Finding the Silver Lining

     I hate that we are not heading back to Aaron's country soon.  I hate sitting here feeling like we are spinning circles in the sand.  I'm fighting to have a positive attitude about everything.  So here is my attempt to find the silver lining...

     I get to work  on the Medieval curriculum that I realized was impossible to work on over there!  I've gotten a lot accomplished in the last two weeks while waiting for the ever-important e-mails.... I plan on getting even more accomplished as we wait.  Of course this really isn't something I can get too excited about as I am very burned out from writing and would love to NOT be writing but I'm trying to focus on the positive here....

     I get to take Ben for his first days at a local Community College in a few weeks.  He is going to be taking a few classes this fall and now I get to help him in his first weeks and for that I am very grateful.  

     We get to catch up on some rest... IF.... we could both learn to fall asleep AND STAY ASLEEP.  It is very hard to stay asleep when your heart is torn in two.  We are working on this silver lining.

     Plane tickets in September will be a lot less expensive than in August.  THAT IS A MAJOR SILVER LINING!

     I am teaching two Homeschooling classes this fall and I've been able to order supplies and work on lessons plans.   I'm definitely happy for the extra time I have to put into these classes.

     I get to see Joseph and the Techni-color Dreamcoat in a few weeks.  Rob and the boys were supposed to be in the show but the adoption kept them from doing it.  But at least we get to see it and for that we are glad.   The people in the show are good friends and have been very supportive of this adoption.  They rock!

     So there are a few silver linings.  Of course, if I got an e-mail today saying that we had court next week - I would gladly toss all of that to the wind (except for Ben and school) and jump on the next flight back to Aaron! 

.....BECAUSE WE MISS THE LITTLE STINKER...

P.S.  I took this picture and a whole host of others on the last day we were with him.  I knew we were leaving and tried without success to get him to look at the camera.  He was TIRED of the camera by this point -didn't care at all that he could see himself in the screen and just wanted to play with the new trucks and the crane we brought.  I tried everything to get him to look at the camera.  He would only look at me AFTER the camera clicked.... Definitely a little stinker!!

    

News of sorts

     We heard from our facilitator today.  In a nutshell and as best as we can understand, the judge is continuing to work through our paperwork.  To compound the issue, key people in her district who would take part in court are on vacation until the end of August.  So we are looking at court not happening until September at the earliest.
     To say we are sad would be putting it mildly.  We are looking at another four weeks at least before we can go back for Aaron.  It grieves us that he will not understand what happened to us.  Though we have been reassured that he has been told we will come back, he is just a little boy and we were the first visitors he has ever had.  I can't wrap my brain around the fact that I can't hold him, kiss his cute little cheeks and listen to his incredible laugh for another month. 

     Please don't grow weary in praying for him, for the judge, for our facilitators, for our situation.  Please keep praying!

Still Waiting for News

     Time is passing slowly.  We have had no news since Monday night and the wait is hard.  We miss Aaron.

Oh what we would give to bring him home. 

Does he think he has been abandoned again?  Is he still looking out the window, waiting for us? 

There are just no more words.

Consider the Lilies

We waited all day yesterday and received no news.  Again this morning we face an empty in-box.  Last night, after checking the internet for the thousandths time, we climbed into bed and reminded ourselves again that this is a journey of faith.  Faith.  Trust.  Obedience.  A willingness to operate on His timetable, not ours. 

This morning the verses from Luke 12 came to mind...

Consider the Lilies....

Okay... so they aren't lilies but I LOVE ROSES...

So for my blog this morning.... through Luke 12.. we are going to stop and smell the flowers in Aaron's country.... and be refreshed in spirit!

And maybe we will take some time to check out ants too....

Luke 12: 22-34

Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.

Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!

 

 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.

 

For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.

 

 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.

 

Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Showers of Blessing

  

 I just want to take a moment in the midst of all of our waiting for a judge far far away to make the most important decision of our lives to say, that God is quietly showering us with blessings in our time of waiting.

     As many of you know, we thought we had just about raised EVERYTHING we needed for our trip.  When we had to come home without Aaron it was like a sock in the gut on a lot of levels.   The financial level seemed big.  But people have responded.  Yesterday, from EUROPE, Georgia, North Carolina and Maryland and from my own two wonderful nieces who gave us their babysitting money from the summer  - we were overwhelmed with donations for Aaron.  Apart from my nieces, we don't know the people who so willingly opened their pocketbooks.  Unbelievable. 

This morning I wake to find another donation FROM CALIFORNIA!  Again from an unknown family.  Our little thermometer is again rising.  Yes we still have a ways to go but people - in the midst of all the worry - God has again taken the lead and has made it clear  that He has carried us this far financially and He is going to see us through. 

     In the course of this adoption - we have received gifts for Aaron from INDONESIA to HAWAII.  We have had donations from Asia, Europe, Africa and North America.  We have been blessed from sea to shining sea in our wonderful country!  You honestly can't get much better than that!  Across the globe over 550 people have rallied behind our adoption and the number keeps growing. 

    We just want all of our donors to know this.... EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO HAS GIVEN 1.00 OR 5,000 DOLLARS TO LOVE AARON HOME - Every single name will be put on Aaron's puzzle.  The border around the puzzle is going to have all the names of the people who are even today donating for him.

 I'm crying as I write this because I am stunned, amazed and in awe of the way that God, in the midst of such a difficult time for both Rob and me, is showering us with His loving care in such a tangible way.  

There shall be showers of blessing:

This is the promise of love;

There shall be seasons refreshing,

Sent from the Savior above.

Refrain:

Showers of blessing,

Showers of blessing we need:

Mercy-drops round us are falling,

But for the showers we plead.

There shall be showers of blessing,

Precious reviving again;

Over the hills and the valleys,

Sound of abundance of rain.

There shall be showers of blessing;

Send them upon us, O Lord;

Grant to us now a refreshing,

Come, and now honor Thy Word.

There shall be showers of blessing:

Oh, that today they might fall,

Now as to God we’re confessing,

Now as on Jesus we call!

There shall be showers of blessing,

If we but trust and obey;

There shall be seasons refreshing,

If we let God have His way.

....some news....

     We got a little bit of news.  Our facilitator met with the judge today.  Adoptions are completely new in this area and the judge told our facilitator that she needs more time to consider and review the case.  That means that we will wait another day before she decides what she wants to do.

     All we can do is storm heaven.  Pray not only for this adoption and our precious child, but that the floodgates would be open and other children in Aaron's institute would be brought into loving families.  There are children that are even now being listed on Reece's Rainbow because the door has finally been opened.  As soon as we get through court and are safe on the other side, I will be doing everything in my power to get those children into families.     Until we get to that point, I will let other blogs post the new children and tell their stories.  On top of the new little boys being listed, there are several Christian ministries in Aaron's country who are now working to gain access in that institute in order to bring hope and help to the caregivers and the children.

    So pray.  Pray that God will do a mighty and amazing act in Aaron's world.  Pray that he will no longer be waiting, looking out the window for his Mama and Papa to return but will be in our arms and in our home.  Pray for the judge that she will agree to hear our case and will extend to us a court date.  Pray for the 130+ boys in that institute.  Pray that our God will do a work that is more than we can even imagine!! 

Ephesians 3: 20-21

  Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

No News

     I've been waiting all day for news.  Keeping busy...breathing prayers under my breath, doing small jobs, big jobs, checking my e-mail every 10 minutes, calculating what is happening over there, praying some more.  No news.   Will just have to keep praying.  Please join me!

One Little Boy, One Little Truck

WE BOUGHT AARON A TRUCK...

It was a cheap truck. 

The kind you buy at a Dollar Store. 

Plastic. 

Easily broken.

HE LOVED IT.

HIS MACHINA....

JUST RIGHT FOR A SANDBOX....

AND PERFECT FOR PLAYING WITH A FRIEND....

EASILY BROKEN.... EASILY FIXED...

GREAT FUN WHEN YOU ADD A PAPA... AND A CRANE...

ONE LITTLE BOY, ONE LITTLE TRUCK....

THE SMILE SAYS IT ALL...

The Goodbye Boy

(Rob writing) You haven't really had a proper goodbye wave until you've had one of Aaron's.

Aaron's disability makes it difficult for him to raise his arms. His shoulder muscles are thin and weak from disuse, and I've read that the tendons in his shoulders may be malformed or misplaced. Both arms usually hang limp in front of him. When he can, he uses his feet to manage things.

He is able, however, to raise his arms a bit and manipulate things with his hands. He can turn the pages of a book with his arms-- it's best to hold the book low for him-- and he can click the button on a computer mouse. It costs him a great deal of effort to raise an arm. When he does, he arches his back, puffs out his chest and sort of tosses his arm into the air. This move is almost always accompanied by a toothy grimace. I think the grimace is one of effort, not of pain. He grimaces each time he turns the page of a book, but he's never reluctant to turn a page.

All of this makes for the best goodbye wave you've ever seen. He thrusts his arm into the air, and the grimace transforms into his trademark smile as he cheerfully waves goodbye. Ever since we left him, I haven't been able to get that picture out of my head.

Rest... He's Got This

Rest... He's Got This....

      I read those words yesterday, written on our comments by "Michelle" and I was touched deeply.  At first I read them on a level that made me smile.  Later in utter conviction.  You see, I found out soon after reading those words some things that almost made my heart stop.  This adoption is NOT a simple process and I learned just how NOT simple it has become yesterday.  I have never wanted to go to pieces so badly as I did yesterday. 
     But I followed the advice of Michelle.  I took Bible in hand, I went to my bedroom and I began to read, pray and rest.  Okay, I didn't actually sleep.  My brain wouldn't slow down for that to happen but I did come away with a different perspective and this morning I am taking one step at a time in learning to let God have this.  Complete surrender.  Rest.  Trusting in His goodness, believing that no matter what, whether we walk away with Aaron in our arms or not, that God has this.  It is His. 
    Does that mean I stop praying... absolutely not.   Monday is crucial.  I can't even put into words how important the meeting on Monday will be.  We are in a strange scenerio right now but God has placed wise people in Aaron's country who are working overtime to make straight the paths and level the mountains before us.  But if those paths don't straighten as we wish/want/desire - God is still good.  He loves Aaron with an endless, boundless love.  He loves us.  I chose to rest in that truth.

News....

     We have news.  It is complicated and... complicated.  BUT.... there is quite possibly a light at the end of the tunnel!  Praise God.

The short version: 

     On Tuesday morning our facilitator, Luda, found out that the judge had finally arrived in court. Luda quickly grabbed a taxi and did a mad dash down to the village (that's going to cost us a pretty penny) and after much persuasion, she was able to gain an audience with him.   It was in one of those God-arranged minutes because he was LEAVING FOR VACATION FOR TWO MONTHS the very next day! 
     After much heart-stopping discussion, he signed the papers to move our case to a nearby district court.  Luda then drove like a wild-woman to that court (more money) and was able submit our papers there.  The judge in that district is on vacation until Monday so we will have to wait until then to find out if she is willing to take our case and when we can get a court date.  Hopefully on Monday, Luda will travel back down (yikes... this is going to add up) and the judge will agree to take our case.
    
  
     We are beyond grateful that things are moving.  We are trying to breathe, but holding our breath at the same time as so much hinges on so much.  But God has again shown Himself to be the director of this drama so we just continue to need to trust and obey.   

We are definitely stressing about how we are going to arrange our lives with such ridiculously hard change-of-plans. We are being hit with expenses that are causing us to gasp.  I don't want to go into details but all of our 'best-laid' plans have been trampled in the dust in regards to the finances.   One of our deepest desires since Aaron is older was for both boys to be introduced to him in his country.  Elijah went and I can honestly say it was the best decision we made.  NOT that it was easy for him.  It was downright difficult on every level.  But to know that Aaron and Elijah first bonded in Aaron's world was worth every nickel we spent on his plane ticket.  

The decision to take Ben is weighing heavy upon us.  He is bursting at the seams to go and we again believe strongly that Aaron needs to bond with Ben on his home turf.  Aaron is a cognitively normal disabled child in a special needs mental institute and is dealing with issues that go way beyond what a little guy should have to carry.  He needs his brothers to understand.  My boys need to understand him.   It is a hard, hard decision. 

     So we sit on the side-lines, waiting, praying more and even more, trying to make unbelievably hard decisions, planning and then watching our plans become dust at our feet, clinging to each other and to our God. 

     Thank you to so many who reached out yesterday when I was hitting bottom.  The e-mails, hugs from friends in our world, comments, facebook messages, prayers - they helped carry me through. 

I can't end this without posting some 'brotherly love' pictures of Elijah and Aaron....

Broken Record

 
   I definitely feel like a broken record these days.  How many times can you ask someone to pray?  It would be so much easier if we could come on this blog and hand out jobs.  I know that the 500+ people who have come alongside us on this journey would gladly and willingly jump in and DO something to move this along.  How refreshing would it be if we could all work together on some task to bring Aaron home.  Believe me, if doing something, anything, would bring that child to this house - I would be the first in line to do whatever it took. 

     All we can do is sit on the sidelines and pray.  Sometimes it just doesn't seem like much.  Looking at the many mountains standing before us, feeling so overwhelmed from every corner, I want to just weep and cry and plead and beg and DO something to push the mountains out of the way.  I had everything so planned for the first trip.  It wasn't going to be easy but it was going to work.  Now everything is up in the air.  We have no way to plan, we are scraping the bucket financially, we are emotionally and physically drained and we have absolutely no idea when we will be able to go back and finish the process. 

     So yes, I feel like a broken record.  All we have is the promise that God called us to adopt Aaron and He is not going to abandon us.  I am hanging on for dear life to that promise.  My faith is weak.  I feel tired and frail.  I'm clinging.  Our cliff is steep.  I know that God has hold of us tightly because I believe in my deepest heart that He is Good and Loving and Kind.   I also know that the only way to move the mountains is by prayer.  There are no jobs to give out, no tasks to accomplish.  All we CAN do is pray. 

     So I am going to again be a broken record.  Please pray.  It's all we can do.  It is more than enough.

Galatians 6:9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

The Magna-Doodle...

We have no news to share. 

So let me just share about one little boy and one Magna-Doodle....

When we first laid eyes on Aaron we were definitely surprised.  His arms hung down uselessly in front of him and he walked awkwardly on his toes.  His issues were much bigger than we anticipated.   We wondered how he was going to survive in our world.  What could he do?  It was a bit overwhelming.  All the toys we brought for him seemed useless as they required fine-motor skills and the use of hands.  Kicking a ball for three hours a day was going to get very old!

On our third visit, the nurses stepped in.  They wanted us to know just how special their Aaron was.  Through sign language they communicated to us that he could draw with his feet.  They gave him a stick and he immediately put it between his toes and started writing on the ground.   Then he led us to his pile of sand and showed us how he used his feet to dig in the sand.   Needless to say, we were pleasantly surprised!

We went home and looked at the bag of toys we had brought.  We pulled out the Magna-Doodle and discussed whether he would be able to master the toy.  It not only required holding the stylus and drawing but pulling the lever to erase the drawing.  It required the use of two hands (feet) to pull the lever.  How was he going to manage that task?

Oh we of little faith.

Aaron understood how to use that Magna-Doodle after showing him one time.  His grin said it all..

He immediately took pen in hand and with his feet drew to his heart's delight.

Then he put the stylus down and easily pushed the lever, stabilizing the Magna-Doodle with his other foot. 

To say we were overjoyed, proud and amazed would be stating it lightly. 

Using both his feet he can draw and erase without any help from us.  We also witnessed his maturity.  He 'shared' the Magna-Doodle with us, happily taking turns and enjoying our pitiful creations.  Of course he got the most turns but we weren't counting!!

This was only the beginning of the many surprises that Aaron had up his sleeves.  Keep coming back as we share more about our amazing little guy!

YEP... STILL MISSING OUR LITTLE GUY...

In case you were wondering - the medicine used for cuts, scrapes and just about anything else skin-related is green.  That is what is on his shoulder.. Aaron carries a good bit of green medicine on his little banged up body!

Also, you may have noticed that Aaron is wearing hats in many of his pictures.  In his country, it is considered unhealthy for a child to go outside without a hat on.  I'm not sure how old a child can be before the hat is no longer required but I can say that we were fussed at by our dear landlady for not having a hat on Elijah. 

Quite a number of people have asked us about our financial situation...

In a nutshell.... 

     If we had stayed in country, we would have had enough to cover for all the adoption expenses since the cost of living in Aaron's region was so much cheaper than normal.  Unfortunately, coming home changed that equation.  We are now short by two plane tickets.  If we go back in the next few weeks (definitely the deepest prayer of our heart) then we are looking at additional costs of around 3,000 dollars.    We continue to be at peace concerning the financial part of this journey, knowing that God will provide.  Already people have begun to fill in the gap and for that we are amazed and humbled.   Our blog buttons are open for those who desire to make a donation. 

Over and above any financial need we may have, we beg for prayer for Aaron as he struggles with our disappearance.  He is not quite six years old and it is a heavy burden he carries.  For his entire life he did not have visitors.  No one came to see him.  He has been alone. 

For 7 special days, three people entered his world and loved on him.  Then we disappeared. 

On the last day we were there, as we were playing with him for the last time, he leaned his head onto my shoulder and for about 20 fleeting seconds I felt his little head rest against me.   He didn't know we were leaving at that point.  As I felt his little head against mine, I just wanted to weep in frustration and loss.  He has spent his entire life never having been hugged, held, kissed or loved on by a Mommy or a Daddy.  For seven days he experienced all of these.   He was starting to take some tiny steps to indicate to us that though the physical contact terrified him, he wanted it.  Sitting on Papa's lap to read a story was scary, but oh, so much fun.  Having Mama rub his back froze him in place with the sensation.  His little eyes would glaze over and he would sigh.  Sitting between the two of us took great courage on his part.   At first he just moved away, but on the last day we spent about thirty minutes like this....

Oh how sweet.  Sitting between Papa and Mama and building with the coolest toy ever... Magnetix....

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR LITTLE GUY THAT GOD WOULD PROTECT HIS HEART. 

 PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WOULD GIVE HIS CARETAKERS WISDOM AS THEY COMFORT AND ENCOURAGE HIM DURING THIS TIME. 

PLEASE PRAY TOO THAT OUR FACILITATORS WILL BE ABLE TO QUICKLY RESOLVE THE ISSUES THAT ARE KEEPING US FROM HAVING COURT AND BRINGING HIM HOME!

Home

     We are home.  

 Sad. 

Longing to be back with Aaron but trusting, hoping and praying that we will be returning soon. 

We miss this little guy....

We miss his laugh.

We miss the way he blows raspberries when he is frustrated. 

We miss his little voice and all the funny noises he makes. 

We miss following him around the institute kicking his little truck ahead of him.

We just plain miss him.

In our questioning and wondering why this has happened, we are again forced to cling with all our might to the promises of the Scriptures.  God is not going to abandon us or Aaron.  It was He who called us to adopt Aaron and He will see us through.  It is hard to trust.  We are human and frail.  We don't feel strong or brave at the moment.  Last night in my struggling, praying and wiping the tears that often leak out of my eyes, the following verses from Psalm 27 came crashing into my heart.  Memorized years ago, but so needed during this time...

Psalm 27 

The LORD is my light and my salvation—

whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life—

of whom shall I be afraid?

When evil men advance against me

to devour my flesh,

when my enemies and my foes attack me,

they will stumble and fall.

Though an army besiege me,

my heart will not fear;

though war break out against me,

even then will I be confident.

One thing I ask of the LORD,

this is what I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD

and to seek him in his temple.

For in the day of trouble

he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle

and set me high upon a rock.

Then my head will be exalted

above the enemies who surround me;

at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make music to the LORD.

Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;

be merciful to me and answer me.

My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"

Your face, LORD, I will seek.

Do not hide your face from me,

do not turn your servant away in anger;

you have been my helper.

Do not reject me or forsake me,

O God my Savior.

Though my father and mother forsake me,

the LORD will receive me.

Teach me your way, O LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.


Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.

I am still confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the LORD

in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the LORD.

Bumped....

     We left our apartment at 3:00 am this morning (Aaron's time) and have been traveling all day.  We arrived in Philly tonight (US time - trip took about 23 hours) and discovered that they had overbooked our last flight for Richmond. They only had two seats for the three of us.  Dear exhausted Elijah was bumped from his seat!  We couldn't leave him behind so we are staying at the Ramada Inn and tomorrow morning we will fly home.  It is hard to find humor in the situation.  We are tired.  It's been a hard, emotional day.   The only joy in leaving is that we get to see Ben (when we EVER get home).  We are now out of Aaron's time zone...something we didn't want to happen.  We were told before we left that our facilitator (Luda) and the lawyer (Serge) will be appealing our case to a higher court next week.  Apparently they have decided not to wait for things to be resolved in the village.  As always - please pray that God will melt this mountain that stands before us!

The Court Issue

(Rob writing) This is our understanding of the current legal situation, which is admittedly a weak understanding:

Each year the town council must approve a list of prospective jurors and submit it to the court. These jurors are chosen from among the town's "respected" citizens: teachers, doctors, and so on. The court then accepts the list and draws on the approved group of people whenever it needs a jury. Apparently the judge can hear many types of cases without a jury, but for a case like ours a jury is required.

This year, for whatever reason, the jury selection process failed. The list was not approved, and the court did not accept it. They cannot seat a jury. The town council blames the court, and the court blames the town council. Our able facilitator Ludmilla went from one office to the next trying to resolve the issue. Both sides showed her the section of legal code involved, and each seemed to think that the code clearly demonstrated that it was in the right. No one knows how long it will take to resolve this little bureaucratic spat.

On top of all of this, the judge is ill and is not working this week. No one has told us what his illness is-- I suppose it really is none of our business-- or when he expects to return. There is simply no way to know when all of this will shake down, but it will certainly take a couple of weeks or more. That's why we're going home to wait.

Our other legal option is to move our case to a higher court. We understand that the present court has 10 days to act on our case before we can consider an appeal, which probably means 10 business days-- really about two weeks before we can force the issue. And again, nothing can proceed until the judge bangs his gavel, which he's not doing this week. The appeals court would be in some other town, which would complicate matters. In this town, we already have a lot of people on our side. It would be far better to do it here, but we may not have that option.

We really believe that nothing will prevent the adoption from going through in the end. Too many good-hearted people here want to see it succeed, and we have excellent representation. In a little while, we will be back here, and that time we won't come home without him.

WE ARE LEAVING

We have just found out that we have hit a brick wall.  The court and the town council can not come to an agreement and we have been advised to go home until it is resolved.  Our hearts are breaking.  We have to leave Aaron for an indefinite amount of time.  Please pray for us.  We must tell him in the next hour and we can't bear the thought.  It is NOT an issue with our paperwork.  Everything in our paperwork is fine and we should pass court without trouble.  It is an issue between two political parties in this area and with the judge sick - there is no way for the issue to be resolved.  Please pray for us.  We will be heading home in the next few days as soon as we can get our travel arrangements planned.  It absolutely is breaking our heart to leave Aaron behind!

AARON'S WORLD

     Apart from a few beat up old balls, there are no toys in Aaron's world.  No bikes, only wheelchairs.  No books or televisions.  No playground equipment except some beat up old pieces that are used for drying the boys' clothes.  Each day the caretakers/nurses (ladies in white uniforms) round the children up and bring them to a grassless section where they play.  Sometimes they listen to music.  Many of them just sit and rock.  In the middle of the play area stands a tree. They have piled sand around the tree, and this sandpile is Aaron's playplace.  He has an older Down Syndrome friend who digs in the sand with him.  They laugh together and play in that pile of sand.  There are no buckets or shovels, just a piece of broken tile that they use as a scoop. It is not a clean pile of sand.We have seen an older boy drop his pants and pee right into the sand pile.The nurses got after him immediately, because they don't stand for that sort of thing, but they can't watch every second. That is Aaron's world.
     Around 11:00, the boys come outside in three different groups.  There are around 60 boys who get to come outside.  At first we were overwhelmed by these boys.  There are so many, and they have so many problems.  They make noises and walk funny.  Some are in wheelchairs.  They stare at us and we stare back.  Some cry out "Mama".  It hurts.  They sit in three little lean-to sheds where they have juice and a snack.  When they are finished, they parade back out, usually holding hands in pairs, and go to their outdoor play areas. 
    Since we have come, Aaron stands with us to watch the parade.  These are his friends, and perhaps a couple of foes.  These are the boys in his world.  There are little guys.  Oh so tiny.  I want to scoop them up and hold them.  Most of the little ones are Downs boys.  There are gentle smiling boys in the crowd who wave at us as they pass by.  Aaron's friend comes over and shakes our hands with a smile on his face.  Does he know that my heart is breaking?  There are active boys, ready to run if given a chance.  One child tries often to break away and run to us.  They grab him and take him back to the parade and he hits himself in the head.  This is Aaron's world.
     There are boys who are out of control.  They are watched carefully by the older boys in their midst.  Still, they can slip away.  One escaped and grabbed Aaron's precious truck.  He ripped it apart before we could stop him.  The older boys rushed in and put the truck back together. 
     The nurses are few but somehow they maintain control.  They smile at us and speak soft words to Aaron.  They love him.  It is evident in their eyes and touch.  We are ever so grateful for them.  They care deeply for these boys. They give the older boys jobs.  Those jobs give them dignity and joy.  We see it on their faces as they fetch water from the outside well.  They help push wheelchairs and hold the hands of the little ones.  They call out to Aaron, waving to him and rejoicing for him. 
      It is a sad world, Aaron's world.  It breaks our hearts each day.  We come away drained and longing for home and everything safe and familiar.   He has been here for almost a year.  Yet, despite the sorrow surrounding him, Aaron's laughter has not diminished.  His spirit is not broken.  He has a joy in him that causes us to marvel.  His mirth is contagious.  We can't help but laugh with him.  We are laughing in Aaron's world.
  

MEET AARON...

WHAT EVERYONE HAS BEEN WAITING FOR....

AARON

This is our ONE AND ONLY CHANCE (for now) to get pictures posted of Aaron until we go back to the capital.  We didn't know we would be able to do this, but fortunately, with the help of our translator and the internet attendant (who decided to break some rules) .... We were able to load these few pictures of our precious little guy onto our blog.  We doubt we will be able to do this again until after court so enjoy them!  We have hundreds more!  I have yet to capture Aaron in his full out laugh (though not for lack of trying) but you get a bit of his personality in these pictures. 

The bumps, bruises, scrapes and bandages on him are all results of his many falls....

Enjoy!  We love our boy!