It's a new day and with new days come new perspective and fresh hope.
I have some pictures I've been dying to post of Landon from yesterday, but first I want to share something beautiful with you.
.The burden I carry now is much more than just "our" adoption. I close my eyes at night and I see faces, not only just the faces of our sons, but faces like this one, and so many others.
Lene will turn 3 this coming August. She is an orphan, due to being blessed with an extra chromosome. She also has a special little heart (CHD) like our Landon. The first time I saw her picture my heart just broke.
To me, she looks like an angel. I don't understand why she is still waiting. When I look at the picture on the right, I can almost hear her saying mama, can't you? It is more than my heart can bare when my mind tells it that she does not have a mother to catch that waiting embrace.
It is just so wrong. SO SO wrong.
No child should have to spend one day without love, and yet many, so many, go their entire lives without belonging to a family. This little lovie deserves to sit around a table and share in the special moments that only happen when you're a part of something bigger than you. She deserves to be a daughter. Orphans are not daughters or sons, they are just orphans. They have no identitity, no voice, and many would say, no purpose, but I disagree.
I believe Lene is a display of the Lord's splendor (Isaiah 61:3), fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), and God wants to bless the world with her presence and joy, but we need to go rescue her first. Someone, in the body of Christ needs to take a risk and fight for this precious one who cannot fight for herself.
Is it you??
This is my first advocacy post, and I was a little nervous to write it. I worry people are going to think I am crazy. Just for the record, I worry way to much what people think. It's my downfall. I'm a people pleaser to the core (there I admitted it).
I used to read some of my favorite adoption blogs (before we were adopting) and I would scroll by the ones where the author would be advocating for another child and think to myself man, can't she just focus on her own family and her own adoption.
But now I get it.
Once your heart is in this, there is no middle ground. There is no, "yes, my children are worthy of a loving family, but all these other kids, well... God will take care of them." No, God is calling His body to be His hands and His feet. I know the amount of orphans in the world is daunting. I know it seems impossible to save every one, but I heard a statistic once that all it would take is 7% of those who call themselves Christians to adopt and meet the needs of every. single. orphan.
There would be no more!!
Do we really think that God would give us this mandate and then make it impossible for us to fulfill?
No, He has provided us everything we need, we just need to be willing.
That is why I write overly emotional posts late at night, because, like Martin Luther King Jr,
I have a dream...
I have a dream that one day there would be no more orphans across the globe.
I have a dream that families would not be solely made up of blood relation, but would instead be determined by unconditional love.
I have a dream that the church would look for people who are called to adopt and give them everything they need to make it happen. Not just to bring a child into "a" family, but to bring as many children as possible into "the" family of God.
I have a dream where I see congregations rallying for adoptions and having banquets of celebration because a family has accepted the call. At these banquets people would give not because it was asked or required, or because they would win a prize, but because they couldn't wait bring this child home.
I have a dream that the church would realize that adoption is not a personal choice, but rather it's a mandate that the entire Body should be carrying, but few are, which is why it seems so darn heavy.
Martin Luther King Jr. was burdened by the injustice that he saw around him. Everyone just accepted it because it seemed like way too big of an issue to fix, but one man, stood up, shared his heart and his vision and it changed the world.
We can change the world.
Let's start by doing for "one" what we wish we could do for "everyone."
Could Lene be your "one"?
If you would like more information on Lene or feel called to give towards her future adoption you can do so HERE
If you feel like God is calling you to take a leap of love (stole that from you Kristin :) on Lene then please contact me or someone from Reece's Rainbow.
Well, again, passion took over and I never got to those pictures. It will have to wait for another day.
I will be taking a little sabbatical from blogging for the next week. Finals baby!!
Again, I want to express our sincerest gratitude to those of you who have given and prayed for our adoption. I never want my passion to come across as ingratitude for what God has been doing. And for the record, we belong to an AMAZING church congregation so when I address the "Body" I am talking about the entire Body of Christ around the globe, not just our lovely congregation here in Bismarck because we have been blown away by their support and love.
Have a great week! I will miss you!
I heard once that if every church in America would help one family in their church adopt a child, and help that family to raise that child,(not really raise but give needed help and support), there wouldn't be any children left in America in the foster system that are available for adoption. I'm so happy for what you're doing! When I can, I'll send a check too :) I can't really understand why these countries, and America, don't just give these children away instead of using it to feed their funds. I can see a background check and a few references, but it should be way easier, and cheaper than it is. Those that really would like them are the ones that can't afford their expense. And yet, I would pay anything to have one of my children, even if it cost a million dollars! Somehow I would find the money. It's still too bad others want to get rich off of putting a child in a family. After going through this, Natalie, are they asking too much or is it reasonable? Maybe I don't get it. Anyway, I am thrilled for you!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the encouragement auntie Camille. My friend Haley is adopting fromt he same country as us and she wrote a blog on the cost breakdown
ReplyDeletehttp://thebuhmanbunch.blogspot.com/2013/04/adoption-cost-breakdown.html
There are just so many costs!!
We are both doing independent adoptions so our costs are a little less then a family would pay who adopts from a country that requires them to use an agency. I still think it ridiculous that it costs as much as it does and yes, alot of the money often goes to feed corrupt governments, but that is why we see it as a ransom. Orphans are held captive due to simply being born into the family, country or the situation they were given.
It is heartbreaking.
There really is no easy answer. It's super hard and it requires all your time, hearts, commitment, and finances, but we believe the redemption of a child is worth whatever it costs and God will never forsake His His children :)
Love and miss you guys!