The Children He Didn't Want to See

Three years ago, I started following the families who were adopting children found through an adoption organization. I would read certain passages of their family blogs to Dean, sometimes having to stop because I was too choked up to say the words out loud. Sometimes he would ask me, "Why do you read those blogs? Why do you torture yourself with all that sad stuff? Really, I don't want to hear about it." Other times he would respond with a simple, totally unemotional, "Yep, that's sad." and walk away.

Dean didn't want to hear about these children. He didn't want to know about suffering, and transfers, and what some do-gooder who I was reading about online was doing. Besides, how do I know it's not all just some scam anyway? I'd never met any of these people!

This morning Dean and I were up early. We had a houseful of people coming over for Potato Klub, and were enjoying the early morning quiet checking our email accounts, etc. Yesterday Dean had finished painting Axel's bedroom, so I was getting ready to shampoo the carpet.

As we sat together in the quiet Dean said, "Wow, there's a lot of families traveling right now." He was on the Reece's Rainbow "Traveling Now" page, which lists all the families who are currently traveling to pick up their new children. Soon he'd navigated his way to the blogs of a couple different families, and smiled as he looked at the pictures of the first time they saw their child. He turned his computer toward me so I could watch a couple videos, one of a little boy getting to know his new mama, and producing one of his first signs.

"There are so man beautiful kids here." he said. I looked to see what page he was on. Ahhh yes. The girls ages 6+. They are the most "at risk" children. The are the children most in danger of getting transferred.  "If only we could bring them all home." he said.

And I know exactly what he means. There is no way one family can save the 147 million orphans in the world. But I sat there, in awe of what God had done in our household in the past year! He had completely changed Dean's heart from one that is cold and closed to hearing the cry of the orphan, to one that will fight for them. Every day I hear him tell someone, "We're adopting a child. A child who would otherwise have a very different life!" as he goes on to tell the story of Axel and Ianna.

Somewhere along the way God showed Dean that these two empty bedrooms in our house were meant to be filled with the sweet sounds of sleeping children. That the two empty seats at our dining room table were meant to have the smiling faces of two more children. That our hearts were more than capable of loving two more.

Today, on Orphan Sunday, I praise God for the miracles He has chosen for our family this year, and I'm excited for all that lies ahead. I know that it won't be easy, but that we're up for the challenge we've been commissioned to face.

What can YOU do for the orphans of our world? Perhaps one of the 200 faces of the waiting children on Reece's Rainbow is speaking to you? Maybe you'd rather support a family who is trying to raise the funds to bring their child home? There are so many ways that you can help through Reece's Rainbow, there really is an option for everyone!

To those who have lovingly contributed to our adoption fund, we thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for your love. You have made a HUGE difference in Axel's future!