The Left-Behinds

Well, friends, forgive the lateness of this post. I had known my weekend would be nuts, but I didn't anticipate how late I'd get back home, how wiped out I would be and remembered that today was Monday, i.e. School day.

But enough about me- hope all of you have had a blessed weekend- gorgeous weather for the most part up NY way!

Last Monday, we picked out a little girl who needed a family. Constance.

 

Whether it be good timing, coincidence, the Power of Prayer or God's hand, within 24 hours, Constance had her mom and dad starting the paperwork for her. It's a beautiful thing. The picture of her above, though, was actually taken by a family who's at her orphanage now adopting someone else. They were afraid they'd have to leave her there, unanswered for. She would have been a Left-Behind.

So many posts back, I coined the term "Little Heart Movers." It was my personal term for not only orphans in general, but especially those that "move someone's heart" to adopt, advocate, whatever. For me, Sonya was that little Heart Mover. For Tori, it was Carmensita (found on the "Our Orphan Loves" page). I could probably think of one for almost every advocate I know if it wasn't 11:30 and I'm as burnt out as a fireplace. Bottom line is, They get you going.

There's another category, however, that many of those children may fall into. For some of us, they still occupy this group, for others, they have left it. The Left-Behinds. The Children some of us meet in these treasure troves we call orphanages that stick in our heads long after we've left. We saw them. We touched them, played with them, held them. And when Gotcha Day for our special little one we have traveled so far for comes around, we must leave them there. For all of the difference we have made for one, there are so many more who need help. Some of us find their Forever Families. Some of us are their forever families. Our degree of calling to them varies. But the level on which our hearts break, our minds constantly recall them, never changes. And for some of us, we will live with it forever, wondering where they are, how they are doing. The privilege I have, of knowing that little child that  stuck in my mind and heart, has a family on the way, who have been kind enough to get to know us a little bit, is something I know is a onetime opportunity I cherish.

But since there are still Left-Behinds at this orphanage, from which 8 kids (7 of which are Harper and Haley Salem, Yuri and Bohdan Winkles, Sonya and Dusty Hinz, and my little Julia) in the last year have been rescued, we're going to honor the two left-behinds who need families and are on Reece's Rainbow with the "Child of the Week" feature:

                                                                  Lindsay

                                                      and Shawna.


Both of these little girls are 7. the transfer age in their region is around 6. The fact that they are there, living and breathing in the flesh, is a miracle enough to urge someone ot get them. Let's pray these two little girls home all week long!!!!

                                           You think about them all the time

                                              These are the Left-Behinds 

                                        You heard their silent, painful cries,

                                            These are the Left-Behinds

                                     You felt their hands and they felt yours,

                                     You know them only a minute or more 

                                       And yet your heart, it hit the floor,  

                                    Because they are so bright and pure

                                            These are the Left-Behinds   


                                  So now you know that they are there,

                                   their sad dark path they aren't aware

                                     So do a favor, please, just care....

                                         Don't leave them left behind.