Perspective

Being here changes your perspective

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 

and oh how I wish I could go and scoop them all up as I walk through the doors of the orphanage each day 

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 ...