WHY???

I have sat here for the last hour and a half trying to figure out the best way to get across to some people WHY we are going to a foreign country to adopt a child when there are lots of  kids right here in the good ole U.S.A. that need homes.(and by the way, i have also adopted from the USA).   When Rick first told me about an e-mail his mom got from  a FAMILY member, my gut instinct was to chew them up and spit them out! But, as i sat here and calmed down some, i know there are alot more than just some family members that wonder that same thing. And that's ok. But i am going to try real hard here, without cussin and screaming, (maybe) and tell you WHY we are adopting a special needs child from an orphanage from another world basically. But first, let me say this. EVERY child deserves a family, and why or how some people can think that only kiddos from the USA should be the ones that get them kinda makes me sick. Forget about politics for just a minute and focus on these kids.  All children deserve a family to love them and care for them. They deserve to be taken care of when they are sick, they deserve to be fed and clothed and loved. ALL of them, regardless of what country they live in. And ,I'll be the first to tell you that i think our Childrens Social Services-Foster Care System stinks. There is LOTS not right that is happening there. But, the last time i checked, kids that are in foster care here in the United States are not living the ways kids around the world who are in orphanages are living. Here in the US, we do not put kids in mental institutes when they turn 4 or 5yrs.old because they are physically or mentally challenged.We do not let them lay in beds without medical care until they die.  Here in the US we don't make them sit all day in a shed or bound them in their cribs so they can't climb out because we don't want to take care of them or because there are not enough people around to take care of them. Nor do we line them up in an assemble line for potty breaks.

 Micah, just transferred, afraid and alone.

the shed where Aaron and 15 other boys spent most days. just sitting. doing nothing.

 bound tightly, day after day, night after night, so not to climb out of cribs

this speaks for itself......

Now......i could go on and on about WHY we are going to adopt a special needs child from an orphanage in a foreign country. I can assure you its not because we have the money........its not because we don't have enough kids already.........its not because we have extra time on our hands........its not because we want to travel ........its not because we're worried about having an "empty nest" someday..........and its certainly not because we want to "make some kind of statement or name for ourselves."  

Fifteen yrs. ago, my eyes were opened to a world I had no idea existed.  My life and my heart were forever changed because of a plea and a prayer. It was really pretty simple. A crossroads in life. A cry for guidance and a prayer to make a difference for Him.........not MY will Lord, but YOURS.

I had never thought about foreign adoption. I wasn't thinking about adoption at all.

All I did, was make my heart AVAILABLE. God did the rest. 

 And look what HE did............

Samuel Tadas Cole Lawrence

So why are we doing this.....adopting a special needs kid from a foreign country thing???

BECAUSE

   "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, know that we know, and holds us responsible to ACT.  Proverbs 24:12

So....... because of him, Cole, and HIM, the Lord, we are bringing THIS little guy home to his FOREVER FAMILY.......US, the lawrence and decker bunch!!!

Gabe (Myron on RR)

Gabe singing and dancing

Now, you tell me.......how lucky and blessed are we!

And all we did was make ourselves AVAILABLE to God.

And when He nudged our hearts......we stepped out in faith and said "Yes."

Period.



Now you know WHY.