ADOPT by 12 year Emily

Why do we sit on our phones, drink coffee , buy toys, and receive presents only to complain that we need more to be happy.   I think most of us are selfish, including me and my family.  We have so much, too much!   We don’t take the time to think of the poor and helpless.  At least before this trip I know I didn’t!  May God move all of our hearts to compassion.  


Day after day and night after night babies cry longing for human interaction, asking for love and attention.  Three newborn babies are locked away behind doors, crying!  Nobody holds them.  Their bottles are propped and they only get held when they are changed.  The one to two year olds are left in a big empty room with only a few blocks and old stuffed animals.  They have nobody to play with  them or to stop fights or to love them.  The 3 to 6 year olds go to school in the mornings and get to play on the slides and swings in the afternoon but what they really want is to be held, to sing and to play.  Some speak a little English and we have taught them songs like this little light of mine, wheels on the bus and head ,shoulders, knees and toes.  The hard thing is that some of the children have parents who visit them on the weekends and when their parents leave they cry.  


A little blind girl rolls on the floor looking for the sunlight.  She loves to be held and she smiles when we talk and sing to her.  It makes me so heartbroken!  Today Conner and I went to the orphanage to play with the kids.  Oh what they all need are moms and dads.  I believe that we as the church have failed.  Many of us, our family included care more about ourselves and our families rather than caring about the poor, needy, and helpless. 


 God commands us in James 1:27 to visit the widow and orphans in their affliction.  How many of us do that?  I know until this trip I didn’t.  Adoption is one way to do this.  We listened to a sermon by Francis Chan and he said, “Unless God specifically tells you not to adopt a child you should adopt.”  I think that that is a great idea.  Please consider adopting a baby or child today.  There are orphans waiting all over the world for a home like your home.  I am glad that my parents chose to adopt Kiara and in the process they have instilled the idea of adoption in my heart.