What about the kids right here?

Like I said several days ago, November 8th is Orphan Sunday(http://www.cryoftheorphan.org/) and November is National Adoption Month.  So, I promised that leading up to then, I'd be posting about the plight of children around the world.  Today I'm gonna talk about the kids right in my area.  I did some research on Texas Dept. of Family and Protective Services webiste.  In the fiscal year of 2008, 31 thousand children were in foster care in Texas.  In 2008, 6,375 children in the state's custody were waiting to be adopted.  You don't want to travel to another country?  Okay, how about kids in your own backyard?  You say you have no money for adoption fees?  No problem, adopt from the state and you will have extremely reduced, if not free adoption fees.  You say you want to specify gender?  No problem, lots of boys and girls are waiting(typically, boys are harder to place than girls).  Now, it won't be easy.  Heck, the state makes some of the dumbest requirements I've ever seen!  But it will be worth it!  As most of you know, my sister and her husband are in the 90 day waiting period to adopt their foster daughter.  I'm tellin ya, she is no foster child in our eyes!  The minute she came to live with them, she was "ours".  When I say ours, I mean everyone in the family felt like she belonged with all of us.  Yep, M and B have had to jump through some really stupid hoops to satisfy the state, but in the end, that makes adoption day all the more sweeter.
Okay, so you don't feel led to adopt.  No problem!  Did you know that children in foster care can only be cared for by other foster parents, or respite parents?  I can't babysit my neice.  My sister frequently babysits other children who are in foster care.  These parents NEED a break once in a while.  Go through the paperwork and become a respite family.  What a blessing to the tireless foster families!
Or, here is a great idea.  Be a transitional care family.  There is a couple at our church who provides transitional care for newborns whose birthfamilies have made an adoption plan, but for several different reasons, the child can't go to the adoptive home yet.  So, this couple takes care of the newborns for varying timeframes.  They currently have their 55th sweet baby!  Can you imagine a more selfless gift?  Caring for that newborn until his/her forever home is ready? 

So, I know, many of you who are new to this blog are asking, why did we go overseas?  Well, easy, God called us to the children of South Korea.  Children without families are all over the world AND in our own backyard.  Some people need to care for those here, some need to care for those afar.  No competition, they all need families.