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Seriously….why?
Dan sent me a blog that he recently read in regard to one of my new favorite organizations, Love Without Boundaries. I’ll attach it at the end of my blog so you can read it too if you want. It made me stop and think about so many things. I’ve been reading a couple different adoption agency blogs and those blogs contain the saddest stories of these babies just existing in orphanages. One estimate has the total number of orphans at 163 million, it also states that there are 2.4 billion Christians. That is approximately one orphan for every 15 Christians. We have been commanded to care for the least of these. Why aren’t we doing that? “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Matthew 25:45 (NIV)
One blog I read talked of a little girl with hydrocephalus that couldn’t get a shunt. I’ve seen the pain caused by not having a shunt. Codey has tapped his head repeatedly and signed please to get on a gurney to get his shunt fixed. If you know how much Codey hates hospitals and stretchers, you’d understand that he was truly in pain. I’ve held him why he screamed out in pain. I can’t stand that babies are just languishing in pain. I read another blog that talked of a little boy who is 6 who weighs 18 pounds because the orphanage malnourishes the children so they are easier to handle. This same orphanage had 11 children die this past year and 30 more were hospitalized severely malnourished. Why is this happening? I sometimes want to not read these blogs and pretend I don’t know what is going on because what can I possibly do about it? It just breaks my heart and my home isn’t big enough for all of them – but oh how I wish it was.
I know adoption isn’t for everyone. I know that it is expensive. It drives me crazy that it costs tens of thousands of dollars to take in a child that is abandoned. Why? Why? Why? How do we change it? What difference can we make? I want to be that squeaky wheel that gets something done. There are so many options though. You can sponsor a baby in an orphanage. You can help pay for a surgery or a portion of a surgery. You can help someone else who is adopting by donating to the cause.
I look at how happy our kids are. They have serious health issues but they are truly a joy. They are an amazing addition to our family. I can’t even begin to explain to you how happy they have made me. Will there be tears in the future? I’m sure there will be. Will there be trials? Well, especially with Benjamin I’m sure my heart will break, but loving him has been so worth it and it’s only been 2 months. 2 short months and my heart is his. Yesterday, he just sat and chanted Mama. He sat on my lap and touched my face so softly over and over again. He is just so happy and so loving and I am so unbelievably blessed. And Maisey….well, Maisey is joy – she’s all funny faces and laughter and just plain joy!
Dan and I both know that God is calling us to do something about this. I wish I could ask God to just send me a memo outlining what I should do and who I should talk to. My writing this blog doesn’t really help because I know all of you know how I feel. I know that if you could help you would. I just need to get it down in writing. This is my way of venting I guess and a good place to put those stories in writing so I remember.
Please keep praying for those babies around the world. Wonderful people step forward all the time to take in the least of these. I read about it on those same blogs every day. There are amazing people out there with great big hearts. Pray for their families and those sweet little kids. Thanks guys!
http://chinaadoptiontalk.blogspot.com/2010/07/amy-eldridge-of-lwb-speaks.html
