He Needs You, We Need You

I’m not sure how we arrived where we are today, but our FIRST little guy, Ali, turned 9 today. After almost 3 years with Ali, I still can’t imagine how different his life would be had his uncle not brought him to us…

When I first heard about Ali, they said he was a small, 5 year old boy who had lost his mom when he was just 2-3 days old. He’d lived with his grandma and his dad rarely visited him, if at all. No one knew where his dad was living when his grandma starting to get sick.

Soon, grandma wasn’t able to take care of the kids she was trying, simply, just to feed. Ali’s uncle explained he had 3 kids of his own and was caring for Ali’s half brother and he just couldn't cope with one more child.

The first time I saw Ali, he looked like a 3 year old, and I’m being generous. His feet were so tiny. He couldn’t really walk in the little flip flops he was wearing, and getting him to walk just up the 2 stairs into the kitchen was nearly impossible.

And his belly…oh…He had a HUGE belly due to lack of nutrition. And it was bad. He was constantly saying his stomach hurt after eating. We had to try a lot of different things to make sure he didn’t vomit or have diarrhea but eventually, just 2-3 months after arriving, he was doing so well.

Ali has always felt like my little baby, even as he grows and will be going into grade 3 at the beginning of the year. The time has really passed so incredibly fast, and part of me wishes for the days when Jadon used to carry him everywhere like he was a baby. And he really was. He was fragile and very undernourished. And God brought him here, to us…to love and care for.

I’m ugly crying as I type this. I love this boy with my whole heart. I don’t want to think about what situation he would be in if God hadn’t opened every door for this home to be here, at that exact moment when he needed care. His family tried but when they can’t even feed themselves, what do we do?

I have so many mixed feelings about orphan care, but I can tell you one thing: there is a great need. Even children who have one parent are hardly eating, let alone a child who is being cared for by an aunt or grandma. The situation in our area is so different from even the southern part of the country.

Because of people who believed in this crazy idea, crazy plan to come and be parents to the parent-less kids in our community, Ali has a mom, a dad, many uncles, aunts and brothers & sisters. We wouldn’t have arrived here without your help, and for that, we are truly grateful.

As Giving Tuesday approaches on December 3rd, a day of global awareness & giving for organizations like ours, we implore you to think about kids like Ali – where would he be? Where would he be today without the help of precious partners like you?

My heart breaks to think of where he may be, but I also rejoice because God knew how things would end, and because of the love of a few people, just like you, Ali is having a great 9^th birthday.

Thank you seems so insignificant but really – look what you guys have done! God has used you to see this little man through the last 3 years, and I know beyond that. You all are incredible people of love. Thank you.

Will you help us continue to love and help kids like Ali? Will you help us now, today? Sign up to become a monthly sponsor before the end of the month and Ali will color a picture just for you…Come on now, what else do you need?! Do it already.

Lots of love,

Laura and Ali and the GANG

Loss, Life and Everything in Between

Africa, man. This continent isn't an easy place to be sometimes. Especially when it comes to people you love. It's so complicated...to have people you love become sick and not be able to understand or even know what is ravaging their bodies...the doctors aren't straight or direct in any way.

They don't explain what's happening, they don't care if you understand or know what's killing your friend, sister, mom, brother, uncle. They just start treating you and that's that.

Hopefully you start feeling better and hopefully you get to leave and go home. Or they'll hide the REAL diagnosis from you and you continue wondering and looking for solutions for a fever when it's actually tuberculosis or HIV or several illnesses.

I've spent a lot time over the last 2 weeks or so with Beth, who works with us. She lost her mom a few weeks ago and it has been a roller coaster of painful emotions. (Some day I hope she'll let me share her story from the beginning.)

I tried to just imagine how she is feeling and my heart is broken of her. Even at nearly 33 years old, I think about my mom and need her all the time. To not have her there...my eyes well up with tears just trying to type that. So imagine Beth, who lost her father and now her mother, at the young age of 25. It's painful to watch.

However, the cultural part of death here is kind of beautiful in itself. I stayed with Beth at her older brother's house for 5 days, sleeping in the living room with her and her 2 older sisters. They received visitors that would also stay and sleep on the floor, outside, on the veranda...wherever there was a place to stretch out.

We all cried, ate, rested and mourned together. No one was bothered about looking good - in fact, it's customary for the family not to shower until after the burial. The family truly mourns and everyone around them just helps and lets them grieve.

My amazing team: Beth, Me, Gildo, Junior

Seven days after her mom passed, we went back to her brother's house, stayed the night and went to the cemetery at 4am to pray. Many of the same people at the burial were with us on this day, too.

While it was difficult to watch Beth pass through this, I saw a beautiful sense of community. I also learned to sit with someone in their pain and discomfort without doing or saying anything - just being there.

That's something I have a really hard tim doing as I'm a very emotional person. I feel everything so deeply that I can't help but cry in these kinds of situations. So when someone else is grieving, I tend to keep a distance and try to love them at an arms length. But this was different. I couldn't let beth walk through it alone.

Even now, several weeks later, I find myself checking on her, trying to spend more time with her, include her in whatever I'm doing. I find that the month of October has been a notoriously difficult month every year for me, for at least the last 6 years. I have felt like I'm barely keeping my head above water lately and my heart feels heavy and burdened by so many things.

By spending more time with Beth, our team has become closer and more supportive of one another. We're becoming more and more like a family each day. While I can't share everything with my team or rely on them for ALL of my needs - after all, that's why we need God - I know God sent these people to us and to the kids so we could support, lead and love each other, and show others what it means to LOVE.

I have to say, I've been really challenged in all of this. I'm an extroverted introvert - after too much time around other humans, I start to break down. But God is slowly helping me to change and to accept communal living more and more.

Living in community is not for the faint of heart. I've had to have some tough conversations with myself about how to grow as a leader & how to lead my team well. I'm not a great leader (yet!) but I'm learning and I'm willing to grow and change.

In the next few years, I pray that our team continues to grow and mature in Christ, to grow as leaders, comfort those who've lost everything, like so many of our kids. My hope is that we can be a beacon of light, of hope, an example in our community of what it means to love others and lift one another up.

And as Beth continues to grieve and recover, please pray for her. She's an amazing person with a beautiful heart. She loves our kids so well, and she's walked through some tough stuff in life. She is truly a beautiful example of someone who has faith that things can & will change with hard work and faith.

As for me, pray for contentment. I'm finding myself searching and searching for acceptance when I just need to be reminded that I'm doing great. I'm doing the best I can and it IS good enough.

Thank you for your love & continued prayers and encouragement. I couldn't do it with out you.