Why don't more people adopt?

This is a question I have been thinking about a lot lately and I would love to hear your answers. I know adopting a child is a big step and for many is probably really scary for various reasons but part of what we are trying to do with our blog and basically as part of our mission in life, is to help others that might consider adopting or maybe some who never have, understand the need and how it can be done. So my question to you is "Why do you think more people don't adopt, or why don't you?" I would love to hear your answers either by comments on here or feel free to email me.

Our church services (http://www.h2ochurch.cc/custom/index.php) for the month of July are entitled "At the Movies" and yesterday the movie clips we watched and the message that was given was derived from The Blind Side. The message and movie said so much to us and made me think again, Why aren't there more people that see need in front of them and step up to fill that need? We talked about this in our Life group Sunday night and a few of our thoughts on the answer to this were:

1. There is just so much need, it is overwhelming to know where to begin.
2. It would cost too much to actually make a difference and I can't afford it.
3. How do I know where my money is going to if I donate?

The thing that makes me so sad and anxious about these responses is that there are very easy solutions if someone really has it in their heart to take the next step to help. There is an overwhelming amount of need all over the world but every little bit does help. ""If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one.” ~Mother Teresa I got this quote from a new friend's website who has already adopted a child and is on a mission to help those in need in Ethiopia after seeing the devastation on a trip to pick up her child. Right now she is trying to raise enough money and formula donations to send to Ethiopia and even though there are thousands in need, if everyone donated just one can of formula or $12 it wouldn't take long to start making a dent in the problems. I encourage you to check out her website and donate if it is in your heart to do so: http://www.intothestreetsofethiopia.com/ I also have a button in the right column of this blog to click on to get to it.

Just think, you don't have to have a lot to make an impact on someone's life. It may be the change that you gather up in your purse, car, couch, nightstand, etc that adds up to $6 and instead of leaving it in those places or taking it to buy a Starbucks, it could feed a child for 1 month! For me, knowing this, has made it hard to look at frappuccinos and lattes and think "for the same price 1 child wouldn't go hungry for 1 month!"

If you have any questions or comments I would love to hear them, please tell me your thoughts, they are greatly appreciated!