A Dream :: "Orphan" Becomes Personal

This is a message I got from one of my oldest friends, Laura. We have been friends since 8th grade. Although we've only lived in the same city for 1 year, God's knit our hearts together and bound us together for over half our lives. We were bridesmaids in each other's weddings. She sent me this dream God gave her a couple weeks ago about her 2 daughters. I absolutely LOVE how God personalizes the plight of orphans and vulnerable children for his people...

Kate and Ella were on some adventure which involved catching large sea slugs [don't think that even exists] and all sorts of other mayhem, but Ella was being sneaky and brought one of the sea creatures into the large room that she and Kate were sleeping in. In that room were a bunch of bunk beds lined up. They had nothing in their possession, Kate only had some silly bands on her arm. A woman entered the room where they were sleeping and saw that Ella had disobeyed a rule by bringing in the sea creature [ok strange I know], upon seeing this she kicked Ella and Kate out. At that moment I realized they were orphans...I weep as I write this. I saw the sweet amazing eyes of my Kate and the tender gentle spirit of her big sis, and there they were- all alone in the world. And I woke up.

It was 4:30 this morning and all I could do was run into their room and lay my hands on my 2 oldest girls. In that moment, the plight of orphans went from my head, past my heart, directly into my GUT! I literally felt sick. I realized that in a different place in the world or a different set of circumstances, that could by the life my daughters faced. The image of my sweet little 2yr old, w/ her big brown eyes, all alone in the world, was more than I could handle. And I pray that if they were in that circumstance, someone would scoop them up and love them, someone would choose them, someone would spend whatever money, sacrifice whatever it took, travel any distance to rescue my little loves.

I wonder how God's made adoption personal to you. I LOVE the private conversations I've had with so many readers about how God's expanded your heart toward adoption. Please share. It's so encouraging to hear and see how God's mobilizing his people toward orphan care!

Plan A

Last Sunday night in our orphan care support group (including parents who are fostering, adopting domestically or internationally, or mentoring children in the social welfare system), I was challenged and inspired with a couple truths...

"Orphan care is not a cause or a fad, it's a calling and a biblical mandate." -Rick Warren. I was reminded of how biblically entrenched caring for orphans is. It really isn't an add-on bonus if you are a Christian. It's a core principle. Look for yourself. Examine Scripture [Deuteronomy, Psalm, Isaiah, James, & 1 John to get you started]. Study biblical characters [Moses and Esther will get your started]. Seriously, if you're anything like me, once you start exploring Scripture with these eyes you'll wonder how you've missed it all along!

The church is God's Plan A for eliminating orphans globally. And there isn't a Plan B. God didn't come to start non-profit organizations. Those exists, thankfully, because the church hasn't been doing what she's called to do - caring for the least of these [Matthew 25]. It's a dream of mine that orphans would cease to exist in my children's generation. If the church rose to the call and invited orphans into their families, children without families would cease to exist!

God saw me and he chose to use me. When our leader, Joan, called this out I burst into tears. Who am I that God would choose to use us? I'm grateful that we agreed with him and said "yes" to his call. God sees you, too. What's he choosing to use you for in caring for orphans?
If God has really called ALL of his people to care for orphans, that means he's calling you to do something. It's not optional. How will you respond?

Timing

It's funny how God plops themes, words, ideas into my brain that have a hard time escaping, but that's especially how he's worked with me in the 3+ years of infertility and adoption. For sure it's because I can't process the enormity of our journey all at once. So, he's given me bite-sized pieces, like a puzzle, that have transformed me and beautifully fit together piece-by-piece.

The most current piece I've been chewin on is the matter of timing. God's timing is not my timing. That's no surprise. God doesn't do things in the way or manner in which I think it would be best. At least at first. But there's been a method to his madness. [Again, stating the obvious.]

If we would've become pregnant 3 years ago, when we wanted to, when my dearest friend Jeanne announced her pregnancy, I would have been an entirely different mom. Our marriage would have been an entirely different partnership. I would've missed out on the pure, exhilarating joy of adopting Lil' A and Baby T. Really, this blog is an Ebenezer - a physical declaration - of all I would have missed out on if I would've had my way.

But there is another aspect to the "timing" issue that I've been realizing, embracing, and becoming increasingly grateful for. When we started our process 19+ months ago, we were told we'd have our baby girl [remember, we started just requesting 1 infant girl!!] home in 9-11 months. 19 months + our next 4-5 months > 9-11 months. We were excited to have her home perhaps by the end of 2009. Wow...

Here's my Bottom Line: just as a healthy, biological pregnancy takes 40 weeks to come to fruition, completion adoptions take as long as God needs them to to prepare parents, adopted children, and His people. Our village is larger and stronger now than it would've been 9 months ago. Brian and I have learned SO much about specialized [adoptive] parenting and are so much more equipped now. We have eliminated debt. We were able to make necessary improvements on our little home to make it ready for 2 kiddos. Our families have grown to nearly burst with prayers and excitement and joy for the interracial reality that will now define our family.

I've realized now more than ever that as people pray - our bio family, our church family, our near and far friends, and blog friends - our hearts grow toward a person, cause, issue. That has certainly been enormously true for us. The love that our babies will experience will be overflowing as our friends and family have pleaded with God to provide the right children to be ours and for them to come home.

I wonder if adoption also takes longer than we'd like because God's growing a heart of adoption in his people. One of my oldest and dearest friends recently shared that her and her husband have decided to adopt. YEAH! I know others who are considering adoption for the first time. Others they've been financially generous toward an adoption in new ways. Others who are praying with new fervor [watch out: that's where "it" begins!]

I just wonder if it's long and hard and challenging because God loves orphans so much and he will do whatever necessary to awaken his Church to move on their behalf? Thoughts!??!!?