Orphan Sunday

This Sunday, November 8 is Orphan Sunday. Can I just be honest and say that until 2010 hearing about Orphan Sunday wouldn’t have stirred so much emotion in my heart. Sure, I would have taken a moment in church (if it was even mentioned) to think about children growing up without parents and maybe I would’ve even given some money towards an orphanage….

But it would not have meant what it means to me now.

I remember like it was yesterday when I first heard about Vasa. Josh took me to lunch downtown and told me he & Claire felt called to adopt and were in the process of adopting a little boy from Russia.

I was floored! They already had three beautiful girls who I adored but hearing about an orphan completely hit me in a new way.

I was just as excited to hear about Vasa as I was when they announced each one of Claire’s pregnancies. I was enamored by the adoption process and couldn’t wait to see every picture, follow every step of the journey and finally meet this precious boy.

At that point in my life I wasn’t even sure I wanted kids at all so I could NOT believe the emotions I felt for a little boy I had never met. PS, it’s not that I didn’t like kids… I loved every minute of my nieces but also saw how much work parenting could be! Yikes! I kinda liked my “easy” life.

Little did I know God was using every bit of Vasa’s adoption to stir my heart for what God has planned for us.

Josh & Claire were amazing through the entire adoption process. They were focused and worked very hard & diligently to bring him home quickly. All the while staying focused on raising the three precious girls that had at home AND preparing their hearts for a brother!

I probably drove everyone around me crazy during Vasa’s adoption. I shared every video and every picture I received with co-workers.

From the first picture my heart was gone….completely in love with this tiny blonde haired boy eating a bowl of watered down oatmeal.

Orphan meant something different to me now. It wasn’t a generic term anymore. It was my nephew. He was REAL, he had a NAME, he had a face, an adorable giggle, a past, a now more hopeful future. He had a story…

I have watched videos of him from Russia so many times I can quote them like people quote movies. I know when every laugh comes, every Russian word uttered. I still watch them and sometimes weep.

I’m certainly skipping to the end here but I remember meeting him for the first time. I couldn’t help myself. Josh & Claire probably would’ve preferred we give them some time at home with Vasa before we popped in but I couldn’t help myself.

I remember him laughing at standing at the window watching the dogs in the backyard. I remember him kissing Claire’s hand as she fed him. I remember him speaking Russian and wishing I’d studied more than the Chick-fil-a CD I’d been listening to (don’t laugh, that mess was legit!) I remember looking at him and thinking what an AMAZING God we serve that chose our family to get to know Vasa…this precious little boy from Russia. I remember being in awe of HIS plans for Vasa and being excited about what every step of this journey would look like. And being super pumped that I would get to watch it! I want to know him well and personally so I took the YoungLife/TA approach and have started writing him notes once a week. He writes me back (which is PREICOUS.) I hope to continue this with him (and my 4 nieces) so that as they grow older they feel free to share things with me. I want to share life, every part of life, with them!

I won’t pretend that every part of this adoption has been simple! Let’s be real, when they picked him up they basically had an infant that could walk. He couldn’t speak English, he didn’t understand what they were saying but he was mobile! YIKES. Josh & Claire have worked hard to help Vasa learn English, succeed in school, work through abandonment issues, etc. but I KNOW they would do it all over again in a heartbeat. NOT just because Vasa is adorable, hilarious and one of the coolest kids you’ll ever meet…but because they did what God asked them to do…and that obedience trumps all. I’m thankful for their obedient hearts and I know God is honored by them.

Jeeah’s Hope plug here: the main reason I LOVE what I do is because I get to help families who have adopted from another country (or heck, domestically) not feel alone in the process. Not feel alone when their child from China or Russia (wherever) is freaking out! I get to connect them with other families, through big events and small gatherings, who can walk this journey with them. I LOVE IT.

So needless to say Orphan Sunday has a whole new meaning for me. When I see those faces I see Vasa. I see Gabe. I see Grant & Ruthie Perkins. I see Khushboo Amaris Ogden, Kashila Nayani Ogden and Rabina Rashmi Ogden. I see Tigner Hawk. I see Josiah Hord. I see Lily Wen & Jeeah (Ellie) Carslile. I see Micah Clark. I see Micah Jones. I see Biggie & Smalls Hebert. I see Heavenly McGinnis. I could continue on and name over 30 other children in Columbus who have been adopted with help from Jeeah’s Hope.

 I see children with a story…

I am thankful that I get to work in a job that helps Orphans. I often wish I could do more. But I thank God for what He is doing and going to do for every one of these children that HE named and created for His glory.

Orphan Sunday has a place in my heart. I think we’ll call it Vasa Dunlap.