It’s hard to believe that we have been in China for 9 days already. Time has just flown by! The fireworks are still booming outside while the babies cry inside!! Kim and I along with the other 4 volunteers started working Wednesday evening and cared for the babies until one shift of the nannies came back tonight at 5pm. The nannies work 24 hour shifts, so we are tired after working 72 hours. The babies don’t really sleep well either, so we are ready for a break tonight! Kim and I are staying in the babies’ home anyway, so we hear them all night regardless. We will be back on shift every other day now until the full staff comes back next Wednesday evening. On our off days we will be helping with some maintenance around the house. It has been an incredible privilege to spend time with these beautiful children, we already have fallen in love with them all, even the naughty ones.
All the children here have special needs. Three have had very serious heart defects and have already had open heart surgery. One little guy was so malnourished when he came to Morningstar that they thought he would die, two others have serious developmental delays, while one little guy doesn’t seem to have much wrong with him other than having a colostomy. I have learned much about colostomies, have watched them be changed, and have even emptied one myself. I can’t imagine why someone wouldn’t want to adopt this beautiful little guy, as I have realized that his issues are so very minor in the grand scheme of things. One of the little babies has serious lung issues which really remain undiagnosed. His cry sounds somewhat like a growl, as he is not able to take deep breaths. I am praying daily for healing for each of these children, and for families, a being in a loving family is really a major step in healing for all of them.
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As I have held and played with and prayed for each precious child, I can clearly see God’s special plan for creating children like these. How can we not open our hearts to these sick, dying and lonely little children, for when we do we are opening our heart to Jesus Christ himself?
I just want to thank you for caring for our daughter -- "Joy". Today she is Ella Joy SiHan Bernacchi, living in Wisconsin, USA. We waited 16 years to be parents, and 5-1/2 years in the China adoption program. For years we prayed that God would send angels to care for our child until we could be there to care for her in person. You were one of those angels. We are grateful and blessed. Thanks for being faithful to God's call!
ReplyDeleteKarmen
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