Why are we Adopting?

We realized that for some of you, the news of our adoption plans might be quite a shock...here is a little bit more of how we came to our decision...
For those of you who don't know (I think most of you do), I was adopted when I was four days old. So, adoption has always had a special place in my heart, and I have always hoped to have the opportunity to adopt one day. Many of you also know that shortly after Zack and I were married, I was diagnosed with a chronic illness, Lupus. Lupus makes pregnancy high risk for both mother and baby, and a few additional tests confirmed that if I became pregnant, it could indeed be a very high risk. We believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and God, and know that he does amazing things. He opens doors no one else can open, and closes door no one else can close. He has been faithful to Zack and I our entire lives, even when we haven't been faithful to him. We believed, and still believe, that he would take care of us if we were to become pregnant. At the same time, we felt a desire in our heart that we believe God placed there, to explore adoption. We talked to my parents attorney about domestic adoption, and after we left and processed through the information we received, felt like if God was calling to us adopt, it wasn't domestically. So, we began to research international adoption, and requested some info from a few agencies. Within a few days, we were looking over lots of info, about lots of countries!
It seemed overwhelming at first! The cost, the paperwork, the wait, the travel! Was it really worth it? That is when God placed what I would call a burden on our heart for the orphans of the world. Though it is hard to know an exact estimate, most statistics claim that there are over 100 million orphans in the world. That is a staggering number. God began to impress upon Zack and I to consider opening our hearts to a child thousands of miles away!It didn't take long for us to become convinced that adoption is truly God's heart. After all, did he not adopt us into his family? To adopt simply means to make one like your son or daughter, with all the benefits of son or daughtership. This is exaclty what Christ has done for us. It is beautiful. Well, I could go on and on, but basically I can tell you that we have decided on a country...Ethiopia! Why Ethiopia? There are several reason....first, Zack and I fit the countries requirements in regard to age and length of marriage (every country has different requirements) Second, there is truly a need for orphans to be adopted from Ethiopia... Statistic time again...there are around 5 million orphans in Ethiopia alone....do you realize that is about the same size as the entire population of Kentucky? Third, we just felt God calling us there! Please pray for us as we prepare to begin the journey that is international adoption. All in all, it usually takes around 10-12 months from the time you apply, until the time you come home with your baby! Also, pray that God will provide the finances for this to happen....it is expensive, but we know that God is faithful. Please also pray for our families as we discuss this more with them. Our parents have been very supportive! We realize that adopting a baby from another country, with a completely different culture is a kind of radical step for most people! We plan to begin educating ourselves on adopting a child of another culture and race, and we have already made some great contacts with families who have adopted from Ethiopia. We believe that the bottom line is this...God loves all his children. He created them all. They all deserve to be loved. It is our job as Christians to love them. After all, our lives are supposed to reflect Christ's love. If this is the case, then that means to all people, and all cultures. We desire your prayers, and welcome any questions!!