I'd love it if you would take a minute to read my friend Aislinn's post. Aislinn and her husband, Andrew, met their daughter today, and she describes it as "pure joy". (Be warned, you might need a Kleenex. I did.)
Their little girl, Stacie, has been in an orphanage for four years. During that time no one - not a single person - has come through the doors to visit her. Can you even imagine how she felt today when her very own mama and papa came through those doors?
She went from being one child among so many, sleeping in a room with thirteen beds all lined up in a row.
To being the one child chosen, loved, and pursued by her mama and papa. What a miracle!
Aislinn and Andrew have been through many of the same challenges that we have experienced. They were submitted the same day we were and went through the roller coaster of a possible government shutdown. Their journey - like ours - has not been easy. But look at Stacie's smile. It makes every disappointment, every roadblock, every ridiculously early trip to the state capital seem so worth it.
Stacie has been alone in an orphanage for four years of her life because she is HIV+. Sadly, her story is not unique. I've gotten to know some pretty amazing adoptive mamas recently. Their children's stories are so much like Stacie's.
I know of a three-year-old girl (the same age as my Emma) who learned to laugh when she was sick or hurt because she didn't have a mommy or daddy to cuddle and comfort her. Her adoptive mom told me that this little girl gets very carsick. While her family was in her country to adopt her, she would vomit in the car and then laugh and laugh. How sad that a three-year-old has to protect herself by laughing when she throws up because there hasn't been anyone there to hold her.
I also know of a little boy who, like Stacie, lived in an orphanage for years without visitors. When his adoptive parents asked about his name, they learned he was named after the street where he was found abandoned.
These stories have broken my heart.
Somehow I used to not know that these things happened. That children lived in these types of situations - just because there is no one willing to go. Just because HIV sounds scary. (If it sounds scary to you, please read this.) Now I can never forget. I can never erase these sad pictures from my mind.
The joy on Stacie's face makes me want the same joy for Cole and Rafferty and the many, many other children who are still waiting for their mamas and papas to walk through the doors of their orphanages. Who are still waiting for someone to hold them when they cry and comfort them when they're sick.
Maybe that someone is you.
Stacie's story makes my heart hurt for our little ones. The odds are good that no one is coming to visit them. No one is celebrating their birthdays. No one is chasing away the crocodiles at bedtime. I want to be there with them so badly.
Please keep praying for the special needs list in our country. Pray that it will expand soon so that there can be many more faces filled with joy...like this one.
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