Why South Korea?

For my father and mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in. -Psalm 27:10

“With abortion, you are aborting the future.” -Korean Gov't PSA

(Mug design from my Etsy shop, quoting Psalm 27:10 in Korean.)

I thought it appropriate to write a blog about why we feel led to adopt from South Korea, quite literally the furthest piece of land from FL.

We have an abortion problem. 

The world has an abortion problem. But we also have an orphan problem. What does that tell me? Well, unlike the person who chooses to believe the common (and ignorant) assumption, I refuse to believe that the orphan problem is causing the abortion problem. It goes much deeper than that. Most women aren't aborting their babies because they don't want them to end up in an institution or "shipped off" to another country. 

Most women are aborting for one of three reasons:

1. Because they do not know God. The God that told us ALL children are a blessing, an inheritance from Him. 

2. Because those around them do not know God. These people use brute force or some sort of coercion to abort the baby.

3. Because they do not trust God.

Sobering, isn't it? But that's what it boils down to. So what does this have to do with orphans, or South Korea for that matter? The country has an incredibly high abortion rate, estimated to be in the upper 40th percentile. That means almost half of pregnancies in South Korea end in abortion. That is one scary statistic. Having had an interest in Korea's pop culture, I decided to learn more about the country. When I came across that statistic, I wanted to know why it was so high.

I read about the ostracizing that many single and unwed mothers in Korea go through. A very conservative society as a whole, it is not uncommon for a pregnant unwed mother to be shunned from her family and friends. Furthermore, prospective employers may require access to one's medical records. In many cases, should it be found out that a prospective (or even CURRENT) employee is a single unwed mother, say goodbye to that job. What is a woman to do? Some feel hopeless. Many contemplate suicide at one point or another. A majority opt for an illegal abortion. Some will secretly abandon their babies on the doorstep of a neighbor's home, a local church, or even in street alley ways. Click HERE to read about Pastor Lee and his baby Drop Box as a hopefully temporary solution to the abandonment problem in Seoul. A few other pregnant moms will brave going to a pregnancy center to create an adoption plan. Overall, it can appear nearly impossible for an unwed mother to keep her child due to the lack of support and continual social stigma. For more information and stats, here's a very interesting article (heartbreaking too) with some pretty scary numbers in it.

Abandoned babies that survive and babies with an adoption plan are, you guessed it, placed for adoption. Unfortunately, a 2012 law requiring the registration of all births means that abandoned babies are undocumented and therefore no longer adoptable internationally. Even sadder, the number of abandoned babies continues to rise. International adoptions have been reduced dramatically to encourage domestic adoptions. But domestic adoptions haven't risen nearly enough to keep up with the number of babies and young children needing forever-families.You can find more information about that HERE.

Adoption is not a widely accepted idea in South Korea. Bloodlines are very important, and boys both carry the family name and continue the bloodline. Because of this deeply ingrained traditional value, placing boys with families domestically has proven extremely difficult. There are more boys in need of adoptive families than girls in South Korea.

I've always thought about adopting when I thought about my future family. Jared and I also discussed adoption whenever we talked about how many children we wanted. But it wasn't ever something we actively pursued until recently. When I found out I was pregnant with my second baby, I had a strong desire to research adoption. It was a pressing on my heart that could only come from the Lord. And so my "binge-researching" (as Jared would describe it) began. I tend to get a little crazy when I'm interested in a particular topic. I try to learn EVERYTHING I can. My brain becomes a sponge, I spend way too long on my laptop, and I have 58 tabs consistently open in my browser. (If you know my obsessive compulsion about closing windows and tabs when not in use, you'll know that I'm not exaggerating this crazy need to learn-it-all when it gets that bad.)

I researched domestic and international adoptions. I researched foster care and stats. I researched every country not on hold or closed to the US. I researched every country with a long history of international adoption with the US. And then I researched the Hague and waiting periods. Oh was that depressing. I researched the countries with the youngest possible adoptions. I researched the effects of institutions vs foster care for orphans in other countries. I researched the levels of corruption and risk of human trafficking violations found in each country in regard to adoption. And lastly, I researched the need and the reasons behind the need.

Every time I looked something up, the Lord brought me back to South Korea. I prayed for Jared to understand my heart, and for the Lord to put that desire in him as well. And now we are both on the same page and seeing God's hand in it all. In Scripture, His heart for the fatherless is evident. We also realize our own adoption into His family by the work Christ did on the cross. We want to extend that grace and love, and make it as far-reaching as we can. What better way to make a difference in the world than to raise up our children to know the Lord, love the Lord, and share the Lord's love to the ends of the earth? With our help, our children can help end the abortion and orphan problem.


It's been incredibly mind-blowing to see God work. He put the seed of interest in Asian culture in me when I was very very young. He put the desire to adopt in Jared and me. He planted the seed of interest in Korea. And now He's planting seeds in the hearts of those who are willing to help and pray.

If He's planted that seed in you to pray for us, would you do so throughout our adoption process? It's barely begun, and it will be a long, emotionally and spiritually draining, but fulfilling road.

If He's planted that seed to help in you, would you consider donating to our cause, or buying something from my Etsy shop to help raise the funds for our adoption? You can find the gold "Donate" button and the "I Sell On Etsy" badge on the right hand side of this blog (under the thermometer). They are links that will send you to the appropriate websites.

We love you guys, and thank you for your hearts!

-Mel&J