Many of you know that around the holidays, I was working to raise money for Clementine, a precious little girl in Eastern Europe. With the help of very generous friends & family, her grant grew to over $1000. I was so excited...that money was going to help a family bring her home.What some of you know, but others don't, is that I was very interested in adopting Clementine. I talked to Derrick about it. I got the paperwork. I was in talks with a lady who helps facilitate adoptions in Clementine's country. I was starting to dream up fundraisers to make br
inging her home a reality. And then once we started looking at the commitment paperwork, Derrick just couldn't sign it. He couldn't explain it, but he just couldn't do it. He knew I loved that little girl, but to him, something just didn't feel right. I had to go back & inform the facilitator that we would not be able to commit. I told her that I was still interested, but the time wasn't right, but I asked if she could please keep us on the list in case someone else inquired about Clementine & then we would make a solid, for sure, decision. She agreed to do so. I was so sad, but I tried really hard to push through it.
*Side note about myself & Derrick: I tend to be more of a dreamer, willing to jump in with both feet & work things out as we go along. Derrick tends to be more of a planner, wanting to know how things are going to work out before we commit to things. I tend to be really good at reading people, he tends to be really good at reading situations. We work together well & balance each other well. I am thankful for him & his discernment as I go on to tell the rest of this story. *
I guess to say I was sad was an understatement. I was devastated. I wanted that little girl & I could not figure out why he would keep me from her. Even while I dealt with all the anger & disappointment, I knew that Derrick was not saying no out of spite. He wasn't trying to hurt me. That isn't him. He would have committed in a second if he had felt it was the right thing to do.
As time went on, we talked it out & things were okay. I still wanted that little girl, but I prayed that she would get a family, even if it couldn't be us. And here's where Derrick's discernment is a blessing that I didn't understand at the time - A few weeks ago I got a facebook message from the adoption facilitator regarding Clementine. Another family was interested in Clementine, so someone contacted the orphanage to get more details about her. When they talked to the orphanage, they found out that Clementine wasn't there anymore. Somewhere along the way she had been adopted, but that had never been communicated to anyone on the facilitation team. She has been gone for months, most likely even while I was raising money for her over the holidays. I was heartbroken again, but I all of the sudden saw what Derrick had seen before, even if he didn't know it. This adoption was not going to happen. He didn't know why, but now I did.
I am so thankful that Clementine has a family. My heart hurts that I won't ever get to see her again or watch her grow up, even in pictures, but I am glad she is not sitting & waiting in an orphanage. I am glad she has a family to love & treasure her. I was able to talk to the facilitator about where Clementine's grant should go - the other family who was interested in Clementine & I agreed that the money should go to Mary, another precious little girl waiting in Clementine's country. Little Mary then showed up on the Reece's Rainbow My Family Found Me page, so I am optimistically assuming that that family has decided to go forward with an adoption of Mary instead.
2 of my favorite waiting little ones, both being rescued from life in an orphanage. Both have a real future because someone stepped up for them. But still others who I love wait. No child should grow up without a family. I am sharing a few of the kiddos I am praying into families this year. I'd love you to share them along with me...or chose your own favorite orphan to share. Let's work to get some more kids out of orphanages & into families.
Lucia - She is 6 or 7 years old & is adorable! She has a video on her Reece's Rainbow page that is just precious!
Reese - This sweet boy is almost 10. He is from a good orphanage & has a pretty good sized grant to help fund his adoption. Many families have met him & rave about what a nice boy heis. He really WANTS a family!