Their Most Tremendous Gain

Maybe you've heard about it or thought about it before. 

It's a sad truth. Hard to swallow.

Adoptions don't always work out. 

Sometimes, for all manner of reasons, an adopted child can find themselves in need of a family. Again.

(I should clarify here that this is not a post about my own family. Stick with me.)

Linny Saunders, who blogs at A Place Called Simplicity, shared several months ago about her family's experience adding just such a child to their crew. 

Although another family wasn’t a good fit for our handsome son, he was a absolutely perfect fit for us. Actually we are certain, God brought him to the other family so that he would make his way to ours...And anytime I think of how Nehemiah joined our family I am forever grateful to our great God that we were the ones who were able to bring him home. Someone else’s loss was our most tremendous gain. 

Maybe read that last part twice.

And take a look at her original post if you can spare the time.

This family adopted a child out of the most difficult of circumstances. Their little guy's first adoptive family, for whatever reason, was not his forever family. But he has been happily a part of his now always and absolutely forever family for several years.

Someone else's loss (not to be taken lightly!) was this family's most tremendous gain.

Because you see, however or why ever it should happen that an adoptive family would seek a new home for an adoptive child, one thing is certain. God never loses track of a single hair on that child's head. His good plans for them remain sure. His love for them is unmoving. He can still bring healing and life.

All that being said, can I entrust you, dear readers, with a most important mission?

A most precious, beautiful, worthy mission.

A little girl.

I was contacted recently by Lifeline Children's Services in hopes that I would ask all of you to help me find this little girl a new family. Her always and absolutely forever family.

I agreed. Because I know many of the good people who join me here at Love's Ransom. I know your hearts for the least of these. I've seen you fight hard for justice for other children. (Y'all have blown my mind advocating for Dawn. I hope to have update to share with you about her soon!)

If you're up for it, and I know many of you are, here's the mission that has been entrusted to us: to spread the word that there is a little girl here in the States who needs a family.

Here's what I can tell you about Little Girl.

• Little Girl is an absolutely beautiful child. She is ten years old and was adopted from Bulgaria four years ago.
• She is currently nonverbal, developmentally delayed in most areas and has been diagnosed with institutional autism. She has moved through periods of progress and regression. She has in the past been able to acquire some language and toilet training but is currently in a period of regression. She struggles with self harming and other institutional behaviors. 
• Little Girl is usually described as a happy child who can be extremely affectionate. She enjoys physical activity, being outside and jumping on the trampoline. Her favorite inside activity is working puzzles and she can put a 50 piece puzzle together on her own. 
• Since Little Girl's adoption, her family has added 4 additional children to the family by birth and one by adoption. At this time, her family indicates that Little Girl's needs have exceeded their ability to care for her in the most effective way. 
• Little Girl will require a family that has a strong understanding of the impact of the orphanage experience on a child’s behavior and development. A family that might best fit her needs would be a family with older children who would be able to understand her needs and the time required of parents to invest in her care. It is felt that with help (counseling and therapy) she has great potential for growth and healing.
• Out of respect for Little Girl and her family, I am limited in what I am able to share here in the public forum. If you would like to know more, or are interested in learning about how such an adoption process would work, please contact Lynn from Lifeline Children's Services at lynn.beckett@lifelinechild.org. 

I would also invite you to feel free to share this post, while also urging (although I would expect nothing other than kindness from all of you) that we would all, me included, refrain from casting judgement or pointing fingers. Let's keep our focus solely on one precious girl's future. Let's treat this with the utmost respect. 

Lots of love to all of you.