We live in a world that offers so much
So much extra ....that sometimes becomes what we think is necessary , rather then extra
Being here , seeing so many people living on so much less
And then seeing children with nothing
It changes you .....
It Changes your perspective
Kris has said before "we could take 20 children home from the orphanage here and give them a better life then they have here "
When we visit Noah each day we are separated from the daily life of the other children here,
We spend our time alone with him and we are guarded from seeing the other children
But it hurts to know that each day we come here we are inside a building with over 90 orphans
Over 90 little ones .... Waiting
Kris and I became emotional one evening here thinking of Noah and these other little ones and the stories they carry with them
There is more to these stories,
90 little ones who are more then just orphans that are thrown away , these are actual children ...
Part of what brought us here to Noah was that 5 years ago our perspective changed when we first fell in love with an orphan and we have never been the same since
Walking out of Mia's orphanage gates was one of the best moments of our lives, and also one of the hardest,
Knowing there were countless little ones left behind has forever changed us , and being here now knowing her orphanage doesn't even exist anymore due to war in her region breaks my heart and makes me so thankful we came for her when we did
Witnessing lives without the things we take for granted on a daily basis changes your perspective
5 years ago when we entered Mia's orphanage we saw faces of those other waiting children and we heard their cries for us with outstretched arms "mama , papa" and it will forever be etched into our hearts
This time , we have not seen the faces of the other waiting children here but we hear their sounds and feel the emptiness in the hallways
I asked my 13 year old how being here has changed her perspective and this is what she shared :
"Being here in this foreign country has really changed my perspective on things. I see things here we take for granted . They don’t have nice, big houses. They don’t have large families or the money to even care for one. We are always wishing we had more, but in their perspective we have everything and more that they have hoped for. I think two things I take for granted are family and happiness. Playing with Noah today has made me see that he has not experienced either of these things. When we tickle him he tries to hold his laugh in not knowing what it is or if he should laugh or cry. He gets a little frightened and gives us this little shocked look when we kiss him on the cheek because nobody has ever touched his face before. He does not know the signs of family and love and that hurts my heart. I cannot wait for the day when he can recognize what having a family feels like and the joy that laughing brings him. The puzzle pieces to a family and happiness are there, they just have to be put in the correct place in order for that puzzle to be complete. I have been blessed with a family of almost 9 and am surrounded by love every single day and this little boy half way across the world has never seen or felt what happiness is. So, if there is one thing I want you to take out of this it is that so many of us have a loving family and have experienced happiness in one way or another. I challenge you all to enjoy those small moments, and the big ones too and don’t take these things for granted. Be grateful for what we have because somewhere across the world there is a child just waiting to witness it."
Being here changes your perspective
Being here one thing matters,
And it's not the worldly things,
It's love and family
( ***gotta love what they dress him in! This one was extra fun today ha ha and he makes them all look adorable ! back to the 4 layers again ha ha)
****after our visit we had our driver drop us at a mall to find some new place to eat and we managed our way around all on our own and bought some baby items we will need here for Noah next week , all by using simple words and lots of pointing and gestures to take the place of actual language ha ha .... It's quite a sight to behold ...
Your girls are the salt of the earth. Just like their mom! We are having a blast with your four littles. Bree and Mia slept over here last night and Samson was in heaven! Then they all played over at Camme's, it's been such a great day!
ReplyDeleteI can't help but think about what amazing and loving mothers your daughters will undoubtedly grow up to be due to these experiences they are having there and just by watching you Kecia. It is inspiring.
ReplyDeleteWhat an experience for your family!! They are lucky to have such awesome parents give them this opportunity!! His outfit is awesome! He looks cute in everything! They probably layer him so much because when you're not held, it gets cold! I bet all the children are layered :(
ReplyDeleteI have traveled to this country/city working with older orphans. They have superstitions and "old-fashioned" ideas about drafts....winter and summer...in the orphanages and elsewhere. In reference to overly bundled children, one of our contacts said to me, "I bet you don't do this to your kids in America!" :)
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