January 2, 2011: It’s the second day of the new year. For many people that means the opportunity to start over again, to succeed where there has been failure, to bring life where there has been death; but because somewhere along the way I became a cynic, to me a new year just means I have to remember to write 2011 instead of 2010. Why does the turning of a calendar page give me the right to anticipate great and wonderful circumstances? I face 2011 with trepidation. Dare I hope that deliverance will come and finally I’ll be set free to live out my dreams?
2010 was actually a pretty amazing year for me, one of the best in a very long time. I traveled to China and Haiti, became a published author, and completed my first half marathon. That’s a lot for one girl to do in twelve short months. But, it’s not enough. I’m that spoiled child in the toy store who wants one of everything! At this juncture, there are no plans on the horizon. The only thing I know for certain is tomorrow morning I have to get up and go to work, something I really don’t want to do. Accounting is NOT my passion.
What is my passion? Adoption and orphan care. My experiences in China and Haiti opened my heart and eyes to the world of abandoned children. This summer I followed closely the journey of our friends and pastors as they traveled to Ukraine to adopt two sisters. I wept at their heartache and rejoiced at their victories. Those two little girls are precious to me in a way that I can neither understand nor explain. The team leaders from our Haiti trip recently returned to that country to spend time with the little boy they have chosen to be their son. They posted a “family picture” from Haiti that caused me to weep for joy when I saw it. You see, I’ve met their son, I’ve hugged him and played with him. I understand what being adopted into a loving family means for these beautiful children.
My desire for 2011 is that will God open doors of ministry, only for me to travel to more foreign lands and love on babies, but opportunities to share my experiences and thereby ignite a similar passion in others. It takes no special degree or skill to love a child, it only takes a willingness to serve, and a desire to reach out beyond our own self inflicted borders.
