The next year we decided we wanted our children to learn to be more personally involved rather than just writing a check, so we found ways to make a difference in people's lives by donating our time as well as our money. 
The following year we decided to bring it even closer to home, and that's when God brought the idea of adoption to our hearts and minds. Adoption is costly, not only monetarily, but there is a lot of sacrifice involved. We believe that God used the years of giving and working to make it easier for us to recognize that what we had really wasn't ours anyway, so why not give some things up in order for a child to have a home?
God used those pre-adoption experiences to open our eyes to the poor and needy of the world and to open our minds to how much we really had been given. And He used the book The Hole in our Gospel to help us to realize just how important a mandate taking care of the less fortunate really is to Him.
I'm sharing all this for those who are nowhere near having adoption even on your radar. There are many ways to get involved in orphan care without ever breathing the word "adoption." It may be that whatever you start out doing someday leads to cute new little (or big) family members, but it may be that God has another plan entirely for your family. The key is to start by doing something. I love the visuals in this song! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_RjndG0IX8
