In Other Words: Touching the Heart of the World

"He who can reach a child’s heart can reach the world’s heart."
~ Rudyard Kipling

So . . . . what would you do?  Have you ever been face to face with a child that is wounded, broken, alone, and frightened?  Did those missionaries in Haiti do the wrong thing . . . . or the right thing?  What would you do if you were in Haiti, watching the chaos, terror, hunger, and exposure traumatize these small children?  I guess I don't know what the answer is.  I do know, however, that I have looked into the face of a tiny girl in a Chinese orphanage, as she stared past me with empty eyes that seemed to know only neglect. 

Her vacant eyes eventually made contact with mine, at the sound of my voice, and one little tear escaped and slid down her grimy cheek.  Her thin, matted hair made a crooked, wispy little crown around her angel face . . . . but her tears mixed with the dirt on her face, and her runny nose, all told a much grimmer story.  Should I have picked her up and brought her home with me?  Well, I would have, if I could have.  But we were in China to bring our second daughter home, and we were told that we were only allowed to adopt one child at a time.  Another trip, another year, another king's ransom to the Chinese government for the privilege of adopting one of the baby girls in their orphanages.  And we were told there would be absolutely no possibility of returning for that particular little girl. 

As I reached out and touched her cheek, she began to sob.  Silently.  Strapped onto the potty chair, with several other babies in the room, she just sat there and stared at me with her tiny tears dripping from her cheeks and chin.  And then my husband touched my arm.  "They are watching you," he said as he subtly moved his head in the direction of the orphanage director and the village authorities.  "I think you better come out of here," he said as he pulled me to a standing position.  I looked back into those dark eyes, felt the tug of a mother's heart, and desperately wished that there was some way, any way, to scoop her up and bring her home with us.  I felt my husband's strong hand holding my arm and leading me away from the baby room, and I willed myself not to look back again.  But that face haunts me yet.  What could I do?  What SHOULD I have done? 

I have done what has been put in front of me to do . . . . . but I so wish I could have done more, especially on that day as we drove away from that Chinese orphanage.  Yes, we have two beautiful daughters who are the love of our lives.  But there are so many more.  And what about the babies in Haiti?  Do you have an answer?  Because I would like to know, and I definitely do not know what is the right thing to do in Haiti.  Our hearts always cling to the belief that we will choose to do the right thing.  But what should you do when you can't figure out what the "right thing" is in a  particular situation?  I know . . . . we should always obey the law.  But what about in a situation where there appears to be no law, no authorities, no semblance of governmental order and structure.  How would we even KNOW what to do in a situation like the chaos in Haiti? 

But all of this confusion will never change the truth and reality that those who are given the privilege of touching the heart of a child, does indeed, have the opportunity to touch the heart of the world.  Whatever comes of this very sad and unfortunate situation in Haiti, I choose to believe that these missionaries were doing what they thought was the right thing for the children.  But then perhaps you've never been in a situation where you made a choice that you sincerely believed was exactly what God would have you to do . . . .only to discover later that, although your intentions were absolutely noble, you had accidentally taken a wrong turn on the pathway of life.  Happens to the best of us. 

Please take a minute to visit the other IOW participants this week, and maybe even invite a few friends to join us.  And if you have a blog, post your thoughts on this quotation this week and then come back and leave a link to your post so we can come and visit you. 

Comments

[Debbie]

Oh my Nina, how that must have broken your heart. I can only imagine how difficult that must have been to have to walk away from that child.

I went on a mission trip to Haiti in 1981 and worked in a medical clinic. Even at that time, it seemed such a desperate place. The government was corrupt and I can tell you that so many babies were dying.

The situation in Haiti after the earthquake only compounded the tragedy for the children there. I've heard stories though of people who went to Haiti in the aftermath and shared stories of people who accepted Jesus as their personal Savior. That is the best words I could hear.

Thank you for using this quote as it was so very timely.

Blessings,
Debbie

[Miriam Pauline]

Thought provoking post. It is so hard to see the needs and not want to take matters into our hands. Yet there are tasks that we are meant to do--and sometimes that involves not doing others. The impact you have on your daughters' lives is immeasurable.

Thank you for hosting us this week.

[Karen Gass]

It breaks my heart to see these children. I can't look, yet I can't look away. I want to go and simply hold them, rock them to sleep. Touch means so much, and there are not enough people to take proper care of these little ones. Bless you for changing the lives of 2 little girls. There will be others to take care of the ones left behind.

Adoption is so dear to my heart, one of my grandsons is adopted. His bio mom agreed to give him to my daughter and her husband 2 days before she was scheduled for an abortion. Jack has brought so much to our family, I can't imagine the world without him in it. He is 5 now and such a blessing.

As they were looking into adoption, one of the avenues they explored was adopting from China. However, God had very specific ideas for them, and the child He wanted them to have. It's truly an awesome story. I think we need to pray for perspective adoptive parents to step forward, and not only step forward but that they would be supplied with the money needed to accomplish this. Thanks for sharing Nina :)

[Nina Newton]

Hi Debbie - thanks for stopping by. This is such a difficult topic for me, having seen first-hand how hard life can be for some of these children. I am so grateful that we were able to adopt our daughters, and I just have to know that we are doing what God has called us to do - not necessarily the right thing for everyone. And we do have to remember that it is not our job to "fix" all of the problems in the world . . . but it definitely tugs at your heart to know and see and not be able to "fix" the brokenness in those little lives. We can continue to pray and know that God loves those precious little ones even more than we do! For that I am grateful ;o) ~~ Nina

[Nina Newton]

Thanks for your insight, Miriam Pauline. You are so right -it is hard not to feel somehow responsible to "right" all of the "wrongs" that we see around us . .. . but if I could do it all by myself, then we wouldn't need each other! God has given each of us different tasks, and our job is to obey. And trust. I appreciate your kind words. ~~ Nina

[Patricia Warren]

I don't know if I could have walked away without being dragged... We have had a child involved with our family who I wanted to keep and hold to myself. She is no blood relation, but at one time we thought she was. Her mother (who went to prison for two years when the little girl was 2) was murdered by an ex-boyfriend last year...her biological father is a drug user and all around mean person who has no contact with her. She lives with her mother's mother... and now they let her spend time with our family members as much as we want. She is just 5-1/2 years old. I struggle to understand what I should have done. Department of Child Welfare would have temporarily placed her with us when she was 4 months old. But my husband declined...for our family's safety--long story--but we had been threatened with murder.

Our lives are full and involved with children, our own grown ones, a grandson, extended family, and the children at church. Sometimes I am overwhelmed with the responsibility... and then my grandson hears us mention a Biblical character and responds, "Did you say Elijah? Elijah is in heaven with God." He will be 5 this month. It is all worth whatever sacrifice is required.

Nina, thank you for hosting this week.

[Karen Gillett]

What a powerful subject it is talking about children, their care, their needs, and what we can do for them. Thanks for sharing such a powerful thing with us.