After transporting children for Children's Medical Missions Heath and I decided to volunteer to host a child in our home. We were accepted into the program and our first child arrived September 13th. His name is Lamine Traore he is 6 yrs old and will be seven in January. He is a JOY! His home is in Africa more specifically Cote D' Ivoire (the Ivory Coast). He lives in the Ghetto area of a large city along the coast called Abidjan. He speaks a tribal dialect of French and not a word of English. He was born with a deformed bowl and when operated on in Africa received a damaged urethra. Both will be repaired and working in the States. Cincinnati Children's is donating all of his care.
I flew to New York and met him and his transporter and that was the start of our adventure. thankfully where God guides he provides and he definitely has!! I can honestly say there has never been a moment he has left us hanging even through the colostomy bags he has equipped us in every aspect. It has been so fun to watch Lamine experience the U.S. We laugh and say he reminds us of Curious George. The first big thing was the light switch on and off, on and off......
Then the running water for his bath. He loves riding in and pretending to drive our cars. the food not so exciting we are still working on that. He finally has quit eating the entire box of rice. He has realized the left overs will be waiting in the fridge for when he is hungry again and when the left overs are gone there are several more boxes in the cupboard. Newton Elementary has allowed him to attend kindergarten and he loves it. It has been great to hear him learning and using English. It is amazing how fast they learn things.
He is now thru all of his surgeries and doing great. It is amazing how they just put him back together. He has been a trooper thru it all, very brave. he will possible be going home to his family in February if everything continues to work properly. It will be an adjustment when he leaves but we will be so happy for him and his family. He misses them so much.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
August of '08 Visiting Our Daughters
After my experience in May at His Home For Children, it was hard to go on with life and forget what I saw and how I felt. I tried to pretend for a while, but in July we had the opportunity to visit with Hal and Chris while they were in the States doing their yearly fund raising for the orphanage. Chris answered many questions I had about two little girls that I just couldn't forget and when we left that day I knew in my heart God was about to change our minds and hearts in a big way.
While at the orphanage two different mornings I had woke up to a little girl with pink beads in her hair in my bed sucking her thumb. By the way, my bed was made for a child and hardly fit me and it was extremely hot! The more I paid attention the more I noticed she always seemed to watch for me and follow me around. At times she would push her shy little sister towards my while enthusiastically giving her instruction in Creole. I soon learned her name was Videline she was 6 yrs. old and her sister Barbara was 5. They had been left at the orphanage in Feb. after living on the streets.
I started brainstorming!! My initial thought was we'll just send money. Easy way out! We'll sponsor them and pay for their schooling and food and whatever they need. Chris said "not an option..... They are up for adoption... and by the way you would make a wonderful mother". I was scared this sounds way to hard, there are no guarantees and it was not in MY plans. Pray! So all summer we prayed. God's hand in all this soon became very apparent. In many ways we found our answers thru people, books, but most of all through scripture. It became very clear that the God we serve has a plan and a love for orphans and as his followers we are very much a part of this plan.
James 1:27 NIV Religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. The Greek word "look after" does not merely mean to go see, but to relieve the problem. It implies a commitment to fully meet the needs of the person to whom we are ministering to. It is an out pour of a heart determined to follow the Lord.
Psalms 82:3 NIV Defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. 4 Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
In Matthew 25 He talks about separating the sheep from the goats ....I was hungry and you gave me something to eat...I was a stranger and you invited me in... I needed clothes and you clothed me...The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
We realize the answer to these verses is not only adoption and that there are many ways to fulfill the needs that they are talking about. Reading this truth with the circumstance we had found ourselves in confirmed our decision. Before we fully committed we wanted Heath to meet them. So in August we made another trip to Haiti and stayed for a week at the Visa Lodge with the girls. We know it is not always going to be easy, we know their transition will be hard, but we are resting in total peace knowing we are in Gods will and he is in control. The adoption process could take up to 2yrs. We ask for your prayers for favor with the adoption courts and a speedy process.
While it was a process to get to this point we are so excited to welcome them into our family. We are thankful that God is persistent and patient with us as we usually don't get it the first time. (Although our lives would be a lot easier if we would listen the first time.) We are humbled that God has chosen us to help fulfill his purpose in Videline and Barbara lives. We are amazed at how much he has taught us about him and his love and sovereignty through this journey. To hear Videline who has lived on the streets all her life and in our eyes has known nothing but pain and suffering and still lifts her praises to God singing "God is so good" to me a true picture of child like faith.( there is a video of this on my first post) It shows me I have a lot to learn.... Red and yellow black and white they are PRECIOUS in His sight .....
Barbara on her bed
Videline's bed
Ben still smiling
My roommates from the trip in May
While at the orphanage two different mornings I had woke up to a little girl with pink beads in her hair in my bed sucking her thumb. By the way, my bed was made for a child and hardly fit me and it was extremely hot! The more I paid attention the more I noticed she always seemed to watch for me and follow me around. At times she would push her shy little sister towards my while enthusiastically giving her instruction in Creole. I soon learned her name was Videline she was 6 yrs. old and her sister Barbara was 5. They had been left at the orphanage in Feb. after living on the streets.
I started brainstorming!! My initial thought was we'll just send money. Easy way out! We'll sponsor them and pay for their schooling and food and whatever they need. Chris said "not an option..... They are up for adoption... and by the way you would make a wonderful mother". I was scared this sounds way to hard, there are no guarantees and it was not in MY plans. Pray! So all summer we prayed. God's hand in all this soon became very apparent. In many ways we found our answers thru people, books, but most of all through scripture. It became very clear that the God we serve has a plan and a love for orphans and as his followers we are very much a part of this plan.
James 1:27 NIV Religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. The Greek word "look after" does not merely mean to go see, but to relieve the problem. It implies a commitment to fully meet the needs of the person to whom we are ministering to. It is an out pour of a heart determined to follow the Lord.
Psalms 82:3 NIV Defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. 4 Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
In Matthew 25 He talks about separating the sheep from the goats ....I was hungry and you gave me something to eat...I was a stranger and you invited me in... I needed clothes and you clothed me...The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
We realize the answer to these verses is not only adoption and that there are many ways to fulfill the needs that they are talking about. Reading this truth with the circumstance we had found ourselves in confirmed our decision. Before we fully committed we wanted Heath to meet them. So in August we made another trip to Haiti and stayed for a week at the Visa Lodge with the girls. We know it is not always going to be easy, we know their transition will be hard, but we are resting in total peace knowing we are in Gods will and he is in control. The adoption process could take up to 2yrs. We ask for your prayers for favor with the adoption courts and a speedy process.
While it was a process to get to this point we are so excited to welcome them into our family. We are thankful that God is persistent and patient with us as we usually don't get it the first time. (Although our lives would be a lot easier if we would listen the first time.) We are humbled that God has chosen us to help fulfill his purpose in Videline and Barbara lives. We are amazed at how much he has taught us about him and his love and sovereignty through this journey. To hear Videline who has lived on the streets all her life and in our eyes has known nothing but pain and suffering and still lifts her praises to God singing "God is so good" to me a true picture of child like faith.( there is a video of this on my first post) It shows me I have a lot to learn.... Red and yellow black and white they are PRECIOUS in His sight .....
Barbara on her bed
Videline's bed
Ben still smiling
My roommates from the trip in May
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