The longing in my heart....

Where is my heart and mind right now? It is thousands and thousands of miles away in Bulgaria. There are so many orphans there with special needs right now who are suffering, starving, fading away slowly. I wish so badly that these orphans didn't have to suffer. I wish they knew what it feels like to be loved, wanted, accepted. In Bulgaria, there are 9 year old orphans with Down syndrome who are the size of a one year old baby. Why are they like this? Because they have been fed nothing but liquids their whole lives. Humans can't grow off of liquids alone. Therefore, they stopped growing at the age of one because their bodies couldn't grow anymore with the small amount of nutrients that their tiny bodies were getting. These things break my heart. It makes me wish that I could fly right over to Bulgaria right now and just bring them all home. I wish that I could cradle each and every one of them in my arms, rocking them as I whisper into their ears that everything is going to be ok. I wish that I could promise each of them that they will find a family, come to America, and get the medical care that they NEED. But....I can't. I can't hold them like I long to. I can't promise them that they will get a family. I can't promise them that everything is going to be ok.

I can only sit here on the other side of the world and pray for them. Pray that they will find families and that everything will be ok. And for those who have families waiting for them, I can only pray that God will keep them alive long enough to be able to come to America to get the help they need so they WILL be ok.

I have a longing to go to Bulgaria one day. I want one of those precious orphans to be my son/daughter one day. I want me and my husband to bring him/her home, take our precious baby to the hospital, give them the love and family and home that they deserve. I want to tuck them into bed each night as I say their prayers with them. I want to take them to church every week, and teach them all about the amazing God that me and my husband serve! I want to kiss every boo boo that they will ever receive. I want to show them what loves really means.

It's crazy to think about, really. The kind of child that people are scared to have.... the kind of child that most people will abort.......the kind of child who is looked at as unworthy of life and love in most foreign countries is exactly the kind of child that I LONG for. People probably think I'm crazy for longing for a child "like that". Do you know what though? I think those people are crazy for NOT wanting a child "like that". Every single person in the world is made in the image of God. Did you catch that? EVERY.SINGLE.PERSON! Yes, even the children who look different and act different than you are still made in the image of the same God that you were made in the image of.

It only costs $20,000 to save a precious orphan from Bulgaria. You may wonder why I say only......cause who in their right mind would use the word ONLY right next to $20,000? I say only because most adoptions cost $40,000. Yes, that's right! $40,000! People from places like Bulgaria and Russia don't want their children who are "different", but yet they don't want us Americans to adopt them so they make it really expensive for us. So, in reality, $20,000 is really cheap for an adoption. My family is in the process of adopting a little girl right now from Eastern Europe, and I know how difficult the process of adoption can be. I have seen both the ups and downs of the adoption process. The worries of "Is our child alright?" and "Where will all of this money come from?" are plenty. Believe me. But do you know what? Every single worry....every single penny......every single second of stress is worth it. It is worth it because you are SAVING a precious life!

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress. James 1:27