{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.