Showing posts with label adoption. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adoption. Show all posts

Monday, August 27, 2012

Why Ethiopia?

One of the many questions my husband and I are often is "Why Ethiopia? Why not here in America?"
Fair question, simple answer. Because that is where God has called us...for now. God calls all of us to be disciples and go into the world. He never said anything about the world coming to us. 
In places like Ethiopia there are no programs like Social Security, Welfare, food stamps, Medicare or Medicaid. They don't have shelters to protect women and children or the homeless. Religion is not always an option. 

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from my friend who runs the school that we partner with. This is where we have our sponsorship program. My husband and I sponsor two little girls and a little boy. In the email she told me that our little boy died. He had been sick for a couple of days, was taken to the clinic and told he was fine and died a day later. As I read this I felt my heart break in a million pieces. He wasn't just a sponsor child he was my Ethiopian son. When I first met him he was so dirty and a little frightened of this white woman! My friend that runs the school had been so anxious for me to meet him. His mother had died and relatives had taken his little brother but didn't want him. He lived with his father but he drank and took off for long periods at a time. But his little guy got up every morning and came to the school. He knew my friend would let him in to attend class and feed him. He never missed a day. He needed a sponsor. I told my friend that we would sponsor him. Later that day my friend Kay ( long time missionary in Ethiopia) took me to buy my new son clothes. I had sized him up in my mind so I prayed everything would fit! The next day there he was in the same old clothes. When my friend explained to him that I had new clothes he was so happy! I noticed when he took off his shirt he was wearing a small wooden cross around his neck.When he changed his clothes and put on his firs ever  new pair of shoes the change in his demeanor was amazing! He went from frightened little boy in rags to.....
This amazing, happy, loving confident young man! Oh my it was like watching a flower bloom right before your eyes. This was the beginning of a beautiful relationship!
 
The day I left he still had on his new clothes and was smiling from ear to ear! He was chosen to give me a going  away gift and he was so proud! I will never forget his face! After I left we would write each other and his letters always began with "I love you momma Laney!" and he promised me he would do well in school and go to Saturday Sunday School so he could be the change he wanted to see in his community. He kept that promise. He was doing very well in school and had such a desire to learn about Jesus. He never missed Saturday Sunday School and my friend said the staff and his friends would remember him because he loved Jesus was committed to learn about Him!
I never thought that last October would be the last time I saw my Ethiopian son. He was so happy and had lots of friends and I told him how proud I was of him. He made such a huge impact in my life and because of this small boy with the big heart my heart grew bigger.
I have cried more than I thought possible over the loss of this precious life. I know that one day I will see him again because he chose to accept and believe in Jesus. That is why Ethiopia. Because nobody should leave this world feeling like no one cared about them or that they were not loved. No one should leave this world without hearing about a God who loves them unconditionally and wants everyone to live with Him forever. No one. And that is why Ethiopia or where ever God calls us. 



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Monday, February 21, 2011

Camerons Happy Birthday Story

Today our Cameron turns 12! Where has the time gone? For her birthday blog I want to share with you how God lead us to Ms. Cameron. I may have told this before but it is truly worth repeating. There are so many children in the world waiting to be adopted. If God calls you to adopt you need to trust Him and allow Him to guide your steps.This is a story of prayer, faith, and how Gods plan for your life is ALWAYS so much better than the one you make for yourself
July 1999. I am driving home from Jordan's first day at Korea Camp, she was 4 years old. I am listening to her talk about her day when out of know where she says "mommy, I want a baby sister from Korea!" I have to admit I was a little shocked! I was over the age limit to adopt from S. Korea and I truly didn't think her dad would be on board. I explained all of this to her. She just looked at me. Let me say that it is very unsettling to have a 4 year old just stare at you while your driving! I finally couldn't take it anymore and told her that we should pray and we would wait for God to answer and we would do whatever He told us to do.
Now I am thinking to myself "good job Elaine! You know Jordan is going to forget all about this when camp is over and she is OK with your answer. Most important she quit staring at you!" Oh I think we had been driving about 5 minutes in quiet when Jordan says in a very loud and excited voice "mommy He answered me!" Who answered you? with a annoyed look an a eye roll (seriously 4 years old!" she says GOD!" I took a quick look at her and she was so serious I almost believed her. I said "Really? And what did God say?" Without missing a beat she said " He told me that it was OK for me to have a little sister, but now it's up to your mommy and daddy." I looked at her as she innocently (I think) smiled at me. And you know what? I believed her!
A few weeks went by and Mike and I had decided to look into a domestic adoption of a bi racial baby. It seemed our only option since I was over the age limit for S. Korea. I have to be honest I wasn't real sure about this. A newborn at 44 0r 45? Seriously? But then I remembered what God had told Jordan. I knew He wouldn't give us more than we could handle. Please remember that statement further in this story.
Now during this time I had been on a website http://www.rainbowkids.com/ (for those who might be interested in looking at some beautiful children who need adopted.)  and my sister and I had come across the picture of this little girl who looked so sad. I was instantly drawn to her. One she was from S. Korea and two she was special needs and they would allow a person to be over the age limit to adopt her! But as I read her bio my heart broke. She had way to many special needs. Developmentally, pphysically and possibly mentally handicapped plus a few other things. There was no way we could handle all of that.
On December 10th, 1999 I had taken the morning off work and Jordan and I went to the adoption agency we had used for her adoption to take them Christmas cards and pick up a copy of our old home study. Two of the ladies that worked there and had helped with Jordan's adoption asked me what we were doing. I told them. They looked shocked. Then one of them asked if we would be interested in a little boy from S. Korea about 9 months old. I looked at Jordan who was smiling and said I would but I am not sure about my husband. They told me they would get some information and call me. Two hours late I received a call from one of them saying they had a 9 month old little girl and would be interested? ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? I grabbed Jordan's hand, told my boss I as leaving...again and headed to the agency. We sat down and watched a video of a precious little girl. Instantly I knew that was out daughter. I said "we will adopt her!" They suggested I speak to my husband. ;) They gave me the video and history and as we walked out the door Jordan looked up at me and said "See mommy, I told you He said it was OK." Yes you did Jordan.
Mike and our sons watched the video and we were all in agreement. This was our daughter and sister. As I read the history it seemed very familiar, Developmentally, physically and possibly mentally handicapped. Where had I seen this before? All I knew is this time it didn't phase me or my husband. We knew without a doubt this was our child. A few days later we went to sign  the papers and received the baby's pictures. I stared in disbelief. It was the same little girl whose picture I had looked at a few months before. The little one who had all the special needs that I just knew we couldn't handle. Now she was our daughter.
In April 2000, 4 months after we received her referral, 9 months after Jordan had told me God answered her. Ms. Cameron came home. We had not planned on adopting Internationally again but God did. Within those 4 months we had paid for her adoption.
Today that little girl who had so many strikes against her and was close to being placed in a institution is now a beautiful young lady. She can sing, hear a song once and know the words, plays violin, is extremely smart, funny, has a servants heart, loves God, her family and friends.
My husband and I thought are family was complete. We had no plans on adopting again. But God did. When Jordan asked for a little sister that day and we prayed and God answered her Cameron was 5 months old. In the video she was 8 months old and when we saw it she was turning 10  months old. She came home one day shy of turning 15 months old. She still couldn't walk. About 3 months of therapy Cami was off and running and hasn't looked back!
Cameron we have watched you grow into a beautiful young woman. You never cease to amaze us! Thank you for fighting the good fight so you could come home to your family. Happy Birthday Cupcake! You are loved!

Full of life!

Our sweet girl

Cameron in her Korean Hanbok



  

 

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Asking

If you read my blogs you know my husband and I founded the Hug Away Foundation. We are advocates for adoption and orphans. Right now my main priority is finding sponsors for some children in Ethiopia. We have 90 children and many are still waiting for sponsors.
We have a website www.hugaway.org and a blog: www.titus3project.blogspot.com We also help the school they attend once they have a sponsor. I am traveling to Ethiopia in October with a friend of mine and we hope to add a kitchen to the school. For the time being the sweet lady who founded the school is making the meals at her home and carrying them to the school.
One of the down sides to all of this is that I am constantly asking for donations, monthly donors,sponsors or having to come up with ways to raise money. I may ask 100 people for help and get one response. It is very disheartening at times. I often think I can't do this much longer and what is the point. Then God speaks to my heart and I am reminded that we have been called by Him to help those who need us. Everything we have is a blessing from God and we are to share with those who have little or nothing.
I have found that people don't like seeing pictures or even think that there are kids who are starving to death, live in conditions unfit for humans, are targets for sex trafficker, or they are dying because they don't have a simple medicine that could save them. Yeah it is hard to look at those faces and to be honest it isn't my favorite thing to do. Let's face it denial is much easier. And asking for money, well I would rather have a tooth pulled. Uncomfortable? yes. Impossible? no. It is a step of faith.
I found this quote and thought it pretty much said it all.

...orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names.

They are easier to ignore before you see their faces.

It is easier to pretend they’re not real before you hold them in your arms...

.... but once you do, everything changes.

So when you & I hear staggering numbers & statistics about the poor & needy around us & around the world, we have a choice.
We can switch the channels on our mega T.V’s and continue our comfortable, untroubled, ordinary, church-going lives as if the global poor don’t exist.

We can let these numbers remain cold, distant, and almost imaginary....

Or we can open our eyes and our lives to the realities that surround us and begin considering the faces that are represented by these numbers.”
-David Platt




This is the sweetie I sponsor



Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me you heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see


Brandon Heath