Linking up on Kelly's Korner "Tell us Your Adoption Story"
Adoption is always something I longed to do. I can first remember wanting to adopt when I was 18 years old and it's a dream I have carried since. It was never part of my reality though and it took 6 years of infertility for both my husband and I to be ready to consider it.
My husband took a while to want to adopt but when someone close to us asked him "what do you WANT?" as Jesus asked the blind man (Mark 10:46- 52) , the answer was clear. We wanted to be parents. It didn't matter how we became parents, we wanted to hold children in our arms.
Adoption in New Zealand is rare and precious. There are only between 16 and 25 adoptions a year in Auckland, a city of millions. We have a very high rate of abortion and a strong welfare system so adoption is seen as an absolute last resort. To adopt here, is truly miraculous.
We enrolled in the system (adoption is run by the state here and is mostly free) and were assessed. During our assessment we were approached by someone we know in church. They knew of a family where a young 14 year old girl had fallen pregnant and had decided on adoption. Were we interested? Were we interested??? YES!
It was not an easy time and it seemed like everything was coming against this adoption. The most steadfast person in the whole adoption process was Sweetpea, Rupi's birthmother. She met us and decided there and then we were the ones to parent her baby boy. And she never wavered. In spite of everything that happened God ordained this adoption and nothing could stand in His way.
We met Rupi for the first time when he was 24 hours old. He was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen and it was like a part of my heart was beating outside my body, in my arms. I loved him completely and utterly. I fell hard for this little man! It took a whole lot more adventure and God's intervention for Rupi to come home, 12 days later on the 14 November 2008.
Rupi's name means "son of vision" and "restorer". He truly is. God broke through for us with Rupi and I will never stop praising him. There is nothing I would change about Rupi's birth circumstances and he was worth the wait- every tear and every heart break.
Adoption in New Zealand is not closed. There is no option to have a closed adoption. Our adoption is very open and we see a lot of both sides of the birth families. Initially it was hard to have so much contact as I was still finding my feet as a mother. But over time it's become much easier and we have kept the adoption open as we believe it is what is best for Rupi. His identity is tied up with his biological heritage and our belief it is best for him to have open and loving relationships with the birth families.
Our prayer and our hope is that Rupi will see adoption as something that adds to his life, not takes away from it. Adoption is the most incredible blessing to us and we have been forever changed by it. Rupi's story shows God's love and mercy and we will never stop praising Him for our little boy.
