Isn't he a cutie!!! I swore I would no longer look at the waiting child listings at adoption agencies. It breaks my heart that so many children have no family. They have no mommy to kiss their owies or tuck them in at night. No daddy to teach them to play baseball. No brothers and sisters to tease and play with. No family to pray with and to learn about Jesus' love from.
However...I received a link from a fellow blogger of her agencies' new WC list. I clicked...I could not resist. And there, staring back at me was this little angel. Jiuming. He will be 2 years old in February. His info simply states that he has damaged hearing in both ears. Is he deaf? Hard of hearing???? I don't know. I just know that if I could, I would be on the next flight to China to make him MY son! Since I know that probably won't be happening...I am committing him to prayer. I will pray that this little boy is loved by his caretakers. I pray that he is healthy and happy. I pray someone will tell him about Jesus. I pray that a family steps forward to make him their own!
Dearest Heavenly Father...please be with little Jiuming. Heal his heart of any hurts, bring people into his life who will fill it with love and laughter. Bring Jiuming and his forever family together as soon as possible!
For those interested, he is listed at Living Hope Adoption Agency. Just click on the waiting children's listing and a list will pop up. He is #4 on the list.

BTW...I still pray for Zhang (another little boy in China who is deaf and an orphan). I have not found him on any other lists, and none of my friend's have, either. He is now almost 6 years old. I'm afraid China has given up finding him a forever family. That breaks my heart...I'd love to welcome him into my family, too!!! My mom reminds me that I can't fix everyone's life...sure wish I could, at least try!!

Bring Noah Home!!

If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time, you know that I have a special place in my heart for adoption. I follow MANY adoption and forever family blogs. I dream of one day bringing a child without a family, into my own. While I dream, I pray for these families going through the long, tiresome, frustrating, and expensive process. One such family is the family wanting to bring little Noah home.

Noah's new mom has an "alter ego," she is also known as the "Blog Fairy." She creates beautiful templates and banners for blogs. I have admired her work on many blogs...and one day when I decide to spend a little money on my little part of the bloggy world, I will go to her for one of her beautiful creations. Verna (Noah's Mommy) will be using any proceeds she makes from her blogging overhauls to bring little Noah home from his current home in China.

So...if you are considering a new look for your blog...head on over and check her out!!!

I was reading another blog about adoption. This husband and wife have adopted a sibling group of 5 from the Ukraine, and are going back for the youngest sibling who just became available for adoption. The woman posted about Mother's Day. She wrote how painful Mother's Day is for women who want to be mothers, but aren't...can be. Oh, how I can relate! Those years we struggled with infertility were so hard...especially Mother's Day! Here is part of my comment to her, it tells the story of a very painful time, and some of the blessings God has shown me through my struggle (besides my 3 biggest blessings!)

... I thank you for your post about Mother's Day. My husband and I struggled with infertility for 3 years...the three first years of his seminary training. During his vicarage I wanted to stay home that Sunday. I didn't want to go and listen to a sermon about the virtues of motherhood when I felt God was withholding this blessing from me. I can also remember a sermon about Elizabeth and Zachariah. How their being barren and how it was a very important part of their lives. The pastor went on and on about how important it was for people in Bible times to have children and how painful it must have been for them. I was in the choir and sitting in the middle of the second row (no escape!). I cried my way through the service, there was no way I could get up and walk out. It was so painful. The second service, the pastor just mentioned their infertility, and moved on. I don't know how he came up with a totally different sermon while leading Bible study, but I thank him for not putting me through it again. Now, my husband is a pastor, and he is careful to make Mother's day as painless as possible for those struggling with infertility. He does thank God for the gift of mothers, but he also prays for those who want to be mothers, and those who have lost their mothers. He is very sensitive about it. I also think that God led us through this very difficult time so we can minister to others. I am very open about our difficulties and blessings of infertility and later parenthood. Because I do not hide the fact that we struggled, I have had many women approach me and share their struggles and pain. I really think God used this pain in my life so I can relate to women in the same situation.Again, thank you for sharing your story. I pray God continues to bless you and your family...especially in your wait for Kola.
If you would like to read more about this family, their blog can be found http://www.stahlkeadoption.blogspot.com/ .

What a blessing children are...even though the wait for them can be long and painful, they are always worth the wait!

I'm sad

I'm sad tonight. Actually I've been sad since yesterday. Oh, good things have been happening, no one in my family is hurt. I'm just sad.
A few months ago Focus on the Family and Family Life Today (two of my favorite radio programs...I don't get to listen very often, but listen when I can) did a special program about orphans. I was already very interested in adoption. I began reading more about adoptions. I read a lot in that week. Harrah's (an adoption agency) gave the password to their "Waiting Child" list. For those who don't know, a waiting child list is a list of children waiting for adoption. These children are usually older or have a special need. While looking at Harrah's list, I found a little boy in China with the name of Zhang. Zhang's story grabbed my heart. Zhang was born in January 2002...just a few months after my own son was born (I think, I'm having memeory difficulties right now!) This little boy was abandoned when he was 18 months old. Zhang is deaf. I can't help but think that his birth parents realized that something was not right and thought they could not give him the extra help he would need. I can just imagine them dreaming of the chances he would get if he was adopted.
I prayed for Zhang. I prayed that God would find a family for Zhang. I prayed that Zhang would learn and grow. That he would be loved and learn about Jesus. I prayed for Zhang a lot. Then one day when I went to check on his file, it said that his mommy and daddy were waiting for approval. HE HAD A FAMILY!!! Hooray! I was thrilled. I continued to pray, but did not visit the site for a while. About two months later, I checked again...Zhang was back on the list. Apparently something fell through with his family. Zhang needed a new family. I began praying for that family again. I continued checking, and no family came forward to claim Zhang as their own. Then, Zhang's file had a grant. A grant to help cover adoption expences. Yippee, now someone will come forward. Nope. Then, yesterday I checked, and he's gone. Gone. I emailed Harrah's to find out if he had a family. Unfortunately, they had to send his file back to China because they had his file as long as China would allow. I am still praying for little Zhang. I am just heartbroken.
I know that there are millions of orphans around the world that never get forever families to call their own, but my heart has already loved Zhang for a long time. I know my husband isn't ready for adoption at this point in our lives...I don't know if he will ever be. I'm not pushing him. I know that if God wants us to adopt, He will put the desire in Warren's heart, no amount of nagging on my part will do that! Warren knows where my heart is, but he is the leader of our home, I respect and love him.
Please join me in praying for Zhang. Pray that he is safe, loved, and healthy. Pray that God will send someone into his life that can tell him about the love of Jesus. Pray that God will send a mommy and a daddy who will love Zhang with all their hearts.