Happy Thanksgiving!!We have so much to be thankful for. We have all our basic needs met. We have food, we have water, and we have shelter. Isn't that an awful lot to be thankful for? We take so much for granted, we want sodas or coffee, not water, we want a steak and baked potato but could easily live on rice alone, and we want a house big enough for each person to have their own room (almost) when just a roof and walls to protect us from the weather would be more than sufficient. And then there is health, we all are in good health.
I think above all these things, and maybe it is because they all 4 flow so freely in our home, I am thankful for our family. Immediate family, extended family, our church family, the family of Christ...we have so much family.
But, there are those who do not know the love of one parent, much less both. There are those that have no one to go to for comfort when they ache or a hug when they are scared or a goodnight kiss before bed. Those are the children my heart is consumed with. I just can not imagine...I mean really, can you even fathom having no one? Specifically my heart is burdened for the special needs children in China. Not because the children around the world aren't in great need as well, they so are. But the Lord has taken me to these children, he has shared them with me. I know their faces, I have touched them, and I love them. We must actively advocate for them. Can you imagine being a child living in a orphanage and not being able to physically eat because of a surgery that is done all day, everyday here in the United States? Can you see the child with the missing arm or leg who could really flourish here, not stuck in a corner or confined to a bed? What about a child failing to thrive due to a heart condition...one that can be repaired, or at least the opportunity to the care we so readily have available here? What about being an older child...not 19, not 18 but some children, healthy children, are just over 5 years old. Did you know that China's adoption program is not available for children over 14? They may well be left on their own at that point to care for themselves....14?! I have a 14 year old son...he still needs us, a lot!
There is a woman who has adopted 4 special needs children from China...she has a heart for those left behind. She along with support from 3 other moms with waiting children from China have begun a website. I am hoping you have seen the button to the right of my blog....No Hands But Ours(click on the button or the highlighted text to go there). It is a wonderful, helpful, God glorifying resource for families to find out more about adoption...and perhaps it may open their heart to special needs adoption. The site offers specific information about most special needs, resources and links, even a list of waiting children and family stories (our sweet Love's story is shared).
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