Dear Readers,
In December 2011, I saw this picture.
She grabbed my heart. I had just found out about Reece's Rainbow, an adoption ministry that helps orphans with special needs find their families. I had scrolled through several pages of children, my heart breaking at each picture. But for whatever reason, hers was the one I was drawn to. I couldn't stop thinking about her.
And so I prayed and hoped with all of my heart that she would have a family.
On the day I found out she was transferred to a mental institution I sobbed. I learned that she was struggling with the change and had lost hope. I pleaded with God to rescue her from that place.
Over a year after I had first seen her beautiful picture there, she was unlisted from Reece's Rainbow. It seemed that she was not going to be adopted. Friends, a mental institution is a rough place. Especially for a child. It's hard for them to leave their baby house, the only home they have ever known, to go to a place full of crying children and adults. It is hard to sit in a bed all day untouched because there just aren't enough nannies to go around. Many children die in these places.
I thought that was going to be Marcia's fate. I framed a picture of her and placed it in a prominent spot in my room. I was afraid she was never going to have a family place her picture on their refrigerator, and so I wanted to honor her in that small way. I prayed for her to feel God's peace, hope, and even joy. I checked occasionally to see if she was still listed on another site, knowing that the day she was unlisted from there she would most likely be with Jesus. I flinchingly prayed for His will to be done in that sweet girl's life.
God knows every day of sweet Marcia's life, and He has perfectly planned each one.
I found out a few days ago that Marcia walked out of that institution with her mama. As I type, the tears well up again. She is free. She is home.
God had a plan for her, and His plan was for her to be adopted in her home country. What a beautiful, beautiful plan.
Will you jump up and down and scream for joy with me, friends?!?!? It deserves a million exclamation points--
MARCIA IS HOME WITH HER FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Lord is good. And He is in control--even when it feels like evil is winning out, He is in control.
Will you continue to pray for Marcia and her family with me? Will you pray that she knows her Father who loves her so greatly?
And please, in Marcia's honor, do not forget all of the other millions of orphans in the world who are still waiting to come home.
I never knew how greatly you could love someone you've never met until I loved Marcia. I know that sounds ridiculously cheesy, but it's the truth. That girl has a special place in my heart, and she always will. I love her dearly, and pray for a day in Heaven when we can meet and I can finally hug her close.
This will be my final post about Marcia. I am honored to have been able to share her story with you all, and to have been a voice for her these past couple of years.
I wish you so much joy, beautiful girl. Know that you will always have a friend across the globe who is praying for you and loving you from afar. I love you, Marcia.
Your Blogger,
Claire
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