Monday, November 22, 2010

Keeping it in Perspective

Do you remember Tori?  The precious little one that we were praying would find a family?  The little one who is sitting day after lonely day in an adult mental institute?  The little one who has a family who has had EVERY SINGLE MOUNTAIN moved and is within WEEKS of getting over there to see her, hold her and bring her home?  Our mighty God moved an entire mountain so that her family could get her - not in months but literally in weeks.  Not only Tori.  Nope.  They are also getting another sweet child.


Anastasiya


Sisters.  Soon to be given new names, parents, siblings, home, HOPE. 

This is for whom we pray. 

     Dear Friends,  The latest news on the vote is that the hearing for the bill concerning adoptions is set for the week of December 14-17.  If the bill stands as written, adoptions would stop unless the country involved has a bilateral agreement with Aaron's former country. 

The United States does not have a bilateral agreement.  Thus, all US adoptions would stop. 

     The entire situation is complicated and messy.  A bilateral agreement is a good thing, and in the long run would streamline the adoption process - making it easier and much less stressful.  What we went through with Aaron would not happen if an agreement was in place. 

     BUT - the way the bill is written - ADOPTIONS WOULD STOP until the agreement is worked out.  This could take months or years to hash out. 

     The reality in the short term is that right now... there are fragile children who will die if left in their cribs for months or years.  Just a few weeks ago a Reece's Rainbow family brought back, out of an institute, a seven year old precious little girl who weighed 16 lbs.  You read that correctly.  SIXTEEN POUNDS.  She came home only a few weeks ago.  She had been drugged in her crib to keep her calm.  The doctors on our side of the ocean wept when they saw her.   She didn't have months or years. 

     Right now there are families who are IN COUNTRY, with their children, waiting for their court dates, holding their breath and hoping that they receive their court documents BEFORE this vote takes place.  Many of those in country right now will make the cut off.  They will be whisking their children out before the gavel lands.  Praise God.  Every single time I hear that a family has their court documents in hand, I start to weep at my computer.  One more life saved.  One more snatched out of darkness. 

     But the reality is that there are too many families on the edge of that vote.  Some will have court on THE VERY WEEK of that vote.  Some will only arrive that week, some will be in the middle of their 10 day waiting period.  Some will be coming in afterwards.  Dear Tori and Anastasiya's family will be there just as the vote is taking place

      Did you read that?  Do you understand church why we have to pray?  We screamed and hollered and raised funds and God moved in the hearts of the Burmans to go get Tori and He moved in their hearts AGAIN to get Anastasiya and THEN He moved the mountain to get their paperwork done in absolute record time because Tori does not have much time BUT THE BIGGEST MOUNTAIN stands in their way.  A bill that would stop their adoption.

     But Our God is bigger than that mountain, and these are His kids.  He has stirred in so many hearts in the last number of years to rescue these forgotten ones and it wasn't so that they would become lost again.  He has a purpose and a plan set in motion.  What takes place across our world in regards to the 'least of these' is heart breaking.  In our country they are aborted - discarded in the garbage.  In other countries they are abandoned - discarded into orphanages.  The church needs to rise up and take a stand.  Both in our country and in the rest of the world.  We start by getting on our knees and praying for these families who are sacrificing so much to get these children out in time.  We pray that God will still the storm raging in their hearts.  We pray that they will be covered - drenched in His peace as they cross the waters.

     We pray for the men who will be voting for the bill.  We pray that God would move in their hearts.  We pray that these men would have the grace to consider the 'least of these' in their country - both the special needs and the hard to place older children - that they would spare their lives and futures by placing, into the bill, wording that allows adoptions to continue as they work towards a better system for all.  We pray that those men who have it in their hearts to end adoptions altogether - regardless of wording or agreements - we pray their attempts would be halted.  We pray that their desires would be thwarted and that the voice of those guided by the Holy Spirit would be heard.  Pray Church. 

     The little ones below ALL HAVE FAMILIES WHO WANT THEM.  These are the ones for whom you pray.  These are the children who are being affected RIGHT now.  Their families are on their knees. Please join them. 

Church - Pray!


There are so many more. 

7 comments:

  1. You know, I have a strong gut feeling that this WILL work out. I can't believe that these families have come so far, and overcome so many obstacles, just to be denied their child at the last minute. Surely the politicians can find a way to implement the Hague convention without stopping adoptions that are already underway? There MUST be a way!

    Needless to say, I am praying. All the time!

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  2. Bless you Julia for calling the charge for the church to pray :)Our sweetie is third row down on the left with the heart breaking smile in the green shirt. Thank you all for praying with us, it means so much.
    Carolyn and David
    http://hebrewselevevone.blogspot.com

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  3. Thank you for posting this, Julia. I had a rough evening yesterday thinking about all of this. Then a friend sent me a devotional that she had gotten in her inbox yesterday - yes the exact day I needed it. It was about fear. I'll post a couple excerpts here in case it will help someone else too. Hope it's not too long. Sorry about that. We will PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, but I will not allow fear to steal the joy we will have in meeting our son and spending time with him over the next few weeks.

    "He is working out all things for His purposes. Stay fixed on Him and your fears will subside. Be consumed with Christ and your cares will grow faint without fear. Do not feed fear. Starve it until it shrivels and dies. God has given you this vision. It is His gift to you. It is yours for the taking. Do not be discouraged over the timing of its culmination.

    "It is now that God is preparing you to handle the next steps of His vision for your life. Use this time of uncertainty to grow your faith and to drown your fears. There are two choices that invite you to decide daily. One is fear and the other is faith. Faith will trump fear if you let it. Faith is the heat that melts the cold, icy grip of fear. Faith in God frees you from the inertia of fear.

    "Fear discourages. Faith encourages. Fear flees. Faith stays. Fear gives up. Faith digs in. Fear questions. Faith trusts. Fear sees obstacles. Faith sees opportunities. Fear weakens. Faith strengthens. Use this test of your faith to go deeper with Christ. Untested faith weakens, but tested faith strengthens. Be encouraged. Fear is overrated. Faith in Christ is underrated. He is your confidence. In the face of fear He can be trusted!"

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  4. I firmly believe God is going to work this out perfectly, according to His plan. Praying at this end.

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  5. Potentially good news today about the adoption vote. Check out the update on my blog!

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  6. That is an amazing visual, looking at just a small portion of children who have families waiting for them! What a beautiful thing.

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  7. I am familiar with so many of these precious faces. Thank you for this heart rending call to spiritual warfare. Thank you for taking the time to put faces in this post...faces of REAL children whose families are doing all they can to get to them. then there are so many more who have not yet been Chosen. Oh Father. Please. Send YOUR CHURCH.
    Until there are no more orphans.
    Love,k
    Holly

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Loving words from kind people make our hearts glad!