I have started this post 100 times in the past few weeks. I keep deleting it and rewriting it.. the words just haven’t seemed to flow from my fingers so this is the last time and I hope that I get across what exactly I am trying to say!
This post has been several days in the making.. I type, I stop and then delete, edit etc.
When Joe and I decided to adopt a child , way back when, we did a LOT of talking about what we could handle with our family dynamic. We wanted to adopt a younger child because we had three young children at home at the time. Knowing our limitations we narrowed down our search to children with minor medical needs. Heart surgery didn’t scare us, but chronic illnesses did to a point. Having three young ones at home and with Joe’s work hours, we can’t logistically spend weeks and weeks in a hospital with a child.
We knew we could not handle something like that. It’s not that we didn’t have a heart for these children, but we realized our limits and stood by our decision.
We have advocated for children who are medically fragile and continue to do so. We realize that these are the children that are in the most immediate need. We know that full grants are sometimes the only way that these children would even be looked at.
I struggle though with comments that we have gotten during fundraising….”Your kids don’t have a story… they are healthy”….”If you adopted a child from Pleven, you would have all the money you need to adopt”…..”If your child was just in poorer health or in more dire need”… these comments strike me ….they strike a chord in me. A not so great chord.
I am not complaining.. not saying that these “children with a story” are any less deserving or that my children are more deserving… I am saying that they are all deserving.
I think what people don’t understand is that it takes one transfer or one new director or one turn of events to have every single child in Eastern Europe be a child from “Pleven”. The institutions of Bulgaria are not good places…. Landon’s baby house is wonderful and he is thriving, but if he were transferred to an older child institution, at 5 years old.. he would regress.. he would unlearn everything he’s so good at…. He would die inside and live out his days more than likely rocking in a room with other children doing the same thing. He would lose his tone and his infectious smile to a life of 4 walls and older aggressive children.
I have held little Faith at the hospital.. I have held that little girl who is 14 years old and weighs 14 lbs…. yes that is NOT a typo.. It’s 1 lb for every year this precious little girls has been alive. The 14 lbs on her frame is just that….. her frame… you can see and feel every single bone in her body… she is skin and bones.. She doesn’t roll over and I am afraid if she did, she might just break a rib bone. This is her picture….
(the date is a camera malfunction.. these were taken just a month ago!!!)
She is 14 years old and she has a wonderful family working very hard to come get her. They raised the funds to bring her home in just a little over 24 hours…. she has a story… she’s tiny… she’s malnourished and she is the Least of These!! PRAISE GOD that she has a family coming for her… PRAISE GOD they raised the necessary funds to go get her FAST!!!! PRAISE GOD that their paperwork is coming along quickly!! She will THRIVE in their family---I know it.. I saw her laugh and smile and get my attention when I held her. She’s spunky and with some love and attention, therapy and some awesome mommy cooking, she will do great!!
Now, I show you my kids…
This is Landon……. He is 5 (almost 6).. he doesn’t have a story.. he’s running, jumping, climbing, feeding himself and dressing himself. However, if he was put in the place where Faith is, it would be only a matter of time that he would look like her.
This is Evelyn…. she’s somewhat healthy….she has lost two siblings to a rare genetic disorder that we are not sure if she has or not. She has a heart condition that has not been repaired, but she looks healthy…she’s walking…eating…following directions and her smiles will melt your heart.
Are these two kids any less deserving that Faith???
NO…. NO…..NO…..
It’s just that people see the need to be greater for Faith and that is probably true, but it takes only one turn of events for either Landon or Evelyn that could land them in similar condition to Faith.
This is NOT just about my two kids, but all of the children… all of the orphans…. orphanages are not good places no matter HOW GREAT they seem. All the children deserve the love of a family… they ALL DO! Just think about it… think about how every relatively healthy kid has a road that doesn’t look so pleasant. Now healthy…in another 6 months or a year, who knows? Just one turn of events and anyone could be in Faith’s shoes… in her circumstances…. in her dire need for a family.
THAT IS WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO SUPPORT ALL ADOPTING FAMILIES!!!! PRAYERS, MORAL SUPPORT AND IF SO LED, FINANCIAL SUPPORT!
And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.
Matthew 18:5
“I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you.”
John 14:18
I bet he’s wonderful and would thrive with the right family! He is on a special diet for Celiacs, but that is sooo manageable!! 
