Until there are no more orphans . . .

Before we were able to bring her home via adoption, we sent our Little Girl in Ethiopia a stuffed pink puppy with another adoptive mama who was traveling earlier than us.  That other mother who was adopting a daughter from the same room as our Little Girl, delivered the puppy and told Little Girl that she had a family coming for her, too, and that the puppy was "from her family".  That other mama reported back to me how much Little Girl liked the puppy and clung to it.  My husband and I lamented the current state of life when all that our Little Girl had of a family was a stuffed pink puppy.

Fast forward about 18 months . . .

Happily, thankfully, Little Girl has now been home with us for 13 months and just a few days ago as I fixed her hair in the bathroom she said to me, "Do you remember when I didn't have a Mommy and all I had was the pink puppy?"  

Children should not be orphans.   Governments can pass laws, NGOs can lobby for certain actions, and people can debate all sides of the issue, but it all boils down to that.  Children should NOT be orphans.  It's a reality for far too many children in this world.  And as international adoptions plummet in the U.S., those numbers are likely to rise sharply.  Whether a child is born in rural Russia or a big city in America or a poor village in Ethiopia, they need a family. They DESERVE a family!

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."  John 14:18