Saturday, February 20, 2010
No Longer An Orphan...
Here is an excerpt from my trip in 2008. The orphanage is the one Soloman (the boy we are adopting) is from...
“Our trip to Kamashi, which was a 14 hour drive through the bush, was an emotional trip. We arrived late at night so we just went to bed. The next morning, I came out and saw all of the little orphan boys, all 169 of them, playing outside. I was so emotional, trying not to cry right in front of them. It was so sad to see so many orphaned children of all different ages at one time. We played with them, passed out candy, talked with them, and watched them play sports. One of the first boys I saw disappeared as I came out. I was drawn to him and so I followed him. He was around 12 and was walking with a cane and had a limp. It was as though he was running away from me, not wanting to be noticed or seen. I caught him and asked him his name. He could barely look me in the face and I knew why. He was the one who sat on the sidelines unable to mingle with the rest of the boys or unable to play all the games. He was the one who hid himself away when Americans arrived to choose their future adopted children; the one who knew that he most likely would never find a family and couldn't take the rejection anymore. He wasn’t the only one that had faced that reality. He represented the many boys who lived there.
There were so many boys that it’s impossible to remember all their names. All I know is that they look at you with these eyes that break your heart. They know why most of us are here (families come and visit to choose their future adopted children-though this is not why I was there- at least I didn't know I was going to find my son there) and they are doing all they can to be noticed. Some asked to "be adopted" some brought photographs of themselves with their names on them, some drew pictures with airplanes-most likely flying to America, and some just watched me and smiled. As for the older boys, for the most part, I saw sadness in their faces as they gave me a small smile and quickly looked away. They are fully aware that they will most likely never find a family. They looked at me with a small glimpse of hope that is all but dead as if to just see if I may have actually noticed them amongst all the others. As people come and go & all of the little ones disappear with them, they begin to grasp their future reality: They will never be a part of a family. "
While this is still the reality of almost every child there, especially the older boys, it wasn't the reality of EVERY boy there. There was a boy named Soloman who God placed in our path. He is 13, and now, we are in the process of being his "forever family"...
John just met him for the first time and here is the excerpt from his time with him so far:
It has been very comfortable with Soloman. He seemed very excited to meet me. We all went into Addis and had lunch and then he had to go to a dr appointment. they dropped him back off and he is going to be here until Sun night or Mon morning. He is a great kid. He is very polite and helps out. We were watching a movie and I was going to go down and read/nap in the room. I asked Soloman if he wanted to watch another movie and he said "No, that was enough, I want to read." He got his bible and laid on the couch and read. Joey has been saying all day that he has such a great spirit. We played soccer and he is pretty good. He seems really athletic.
John told me how Soloman is just so full of the joy of the Lord, and is such a special child.
While we still have many mountains to climb in order to bring him home, we are anxiously awaiting that time, and until then we want to offer a challenge to those of you reading. Is there a Soloman out there waiting for you to open your home? An orphan child who cries because he has no family who is just waiting for one of us to give up our comforts, get over our fears and excuses, and welcome one of the least of these into our homes. Though it has its challenges, we have learned that it is definitely the VERY HEART OF GOD as we were all at one time orphans, and thank God that He was willing to open His arms to us and make us one of His children. Maybe we will choose to do the same....
Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked...1 John 2:3-6
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"...Jeremiah 20:11
The story of an orphan, the story of Miki...
Imagine an infant baby, who is longing for the mother he no longer has. Though he is not old enough to understand why she isn't there, or to perceive what his heart is longing for, there is a aching in his heart and soul for the one whose heartbeat he heard for 9 long months and who fed and protected him at his first moments of life in the womb. The reason she is not there is that she died while giving birth to him, and now this child is left without his mother.
By the age of 7, this little boy would eventually suffer the death of another mother (his father remarried), a little sister, and eventually his father; the one consistent adult in his young life. He soon after would be kicked out onto the streets by his 2nd step mother, where he would be left to fend for himself; selling grocery bags to make enough money to buy a piece of bread... if he was lucky.
But the story doesn't end there. You see, God says that He is a "father to the fatherless" and that He lifts the poor from the dust".
And because God cared so much for this boy, he gave him a second chance at life. Just when there seemed to be no hope, He scooped up this little child into His arms and opened a door for him to come into Covenant Orphanage. In Covenant Orphanage he was brought to the Lord and taught that, though he no longer had an earthly father, he did have a Father in Heaven who knew the number of hair on his head and loved him deeply. He was also given 3 meals a day, clothes for his back, medicine, a warm place to sleep and a new place to call home.
After a year or so, a couple from America came to visit Covenant Orphanage and before leaving decided that they were going to adopt this boy. Before they left they told him "we will come back for you" and so he waited....And waited....And waited....
He waited for the possibility of being a part of a family. He wondered anxiously whether it would really happen, and dreamed at night of what it would be like to have a real family. He hoped and prayed that they would stay true to their promise. A year later this orphan child, who once had no future and no hope became a part of a "forever family".
This "forever family" is our family and this boy's name is Miki John Dutton. Miki has now been here 2 1/2 yrs. and is doing very well. We are blessed more than we ever thought possible. It hasn't always been easy, sometimes far from that, but doing the right thing is usually never easy. During this time, It has been a miracle to watch him grow; becoming stronger and healthier every day. Just 2 1/2 years ago, he weighed 66 pounds! He is now almost double that!
Even more, we are blown away by Gods goodness even in temporal blessings, as Miki has become an amazing athlete. As we sit and watch him play, we are brought to tears by Gods faithfulness and goodness even in the little things as this once orphaned, half starving street child is now this incredible athlete who is amazingly gifted in every sport. It reminds me of the bible verse where it says: "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong".
People come up and comment about how amazing He is in sports, and to us, it is humbling. It’s humbling to think that the God of the universe, who says the earth is his footstool and who's voice can shake the heavens and the earth, is loving enough to bestow His blessing on one of the least of these. It’s humbling to see the this gifted child who recognizes what God has done for him in so many ways and gives Him the glory, and its humbling to think that God loves us so much that he would want us to be a part of all of it!!!
In closing, I felt lead to share this as I'm reminded daily of our Fathers love for all His children. Though we live in a fallen world where people are suffering, it is the very heart of God to take those who are suffering, lift them up from the dust, and give them a second chance.
It is also a challenge to all of you. There is another Miki out there knocking on your door!!! Sure, there are many exuses, even good ones, as to why you cant adopt, but the fact of the matter is this: Do you really think that God would EVER SAY NO TO YOU PROVIDING A FAMILY AND A HOME FOR AN ORPHAN?????? Really, the answer is no. Its just a question of "Am I willing to die to myself and my time and my money and my comfort to do as God commanded"??? Whether your a new young family, a large family, a poor family, or a empty nester, there should always be a willing heart to care for the least of these.....
The story of an orphan, the story of Miki...
Imagine an infant baby, who is longing for the mother he no longer has. Though he is not old enough to understand why she isn't there, or to perceive what his heart is longing for, there is a aching in his heart and soul for the one whose heartbeat he heard for 9 long months and who fed and protected him at his first moments of life in the womb. The reason she is not there is that she died while giving birth to him, and now this child is left without his mother.
By the age of 7, this little boy would eventually suffer the death of another mother (his father remarried), a little sister, and eventually his father; the one consistent adult in his young life. He soon after would be kicked out onto the streets by his 2nd step mother, where he would be left to fend for himself; selling grocery bags to make enough money to buy a piece of bread... if he was lucky.
But the story doesn't end there. You see, God says that He is a "father to the fatherless" and that He lifts the poor from the dust".
And because God cared so much for this boy, he gave him a second chance at life. Just when there seemed to be no hope, He scooped up this little child into His arms and opened a door for him to come into Covenant Orphanage. In Covenant Orphanage he was brought to the Lord and taught that, though he no longer had an earthly father, he did have a Father in Heaven who knew the number of hair on his head and loved him deeply. He was also given 3 meals a day, clothes for his back, medicine, a warm place to sleep and a new place to call home.
After a year or so, a couple from America came to visit Covenant Orphanage and before leaving decided that they were going to adopt this boy. Before they left they told him "we will come back for you" and so he waited....And waited....And waited....
He waited for the possibility of being a part of a family. He wondered anxiously whether it would really happen, and dreamed at night of what it would be like to have a real family. He hoped and prayed that they would stay true to their promise. A year later this orphan child, who once had no future and no hope became a part of a "forever family".
This "forever family" is our family and this boy's name is Miki John Dutton. Miki has now been here 2 1/2 yrs. and is doing very well. We are blessed more than we ever thought possible. It hasn't always been easy, sometimes far from that, but doing the right thing is usually never easy. During this time, It has been a miracle to watch him grow; becoming stronger and healthier every day. Just 2 1/2 years ago, he weighed 66 pounds! He is now almost double that!
Even more, we are blown away by Gods goodness even in temporal blessings, as Miki has become an amazing athlete. As we sit and watch him play, we are brought to tears by Gods faithfulness and goodness even in the little things as this once orphaned, half starving street child is now this incredible athlete who is amazingly gifted in every sport. It reminds me of the bible verse where it says: "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong".
People come up and comment about how amazing He is in sports, and to us, it is humbling. It’s humbling to think that the God of the universe, who says the earth is his footstool and who's voice can shake the heavens and the earth, is loving enough to bestow His blessing on one of the least of these. It’s humbling to see the this gifted child who recognizes what God has done for him in so many ways and gives Him the glory, and its humbling to think that God loves us so much that he would want us to be a part of all of it!!!
In closing, I felt lead to share this as I'm reminded daily of our Fathers love for all His children. Though we live in a fallen world where people are suffering, it is the very heart of God to take those who are suffering, lift them up from the dust, and give them a second chance.
It is also a challenge to all of you. There is another Miki out there knocking on your door!!! Sure, there are many exuses, even good ones, as to why you cant adopt, but the fact of the matter is this: Do you really think that God would EVER SAY NO TO YOU PROVIDING A FAMILY AND A HOME FOR AN ORPHAN?????? Really, the answer is no. Its just a question of "Am I willing to die to myself and my time and my money and my comfort to do as God commanded"??? Whether your a new young family, a large family, a poor family, or a empty nester, there should always be a willing heart to care for the least of these.....
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