Today is actually a “guest post” of sorts, courtesy of Susanna Musser. This post was recently featured on Susana’s blog: The Blessing Of Verity. Susanna has an amazing story of her own, and if you get a chance, go by her blog, and check it out!
The children featured here are orphans in an orphanage that is really the worst of the worst. It isn’t one of the many terrible mental institutions I have mentioned on my blog before. No, friends, but I tell you, it might as well be! These children are living in a place which has been referred to as “Auschwitz for Children”. The children here are so tiny and malnourished from years of neglect and a diet of nutrient-poor food in small amounts. I will elaborate more after the guest post below.
So, here’s Susanna…
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Your light has come, little child
Small dear one,
When you were born, it was a dark time for the mother who gave birth to you.
The people around her used their words to paint a sad and dark picture of her life with you in it.
She put you into a dark place, in charge of a woman who did not love the truth.
For seven long years, you were hidden in that place of no love, of darkness and lies.
The place where four year old Marsha…
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…are still waiting for their families to claim them!
Please email without delay about adopting Marsha, Payton, or Penny! shele337@yahoo.com, orstephanie.carpenter@lifelineadoption.org
You live in a place that made a five year old boy look like a tiny, skinny baby.
Meet Adam, who has endured severe physical, emotional, and medical neglect. He lies in bed all the time with no baba and is suffering from the lack of shunt and cataract surgery. I can’t look at him without tears, and cannot read his file without feeling angry. Please, someone, allow God to move your heart, and email Nina Thompson about adopting this precious boy from Pleven. nina.t@chiadopt.com
Little girl, you know all about being hungry, just like Adam does.
Look again, and see just how thin, pale, small, and sad you are in this picture.
Then your Father in Heaven opened the Pleven doors and shone the light in.
The darkness has been slinking away, and now beautiful truth is finding it’s rightful place.
A wonderfully kind doctor visited you.
There is a new lady in charge of you now. She’s glad the light is shining into Pleven!
“She shared lots of changes…that are going to be great for the children and best of all, she is EXCITED about the [donated, specialized] formula!!! She has completely revamped the “kitchen program”, so the kids are getting better quality food (and learning to eat from spoons, etc), the children with special needs will NOT be isolated anymore and will instead be integrated in with the other children and there is much more accountability in regards to the staff. It sounded like she’s restructuring everything, including mindsets. :)”
I cannot read this without laughter bubbling up inside me! Because it means more than simply policies or words, or simply a fundraiser button on a blog and kind people who give.
It means your life is changing, tiny girl. You are getting better food. You have put on a little weight, and have a healthier color now! You are gaining energy. And smiling. And laughing.
Not long ago, a loving daddy and mommy saw your face. They aren’t scared by your needs. They love you just the way you are! They sent a paper to your country to say,
“We commit to do all it takes to make this special girl our girl.”
Beautiful small one,
“Arise, shine, for your light has come.”
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Thank you again, Susanna, for allowing me to share your wonderful post!
So now you know that long-overdue changes are being made in this hellish place. The children and their well-being will hopefully now be the number one concern for those in charge . With that in mind, do you remember when I said I would elaborate on something?
Meet 11 year old Liliana…
That isn’t a typo. She was 11 years old in these photos and weighed only 11 pounds!! Okay, think about this; my 19-month daughter is tiny for her age, not even on the growth chart and even she is 19lbs.! Sweet Liliana was 11 pounds at 11 years old! It is completely inexcusable for this child to have been so malnourished over so many years. The amazing thing is that she has just been adopted and should be arriving home with her new family right about now! Her new name is Amelia, and she waited for 12 long years in Pleven orphanage, this terrible place that has been called Auschwitz for children. 12 years slowly dying, bedridden, and starving.
Here she is all dressed up and looking so much better! Pretty girl. However, she is still very sick in this photo.
This is right before her family took her out of the orphanage. She weighed 12 pounds. She has gained weight only because she spent time in the hospital over the winter, which is a miracle in itself. I shudder to think of how many children have simply been permitted to die without intervention of this sort. Poor thing was still so sick and weak, her new mama had to take her straight from the orphanage to the hospital. They plan to take her right back to the hospital as soon as they land on U.S. soil.
This is just one small group of kids from one orphanage. How many more kids are out there who are in equally hellish circumstances? How many are dying? How many desperately need that giant “spotlight of hope” to be shone onto them like the children in Pleven have had? Please everyone, pray, pray, pray for all of them! Let’s shout it out at the top of our lungs to our Heavenly Father!
I will leave you all with one last thing. Little Marsha from the beginning of this post, has a family coming for her!!! Yay!!! But I know that her family needs prayers that all will go quickly and smoothly so that they can go get their little angel as soon as possible. Also, the other children in this post still wait for families, so it goes without saying, share it and pray!
Thank you all!
Andrea-
Heart Of The Young 