Hard Stuff

None of us like to hurt. It's no fun to stare pain in the face. Maybe thats why as long as I can remember I would quickly change the t.v. channel when those images of orphans and starving children were put in front of my eyes. It wasn't pleasant to think about their suffering, and so the easiest thing to do was to put it out of my mind. As I've said earlier, I have cried very little since we got Collins. Many things have been bottled up inside of me, but tonight was different. A friend who recently returned with her third child from China sent me this video from a friend's blog. I double-dog dare you to watch it and then I'll explain further.

vimeo.com/13888620

This video was made by the son of a couple in the Cincinnati area who recently adopted a little boy from China with serious medical issues. His name is Owen. Owen's big brother made this video. Below is a Owen's mom talking about his response after seeing it:

"This past week, as we have all been preparing for our presentation on Sunday, Owen watched this video for the first time. We didn't expect him to catch much of the meaning behind it, but at the end of the video, he looked at me with tears in his eyes. I asked if he was okay, and he held up his hands and said, "Nobody take her," and then he began to weep. He lay his head in my lap and cried for this little girl who was left behind. We couldn't believe how much he understood. Then he looked up at me and said, "Mommy, lot, lot babies in Kaifeng, no mommy no daddy," and cried some more. It took us awhile to console him. We suspect that, once he gets a few more years on him and once his English is intact, he will be the most powerful speaker in the family."

I hope Owen grows up to be a powerful speaker for those left behind. We went into Collins' orphanage 7 weeks ago. Honestly, its just so painful to think about what we saw there. I think I've tried to put it out of my mind and so I've focused on daily life with Collins. But this video brought it all back, and the tears fell. Imagine how those children felt as we came in, the happy family with our new little Collins. We blogged earlier about the 12 year old girl that followed us around. She's been on the list for 2 years, but hasn't been picked because she has Hep. B. At 14 she's out on the streets. Another boy about 12 went everywhere we went, smiling at us and being very charming. Was he thinking that if he smiled enough and was kind enough that we would pick him too? One little girl (I think a girl. Her head was shaved and she had on pink shorts) followed us around and looked very unhappy. As we were leaving, I tenderly placed my hand on her back. She jumped back as if I had hit her. Was it because a tender touch from a mom was just too painful? Was that touch throwing it in her face, the one thing she so desperately needed but wasn't getting, the love of a mom? I think her hope was fading.

There is a dear lady who is the receptionist at our church who shared her story with me. She was adopted at about age 10. She remembers getting dressed up every week, and hoping to be the one that would get picked. Heartbreaking to think about a child having to go through that. This is real life stuff. I've seen it with my own eyes. As painful as it is to think about, I hope God keeps this fresh in my mind. The raw reality is that tonight kids all over the world are waiting for someone to come to their rescue.

I hope you will all watch this video and share it. This Sunday is Orphan Sunday at churches all over the country. Go to orphansunday.org for more information.