Why Visiting Orphanages & Sharing Their Stories Matter: Seth’s Story
You may recall a little boy named “Seth†that we shared about in November? We’re excited to share that Seth is now being pursued by a family! We are in awe of how God is working through our Storyteller Missions team members and the difference that they are making. Seth’s story was shared by a mission team leader whose heart was captured by Seth when she met him. She knew that God had a wonderful plan for this boy’s life and for the future family who he will be joining in the near future.
Below are some beautiful thoughts from the family who is pursuing Seth’s adoption:
“In a crib, in an orphanage, halfway around the world, sits a boy. He’s easy to miss, as he sits there quietly with his head bowed.
You might even pass him by, unless you took the time to look into his face, pick him up, hold him in your arms.
At that moment, he becomes unforgettable.â€It was mid-December when I first read these words. They were written by a woman, Ashley, who had visited an orphanage in China. She wrote a blog post about a little boy she called Seth and it appeared in my Facebook timeline when a friend shared it. I see a lot of these posts about children waiting for families, many every day. I often do not read them because it’s just so hard on my heart. But for some reason that day, I opened the link. I read the blog.
Her words broke me. I read about Seth, a 6-year-old boy who could not see, or talk, or walk, who spent his days sitting in a crib. I looked at his pictures and watched a video of him. His smile was so beautiful and my heart was shattered to think of him all alone, without a family to care for him or love him.
I couldn’t get him out of my head. I laid awake at night for hours and hours with tears streaming down my face in the dark. I know there are children all over the world living like this, but to see this child and his smile and sweet spirit…it broke me. “Lord, who will touch him? Who will hold him? Who will sing to him and tell him that he is loved?†Ashley’s words echoed in my own heart until I could not bear it any longer.
With my heart beating so fast I thought it might burst, I took his picture and story to my husband, Brad. It’s happened a few times over the last few years. Sometimes he says yes and other times he says no, this is not where the Lord is taking us. I am so thankful to know that I can share my heart with him and trust that he will seek God and lead our family so well. I fully expected him to say no but to pray with me for a family for Seth.
Seth’s picture went on our fridge, and we did pray. We prayed earnestly with tears for this little boy. We talked and talked and prayed and prayed. And then one day we were standing in the kitchen and Brad looked at me and said, “We can’t leave him there.†And that was that. We won’t leave him there. We have our answer to who will touch him, who will hold him and sing to him and tell him that he’s loved. We will. We will do it.
There are many challenges ahead and lots for us to learn, but we know this: we will not be going alone. The Lord is Mighty and He will provide all we need. We trust in Him completely and are so thankful for the gift He is giving us in Seth. He is a treasure and we have nothing but excitement to add him to our family. We do this not because we feel we should, but because we can and because we want to! God is weaving an extraordinary story for our family, one that we never could have imagined, but He has changed us along the way in ways we never expected and we can’t wait to see what else He is going to do!
We certainly would appreciate your prayers in the days ahead. Pray for Seth, that he will receive the care and attention he needs. Pray for our family as we look to move house very soon to make room for our ever-expanding family! Pray that we keep the Lord always before us and remember that with God, all things are possible!
Congratulations to this family who has made the step of faith and are working towards bringing Seth home. What an inspiring story about one mission team leader’s passion to serve these children and share their stories. We are celebrating God’s wonderful work through this team leader and all of our teams who go to be God’s hands and feet and share their stories. We are thankful as well for this family’s willingness to open their heart and home to a child in need of a family.
How Can You Be Involved?
We would encourage you to join us in the efforts of “sharing stories†by helping us advocate for children, like Seth, who may never have the chance of a family unless someone hears their story. We often advocate for children on both our blog and Facebook as well as other forums, so please help join in the efforts in sharing these stories and needs with those you are connected to. We serve a BIG God who can take the efforts of a few hands and multiple it greatly through HIS hands.
Interesting in Learning More?
Interested in learning more about adopting from China or taking a trip with Storyteller Missions? Contact us at china@awaa.org for info on our China program or missions@awaa.org for info on any of our trips. You can also reach us by phone at 800.429.3369 or view children in all of our programs that are waiting by clicking HERE.