An e-mail we sent out to all of our extended family and friends

THE JOHNSONS ARE ADOPTING AGAIN

We would love for our family and friends to know that we are in the middle of another adoption process. That in it self is not so unusual, but we need to put it into clearer perspective. We are adopting three children from Ethiopia. This also happens to be our third international adoption, after which we will have seven children…at home. Our four children already at home were born abroad and they range in age from seven to 15 years old. Between us we also have another five children, who range in age from 19 to 35. We’ve also been blessed with three grandchildren.

LJ, AJ and JJ are a sibling group from Ethiopia and DJ is from China. Below are a few statistics that are part of our decision in adopting. We still can’t fully comprehend the untold hundreds of thousands of children who die every year from simple diseases and complications of malnutrition. Our hearts cry for them. The Bible tells us in James 1:27 "Religion that our Father accepts and pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress". In Psalms 82:3 it says, "Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless, maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed."

The best way we know how to help this sea of despair is to dip our own cups in and do what we can. We’re doing it one child at a time (or three). I’ve read somewhere that "we can’t change the world for every child, but for one child we can change the world." We bring our children home to us to love, nurture, teach and watch grow into the beautiful people God has made them to be.

International adoption is extremely stressful and expensive. We need you to come along side of us in our journey. We need your emotional, and spiritual, support. Above all things we need your prayers. PRAY for our adoption process. PRAY for our children here at home. PRAY for our children (3-2-B ours) in Ethiopia. PRAY that God will supply for our financial needs.