I read a short story before leaving for Peru, that brought tears to my eyes. It was about a woman who threw her infant from a moving train. How could she have done that?She must have been mentally ill, or just downright evil...
Ah, but there is more to the story. The mother was a Jewish woman being taken by the Nazis to a concentration camp, and to her death. She knew the same fate awaited her child. There was a small window at the top of the cattle car, and she tossed her
beloved child onto a grassy plot. What appeared to be a death sentence for this baby was actually new life for her."What you meant for evil, God meant for good" Genesis 50:20
This verse has come to my mind on numerous occasions as we have walked this road.
Cecilia's life was saved by the caregivers at Arco Iris Orphanage. Those women gave their lives for her from the day she was born. Due to her cleft lip and palate she was unable to swallow. The most basic instinct of human life was impossible for her. So, with a dropper, as if feeding a baby bird, the ladies fed Lia drop by drop, providing her with the nutrition that kept her alive. And every time they fed her, I'm sure their hearts pleaded with God for her salvation, both here and in the life to come.
We are the next link in the chain. Honestly, this is a priveledge and a responsability that goes beyond my wildest dreams.
We are the next link in the chain. Honestly, this is a priveledge and a responsability that goes beyond my wildest dreams.
Lia has many special needs; needs that could have been avoided if so much evil had not been comitted against her before she was even born. If I think about that for too long I feel defeated.
I have to focus on the second part of Genesis 50:20; the "God meant for good" part.
When I said, we are the next link in the chain, I was not referring to the Poulterer family alone. You don't get off that easy. If you are reading this, it means you too. It sounds so cliche, but we really couldn't do this without you. Those of you who have helped us financially. Those who have prayed. Those who have already been called on to provide childcare, and those who will be once we get back. A shoulder to cry on, or someone to laugh with. And the prayers...You are all part of this chain.
You are the good that God meant for Cecilia.
Okay I love the skirt but where is the BFF top you know I can't wait to see that on her! I am home for a little while so I will look to skype- Kim
ReplyDeleteLove this and feel these emotions with you even as I am far away...we will all be a part of this process and we will all seek God to carry us in it, love you.
ReplyDeleteWow...tears on a Saturday morning. Gratitude floods me reading this (and other) post(s). There is such a shift in Lia's eyes. With each picture, she changes...she seems to grow in feeling loved. The spark for life she was born with now has hope to make a nest in. She's unstoppable! It's not simple to soberly face her raw beginning...and she is still so close to it (chronologically speaking). But turning from the "until now" to facing "from here on out" carries a momentum that only a tragic beginning could be anchored in (like you compared to Erika's story). She doesn't have try to survive anymore. She's already thriving because of how wonderfully God designed the three of you to embrace her well from before she saw your faces.
ReplyDeleteWe're here, continuing to partner with you, and turned to what is and what's to come with great anticipation!
Missing you and loving you much!
Okay, now I am all choked up. THANK YOU, Mark, for the commission. I accept with JOY the continued call to PRAY for Lia and her family!!
ReplyDelete