Why Bulgaria? Why Special Needs?

I've been asked by several of our friends and family how  we chose Bulgaria and why we have chosen to adopt a child with special needs. Honestly, the answers to the two questions go hand in hand.

Last year, when the Daddy Guy and I began to discuss the possibility of adding to our family through adoption, the first question each of us had is, "Where will we go?" Did we want to adopt domestically or internationally? Once it was determined that we would like to adopt internationally, we began to read everything we could about different countries  and the different processes necessary to adopt from the countries we were considering. Being that each country is sovereign and has its own rules and laws, the different programs can be mind-boggling.

As we began to talk and pray about our options, I told the Daddy Guy, more than once, even, "I just can't go to Eastern Europe. It scares me. I can not get on an airplane and go that far. It's too much." More than once, the Daddy Guy would remind me that God had heard me say that, and He will stretch our limits. Meanwhile, I furiously researched countries a little closer to home.

As I said before, each country has its own set of rules when it comes to adoption. Health standards, income, number of children in the home, marital status, length of stay in the country, even BMI can play a part in the restrictions that a country can place on an adoption. One country we were interested in has an "only one biological child in the home" rule. You can apply for an exemption, but there are no guarantees. Other countries require in-country stays of up to six weeks while waiting for your child. There are lots of families who can work around that requirement, but it wasn't going to work for us.

In the meantime, as we're taking our sweet time following God's timing of picking a country, I was reminded of a website that advocates for orphans with special needs. Reece's Rainbow was started by a mom whose son has Down Syndrome and had heard about the treatment of orphans with special needs. I would sometimes go on the website and read the profiles of children and think about just how amazing the people who would ransom these kids must be! I showed it to the Daddy Guy, and while he thought it was an excellent premise, he wasn't convinced it was for us. The truth be told, neither was I.

Slowly, we began to to learn more. According to Reece's Rainbow, there are approximately 1.5 MILLION orphans in Eastern Europe. Most of those children are currently living in "public care" - meaning orphanages with very few resources. Because the resources are so few, children with special needs often do not survive. Those who do survive are given just a few precious years to live in the orphanage, if they are not adopted, before they are transferred to a mental institution. Oh, dear Lord.

We began looking around and realizing that while we are terribly flawed people, who are, of course, terribly flawed parents, we must be able to offer someone something better than a MENTAL INSTITUTION.

And so, it came to light that we *would* be going to to Eastern Europe after all. Bulgaria to be exact. Shoot, eighteen months ago, I was only vaguely aware of where to find Bulgaria on the map. By the way, you can find it here. God revealed little bits of His plan to us, one detail at a time. I know that if I had heard that we were going to *adopt* a child with *special needs* from *Bulgaria* in the very beginning, I am certain I would have looked around and wondered who else He must be talking to!

I hope this gives some insight into what we're doing. We aren't crazy. We haven't lost our minds. We're only doing what we believe is right.