Do you remember what happened a year ago today? Haiti was devastated by an earthquake that is estimated to have taken the lives of more than 230,000, injured many more, and left one million homeless. Before the earthquake Haiti was already suffering in extreme poverty and had over 300,000 orphans. Just because it is not in the headlines anymore doesn't mean we should stop praying for the country, leaders, people, and its restoration.
So how does all of that fit into our adoption story?
When I was just a little girl, about nine or ten years old I saw a documentary (probably on Dateline) about international adoption and the world's orphans. Learning that there were kids in the world who were in need, not just of food and clothing but of a family broke my heart. From that day forward I knew that God was calling me to adopt. I didn't know when, or where I'd adopt children but I knew that God was stirring my heart, and I had to do it. Orphans were always on my mind and in my heart. I would talk about it whenever I could, read all that I could find, and I told everyone I knew that, "Someday I am going to adopt children." During my senior year of high school I wrote my final research paper on impoverished countries and international adoption... and began to think that maybe I might be a single woman and live in one of those countries and "mother" the children at an orphanage.
David, bless his heart, listened to the desire God had put in my heart when we first started dating six years ago... and didn't run. I believe that God began preparing his heart from then on. We got married in 2007 and we continued to say, "Yeah, someday we will adopt." Throughout the years my heart has continued to be captured by adoption. When I would see a newsstand with Angelina Jolie's growing adoptive family or a family in an airport or a restaurant (sorry if it ever looked like I was staring at you) that had apparently adopted my heart would do a little dance and I'd get dreamy about the story God would someday write into my life.
All that being said, I will now tell you how this ties in with the earthquake.
I read the news about the tragedy in Haiti and my heart broke for the people and the country as a whole. There were already so many orphans in Haiti, what was going to happen? Haitian adoption qualifications would not allow us to adopt at our age, as well as the steps involved following the earthquake. That gentle stirring that God had been doing in my heart for nearly fifteen years turned into a whisk. I am not kidding, it felt like all the feelings in my heart were been whipped up so fast that I couldn't contain it.... then I knew, the time to adopt is NOW. I shared what was was on my heart with David and we began to research countries and agencies and pray-pray-pray.
So today my heart breaks for all of the Haitian lives lost and effected by the quake that occurred one year ago; my heart also beats with joy, anticipation, and an overwhelming sense of peace about God's call for us to adopt NOW. We have been on this journey for a year and have learned so much and will always be learning and growing through this experience.
My prayer today is that more people will feel a stirring in their hearts for the orphan and begin to advocate, we can all do something.
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