adoption

I babysit on Mondays & Tuesdays, he is a fresh baby-- we have tummy time, he giggles, he likes to swing and he loves his momma. His eyes seem to brighten when his momma walks in the room. She cuts hair at her house so she is just a room over and comes to visit often. I hear his momma say things to him that are said with such a rich love. She says things like "I don't know what I was before you", "your momma and daddy's big man." She glows while she gently holds him and kisses him all over. 

When I got back from my last trip to Uganda, I had one little girl in mind-- Grace. As I drove to work that morning knowing that I would be holding a sweet, healthy baby boy my heart longed so much to be picking up sweet Grace. I sat down on the couch at the house, grabbed the sweet baby boy and started crying. Not knowing why I was crying, I looked into his eyes, that we're so bright, and I said you are loved so much, you are such a blessed tiny one and your mommy & daddy love you so much. It's obvious in how they glow when they mention him in a statement. His momma sat down beside me on the couch and said "tell me all about it" and the only thing I could tell her about was Grace and how badly I wish I were holding her this very second. 

I am not a mother, I am not an aunt, I am a nanny and a preschool teacher. I love children, it's part of me. I have never loved a child like a parent loves their child, there is no way, a part of me thinks that I love Grace that much, but then I realize that if I were supposed to be her mommy then it would happen (I may or may not have asked around about it.) I have said since I was a little girl that I've wanted to adopt, but of course I think most young girls say that at some point. I didn't really know what it meant to adopt until I visited Africa the first time. When my heart was ripped out, by a room full of baby beds with little black faces that popped up and their tiny hands went into the air begging for you to pick them up. There was more than one room like this and the worst part was-- Rwanda is closed to adoption. So no matter how many babies I held that day and wished so badly I could find them a forever home I couldn't, simply because I was young, afraid and had no clue where to begin. 

I know that my time will come to adopt, Jesus has placed that burning passion within me. That vision of me running to my child and picking them up knowing that they are coming HOME, to be with mommy and daddy. Its replayed a thousand times and each time I hear of a family who has adopted or is in the process of adopting my heart leaps for joy at the idea of them having that same moment with their baby. 

So, im writing this blog because tonight I heard about a family who is in the process of adopting their third child from Korea. I do not know them personally, a friend knows them-- but I'm helping because I know that when it's my time to adopt that I will need a community to help, I will need a community to pray, I will need a community to believe and a community to love me through the process. I know that Jesus will get this sweet baby safe and sound home to his family, but they need our help getting him here. 

This is taken from their Facebook page: Due to the urgency of this referred baby, we were informed that we need $28,500 in the next 10 days. By Monday, August 4th, we need to overnight the funds to New York so they can submit our paper work to Korea.

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=704960306244260

I am not always sure what my life will look like, I am not sure how many children Jesus will allow me to adopt, but I do know that right now we have the chance to help a beautiful couple bring home a baby. There will be one less orphan in the world, there will be one less statistic, there will be one more baby who has a mommy & a daddy. One more baby who has a family. Here are a few pictures of babies I have had the privilege of holding while overseas. These babies are orphans, sleeping in orphanages, eating close to nothing, crying themselves to sleep. Let's help bring a baby home guys!