The day that changed the course of our lives. hehehehehe
Well not really, because there were so many moments prior to May 20th that had to happen. But May 20th is the day Robbie came to me and said that he was ready to adopt again. I can't believe we are at the one year mark!
May 17, 2012, after may months of planning, we held our first annual benefit dinner to raise awareness for orphans. We joined together with an organization called Step Up To The Plate.
You can find the Facebook Page here. We raised money, while raising awareness for the 147 million orphans worldwide. We gathered together to tell others about the needs of these children. Much research was done and we found a charitable organization to represent each continent.
My heart was set on China and New Day Foster Home was the organization. New Day Foster Home takes in children who basically have very slim chances of surviving unless they receive medical care. There were several children who needed emergency gastrointestinal surgeries or heart surgeries just to live through the night.
So for our presentation, we just had to have a slide show in order to show all of the beautiful faces of these children that needed help. So my computer skills being limited, I enlisted the help of my wonderful husband, Robbie. He helped me put together the slide show.
God really worked in the hearts of all who attended. We had a great turn out and were able to provide a kitchen in Brazil, heart surgery for a little boy in China, fly a child to the U.S. from Russia for a host program, and help local organizations financially here in the U.S.
Unfortunately, Robbie was unable to come to the dinner because he wanted to get a good night's sleep. We were waking up very early the next day to head out of town for a triathlon that he had been vigorously training for.
Initially, Robbie was going to go to the triathlon by himself. But after putting all the long hours into the benefit dinner, Robbie thought it would be a good break for me too. We loaded up the car and left the next day. Robbie would get up in the morning and run his race, and the girls and I would play and relax on the beach and then meet Robbie as he crossed the finish line.
So that night for dinner we went out to a restaurant(I can't even remember the name of it). We sat outside enjoying our meal and watched the waves roll in. We were just about to leave the restaurant when a man and his wife approached us. We were at the far end of the deck and they were making a beeline straight for our table. I looked carefully and knew that I had no idea who they were. I told Robbie, "get ready".
If you have kids that do NOT look like you,
then you know what I mean.
People look at your children
and then look at you
and then back at your kids
and then the questions begin.
So I smiled as the man reached our table and he said. "I don't know the correct way to ask this, but are your children adopted?"
Usually at this point, one of us (Robbie) will head off in the other direction with the girls while the other (lucky me) gets to answer all the "questions" of the inquisitive person.
But there was no where for us to go.
We were at the far end of the deck, in the corner.
The only thing to do was jump into the sand dunes. lol
"They were born in China", I say.
The man smiles and looks at each of the girls and says,
"I am so glad they became a part of your family."
WOW, that is absolutely a first.
The man continues, "I was born in Korea. I was adopted also."
He is in his 50's.
I ask him, "How old were you when you came to the United States?"
He said...
"I was adopted at 12 years old."
I was startled. So I asked him.
"At 12 weren't you scared?
Wasn't Korea the only life you knew?"
His answer hit me even harder.
"At 12, I knew my life would never amount
to anything in an orphanage.
I was willing to give up all I knew
to have a family.
Everyday I hoped that I would leave that place."
It was all I could do to stay in my seat.
I wanted to get up and hug him,
to ease the pain that I saw in his face.
The pain that was still there after all those years.
He apologized for interrupting our dinner and said he just saw the girls and felt he needed to come over.
We spoke for a few minutes, but truly I can not remember much of anything else that was said. He explained that he and his wife were only passing through on vacation. He said that he really never approached anyone before and told his story of being adopted.
May 20th was the day that Robbie said he was ready to adopt again, but God was planning everything in advance.
God placed the desire in my heart to advocate for the children that still wait for families.
He put people in my life that also had that desire to make a difference in children's lives.
Robbie putting together the slide show for his computer challenged wife which had him looking in the eyes of these lovely children over and over again.
Me and the girls joining Robbie at the last minute on his trip for the triathlon.
Choosing that particular restaurant.
The couple approaching us at dinner.
The conversation that made a huge impact on our lives.
All these things.
All at the right time.
All coming together for a purpose.
Only God.
