My Sweet Wanna

I have a 7 year old daughter who reminds me of one of my favorite childhood actresses, Punky Brewster.  She is full of life, love and spunky personality.  As we started making our trips every 4-6 weeks to the Cabaret Baptist Children's Home in the months following the Jan. 2010 earthquake, I saw my own daughter in Wanna.  I saw a girl so full of love and life but so desperate to be held and loved.  I saw a girl too grown up for her age yet still holding on to innocence.  I looked at Wanna the way I did my own daughter and felt the tug in heart from God telling me to love her as my own.

 As I continued to lead teams on short term trips, I continued to fall in love.  It was never my plan.  I know the process to adopt is intense and long.  I know the current law says I have to be 35 and 2 years after meeting them I'm only 31.  I know many things stand in the way but I know that God put this on my heart, on Chris' heart and Christopher and Destiny's heart and they are our family already. 

It's very hard to go through the motions of our lives knowing our kids aren't with us but knowing they will be one day keeps us going, hoping and praying.

My Little Fritzon

The other day on FB I was connected with a woman who was at the orphanage the week they found Fritzon in a trash pile.  He was so week he could barely open his eyes, his ribs were sticking out and they weren't even sure he'd make it.

Breaks my heart to know what he went through those first 2 years.  It's been 3 years since then and he is so handsome and strong.  It breaks my heart that he's still waiting for that motherly love I know he has missed out on.  I know he is happy and in a place where he has many friends but having been through foster care, I know the pain that lingers.  I hope and pray I will be able to love him through it all.