Orphans, each one has a different story and each country we have been to treats them differently. Here in Bulgaria there are parents who drop their children off at the orphanage to be raised there until they are old enough for them to come back and help raise money for the family. If this is the case the children are never fully given over to the state and therefore not fully up for adoption. There have even been cases when someone has adopted a child and then become pregnant and returned the child that they adopted. These last couple of days I got to go and rake leaves at an orphanage. The yellow paint doesn’t do a very good job of hiding the fact that the building was built during the time of communism. After a long morning and afternoon of raking leaves in the playground we were allowed to play with the orphans for an hour. Worth it. They were toddlers who initially clung to the hands of the women who brought them into the room, but after some play time with a parachute and some musical instruments we were immersed in hugs and giggles. There was singing, dancing and lots of playing. It was so cool to see Rock dancing with one of the little boys, to see Amanda playing with a bunch of them bringing them fits of giggles and to watch a little girl snuggle up with Jenn. It only lasted for an hour, but the impact was complete. We are, none of us, orphans. We all have been adopted by our heavenly Father into a holy family that is powerful and strong because of whom our Father is. He is never going to let go of us or give up on us. Saying goodbye to the children wasn’t easy, knowing that I may never see them again hurt, but I left them in the capable hands of the Holy Three.
