices in adoption. Jedd Medefind (president of CAFO) is part of the advisory group. group. http://faithbasedcarefororphans.org/index.html <br /><br />I agree with you that Ambassador Jacobs statement that there has never been any abuse from a Hague Convention country was laughably false. As much as I might agree with the Hague Convention, that's an enormous difficult thing to assert. There are still abusive adoptions within the United States, how could anyone seriously claim that there hasn't been at least one incident?<br /><br />Also, I feel it should be clarified that it wasn't Saddleback Church's Orphan Summit. The summit was put on by the Christian Alliance for Orphans and it was hosted by Saddleback Church. Last year it was in Georgia, next year in Tennessee.Timhttp://www.fosterpodcast.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-84638007174797824512012-05-17T00:32:15.487-05:002012-05-17T00:32:15.487-05:00I have also been really uncomfortable with Christi...I have also been really uncomfortable with Christians using scripture out of context to support their stance - I am not sure if it is simply the biblical illiteracy that is so prevalent in the American church (though that does not excuse the pastors who ought to know better, but maybe they rely on the ignorance of their congregations to push their agenda). I am not sure how I could look into the eyes of my adopted kids and tell them God intended that I be their mother. NO! His first and best plan for their lives would have been for them to be raised by their birth parents in a godly and intact family. I am a far second choice who stepped in because we live in a very fallen world and due to people's free will and the resultant circumstances that led to their becoming orphans, it became necessary that they be adopted.<br /><br />I also become a little suspicious when people claim God called them to adopt from a specific country - as though somehow God has a hierarchy of favored status for orphans - young pretty girls preferably from Eastern Europe, China, Korea and if you must go darker - then Ethiopia. Somehow, God seems silent about all the waiting older children in less desirable countries like Ghana or AA newborns in America. I think we all start off with a preference and then make choices and based on those preference and use God to justify our choices so that we don't really have to look too deeply into our own motivations or so that we can seem more righteous in the choices we made. And there is really nothing wrong to have a preference, but I cannot find any theological basis for some of these "callings". <br /><br />I think it is hard for most Americans to conceptualize a child being happy in a birth family that is not able to provide all the material possessions we deem a must for a child in America, but that does not really justify a child being taken from a birth family because of poverty simply because they can be offered "so much more" in the America. It is a harder sell to support families to remain intact because of poverty than to support an orphanage or IA. <br /><br />I am not sure what the end result will be, but like every new fad in Christianity, this too shall pass. Hopefully soon, without destroying so many families - both at home and abroad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-85752591701416602222012-05-16T23:09:57.732-05:002012-05-16T23:09:57.732-05:00Karen----Can you cite the "thorough" inv...Karen----Can you cite the "thorough" investigation that "found the agency did nothing illegal nor unethical" in the Ethiopian adoption case cited in my post? I have been in touch with one of the families involved in this Ethiopian case, and reviewed the documents---and also been in touch with U.S. reporters investigating it---and the evidence is very strong regarding the misconduct. Virtually everyone I know with any realism at this point---from U.S. adoption agencies to the U.S. State Department to activists---is at this point quite aware of much misconduct in Ethiopian adoptions---so why do you minimize it? I don't understand why supposed supporters of ICA feel this need to ignore or deny misconduct? It is true that under current rules a U.S. agency can repeatedly place children for adoption to the U.S. where the paperwork is fraudulent and the children are not legally eligible for adoption, and yet the U.S. agency can say that it has done nothing illegal or unethical---and get away with it. But that is a condemnation of the system, not a defense of it. As to your adoptions----I certainly believe that some adoptions do help children truly in need----but denying and minimizing the wrongdoing only makes it harder to reach the children truly in need of a family. A system that will not admit its problems cannot correct itself; and a system that cannot correct itself will break down. Tearing down adoptive families who report wrongdoing as you implicitly do in your reply only makes it less likely that the system will survive to help the children who are truly in need.David Smolinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14870233904521418395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-43933022092561282302012-05-16T22:59:10.807-05:002012-05-16T22:59:10.807-05:00Kim----this is a great question. In some ways it...Kim----this is a great question. In some ways it illustrates how broken the international adoption system is----it is too bad that we can't rely on even the "good" agencies to guide us but the truth is that we usually can't. We learned that the hard way. We definitely believe, with you, that the "wise as serpents, innocent as doves" scripture should be applied to adoption. I hope to do a blog post on your question before too long, but my initial thought is that so much depends on why one is adopting and what kinds of children one is, in prudence, prepared to handle. There definitely are children from the U.S. foster care system truly in need of families--- with over 100,000 freed for adoption---but of course these tend to be much older and come with very difficult issues. Not everyone is prepared to handle this kind of child; and those not able to handle it should not do it, in my opinion. On the other hand, for those who simply want a baby to parent due to fertility issues, one has to be clear on what the motivations really are---and the reality that there are too many people who want a healthy baby, and not very many babies at all legitimately available for adoption. The next step is to realize that the vast majority of "legitimate orphans out there who are in desperate need of a family"---as you put it---are much more like the children in the U.S. foster care system, than like the healthy, normal babies so many want to adopt. Anyway, these are just some starting thoughts in response to your question....David Smolinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14870233904521418395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-4203890026032706432012-05-16T22:44:49.700-05:002012-05-16T22:44:49.700-05:00Thanks for listing this post on your blog. I was ...Thanks for listing this post on your blog. I was just reading your blog....a nice mix of materials and topics. I particularly appreciated your pastor's wisdom on grief. Like you, we also home-school. This is not the place where we talk about that, but Desiree has some good materials on that as well....David Smolinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14870233904521418395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-27705690499572101922012-05-16T22:32:52.921-05:002012-05-16T22:32:52.921-05:00Thanks for your comments. We hope people will lis...Thanks for your comments. We hope people will listen to you as you describe your experiences in Uganda, and that you both will continue to be active in sharing your experiences, even if sometimes it seems that few are listening. I would encourage you to be very specific in detailing the "horrendous stories" you are seeing regarding international adoption in Uganda.David Smolinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14870233904521418395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-46324477280986990282012-05-16T21:47:22.620-05:002012-05-16T21:47:22.620-05:00Hi David,
I have been following your writings for ...Hi David,<br />I have been following your writings for some time, and I truly appreciate what you are doing to raise awareness about the often devastating impact of adoptions, not only on the children, but on the natural and adoptive parents as well. Once big money is added to the mix, the profit-taking child trafficking indu$try takes over. Adoption has life-long consequences that extend into future generations; most people refuse to hear and accept the truth about it. The wounds never heal from being separated from one's natural family, and, in fact, actually intensify as time goes on. Real people of God support family preservation, and in the cases of actual orphans support permanent, legal guardianships. Children do not need to have their names changed, their identities erased, or their adoptive parents listed on an altered birth certificate "as if" they had given birth to the child. There are healthier, safer, more Christian ways to address the issues of poverty here and abroad than promoting adoption as part of God's plan...Chad Rancherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00087307502003629366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-33658158053116616762012-05-14T23:13:46.274-05:002012-05-14T23:13:46.274-05:00Bravo! Very well stated. To help the orphan involv...Bravo! Very well stated. To help the orphan involves so much more than adoption. Two of my three adopted daughters are special needs - and in reality would be dead had they stayed in their home country. For them, IA was - right now - the only available solution. My third daughter was abandoned at birth - probably because of her gender, but it is as likely that it was because of poverty or other cultural factors. For her - right now - IA was the option, but we need to be working to change those thinks in the world that will help as many children as possible stay with their families. There is one right way - Rick Warren's way - according to many. <br /><br />The only criticism I have with your assessment is the reference to the Ethiopian news coverage of the alleged issues with a Christian agency. This was the only news coverage - and a thorough investigation found the agency did nothing illegal nor unethical. It was a US agency - and only the Australian news would cover the issue because there was such unreliable evidence to accuse. I am not saying that a Christian agency is not capable of corruption - only that in the instances cited proved to be poor examples of it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-64332315563676612012-05-11T14:12:00.554-05:002012-05-11T14:12:00.554-05:00Very good points. I found myself nodding along, ev...Very good points. I found myself nodding along, even where I didn't want to agree. We are an adoptive family and I am so thankful for my children - yet, we are all too aware of the tragic consequences of their loss. Consequences that we will all deal with for years to come. I certainly did not understand the magnitude of that before we adopted (and I don't mean RAD). I will be sharing this on facebook and hopefully my blog when I can wrap my head around my own thoughts...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09629566265778204962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-76621403222198262952012-05-11T08:30:02.466-05:002012-05-11T08:30:02.466-05:00I blog about older child adoption and linked to th...I blog about older child adoption and linked to this article on my blog today. www.deathbygreatwall.comDanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09387768856636087077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-47143777814130740812012-05-10T16:44:51.941-05:002012-05-10T16:44:51.941-05:00Thank you for capturing the errors in this movemen...Thank you for capturing the errors in this movement so succinctly. I'd like to hope its leaders will take your words to heart, but they're in it way to deeply to admit their own mistakes, I think.Third Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06310395341252295955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-44108882064913753692012-05-09T17:15:59.830-05:002012-05-09T17:15:59.830-05:00I believe Rick Warren could have a great impact on...I believe Rick Warren could have a great impact on the church,by funding keeping families together and not tearing them apart for the sake of the growth of the church. I fear when I see this number of orphans miscalculated what is actually going on is stealing children from their families and their own religions and heritage to be raised as Christians and therefore adding to God's kingdom this way. This is not biblical. His efforts would be better served helping these impoverished nations. How many programs has he started or developed to help those impoverished nations? The money spent on each adoption would make a huge impact on the families lives overseas and be able to keep families together and lift them out of poverty all together. If you have 30,000 to spend on an adoption, you have 30,000 to give to keep a family together and help them rise out of poverty. I would imagine that 30,000 could help a whole village.<br />That is just my feeling. As an adult adoptee and Christian the whole idea just sickens me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-58165639387624398072012-05-09T01:34:12.526-05:002012-05-09T01:34:12.526-05:00Great summary David. I wanted to watch the livest...Great summary David. I wanted to watch the livestream but couldn't due to many factors over here in Uganda. I agree, the truth isn't being told and I believe so many Christians are being horribly misguided. From being on the ground here in Uganda and working within this field we see and hear daily horrendous stories to do with international adoption. The adopters are either very naive or are choosing to turn a blind eye and justify certain behaviours as "cultural", "thats just the way they do things here" etc. Most we find don't want to hear the truth and think you are anti internatioanl adoption when you talk about ethics and doing all you can to resettle and support the birth family to have their child back. Its quite incredible. The enemy comes to kill, seek and destroy and that is wha I believe he is doing. I believe in all my heart now,that the spirit that is fueling this movement certainly isn't the Holy spirit. It's a shame, but I am still hoping that what the devil has meant for bad, God can use for good. Thanks for speaking out against injustice and pursing and sharing truth.Mark and Keren Rileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07830833836251302508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-22214920273899614142012-05-08T16:08:37.176-05:002012-05-08T16:08:37.176-05:00If you must use the word adopt, the command would...If you must use the word adopt, the command would be to adopt a fatherless family, not adopt an orphan.<br /><br />The way we practice adoption in Western civilization is a lot more about ownership, and a lot less about true religion.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-1952863868791078612012-05-08T12:33:32.127-05:002012-05-08T12:33:32.127-05:00Thanks! Just read your prior blog on born of or ...Thanks! Just read your prior blog on born of or adopted by God, which was great!! The church needs to hear from more people from within who can challenge the obvious defects in the adoption movement's theology. Please do more on this! And please comment on your blog when the Journal of Christian Legal Thought adoption issue comes out---hopefully in less than a month.David Smolinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14870233904521418395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-24594498911883212112012-05-08T12:29:25.991-05:002012-05-08T12:29:25.991-05:00Thanks for your comment! The sessions on traumati...Thanks for your comment! The sessions on traumatized children, attachment, etc., were breakout sessions by a specialist, who from I could see probably knows what she is talking about---and who also implicitly rejected much of the bad parenting advice that floats around the Christian adoption world. Refreshing. It was Karyn Purvis, and her materials on the "connected child" sound like what has been called elsewhere "Attachment Parenting"---except adapted to traumatized children, and supported by brain science research. It would be applicable to both abused/neglected foster care children in the U.S., and also to what is called the "post-institutionalized child,"---i.e., children who come from low quality institutional care, particularly when they were infants/toddlers, as has been common in Eastern Europe. The issues you raise are somewhat different: the core adoption issue of loss, as you obviously know well and state, applies to all adoptees. Unfortunately, I didn't hear much at the conference that could constitute a serious introduction to the core adoption issues of loss, identity, etc. Of course I wasn't there---I was watching it through the web streaming---so couldn't see most of the breakout sessions. Generally speaking, though, I think one problem with the movement is that too many of the leaders are adoptive parents of still young adopted persons, who are still often naive about how adoptees feel as they grow up. However, since a part of the movement focuses on the foster care system, and some have adopted post-institutionalized children internationally, and since these difficulties are immediately apparent as soon as you start parenting or fostering the child, they have more materials on those problems. This, anyway, is my interpretation. (One more thought....I find the "forever family" rhetoric very ironic for a different reason....when you build the adoptive family on destroying all links to the past, it is not a firm foundation....if any family should be "forever" it is the one built into our genes and the ties which were forever made in the womb...)David Smolinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14870233904521418395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-89568543975343442912012-05-08T10:38:43.482-05:002012-05-08T10:38:43.482-05:00David - do you have a link to a post that you'...David - do you have a link to a post that you've written with suggestions for how to navigate this issue as an adoptive parent? It seems a bit overwhelming. To stop adoptions altogether until the system is "fixed" seems a bit like throwing the baby out with the bath water (no pun intended). Since there are legitimate orphans out there who are in desperate need of a family, how do we walk through this adoption minefield, specifically, in a "wise as serpents, innocent as doves" manner? Thank you for your time and sharing your passion about this issue.Vertical Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10733718946646058007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-9430089290238689872012-05-08T10:20:44.479-05:002012-05-08T10:20:44.479-05:00Thank you for posting this. I am a half-orphan who...Thank you for posting this. I am a half-orphan who was relinquished by my natural father after the death of my mother. No one stepped up to help him keep his family together. Instead, he was encouraged to believe that the only course of action was to give me up to a closed adoption with a childless couple. The adoption was arranged, my birth certificate sealed, and a false one issued to replace it. Without knowing, I lived six miles away from my natural family, who found me when I was 18. This is a terrible way to live, to be adopted, forced out of the life I was born into. And these were Catholics. No, Rick Warren is misguided. He's spreading misinformation and promoting adoption witthout knowing the facts. Thank you for clarifying the orphan situation worldwide for us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35750443.post-11454584617912539122012-05-08T09:31:28.751-05:002012-05-08T09:31:28.751-05:00Thanks so much for responding to the summit. As a...Thanks so much for responding to the summit. As a fellow Christian and adoptee, it is wonderful to read. <br />http://peachneitherherenorthere.blogspot.com/2007/06/born-of-or-adopted-by-god.htmlSamantha Franklinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18249283547377633349noreply@blogger.com