"The Americans Will Adopt Anyone"

I read a fascinating narrative this summer about an Ethiopian woman who sort of 'fell into' running an orphanage in Addis Ababa several years ago. The book is called There Is No Me Without You and is written by Melissa Fay Greene. Her story was mesmerizing and it really gives a broad pictures of what is happening in Ethiopia. It was definitely a page turner.

About half-way through the story, Haregewoin, who is an older widow that has taken orphans in from the streets finds herself overwhelmed with children. Relief comes to her doorstep one day when a European contact asks if she can begin arranging adoptions for the orphan infants. Following this encounter, the cribs within her compound becoming a revolving door as infants are quickly adopted by foreign families.

One day as a Spanish agency rep loaded twin baby boys into his backseat, Haregewoin watched as several older children peered out from behind the tin walls at the departure of the infants.

At the beginning, the older children had run to comb their hair and change their shirts when visitors came, hoping that a last-minute excellent impression would make a difference. ...

"Doesn't anyone ever want to adopt an older child?" she asked the Spanish agency rep ...

"No," said the agency rep. "People want babies. Sometimes toddlers, but mostly babies and most of all, baby girls."

... "But won't someone adopt the older children?" Haregewoin sighed as a Canadian-agency person prepared to depart with a baby [another day].

"Try the Americans."

"What? Really?"

"The Americans will adopt anyone."

"What does [that] mean?"

"There was a boy at the Mother Teresa Home who lost both his legs ..."

"What?"

"I think he was herding his goats over train tracks and the train came and caught the boy. But the Americans are adopting him. They'll adopt school kids. They'll adopt kids with CP. They call them 'special needs.' They'll adopt---"

"Boys?"

"Yes, boys! They adopt boys, they adopt siblings."

"But big boys? School-age boys?"

"Yes, I'm telling you!"

Haregewoin was off like a shot. She sprinted to her house to start making phone calls to find the Americans.

As I read this, my eyes welled up with tears of pride and patriotism. Not because America is big and wealthy, but because the heart of God has penetrated the hearts of so many of His children here, to love and care for the orphan; and to put the abundant blessings we enjoy here to the use of His kingdom. So much so that others around the world notice that only in America, would they find adoptive families for 'the least of these'.