Kid Count

I love studying my master “name list” of all the kids God has sent us.

Remembering the day they arrived…each one very special, even after 80 such “birth days” into our homes and lives

Remembering their time with us…challenges we encountered, hospitalizations, funny moments, the unique personality of each one

Remembering the day they left…44 have moved on to families

Remembering the adoptions, the “cherry with whipped cream topping” of our work….10 until now (9 international, 1 national)

The last day of last year I checked out the final tally for 2008. When some months it seems like all we do is receive in baby after baby after baby, for some reason “19” doesn’t seem all that many. Of course considering that a “normal” family has one maybe two kids per year, max, I guess it’s a lot. =)

Here are the years compared:

Four little boys entered in December 2004, our first month
17 kids came in 2005 (7 had serious medical needs and/or behavioral issues)
22 kids came in 2006 (7 with special needs)
18 kids came in 2007 (11 with special needs)
19 kids came in 2008 (9 with special needs)
?? in 2009, promised to be Bolivia's worst year economically in recent history

That special needs part is staggering. No wonder we stay worn out! Because really it's cumulative throughout the years, and in the end those babies/kids are with us longer if there is difficulty finding them an appropriate adoptive family (or the birth family completely rejects them because of their issues).

And there are plenty of minor issues or the illnesses that run through the homes (Baby Home currently: chicken pox, diarrhea, coughs/colds), especially since our babies have poor immune systems.

But back on track: this "list" with so many precious names and testimonies would never be possible without God's goodness to us in the form of so many amazing, generous supporters! A recent week of donations included checks from individuals ranging from $10 to $500.

Together it all adds up!

And we can provide a new life for each child in this crew of bright shining faces (picture from Children's Day, April 2008).

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them,
for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."
Luke 18:16

“Rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious”
1 Peter 2:4b