Our Adoption: Why Choose an Older Child?

When we first began the adoption process late last fall, our plan was to adopt two little girls younger than Princess Bink. However, when we traveled to Moscow last winter and spent time with a group of orphans through the Russian Orphan Lighthouse Project, the Lord opened our hearts to a different destiny for our family.

One of the 11 orphans on the trip was a beautiful girl in her mid teens. She had long brown hair, and rich dark eyes that carried a sparkle even at those times when a smile barely turned up the corners of her mouth. She demonstrated a gentle yet playful and good humored spirit. She moved easily between the adults in the group, her peers and the one little girl who was six years old.

Because she had another host, we watched this poised beauty from a distance as the group of American adults and Russian orphans spent time sightseeing in the capital. Even from that distance she won our hearts. When we learned that she was available for adoption, we jumped at the chance to make her our daughter.

Why add a teen to the family? As we spent time in Moscow with the girl who will be our daughter and her orphaned friends, a truth etched itself on our hearts--in God's sight, every life has value.

While the world often looks unfavorably on teens, let alone teenage orphans, God views them as being of infinite value. Another adoptive family expressed feelings similar to our own when writing about their adoption of a 15-year-old from Albania:

"Why did we choose an older child? Because we became distinctly aware of the fact that she is just that, a child. A child who--although she can walk and talk, go to school, make a bed, and fix a lunch--still needs a mother and father...Because all children need a home base that they can go to no matter how old they get or how far away they move...a home base for when they need reminders of the love and strength that is there for them."

"Her New Home Base," Josh and Christa Nichols, Lifelines,

Bethany Christian Services quarterly orphan care journal

Having adopted six older children already, we're not naive. We know adding a girl who is nearly 16 will bring challenges. But we also know that our God promises to equip us for that to which He calls us. So we look ahead confident that our future will be rich in delight as we watch our teenage daughter blossom. As we wait to go to court in Russia to make her legally ours, the very thought of her depending on us as her parents causes our hearts to swell with happiness.

We eagerly await the moment that we can load this blog with photos of her so that you, too, can see what a beauty she is--inside and out.

~Mr. & Mrs. Beaver, and Lissie