{snippets}

below are a few subjects that are currently "drafts" on my blog, but have not evolved into actual posts due to time. and because it may not happen before i finish my stay here, thought i'd at least share as snippets...


{adoption is second best}
i often remind myself that adoption exists because of the fallen world we live in. because otherwise, as good as adoption can be, it can ever compare to a child being loved and cared for by their own parents. adoption is, and will always be, second best.  


{real answers to real questions}
no, i'm not a spy! do i look like a spy?

and no, americans don't adopt children from china to conduct lab experiments. yes, this even applies to families adopting children with special needs; they are NOT doing so for the purpose of furthering science somewhere. 

(unfortunately all these answers have been used on more than one occasion.) 


{gotcha day}
i've never been a fan of that adoption terminology which many use to mark the day a child enters their adoptive family. and now that i've experienced all that i have these past few months... i think it is fair to say i strongly dislike the phrase. 

amongst other opinions, i feel the phrase significantly belittles all that a child has gone through and makes them sound like an object of a game such as "tag" or "hot potato." no judgement to those who use this phrase, but if i ever have the privilege of adopting some day... there will be no "gotcha day."


{don't forget the foster moms}
i've witnessed two different foster moms as they've had to say good-bye to four different children being adopted. and i cannot begin to describe what i observed. 

not that any length of time is easier than another, but in two of the situations the girls had been a part of their foster family for 6(!!) years. can you imagine caring for a child as your own, and then, after six years, having to say good-bye? and unfortunately, due to culture, language, socio-economic status and educational differences (that limit the likelihood of keeping in touch via technology, even if it were allowed/encouraged), these "good-byes" may be forever.

  

  

{a therapist's nightmare}

while i was away a few weeks ago, one of the children had some sort of episode where her foster mom said she "turned blue". she was taken to the hospital for a work-up, but from what i've gathered nothing concrete was determined. the only thing they said was to return to the hospital for "therapy" twice a week.

yesterday i was asked if could take her, as there was a shortage in nannies. sure, i thought; not only do i want to help out whenever i can, but i'm also always up for seeing what "therapy" looks like in this country.

the first 30 minutes involved a "therapist" repeating this set routine of movements (3-4 times thru) to jennifer. it consisted of a lot of quick passive range of motion exercises to arms, legs and neck, pulling and pushing on her extremities, vigorous and firm deep tissue massage(?), putting her in positions (e.g. prone on extended arms) and holding her there for minutes at a time, and doing a few pull-to-sits and facilitating her rolling from back to belly (but done so quickly there was no chance for her to engage her muscles). 

oh, and the last 30 minutes consisted of them putting electrodes on each of her shoulders/upper arms and hooking her up to some form of electrical stimulation while i held her.

UGH! i wanted to scream. and jennifer, she did cry and/or scream for probably all but 1-2 minutes of the entire hour, along with every other child that i observed while i was there. (sometimes kids do cry during therapy, but this was different and wrong on so many levels; i'd actually hypothesize this "therapy" may be detrimental to their development.)

the therapist never once engaged jennifer or even spoke to her for that matter. there were no toys. and probably <5 minutes (giving them the benefit of the doubt) of the hour was spent doing anything remotely related to her learning to use her muscles for something purposeful/playful/developmental.

and the most scary part... jennifer's limitations (she does have delayed motor skills) matched nothing that was addressed during this "therapy" session. for example, her range of motion is perfectly within normal ranges. but this cookie cutter "routine" was performed on every child that came in, regardless of the therapist and regardless of the child's diagnosis. 

needless to say, i tried to dialogue with the therapists but my language skills weren't proficient enough. :(  i'm sure all they're thinking is there is no way this lady is really a physical therapist in america.  

i informed the orphanage yesterday that i would not take her back there. if they wanted to, they could, but this was not something i would do for them. (and i explained why, in my professional opinion, it was less than ideal...but that i'd gladly keep doing physical therapy with her while i'm at the orphanage.)  

  

jennifer gave me this smile during our therapy session today!

{who's next}

after taking cameron and andrew to foster homes and hearing the news that a family was committed to adopting brooke, my dad asked me, "who's next?" he knows that i often have (at least) one child that i'm strongly advocating for (beyond just adoption, but with some sort of unique medical needs); he wanted to know who the next one was.

at the time i didn't have anyone in particular. however, within the last 48 hours, two different children's need have come to my attention.

the first is a little girl with severe scoliosis who i'm gonna call esther. i actually met her a few weeks ago while traveling with some staff from nightlight. she was one of the children we interviewed for the summer hosting program.  

upon laying my eyes on her, it was clear that she needed an orthopedic evaluation and intensive physical therapy. not only was her spine contorted in a way that looked painful (although she denied), when listening to her talk or sing it was clear that her lung capacity was compromised from the curve as well; her voice was very soft and she needed to take a breath every 1-2 seconds to get the words out.

well, i got news this morning that a proposal is being put together for her to come to the states for the very purpose of medical treatment. (she lives in a province where leaving the country without being adopted/for medical treatment might be permissible.) the email was asking if i had any idea what the cost might be and for possible contacts at shriner's or other appropriate medical institutions. (i've already sent 2 emails.)  

the second is a baby girl (hope) with biliary atresia (similar to brooke) who is being housed in a neighboring city's orphanage. she too has been given a very poor prognosis (which she's already outlived) from the local physicians and, from the sounds of it, needs a life-saving miracle. the friend who met her is familiar with brooke's story and told me about her; we've been brainstorming ideas to help save her. (we should have updated labs and an ultrasound by tomorrow.) please read more about her and see pictures in link below:

http://itsamercifullife.blogspot.com/2014/12/knowing-hope.html?spref=fb

i have NO idea what god has in store for these 2 precious girls with very different medical needs. on one hand, doubt enters in and i question if god would do it again? would he move mountains and orchestrate details (that seem impossible) to provide them with life-giving medical treatment. but on the other hand, i've witnessed him do amazing things these past 3 months, so why should i (even for a second) doubt his abilities or, even more specifically, his willingness to do it again?

these two children weren't on my radar and aren't even at this orphanage, but i think esther and hope might be the answer to my dad's question of "who's next?" join me in praying for them while i work to network and help advocate for their needs. 

{update: brooke}

developmental update: she's gone from pushing up on her forearms in prone to crawling everywhere, sitting independently, pulling herself up to stand, and starting to cruise. she's eating from a spoon, babbling and expressing herself in many ways, and has recently learned to clap her hands. 

medical update: her liver failure doesn't appear to be getting worse. in fact, the most recent labs indicate some slight improvement (which i attribute to improved hydration/nutrition, love and jesus, of course.)

forever family update: she has one and her adoption is being expedited due to her medical circumstances; it is only a matter of time before she's home!

{step onto the stage}

(a piece i wrote for a newsletter about a month ago; figured it wouldn't hurt to post it here.)


i remember lying on my hotel bed in china last fall, unable to get the 5 year-old girl's story out of my head. gloria had been matched with a family, but when they arrived in china to adopt her, they suddenly couldn't go forward with the adoption. not only was her hope of a family suddenly gone, but this also meant that her much needed heart surgery was on-hold, indefinitely.

questions flooded my mind...would she get matched with another family? would it happen soon enough? (she was clearly demonstrating signs of heart failure.) how long could her heart last? why hadn't she already had surgery?

i remember feeling helpless, but asking the team leader of our short-term trip if i could send an email to a friend. i wanted to investigate any options for her to get surgery while still an orphan in china.

just before our time at the orphanage ended, we found some children behind locked doors on the 2nd floor. it didn't take long to realize they were not getting the same opportunities for interaction and nutrition as compared to the other children.

it was there that i first met timothy, a boy of an uncertain age (3-4?) who was severely malnourished. although he clearly demonstrated some classic institutionalized behaviors and didn't walk or talk, there were times he would smile, mimic my facial expressions, and even laugh. he was aware of his surroundings and when a nanny would walk by with food, he'd practically leap out of my lap. i was convinced he was trapped inside his frail body.

i was feeling helpless, again. not knowing if it would make a difference, i explained to the orphanage directors that timothy was my favorite; he should get to sleep on the 3rd floor where the other kids sleep, eat when they eat, etc.

i left china in november 2013 with a very heavy heart. i could not keep from wondering what was going to happen to all the children we met, but especially gloria and timothy. i told their stories over and over and just continued to pray and ask others to do the same.

over the next several months i had a front row seat as god undeniably orchestrated his love and care for these specific children. during these months god also invited me to step onto the stage of caring for orphans; he led me to take a 4-month sabbatical from my hospital job in chicago (as a pediatric physical therapist) and return to china.

i'm currently in the midst of those 4 months, working on behalf of nighlight christian adoptions at one of their partnership orphanages. i'm providing physical therapy, advocating for medical needs, being a voice, and doing whatever else comes up while loving the children and orphanage staff.  

there are moments and even days when i feel extremely frustrated here (from the orphanage itself to the healthcare system to the cultural view toward life and disability at-large) and that same sense of helplessness comes over me. and just when i'm at a loss and feeling there are no options for a specific child's needs... god faithfully shows up and AMAZES me!

so far, god paved the way for me to get both a 6-month-old with severe failure-to-thrive and a premature baby to different foster homes that can more specifically meet their needs. god also provided a forever family for a little girl who needs a liver transplant and has no options for life-saving treatment here in china.

and what about gloria and timothy? the orphanage followed through with the information we provided them and gloria received her heart surgery in china. shortly thereafter she was matched with her forever family, and is now living with them in texas.

the orphanage took timothy to the doctor, started keeping him on the 3rd floor with the other children, and then allowed him to be transferred to a foster home where he is now thriving. he too has been matched and will be meeting his forever family very soon.

can you see that god is saving them one-by-one? i've never been more convinced of god's love for orphans. he's moving mountains and performing miracles so that people will praise his name and these children might experience his love through a forever family.

where are you sitting in regard to caring for orphans... the balcony, an aisle seat of the middle section, or maybe third row center? wherever you are, i'd like to invite you to move closer, or even to step onto the stage. i can't promise it'll be easy or comfortable, but it's guaranteed to turn your life upside-down, leave you forever changed, and provide you with a more intimate understanding of the god who has graciously adopted us as his sons and daughters.  

{update: cameron}

no words needed for this one.

a special shout out to haven of hope and the amazing work their staff and foster families are doing. cameron's progress makes my heart happy!

{the ugly, beautiful truth}

i am just like them.

several weeks ago i was helping the nannies give the younger children their bottles. i like to help with feedings because the children's bottles are either handed to them (for the few that can hold them up) or propped up with blankets if they can't (majority of them). for the latter children, one wrong turn of the their head or body, and the bottle falls and/or the milk is now pouring (due to large cut holes in the nipples) onto their cheek/neck/bed rather than into their mouth. and there's no second chances; if the bottle spills all over, the only thing they are gonna get is a stern comment from the nannies and hope for a more successful feeding next time. i prefer to hold the babies to help ensure that the most fragile of the bunch get their much needed nutrition.

on the weekends, however, the semi-routine feeding time is often complicated by the school-aged children who are home and simultaneously seeking attention. this particular saturday they started (playfully?) hitting one another. then one girl started hitting some of the younger children on the head and messing around with their carefully propped bottles. i asked her to stop a few times and even told all of them to leave the room, but the older kids just laughed. the next time the older girl was reaching to hit one of the younger children, i grabbed her arm. i was planning to escort her to the door, but she immediately threw herself on the floor, as if to have a playful tantrum: laughing, kicking and refusing to move. i tried to pick her up, but couldn't (she's bigger than me). as she's laughing more hysterically, likely thinking she's engaged the foreigner in a new game, i am growing exponentially more frustrated. before i knew it, i was dragging her across the floor. yes, i drug her across the linoleum-like floor and out into the hallway.  

somewhere between the seconds of me dragging her and the moment i released my grasp... i was convicted of my actions. as i let go of her arm i felt sick. although she was still laughing, one of the 3 year-old girls was crying; the events must've frightened her. 

i felt horrible. i was ashamed. i was embarrassed by my actions. and worst of all, i didn't like that i had become just like them: the very nannies who are often the recipients of my judgement for how they do or don't treat the children.  

but i was wrong. i hadn't become just like them, i AM just like them. i am sinful. they are sinful. we are (all) the same sinful people in need of a savior, and that is the ugly, beautiful truth! the only difference between them and i is jesus. any good that i do here at this orphanage (or anywhere, for that matter) is because of jesus. and any hope that i can have for impacting them, will only be because of jesus. he is the one who transforms us to be able to love in a radical way... or to be more kind in words, or more gentle in touch, or even more patient with 30+(!!) kids. 

i apologized to the children immediately that saturday and then took a walk for some fresh air. i had to confess my sins to god, including my pride of thinking myself better than the nannies. it is still hard to talk about this incident and admit that i behaved in that way, especially when i'm here to love the children of this orphanage. but at the end of the day, i need to give glory to god for how he is both revealing and refining my character. i'm so thankful that his grace is sufficient for me! and that by the power of the holy spirit i can grow in patience and gentleness and kindness and whatever else i might need to demonstrate christ's love to the children and staff here.

{unique therapy challenges}

upon returning from my recent visa run to thailand, i was delightfully surprised to feel cool, fall weather. (fall is my favorite season!) however, fall where i'm at in china is a bit different than in chicago; we have no heat here. so when it gets chilly outside, that same chill is also inside.

for the children this cool weather means they now lie on down-type blankets in their cribs verses the naked wood slats (yay!).

they are also in even more clothes. i say "even more" because they are always over-dressed in my opinion, regardless of the temperature or season; it's a cultural thing. these additional layers add more unique challenges to doing physical therapy. not only do they have their usual cloth diapers, folded and worn 3-thick, tied tightly around their pelvis,

but now they've also got some combination of 3-4 shirts/sweaters/jackets/vests to keep them warm, sometimes a towel tied around their abdomen (it seems the belly getting cold is the root of all sickness), plus a heavy blanket or two over them (when they are in their crib). moving is already tough enough for some of these children, but this must zap any motivation they may have had. wouldn't is be much easier to just succumb to gravity + semi-straight jacket/clothes and sleep all day? unfortunately this is a super easy recipe for general movement delays. and when you don't move/explore and don't interact with people much, this contributes to delays in every area of development.

so what is a therapist to do? i've resorted to putting them in regular diapers at times (you know how challenging it is to get their legs adducted to even neutral for hands and knees position/crawling or flex their hips for sitting with all that diaper?!) or taking off a few layers of clothes so they can more easily reach for a toy in midline or try to roll over.

pray that these little ones get stronger and learn to move quickly so that the nannies will see that my perceived-as-strange, counter-cultural behaviors do have good purpose.  :)

{love again}

there are SO many things i want to blog about, but often not enough time to sit down in front of my ipad and/or i'm too tired by the day's end. but tonight i want to write a little blurb, even if it is just for me to process my day.

this morning i could feel god stretching my heart and initially, i did not like it. you see, he was asking me to love this little girl, brooke, again. 

i probably fell in love with her glowing little body the first day i saw her; her serious face, big almond eyes, and feisty spirit captivated me. and once i was on the receiving end of her smile, laugh, or even her cry (that communicated she wanted me)... it was game over; i was attached.

as you know, i've been advocating for both her health needs and her forever family in the recent weeks. and while i'm very aware of the circumstances surrounding both, when you get news that a family is praying about adopting her (which is awesome!!) or hear someone remind you of her potentially grim prognosis, a wide range of emotions ensue.

this morning, as i was headed to the hospital to see her, i could feel my self-protectiveness rising while wondering what my involvement should be. while ashamed to admit them, the random thoughts went something like this... i've been away for 4 days (taking andrew to beiijing), so maybe she won't remember me? if a family is going to adopt her, should i still love her? if she is going to die soon, maybe i should distance myself? could god really do a miracle? what if i keep loving her and then have to hand her over to her forever family? what if i can't handle the heartache? what if we manage to get her to america and then she dies?  

upon arriving at the hospital and her eyes meeting mine, her arms moved up and down in excitement; she clearly remembered me. i immediately picked her up and in that moment i felt like jesus was asking me to love her again, this day. he didn't reveal to me any more details about her future, but just reminded me of his sacrificial and self-less love for me, and even of his faithfulness in recent years (when i chose to love radically, knowing it would inevitably end in immense heartache and pain).  

i am to love brooke at every opportunity i am given, for whatever time that may be. and whatever he has planned for her future (and however that impacts me, potential heartache/pain and all), jesus's love is/will always be enough. choosing to NOT love out of fear, self-protection, or whatever our "what ifs" are, etc., isn't what christ modeled or how he's called us to love.     

                                                
"Forgive and give as if it were your last opportunity. Love like there's no tomorrow, and if tomorrow comes, love again.”   --Max Lucado  

{update: cameron}

although i've learned over the years that life and work in china demand fexibility, it is still a place where i often feel god stretching (or breaking) my type A personality. today was one of those days. plans for the next 7 days suddenly went out the window (and these days were already not what was originally scheduled). and even now the specific details for the next few days are still up in the air. 

because most of what i'm doing involves children and even small and/or fragile infants AND pulls at my heart-strings, i think the sense of urgency and desire to want to know and/or control the situation is even greater...as if their well-being is somehow in my hands. 

got a picture update of cameron tonight (little boy with severe failure-to-thrive that we took to a new foster home last month). as i saw how well he's doing, it was a reminder that...  

god loves these children more than me. 

god knows what these children need more than me. 

god's timing and plans for these children are perfect; mine are far from. 

god can save them; i can not.
god is in control; i am not.

sometimes in the craziness of whatever i'm doing, perspective can be lost. tonight was another gentle reminder that i need to be still and know that he is god, and relax (for us type As) while waiting upon him for what is next. 

see what god is doing in cameron's life...

 

{radical love}

ended up taking brooke to another hospital in a larger, neighboring city. it definitely redeemed my first hospital experience with her earlier this week. for starters, they actually had pediatric specialists. met with the head of pediatric surgery and her helpful colleague who could speak some english. the unfortunate news...physicians continue to confirm that she needs a liver transplant. (but these physicians were super caring, valued her life and verbalized the tragedy of the situation.) surgeon's best guess was that she'd maybe live a year or two without a transplant.

contact was made with a place in beijing that has done pediatric liver transplants, as well as a proposal to go to USA for treatment, but no success with either thus far. from what i can tell now, her only option is if someone were to adopt her. yep, it would require a crazy leap of faith, radical love, and come with absolutely no guarantees.  

i'd be lying if i said i haven't already been praying about this myself, prior to even knowing the latest regarding her (lack of) treatment options. but all those thoughts are too much for this post. at the end of the day, i must surrender her to whatever god has planned for her life and trust that he'll make that clear in his timing.

i'm extending my stay in beiliu this month to accompany her for a week-long hospital stay that will be starting in a few days. they want to improve her nutrition/hydration and some other things (that i'm not yet fully understanding), in attempt to optimize her current health and buy her some additional time?

i'm loving her as best as i know how, and it is so rewarding when i see her starting to come to life, so-to-speak. while her serious face still prevails, i have experienced both smiles and laughter. she will now coo to get my attention when she sees me in her room. and today, i felt her first tooth. as she becomes attached to me, some things inevitably become harder... she now cries and cries and cries when i put her back in her crib at night. and unfortunately this isn't sleep training; it is truly heartbreaking.

andrew, a preemie, arrived at the orphanage yesterday. after determining that his best chance would be with a foster mom, i proceeded into the city to hunt down a few necessary things. was able to buy some slow flow avent bottles and some nestle premature infant formula. they would never buy these things, first because they have no knowledge of how or why these things are important. (they had already fed him once: formula+rice cereal, nipple with cut hole, lying flat on his back, with bottle propped up on his stomach, held in place with towels. not ideal for any baby, but especially not for this one!) and second, these "specialty" items are extremely expensive for the average chinese person.  

was able to train the foster mom and provide her with the supplies i had purchased. she actually asked great questions and seemed to "get" what i was saying. she practiced feeding him once before they left and it went great. (we did contact a place in beijing that specializes in the care of premature orphans, so that may also be in his future.) 

despite the tears and gut-wrenching heartache that this work week elicited, this was probably also the best week i've had since arriving (if those two can occur simultaneously). hospital settings and most all-things baby related are very easy for me, so it was great in terms of being comfortable/familiar with things and feeling like my skill set/expertise were being put to good use.

**PRAYER REQUESTS**

brooke:

pray for a miracle!

pray for miraculous healing of her liver (and that god would forgive anyone like me who 

sometimes has too little faith in his healing powers)  

pray for her need of a forever family and medical treatment

andrew:

pray that he'd steadily grow and gain weight well

pray that his foster mom would be attentive and able to care for his more-than-the-average-newborn needs

pray that if the beijing home is a better fit for him long-term, that they'd accept him 

me:

pray that i'd find rest and peace in god's sovereignty

pray that i'd love and care for brooke well while we're in the hospital 

pray that i'd be a demonstration and voice of god's love to everyone at the hospital (earlier this week, both staff and parents of other patients were coming out of the woodwork to "have a look" at the foreigner holding the chinese baby.) 

{snapshots}

{no hippa here}

i went with a nanny to take a baby girl to the hospital this morning. the hospital experience goes something like this: pay at the window before seeing doctor or obtaining any procedure. then walk to appropriate area and be aggressive enough to actually be seen (lots of people everywhere, with no obvious system for being called upon). i'm pretty sure the nanny played the "i've got a foreigner with me" card; "you should accommodate us immediately". 

pediatric physical therapy--

was excited to see this area in the hospital (while we were waiting for services), as i thought i had been told it didn't exist. but quickly observed some practices that nearly horrified me. infants (all <1 yo) getting aggressively massaged, tapped(?) and/or hooked up to electrical stimulation.

it is unfortunate that they still believe that massage and electrical stimulation are key interventions to improve and/or normalize muscle activity and movement patterns. few developmental activities were being encouraged, although they had a beautiful developmental chart on their wall.

half an hour of these services costs the equivalent to 6-8 average meals; not exactly cheap. and they are instructed to bring their children daily. it is not surprising that a family "dumped" (word choice used by orphanage staff) their child at the orphanage entrance just last week. the cost of therapy for the past year had become a burden; cheaper to give him up and allow the orphanage to care for him. (scream and then take a deep breath. so many things i want to say, but i'll save that for another post.)

pediatrician visit-- 

imagine a typical doctor's exam room, aesthetically outdated by maybe 60+ years? and substitute wooden desk for typical plinth. at one time i counted 20(!) parents, each with a child, crammed into this room. initially i thought we were "signing in" or something? nope. as i got closer i could see the doctor actually examining kids. talk about space bubbles being invaded and everyone knowing your business. not to mention the shouting that is occasionally going on due to the seemingly lack of order. everything felt so unnecessarily stressful. guess i'll think twice next time i see the doctor in a private room, even if it is only for 10 minutes.  

ultrasound-- 

technology similar to the states. but while we waited for our report and pictures, 2 other patients came and got their ultrasounds as well. thankfully i can't understand chinese medical terminology, otherwise i would know every detail about the woman who came in with abdominal pain and the one who is 7-8 months pregnant.

a common theme amongst the professionals we saw--

they all tried very desperately to communicate to me that caring for this child was not a good idea (i translated to english)... 

"she has too many problems." 

"her health isn't good." 

"it will be very troublesome."

"you could find a healthier child." 

at one point i felt tears well up in my eyes, probably a combination of frustration and immense sadness... i just don't get how they can so easily disregard a life. in my world, children are not disposable.

{not for the faint of heart}

i've been reflecting on my first stint at the beiliu orphanage. while words won't do justice, i'll try to highlight a few exhilarating, heartbreaking, exhausting and even ugly moments. and then there are the hard realities; things i can't allow myself to focus on (too much) for risk of being completely overwhelmed and paralyzed. but with that said, all the more reason to trust god to do BIG god-sized things at this orphanage.

  
here's a small glimpse into my week there...

exhilarating moments:
-getting cameron (baby with extreme failure to thrive) safely to his new foster home (via sleeper bus + typhoon)
-getting brooke (baby in liver failure) to smile and laugh
-discussing potential medical management for those children with medical needs
-dreaming about what it might look like if the nannies knew the love of god
-getting permission for a teenage refugee(?) girl to come out of her locked room and help me care for the babies (not that i'm promoting child labor, but feeding a baby provides more human interaction than do the walls of her empty room)

heartbreaking moments:
-seeing 2 new babies arrive to the orphanage in the short time i was there
-hearing brooke cry when i put her back in her crib the morning i left

exhausting moments:
-me (one person) trying to make a dent in the needs of all the attention-starved children
-communication with nannies given the language barrier

ugly moments:
-losing my patience, especially when trying to help the older school-aged children understand that hitting, taking things from each other, etc., are not acceptable behaviors (but then feeling bad when i remember that they've never had loving instruction or discipline, and that most of what this environment teaches is survival)

some of the hard realities...
-too many of these children are malnourished
-too many of these children NEVER leave their cribs except for bath time
-too many of these children are getting older and/or have disabilities such that the likelihood of them ever experiencing life beyond the orphanage or the love of a forever family is highly unlikely

one truth:

the "fatherless" are mentioned throughout scripture; god has not forgotten about them.


it was a great and a hard week all wrapped up into one.  i'm thankful god has given me the strength to handle such work, as it is definitely not for the faint of heart. not sure what will be in store for me next month there, but i'll keep you posted.  :)

i'll leave you with 3 prayer requests:
1. for cameron to begin thriving and gaining weight 
2. for brooke to be accepted for a liver transplant 
3. for the children (like trey, robert, stephen, etc.) who are currently waiting... that they'd be matched quickly with their forever families