It was a normal Saturday morning, making breakfast with Isaac
while watching Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. I was in all my pre-shower Saturday
morning glory when my phone dinged. I immediately recognized the name...awww,
one of our Bamboo Mommas. *smile* She
and I had just talked on the phone two days prior. She and her husband are
experienced parents to a child with Down syndrome already and were in the final
adoption stretch, just waiting for The Call to travel to China any day. In
fact, she had been putting the finishing touches on her new daughter's room as
we chatted. Baby V's 2nd birthday was coming soon and everyone was hoping she
would be HOME to celebrate. Maybe they had gotten the call!
"I
just got a phone call from (our agency) that our sweet girl passed away this
week. She had a horrible cold, which turned to pneumonia, and she didn't make
it. She died in the hospital, alone, just weeks before we could show her the
love of a family. Please pray for us here grieving the daughter we love who is
now wrapped in the arms of the Lord."
*GASP*
"...she
died in the hospital, alone..."
Alone.
Oh,
sweet Lord!
I stood in the kitchen and bawled while the toast burned.
Can
you imagine any worse nightmare? My Isaac had just turned two when he was
hospitalized with a simple virus that evolved into terrible pneumonia...but he
was HOME, with his mother...ME. For eleven days in a cramped hospital room he
was NEVER alone. The two times I left to get some much needed sleep, my mother
was at his side, cradling him, comforting him, praying over him. At ALL times
he was surrounded by the people who loved him most in this
world...except...except, no one loves him as much as the One who created him.
I
am confident that sweet Baby V was in fact not alone. Her earthly body may not
have been surrounded by humans, but I know (I know it!) her Heavenly Father was
at her side...softly caressing the single dark curl on her head and whispering
of the day He created the moon and the stars. Maybe even recounting the day her
earthly forever mother & father had met their
Savior and how much they loved her; how many times their hearts whispered her
name as they prepared to bring her home. How she will immediately recognize her
older American sisters when they finally arrive in Heaven with her. Exactly
what the Lord spoke to her spirit I don't know, but I am certain of His
presence as she was released from her earthly body and skipped joyfully into
her Creator’s loving arms. He has promised us this, I will never leave
you for forsake you. Never. Ever.
Thank
you God for this promise!
Sadly,
Baby V story is not an isolated one, especially in China. Often poor
families who know their children have special medical and developmental needs
abandon their sweet children in hopes of someone...anyone...can provide for
their precious treasure. Not every child is found in time (they go straight
into the arms of Papa God, hallelujah). When the child is found, many times the
social welfare services can't (or won't) provide for the medical or
developmental need and ultimately neglect is the reason they enter into Heaven.
For some, they are matched with a family, who loves, who hopes, who fights to
bring their baby home...like Baby V, and the deep layers of bureaucracy in all
countries involved make for a horribly lengthy process
to retrieve your fragile child. When overworked, understaffed
orphanages can't send a trusted caregiver or nanny with every sick child that
needs to go to the hospital...well, you know the end of that story.
Practically,
there is little that those of us on the outside can do to 'fix' the problem.
Because ultimately the problem is a result of a deep-deep fracture in the soul
of man. In believing one lie---You can do this without God---we invited
all the horrible that has taken place in all of history. Let's be very clear,
this is OUR fault, not God's.
Spiritually though, we have power. We can bow our hearts and invite God back
in! We can repent for devaluing all the God has declared good and believe
for healing. We can contend for hearts to change...including our own...and
fight for little ones like Baby V.
The
Bamboo Project Family has circled the wagons around Baby V's family left behind
to grieve until they hold her in Heaven. They have also dedicated themselves to
daily prayer. Each family storming the heavens for our children, for the
families pursuing, for the babies waiting, for birth parents, and government
officials; for God to move deeply in the country that gave us our beauties and
the country that lets us raise them here. We firmly believe Baby V's story does
not have to be repeated.
Will
you join us?
