Born in China but raised in New York, senior Nikki Strittmatter, believes her adoption has given her a deeper appreciation of humanity.<\/p>\n
\u201cLiving in America with the family I have has given me a world view that I wouldn\u2019t have had otherwise,\u201d Strittmatter said. \u201cIf I had grown up in China, I probably wouldn\u2019t have come to know Christ in the same way. \u2026 And I know I was from a small town (in China) and I don\u2019t know a lot about the area, but I believe the opportunities would have been more limited. I love that the area (in New York) I grew up in is so diverse, and I feel like here, I have more opportunities to be a bridge than I might not have had there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Strittmatter was adopted from China when she was 10 months old. Four years later, her family adopted another little girl, Joy, from China. Because she was adopted internationally, Strittmatter said there were times people told her she was not a part of her family.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I asked my mom about that, she said, \u2018God knew you were going to be a part of our family. If anyone has an issue with that, I\u2019ll explain it to them. You were a part of our family from the beginning and we\u2019ve prayed for you from the start,\u2019\u201d Strittmatter said.<\/p>\n
According to Strittmatter, it was her belief in God that helped her the most growing up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it helps to have the perspective of knowing that God is in control because I\u2019m not always focusing and trying to rationalize why I was given up for adoption,\u201d Strittmatter said. \u201cThat isn\u2019t to say I\u2019ve never wondered, but I think there might be more peace with that, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to alumna Renee Reithel, she and her husband Andy felt God played a role in their adoption story as well. The Reithels adopted their two sons Solomon and Malakai from Ethiopia in 2013 and 2015 respectively.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we decided to adopt, we seriously considered both domestic and international adoption,\u201d Reithel said. \u201cWe did a lot of research, talked to a lot of knowledgeable people, and prayed quite a bit. \u2026 Ultimately though, (it was) clear that God was telling us all children belonged to him and he was pointing us to Ethiopia.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, recent events within the Ethiopian government have stopped families like the Reithels from adopting other children from Ethiopia. According to The Bureau of Consular Affairs, on Jan. 9 Ethiopia passed legislation to ban all intercountry adoptions due to fear that the children weren\u2019t safe in their new adoptive homes.<\/p>\n
\u201c(It\u2019s) ideal, of course, to keep children in their own country,\u201d Reithel said. \u201cBut many of us wonder what implementation plan they have to advance domestic adoptions. We (can) only hope that the orphan count (will) go down, fewer children (will) be abandoned (and) first families (will) stay together. But for right now, this is a scary time for Ethiopia\u2019s most vulnerable citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to statistics from the Bureau of Consular Affairs, three of the top five countries of origin \u2014 Russia, Guatemala and now Ethiopia \u2014 have closed their doors to adoption from the U. S. The other two leading countries, China and South Korea, have also reduced the number of adoptions by creating more complex requirements for potential parents.<\/p>\n
According to chairman of the Department of Behavioral Science Terry Smith, the discovery of fraud, coercion and corruption in adoption organizations has led to the decline of all international adoptions.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou (also) have to give some consideration to the reputation of the country,\u201d Smith said. \u201cThere are some countries that just aren\u2019t safe to travel to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Associate professor of kinesiology Jessica Moore understands this struggle personally, as political unrest almost stopped her from adopting her two daughters, Aiden and Caily, from Vietnam in 2000.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe met the kids for the first time, and then, because of some political unrest in Vietnam, the government officials were kind of holding us all hostage,\u201d Moore said. \u201cThere was a question once we got over there of whether the adoption would actually take place. That was for about a week. We were in limbo. \u2026 Foreign countries and America use adoption as a means of handling political things.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Moore beli-
\neves the motivation behind international adoption is more important than the political problems it creates.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s important for us to open our homes to those in need,\u201d Moore said. \u201cGod adopted us, and I think it\u2019s very important for us to share what we have. We have been so blessed here in America. We just don\u2019t realize how blessed we are until we go and visit other countries.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Moore traveled to Vietnam, she said she finally understood this.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople would come up to (my friend and I) and say \u2018Here, take my child to America,\u2019\u201d Moore said. \u201cTwo times that happened to us while we were there. They\u2019d say, \u2018I want my child to go to America and have a good life,\u2019 because they know that (their child) wouldn\u2019t have as good of a life in Vietnam. They wouldn\u2019t have the same chances as they would in America.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those opportunities are what Reithel believes make adoption essential.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdoption is important because we live in a broken world,\u201d Reithel said. \u201cFirst families (biological families) are broken due to disease, financial situations,\u00a0 geography, addiction, etc. Children need moms and dads to step up and raise them when their first family cannot.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is the second installment of the \u201cChosen\u201d series. The final installment will appear in the next edition of<\/i> <\/i>The Bison, on stands, Feb. 2.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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