To adopt or to Foster

So, adopting through Hamilton County had been something we were seriously pondering. So I called the H.C. adoption phone number and talked with a very nice lady about becoming an adoptive parent. She told us we would only qualify for a girl 0-5 years, since we only have a two bedroom house and we have E. The cost would be FREE!! That was a huge bonus instead of finding $25,000 for Ethiopia. The lady also told us it was practically impossible to adopt without first becoming a foster parent. She said about 50% of the kids placed in foster care go back to either the birth parent or a relative. That is a huge number, while possibly great for the kids, would be a disaster for me. I heard a story last night of a family that had a foster child for 7 years and the birth mother said she wanted her back. She had her for two weeks and "gave" her back to the foster family. Why Hamilton County didn't put the girl up for adoption a long time ago baffles me. I can't handle that. I would be heart broken if my child wasn't available to adopt and had the potential to be taken away from me. Maybe at one point in my life I could do this, but not right now.

So here we come Ethiopia. We need $23,000. I might send out letters asking people for donations. I hate to do that. I feel so rude. But desperate times call for desperate measures.