I have struggled for a month now, wanting to share the burden that has been weighing on my heart but not knowing what to say or how to say it. Several months ago, I chanced upon Reece's Rainbow, an organization that facilitates the adoption of children with special needs - most of them children with Down syndrome. What I read there opened my eyes to the horrors of what it means for a child to have Down syndrome in Eastern Europe. These children are considered unacceptable and are put into orphanages at birth. If they are not adopted by the time they are five, they are moved to mental institutions where they live out the rest of their lives. From the moment they are born, their sentence has been written - a life of abandonment, neglect, grief, and misery that the rest of us could never even imagine. (You can see an NBC video clip on Serbian mental institutions here.)
As I looked through the hundreds of pictures listed on Reece's Rainbow, one particular little girl jumped out at me. This little girl has tugged at my heart until it has broken for her. You see, when I look into the eyes of this precious little girl, I see my son Wesley. They have the same wispy blonde hair, red nose and cheeks, and open mouth expressions. And they were both born in April of 2009. The difference is that Phoebe was unwanted and put away forever, just because she has Down syndrome.
It rips my heart out to think that no one would want a little girl so very much like my son. And Phoebe is by no means the only one. There are countless children just like her waiting in orphanages for God to lay it on the hearts of a family to come and rescue them and adopt them into their own families.
This Christmas, we can give them the gift of a new life. International adoptions cost in the neighborhood of $25,000, so any donation to these children lowers the cost of their adoption and increases their chances of finding their forever family. As my friend Rochelle said so well, "God calls each of us to support orphans, and Reece's Rainbow is a great Christian organization to accomplish that mission."
So what are we waiting for? Let's skip that extra dinner out and give a far greater gift!
2 comments:
Oh Phoebe is a sweet one isn't she? You guys need a little girl to go with those handsome boys don't you? =)
I'm so glad that God prompted you to post this, Elisabeth! I stopped by R.R. website after talking with you about it a while ago.
Yes, Lord! Stir our hearts to break like Yours for Your precious children!
Post a Comment