Heart Thoughts

There are two Serbian children who have been heavy on my heart the last few days. Who am I kidding? It's been more like months! Several times per day their faces come to mind.

One is little "Ivan". You can read about him here. Ivan is 10 or 11 (I forget now) and the same tiny size as Asher. Well, now that Asher has been home three months Ivan is probably smaller than Asher. Asher came home at 30 lbs. Angela was a tiny little thing, and at 9 she was much bigger than Ivan is now. . Asher is such a sensitive little guy, with feelings that are easily hurt. Ivan is the saddest child I've ever met, only his tears come with the silent cry of the orphan. Ivan, with his silent cry, frequently appears in my dreams. I watch Asher go through his  new life and picture Ivan at his side getting to do the same things; to experience life as it was meant to be. Life behind the walls of an orphanage, combined to one room day after day is not how life was meant to be lived.

And then there is "Nate". You can read about him here. I first met Nate two years ago. Nate, who has been written off by the world, carries with him a knowledge of a world we would never want to know. If you have seen this video, then you have seen where Nate spent the first eight years of his life. It was during that investigation that Nate's living conditions were discovered and he was transferred to the facility he now resides in. A friend who also met Nate recently had this to say,

"Of all the children in this orphanage, "Nate" is the one who broke my heart. He is so sweet and unassuming, and he is basically treated like furniture. I think what stood out most about "Nate" is that it seemed like he was extending attention/affection TO us rather than demanding it FROM us like the other children. There aren't words for how much I would like to see "Nate" in a family."

I have no idea if either Ivan or Nate are on the registry for international adoption. I pray they find their way into a foster home or onto the adoption registry so they can have a forever family just like Asher and Axel. Go here if you're interested in learning more about adopting from Serbia.