Bigger Things

Saturday was little Micah Andrew Brown's funeral.  He was five years old.  I didn't know him or his family or anyone who knew him, his family or any of his friends.  Someone I follow on Instagram (and now I'm not even sure how I ran across her) posted about the accident that his family was involved in...the one that took his life.  I clicked over to the link she provided and something clicked over in me.

I looked at the family's photos....a mom and a dad and four little light skinned kids and two little dark skinned kids.  Then I found the mom's (Ryann's) blog. There hasn't been an entry since last October. That was shortly after they brought the little dark skinned kids home from the Dominican Republic.  Her blog is all about the history of their international adoption and how they became the parents of six kids under the age of eight.  I'm sure they've been a little busy since then.

 Source: GoFundMe.com

This past Monday afternoon, their world changed.  Little Micah was lost and his older sisters were critically injured.  Rebekah and Sarah remain in different hospitals 100 miles apart in Alabama both having sustained traumatic brain injuries.  Friends of the family have established this GoFundMe site. There's also a Caringbridge page for the family. 

As I was reading the family's blog "becauseofhisgreatlove" about their call to adopt, their decision making process regarding from what country to adopt, and the struggles they faced in the waiting (which I've come to learn is the hardest part about any kind of adoption, domestic or international) a scripture Ryann quoted caught my attention.  She was talking about being far from home waiting for the process to run its course in Dominican Republic.  They were missing their friends and family and their church family.  She wrote, "We were thirsty for community. We were experiencing fatigue, persecution, hardship. But God did not intend for us to go through this alone. He sent good news from a far country. This came in many forms through visits from friends and family, through care packages, through encouraging notes and prayers."  She said they were thirsty for community.

As cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. Prov. 25:25

God has called us all to hep orphans (James 1:27).  This call has been weighing on my heart for a while.  Ryann's post was just another tap on my shoulder.  I've been able to contribute to an adoption fundraiser that was hosted by Hannah of Hello Grace Blog, who I also ran across on Instagram. She does them regularly, and I look forward to participating again. But I want to do more.  Ryann's post inspired me to make this art, which is just the beginning of an art ministry for adoption support.

The original can be found in my Etsy shop here.  I'm also offering 11 x 14 prints here, which are $20. Ten dollars of every print sold will be donated to help fundraising efforts of adoptive parents. I'm not sure yet exactly how that will work, but one way I will start is by searching the #adoptionfundraiser hashtag on Instagram.  Along with Hannah (who I talked about above), my friend Kate from The Adopt Shoppe is also experienced both as an adoptive parent and as someone who donates for fundraisers. I know they'll help me.

Did you know it's estimated there are 153 MILLION orphans worldwide?  I can't help them all, but I can do something.  I've known from the beginning this art business is not just about me. It's about bigger things.  It's time to get to it.

Please pray for the Brown family in Alabama.  Check out their Caringbridge and GoFundMe pages using the links above.  They've gotten a lot of support and prayers already, but they will be needing them for a very long time to come, I'm afraid.  So please add them to your lists.

Is there a quote or scripture that speaks to your heart about adoption?  If so, I'd love for you to share it in the comments.  It might inspire the next installment in this ministry.

Until next time, may the good Lord speak your calling to your heart, too.

<3 Lori