Reflecting on China’s Decison
As we shared last week, the U.S. Department of State announced on Wednesday, September 4th, that “…beginning August 28, 2024, except for foreigners adopting stepchildren and children of collateral relatives within three generations in China, civil affairs departments across China will no longer carry out foreign adoption work.”
While we await final confirmation from the U.S. Department of State regarding how this decision impacts current, in-process cases, we wanted to share an advocacy opportunity with you. The National Council for Adoption (NCFA) continues to play an integral role in supporting agencies and families as we navigate this challenging time. They have organized an advocacy effort to request further engagement from members of Congress. To read more about this effort and details on how to participate, please click this link.
Like you and many others in the adoption community, we continue to process this news and its widespread implications. We grieve alongside the families and children impacted as we have witnessed firsthand the love, care, and commitment that so many have poured into this journey for many years. We thank you for your ongoing prayers as we continue to support the families currently in process as well as the broader America World family.
America World was founded by Brian & Renee Luwis in 1994, specifically to come alongside families in the process of adopting a child from China. Since that time, we have expanded our programs to other countries around the world, but we carry a deep and long history with our China program and the thousands of children we have had the privilege of seeing united with loving families. We know that countless lives have been touched through families experiencing the miracle of adoption, teams visiting children in China through our Visiting Orphans program, medically fragile children receiving life-saving care and resources, and the life-long bonds formed through partnering together in this ministry.
Reflecting on the life-changing impact of these efforts over the past 30 years also makes this decision all the more heartbreaking to process. We have seen the miracle of orphans becoming sons and daughters and brokenness redeemed in countless smiles, accomplishments, and hardships overcome, and we know the immeasurable loss of what could have been a much different outcome for so many more children.
While we face the deep sadness and loss of an outcome different from what we have all hoped and prayed for, we cling to an eternal hope that only by God’s grace can we have a hope that rises in the midst of uncertainty, pain, and suffering.
We believe that children belong in families and remain committed to our mission of “Building families according to God’s design of adoption while caring for vulnerable children around the world.”