black friday

Black Friday is such an interesting thing to me....don't get me wrong, I love a good trip to the mall, and we will be giving Christmas gifts to family and friends this year so it's inevitable that I will do some (more?) shopping this weekend.  But why does this day fall immediately after the one day of the year that we should be most Thankful?


Will you please watch this video and tell me how black you think every day in the lives of these people are.  Here is some perspective for you: if Wes and I weren't on the path to adopt Danny this just might be his future.  No, he is not in Serbia, but he is in a country that makes similar decisions for it's children and adults who are mentally disabled.
 

Think you can't do anything to change this?  Let me be direct: you're wrong.

The most obvious thing you can do is to adopt.  But I know that not everyone is able to do that, whether financially, or otherwise.  Second, if you can't adopt, you can support someone who is adopting.  Don't know anyone who you want to support? How about you sponsor a child on Reece's Rainbow?  Not that either?  How about this: think about these different organizations: World Vision, where you can sponsor a child, or feed a family, or drill a well for a community.  Samaritan's Purse, where you can show the love of Christ to a child through a Christmas Box.  Living Water,  works to provide clean drinking water around the world.  Want something closer to home?  Where we live there are a number of places you can volunteer your time or your financial resources, just google it!

More than anything you can pray.  Here are some specific things to pray for:
1. for the hearts of the government officials in countries like Serbia to soften to the least of their society
2. for the people who work in these institutions to treat the people in their care like the human beings they are
3. for your heart to break for what breaks God's heart (I caution you on this one...He will bring you to your knees)
4. pray for families like ours who are choosing to adopt and save a life from the black-ness that is institution life
5. pray about donating!!!!  it doesn't have to be to one of the organizations I referenced.  Have one you love? Share it please!


Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading this little rant of mine.  As we get closer to traveling my heart breaks just a little bit more because I know when we meet Danny we will meet many other children who we can't bring home with us.  I don't know how God expects me to do that, but I do know that He is doing a great work in me, and I'm thankful I get to see what is next!