Good comes from chaos in Haiti

(Bethany photo)

Haiti (MNN) ? Six months ago, few would have said that the Haiti earthquake could bring good. The quake, however, has brought awareness to one very important thing: adoption.

Bethany Christian Services reports a 26 percent increase in the interest of domestic and international adoptions in 2010 than over the same time period in 2009. John VanValkenburg says this is due in large part to the January disaster as people were struck by the incredible needs of Haitians, especially Haitian orphans.

"Currently, adoptions are still closed in Haiti, but what we were able to do [right after the quake] was capture a lot of people who were interested and send them some information," explains VanValkenburg. "Some of those people have decided to wait until they can adopt from Haiti, and other people looked at other options."

In a Bethany press release, the organization says Intercountry Adoption placements are up 66 percent since 2009, and over 5,000 more inquiries about Intercountry Adoption have been made. This brings the total of this type of inquiry up to 10,567 in just six months.

The unprecedented numbers had Bethany staff swirling for a while, but as the number of requests and inquiries has died down, the ministry has had time to catch up and enjoy the way God is using the church and His people to help the helpless. Still, there is much work to be done.

VanValkenburg says, "Globally, there's an estimated 163 million orphans. That was probably about 15 to 20 million less just a few years ago; so the number is increasing, which just goes to show that adoption alone isn't going to solve this problem."

Adoption and foster care certainly help, though. Even one adopted child into a Christian family is worth the process, especially if the child comes to know Jesus Christ.

If you feel God calling you to volunteer with Bethany, to be a foster parent, or to consider adoption, call Bethany at 1-800-BETHANY. For further contact information, click here.