Open Heart

A friend of mine mentioned this blog post on facebook about some special children in Bulgaria who need families. When I began to read, I was taken back six years ago to when I first met my daughter, SB. Her story was similar to Harvey's and Thad's (feeding tube, severe abuse from her birth family), although she was in an orphanage where the care was much, much better. But still, she was small, fragile, and so lost. The year and a half that followed was the best and worst time of my life. I saw the glory of God, and yet also descended to the darkest depths.

Seeing those children and reading Adeye's stories tonight, it hit me. Shocked me. I suddenly realized - I would do it all again. If my husband is willing, perhaps there is another child with special needs out there who will someday be part of our family. Not because I am anything special, but because God has shown His love and grace to me. Few seek out the broken, except for God. In reaching out, I can show the world a little of what He's done for me.  

Adeye wrote about a little boy they are adopting, "I realized once again that redemption never comes too late for precious ones such as these. To the world, this little boy was written off completely."

My SB was a "lost cause," severely brain damaged, blind, difficult to feed, and she rarely slept. Our pediatrician in the U.S. recommended that we return her to the orphanage because life with her was so challenging. She only had a year with us before she died, but she experienced love, imperfect as we were, and she went from this:

to this in a few short months.

I hope and pray that each one of those little ones gets a forever family, soon.