But I've been to Ethiopia. My time there changed all my
preconceived ideas about logic and good sense and need.--Mary
Ostyn, A Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family
Oh how I love that quote. To enter the giveaway to win your own (free!) copy of the book, click here!
Saturday I returned home from spending a few days in Texas, for a conference put on by Christian Alliance for Orphans. I had a feeling I'd be utterly and completely impacted by what I heard and saw there, and yeah, I most definitely was. There were many amazing moments, tears were shed, and my heart felt broken-yet-hopeful. It feels like I'm just now starting to process through it all.
Highlights included:
Hearing from Emily Chapman Richards, Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter. Um, yeah. She's amazing, her story is amazing and heartbreaking, and I wish we were friends.
Seeing a teenaged Liberian adoptee and hearing his story. Wow. As an adoptive mom, yeah, it was extremely powerful.
Attending a session with Karyn Purvis, author of The Connected Child. She's pretty awesome and her methods and insights make so.much.sense. Not to mention the hope she brings to children from hard places is truly inspiring, to say the least.
I just feel like my time at the conference, and other things I've been thinking/reading/feeling lately, have really affirmed my belief that God has called our family to something besides the typical American life. Not because we're special, or because we want to be different. But simply because we're called. And there's a need. We can help meet that need. So many times this past week, a speaker would talk about how God created families, and created children to be raised in families. If a child is without a family, something's broken, and not right. How can I possibly turn my back and pretend I don't see it? How can I forget the multitude of children I saw living at AHOPE? Or the women in this documentary? The truth is, plain and simple, I CAN'T. Nor should I. Whether it's paying for an Ethiopian woman's fistula surgery or adopting a waiting child, I always hope to be doing SOMEthing.
When I reach the end of my life, I hope it can be said of me that I gave everything I had away, for the sake of Christ. To my husband, children, and the world around me.
6,000 children will be orphaned by AIDS today. Could you love one?
2 comments:
I love you. I miss you.
Yes.
Brianna, i've always meant to ask, what originally led your heart to Ethiopian adoption? I read many different adoption blogs and it seems most everyone has a certain country they are passionate about, so i like to find out what brought on those feelings. Do you feel it's all God's will or is there something about the culture/people that you feel yourself drawn towards?
I watched "a walk to beautiful" last week and of course, was completely touched. I had heard of fistula before, but had NO idea what a huge problem it has become for these women. Do you remember the name of the 17 year old they profiled? I can't get her out of my head. (she had the tattoos) She was so physically beautiful, with the most haunting eyes, and her story truly touched me. I love how things ended up for her though!
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