After making my Birthday Wish List yesterday, I saw this email from Amy Eldridge and Love Without Boundaries. My heart hurts constantly for the children left behind. Compare your wish list to one of these precious children left behind.
An orphan's Christmas dream....by Amy Eldrige
December/2008
Holiday Dreams
Last Sunday, the minister of my church asked us all what we were dreaming of for the holidays. He said he bet the majority of us were dreaming of that "perfect" holiday right out of a Normal Rockwell painting, where we would have a clean home, all the cookies baked, the holiday shopping done and wrapped, and of course our entire family gathered 'round the tree. Almost everyone in the sanctuary nodded their heads in agreement. His question made me ask another, though. What are orphaned children dreaming of this holiday season while we so frantically race around with last minute tasks? And I knew that the answer had nothing to do with shopping or presents or a fancy Christmas tree. Children who live in orphanages have the most basic of dreams. They have told me themselves, and their longings humble me: finding a small piece of meat in their rice, not feeling cold, wishing their friend who is sick could feel better, finding someone who will love them exactly as they are. A few weeks ago I was blessed when a family who had adopted one of our "heart babies" came through Oklahoma City and stopped to say hello. I had met their daughter when she was in a tiny metal crib in a rural orphanage. Her fingers and lips were a deep blue, and she was so very solemn because she just felt tired and weak. It took me a second to process that the beautiful, smiling little girl bounding out of the minivan was the same child I had met in China. She was the picture of health, and obviously the apple of her parents' eyes. While she happily played, her mom asked me to describe her daughter's first few months in the orphanage. As I explained how very sick she was, and how I wasn't sure she was going to be healed, her mom began to cry. "We can't imagine our world without Meigan in it," she told me. And once again I realized SO CLEARLY why we do this work each day. LWB exists because of children like Meigan, who is now alive and adopted and blessing our world with her beautiful spirit. Thousands of children just like Meigan are waiting right this moment for someone to believe in them as well. We can't help them without you. I know these are horrible economic times all around the world, and I am so grateful to everyone who is still finding ways to help. No donation is EVER too small, as each dollar brings a precious child one step closer to real hope and healing. I know we can't help them all, but I hope we never reach a point where we stop trying. Thank you for everything you do to support the children who still wait. Working together, we can continue to change the lives of those children whose dreams are the most basic of all: food, health, education, a warm coat. Your year- end donations will help fulfill their dreams. I hope you realize what an enormous difference you are making to children like little Meigan. It was our supporters' loving hands which held her and kept her safe until she received the most precious gift of all, a HOME this holiday of her very own.
With a grateful heart,
Holiday Dreams
Last Sunday, the minister of my church asked us all what we were dreaming of for the holidays. He said he bet the majority of us were dreaming of that "perfect" holiday right out of a Normal Rockwell painting, where we would have a clean home, all the cookies baked, the holiday shopping done and wrapped, and of course our entire family gathered 'round the tree. Almost everyone in the sanctuary nodded their heads in agreement. His question made me ask another, though. What are orphaned children dreaming of this holiday season while we so frantically race around with last minute tasks? And I knew that the answer had nothing to do with shopping or presents or a fancy Christmas tree. Children who live in orphanages have the most basic of dreams. They have told me themselves, and their longings humble me: finding a small piece of meat in their rice, not feeling cold, wishing their friend who is sick could feel better, finding someone who will love them exactly as they are. A few weeks ago I was blessed when a family who had adopted one of our "heart babies" came through Oklahoma City and stopped to say hello. I had met their daughter when she was in a tiny metal crib in a rural orphanage. Her fingers and lips were a deep blue, and she was so very solemn because she just felt tired and weak. It took me a second to process that the beautiful, smiling little girl bounding out of the minivan was the same child I had met in China. She was the picture of health, and obviously the apple of her parents' eyes. While she happily played, her mom asked me to describe her daughter's first few months in the orphanage. As I explained how very sick she was, and how I wasn't sure she was going to be healed, her mom began to cry. "We can't imagine our world without Meigan in it," she told me. And once again I realized SO CLEARLY why we do this work each day. LWB exists because of children like Meigan, who is now alive and adopted and blessing our world with her beautiful spirit. Thousands of children just like Meigan are waiting right this moment for someone to believe in them as well. We can't help them without you. I know these are horrible economic times all around the world, and I am so grateful to everyone who is still finding ways to help. No donation is EVER too small, as each dollar brings a precious child one step closer to real hope and healing. I know we can't help them all, but I hope we never reach a point where we stop trying. Thank you for everything you do to support the children who still wait. Working together, we can continue to change the lives of those children whose dreams are the most basic of all: food, health, education, a warm coat. Your year- end donations will help fulfill their dreams. I hope you realize what an enormous difference you are making to children like little Meigan. It was our supporters' loving hands which held her and kept her safe until she received the most precious gift of all, a HOME this holiday of her very own.
With a grateful heart,
Amy Eldridge
I think of the families that have so much love to give. Kids don't need the material things to be happy. I hear over and over again from parents that they just want to be able to give the children they already have, a great life.
Some say they are having a hard time taking care of the ones they have.
Oh...my friends...let's trust Him more than that. God is the creator of the universe. He parted the Red Sea. He walked on water. He created each of us all unique and knew us before the creation of the world. This God is the same God that we call our Lord. Don't you think He can take care of all these things? Give Him ALL. You know the old song we sometimes sing in church...."give it all to Jesus." Are you?
I've been in constant prayer lately...and will share more about that in a later post. God has blessed me so much lately with friends emailing and calling me expressing their interest in adoption. Pray with me that God will put it so strongly on their heart and they will trust Him. I know God is calling many to adopt but families are not "giving it all" to Him. Trust Him!
1 comment:
Trina, this is a beautiful post! I hope many read it and have their hearts touched for the orphans!
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