Where do I come in?

The most common question now is: How can I help?

With every problem, there is a solution somewhere, waiting to be discovered!

For my problem, which is that there are so many children waiting to be adopted, AS OF NOW there are already several solutions that could help these children in different aspects, such as:

•   Of course, Adopting these kids is the best, most ideal solution! But that isn't feasible for everyone so there are other options that still benefit these children

•   Another thing you could do is sponsor a child, which means sending them $ every month that goes to their education, food, healthcare, clothing and more!

Even though adoption IS expensive, it IS attainable! There are grants and tax credits that the government offers. There are also fundraisers you can do, or even get donations from people. A couple at my church adopted a sibling group of FIVE from Peru!! (below) Even though they already had 2 children of their own. This was achievable by God's provision and generosity of others! It IS possible, if it is something you are passionate about, it is within reach

I actually sponsor a little girl who lives in an orphanage in Peru, her name is Allison and she is 13 years old (below). I met Allison 4 years ago when I went on a mission trip to Peru, and we immediately connected. When I returned my first thought was "What can I do to help her?" So when I was presented with the opportunity to sponsor her I was in! I send her $40 a month and I know a lot of us are broke college students, but if I can do it, so can you! And we could all spare a small amount of $ a month to change a child's life. Take it from me, it's completely worth it, I wouldn't change a thing!

If you are interested in sponsoring a child somewhere around the world, follow these links:

http://www.compassion.com   http://www.worldvision.org

With your help children like these can find their forever families or be sponsored!

What is the SOLUTION?

Myself & others having fun with the girls at the orphanage 

IF I HAD A MILLION DOLLARS TO FIX THIS PROBLEM: 

• I would set up a "scholarship" type of program so to speak that would take the financial burden of adoption away for these willing families. Families could apply for this and they would receive a sum of money to help pay for all the fees
• I would also set up counseling program to help these families both before and after they receive their new member of the family, adjusting to a new life can be difficult for everyone so to ensure a smooth transition, counseling is always helpful.
• I would work on getting legislation passed to make the adoption process smoother for all parties, cut the cost, and the time involved. If the process became easier, a larger number of families would be willing to adopt both domestic and foreignly.
• I would raise awareness for adoption so more people are more educated on the topic, leading them to be more interested in it! With more knowledge on the topic, people would see what a special and important thing adoption is!
• Hopefully with all of these solutions, children could finally find their forever families!

  

  Children in the orphanage in Peru that I visited in 2008-2012

What is the problem and who does it affect?

What is the problem? Who does it affect?

       There are currently 13o,000 children in the United States alone waiting to be adopted! That means there are 1300,000 little broken hearts that don't have the family that we take for granted a lot of times. We, myself included, get annoyed by our parents and wish they'd leave us alone sometimes. There are so many children not only in the U.S. who hope and pray to get a family like what we have! So be thankful!

      The problem is that adoption is not as popular or frequent as I believe it should and can be for the following reasons:

• The high cost of the process
• The lengthy amount of time it could take to go through it
• Some people's "pride factor"
• People's lack of knowledge on the topic

Why should you adopt in the future?

• You may not be able to change the world, but you can change one child's world
• That child will also change your world!
• If you can't become a parent naturally, it's the best solution for everyone!
• There are already so many children needing a loving home & forever family
• LOOK at these smiling faces!

  

  graceorphanage.webs.com

http://www.adoptamericanetwork.org/waiting-children/

Intro to my blog

Delaney at her Kindergarten field trip to the Pumpkin Patch

A little about me:

My name is Ashton Eslinger, I am a sophomore and from Kansas City, my major is special education, due to this there is a special place in my heart for children of all kinds and from all places. All kids everywhere deserve a loving home and ones who care about them.
 When I started thinking about what I wanted my blog to be about it didn't take long, the first thing that came to my mind was adoption! I think adoption is such an awesome thing and that it should be considered as an option for more families. Not many people are very knowledgeable on the topic, so that is something I hope to change through this blog. Along with that, I think the long, grueling process of it should be loosened up a bit as not to discourage families from trying to adopt. The process should be difficult enough to weed out potential parents who aren't serious, but not enough to deter amazing families from going through with it.

Why I'm writing this blog:

 I've had a little cousin adopted from Peru, she's 5 now and she is the perfect little addition to our family! She formerly lived in an orphanage and I just think it is so awesome that now she has a house and an entire family who loves her more than anything. That is the coolest part about adoption, you can completely change a child's world. As much as we as a family have changed her world, she's changed ours immeasurably more, shown us how lucky we are and how trusting and loving she is!
This blog will discuss what exactly the problem is, who it affects, what my solution is, and where you can enter to help this problem. I look forward to getting this blog started!

My cousins and I right after Delaney came home 2 years ago