Sixteen years ago, 22,000 American families adopted a child from another country. Last year, fewer than 3,000 American families did. The decline in international adoption by American families from the peak in 2004 is staggering. For families in the adoption process now, the coronavirus pandemic is making the difficult process even more challenging.

This week’s featured article digs deeper into the challenges faced by families seeking to adopt internationally and details how some Christian families are trying to navigate these new realities. For many families, tragically, the pandemic has brought their adoption process to a standstill. Because Christians are highly involved in and supportive of adoption, the impact of these adtopion challenges is being felt within the church. “Evangelicals are among the most avid supporters of adoption,” the article reports, “and are more than twice as likely than the general population to adopt a child, be involved with adoption-related causes, or know someone who has adopted from overseas.” In “Christians Fight to Bring Adopted Kids Home from Overseas” we get a glimpse into the stories of some specific Christian families and their efforts to complete their years-long adoption process and bring their new children home.