Not About Me

Today is Orphan Sunday.  It's a day that passes by without much fanfare in most churches, including my own.  I don't blame anyone - there are a hundred different worthy causes that need our attention (including the next Sunday which is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church).  It's also easy to get wrapped up in our own lives and trials and tribulations and forget about those things that aren't staring us in the face on a daily basis.

I have to admit that I've been feeling pretty down lately.  Because we're fundraising this time, our second adoption is starting more slowly than our first.  It'll probably take us a bit longer to get our paperwork all completed, for various reasons, but some just coming down to finances.  I know it's all in God's hands and I'm sure this is what He has called us to do, but sometimes that peace and assurance gets muffled in the midst of uncertainty and doubt. 

And many of you saw on FB the week I had with my poor mom.  She fell Monday morning at the Y and shattered her right ankle and sprained her left one.  She needed to have surgery pretty immediately to reset it, so Monday found us at the ER and then orthopedic surgeon and Tuesday was spent at the hospital.  It's going to be a long recovery, and I'm so glad I live so close by to help her out during this time.  I didn't, however, get to my Christmas ornaments yet.  This week, I promise.

So here I am, feeling sorry for myself.  And then I read this on my friend Kathy's blog:

In the past week, we were made aware of some very difficult circumstances in an orphanage in Ethiopia. Families traveling with our adoption agency visited this orphanage while they were in Addis Ababa, and got the word to those of us traveling soon that there were needs and what we could bring to help them. This was the Facebook status of one of the moms traveling with the group:

"A hard start to our day. Visited an orphanage with deplorable conditions, and left in tears. Our group was able to buy 10 crib mattresses (yes, babies are sleeping on the wooden bottoms of the cribs). But they also need massive quantities of diapers...ripped pieces of sheets wrapped around their bottoms and held in place w/ their onesie t-shirts isn't cutting it."

That's when God's gentle but firm hand gripped my shoulder and shook me.  This is what I should be feeling sorry about.  This is why we have to go back to Ethiopia.  This is why the things I'm whining about are nothing compared to this.  Can you even imagine?  Not even enough money to buy diapers.  I have visited some of the orphanages in Ethiopia, but I have not seen conditions like these.  I know they are doing the best with what they've got, but this is why these children need our help. 

Kathy and her family will be travelling to Ethiopia for Christmas for their courtdate and to meet their 3 new kiddos.  If you'd like to help in anyway, whether it be sending them some smaller item donations to take over or sending some money to purchase diapers, etc. when they arrive, contact her here. 

I'll leave you with a video my friend Kim (another adoption travel buddy) shared on FB today. 


Hope is Fading – Orphan Sunday from Allan Rosenow on Vimeo.