I would like to share with you a story by Loren Eisley entitled:

“A Single Starfish”.

One day an old man was walking along the beach. It was low tide, and the sand was littered with thousands of stranded starfish that had been washed ashore. The man began walking very carefully so as not to step on any of the beautiful creatures.

Since the animals still seemed to be alive, he considered picking some of them up and putting them back in the water, where they could resume their lives.

The man knew the starfish would die if left on the shore, but he reasoned that he could not possibly help them all, so he chose to do nothing and continued walking.

Soon afterward, the man came upon a small child on the beach who was frantically throwing one starfish after another back into the sea. The old man stopped and asked the child, “what are you doing?”

“I’m saving the starfish,” the child replied.

“Why waste your time?... There are so many you can’t save them all so what does it matter?” argued the man.

Without hesitation, the child picked up another starfish and tossed the starfish back into the water. “It matters to this one,” the child explained.

So many times people ask, "Why are you adopting?  There are so many kids out there, does it really matter?"  My reply is, "Yes, it does!"  Out of all the hundreds of thousands of children in Liberia, will it even matter to bring three home to the United States?  Yes, I believe it does.  It may be one of our three that is able to go back and save at least one life in Liberia.  It may be one of our three that will go back and help rebuild Liberia.  It may be one of our three that goes to share the gospel in Liberia.  It matters to each child.  They don't want to grow up in the conditions that they do there.  They didn't ask to wake up hungry when the dawn of a new day approaches.  They didn't ask to see the ravages of war.  But somehow each of those experiences will impact each of our boys and make them stronger men someday!  Does it matter that we are raising children other then those that are of our own "flesh and blood"? 

Obviously, it does.  Why else would God put such an emphasis on caring for the orphans and the widows?    Again, I point out James 1:27, "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this:  to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world."  "To visit."  That does not just mean to go over and say a friendly hello.  "To visit" comes from the Greek word usually translated bishop, a person who oversees God's people.  The Nelson's Study Bible describes pure religion  as this, "Pure religion does not merely give material goods for the relief of the distressed, it also oversees their care."

So in God's eyes, each of these children does make a difference!  As a community of believers we are to take in these orphans and care for them as if they were our own.  Adoption has always been a part of history.  Even the Romans adopted children.  An adopted child in a Roman family was treated just as a biological child if not even better.  Not everyone can adopt, but that doesn't mean that they can't be involved in the adoption process.

There is a church out in Colorado that started a program called  Project 1.27.  This is an amazing ministry.  It really opened my eyes to how the whole church is to be involved in the adoption process!  Their vision is one that brings the entire congregation together.  If people can't adopt, they get involved in other ways...help set up college funds, help provide clothing, baby sit for free, the list goes on.  You see, it becomes more then just an individual family adopting children.  It becomes an entire church investing in a child's life.  "But there are so many children out there.  Could taking in just one child make a difference?"  Each sheep is important to his shepherd.