2 Month's Change

about a week ago, as I was advocating for my little buddy Jonah there, I hadn't realized that I had an anniversary happening a couple days later! It was my sister Julia's 2 month Gotcha-Day anniversary. February 25th marks 2 big months since me and my dad took our last car ride out of the city in Ukraine we were staying in to the orphanage in the countryside where Julia spent the first four years of her life. It's been an amazing two months with an amazing little girl who is changing my life, as well as my family's, one little heartbeat at a time. And it also marked the event (or events, depending on your perspective) that brought on the story I told in two of my recent posts, "The Ride" parts 1 and 2.

Rarely a day goes by I don't think about my Ukrainian journey. The beautiful Apartment me and Dad were blessed to have, the awesome friends we were blessed with (thank you Winkles!), and of course the little Ukrainian princess that put our hearts, hands, and feet in motion to bring her home at all costs. And then there are those other little ones, who we didn't bring home that bear on my mind and heart. Julia's room was a pinkish/coral type color with cream white shades on the two far windows. there's a little winter gear/coatroom that leads into that room, and coming from the same coatroom into the "bedroom" is a small bathroom for hand-washing and whatnot. There are about 7 cribs in use in the room. One kind of acts as a storage container, and I only recall one aside from Julia's not in use the day I went in there. You have my buddy Bruiser, the little boy who's stuck in the orphanage until his parents are able to come for him, for reasons I won't openly disclose. Two cribs over you have Shawna from Reece's Rainbow, featured on the "Our Orphan Loves" page. Then you had Julia, now safely home with us. Next to her is a little boy named Dusty on Reece's Rainbow, who, praise God, has a family coming for him. He was supposed to be adopted as a brother to one of his roomates, but unfortunately his soon-to-be brother was diagnosed and died of Leukemia.Not in the room to my knowledge (when I was there), but in the groupa is Lindsay, also on our Orphan Loves page.

And in between Shawna and my buddy Bruiser, you have precious little Sonya.

I know it probably seems absolutely ridiculous to care so much about somebody you met for a whopping 10 minutes, and I'm not gonna deny it. Honestly orphan ministry involves one of the blindest forms of love on earth, because most of us never meet the children we advocate for. But Sonya is my special girl because I did meet her, short  time though it might have been. I am so happy to see that her grant has went up a good $2,000! If any of you who have read this blog have something to do with that, thank you beyond much. But I wish I could just walk down that linoleum hallway one more time and pick her up out of her crib and spin her around in the air and hear that sweet laugh. I wish there there would be a mommy and daddy that are coming to get her before her birthday this October, when she'll take that fateful car ride that will be her doom. Heck, I wish I could get all the photography lighting and studio gear I want and set it up in the waiting room at the end of the hallway and take a picture of each kid in the whole place, just to know their adorable little smile and show them their worth.

It's funny how two months can change your goals and you perspective. And I hope I am doing something to speak for the voiceless right now and that someday I'll be able to do something that will really change/help/heal these little kids, who have no one to love them unconditionally forever, and tell them about the God who's watching over them day and night.