Editors Note: In honor of National Adoption Month we welcome Mitzi McBride as a special guest post contributor. Mitzi and her husband Shane are part of the Hope for Orphans team here at FamilyLife.
by Mitzi McBride
"Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows what we know, and holds us responsible to act." Proverbs 24:12
This verse rang in the ears of my friend, fellow mother, and fellow blogger just a few weeks ago. In June, my friend Kristi traveled to Ethiopia to bring home her daughter. While she was there, she met two "curly-headed brothers" along with many other older children. Many of the children had families and were waiting on them to come and take them home to the U.S.
The kids were curious and asking Kristi, "What state is she (her daughter)?" Kristi said, "Oh, she is Tennessee." The kids started saying, "I am Texas" and "She is California."
Then they brought two of the children over and said, "They are nothing. Can you help them?" Kristi's heart was broken. How cognizant these children are at who is going to a forever family and who is not. What does that feel like? We can hardly imagine going to bed and wondering, What, if any, state might I be from one day? Or even worse, Why has no one chosen me?
Kristi could have returned home, gotten swallowed by life with five kids, and simply forgotten about those precious curly-headed boys. Instead, she got permission from the agency to make a plea on her blog for these waiting boys. Here's a glimpse of Kristi's heartfelt blog post:
It's plain and simple, folks ...These precious brothers NEED A HOME!! So, I'm here tonight standing in the gap, ready to beg, plead, encourage, and pray these boys to their forever family!! You see...I met these boys!! And, you know the Scripture, "Once our eyes are opened God holds us accountable....." Well, my eyes ARE open and I'm going to do all I can to find these boys a HOME...a real home with a Mommy and Daddy to kiss them goodnight...A home with brothers or sisters...A home where they can go to school and have dinner cooked for them....a HOME is all they need!
Many people prayed for these boys, and for the family God had for them. Within 48 hours, the boys were assigned a family! Not only that, the family came across the boys through Kristi's blog. Because Kristi could not forget, and did something as simple as a blog post, two boys will have a forever family. That is God using a mom to "set the lonely in families." (Psalm 68:6)
Moms, God wants to use us in the lives of orphans. Who better to love them? There are 120,000 children waiting for homes just like these curly-headed brothers were in the United States alone! If you would like more information on how to make a difference in an orphan's life or to get further information on waiting children, please visit our website at Hope for Orphans.
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