We adopted a baby in Africa. In 2003. Her name: Katerisha Mercy Violet.
Her mom had been HIV positive. She had been abandoned. No trace of any family.
For her sake, these were the only conditions under which we were desirous to adopt.
I normally don’t talk deeply about Kat’s adoption, although I am asked from time to time. It’s personal to her and I want to respect that. But with the increase in adoptions in America recently - and the hype - I thought I’d comment on what we did and why we did it.
Adopting in Africa is difficult. A ton of laws govern it, making it a tedious and very long process. Ethiopia is about the only country where adoption laws are relatively easy. When we adopted Kat, ours was the ONLY adoption in all of Western Region of Kenya for the entire year. Had we not adopted her, it is doubtful she would have ever had a family to grow up in. We knew that and that was part of our decision. Kat caught our eye at the orphanage instantly when we saw her spirit, life and charm.
After Brian preached to the orphans that day, she toddled over to me and put her arms up gesturing for me to pick her up. I did.
We kinda chose each other.
Do I think we are the best family to raise her? No.
[Is that answer based on color or culture? Culture.]
Do I think it could have been better for her if an African
or African-American family had adopted her? Sure.
But IDEAL is not always possible.
Do I think that leaving her in a situation such as an orphanage would have been better for her? No.
