A lesson in humility and service...

On Wednesday evening the relief society president from our ward sent out a request for help. The ward that Thom and I have been blessed to be a part of for the past year is one that has taught me the value of service to others. This request was a tender one, there were 4 children in our ward that had been taken out of the home and were now needing a place to stay. Our hearts went out to these children! How can parents be so irresponsible to cause such pain to their children! I contacted the Relief Society president and let her know that if she could not find homes for the children, put us on the list. She had told me that there was a huge outpouring from members of the ward offering to help in anyway that they could and she would let me know if we would need to help. The next day I got a call from her that once the social worker looked over the families they picked us to house the older 3 of the children. These are precious girls ages 12, 4, and 2. When the social worker saw that we had adopted they felt that our family would be sympathetic to the needs of the children. The youngest only 6 weeks old was placed with another family as our Bishop felt that putting all 4 children in one home might just be too much of a burden on anyone. With great hesitation we accepted the call to serve these precious little girls. A social worker came to the house to see what the accommodations would be. Mind you, I did not have a lot of time to get the house ready but I did my best. She expressed her concerns and suggestions for making the transition easier on the children both ours and the ones that would be added to our home. Thom and I met at the children's shelter to get fingerprinted and complete the background check. Once the paper work had been completed they walked us into what had to be a place that would demolish event the hardest of hearts. We were brought into the "receiving area" as they called it. Please picture a hospital built in the 1900's with no real decorations on the wall, the creaking of hospital beds being wheeled down an empty hallway, and the faint cries of a child just wanting to be loved. Ok so it was not in reality this grim but that is how it felt!!! Every eye in the room of the 15+ children that were in this holding area quickly locked with ours. The smallest glimmer of hope in their eyes that this would be their chance to get out of this dismal place. As Thom and I made our way to a table where we would be introduced to the children we would be taking home a young girl stole a moment with Thom. She reached out from the highchair that was holding her as there seemed to be no one who could dedicate time to just here. She had visible special needs and one of those was the need for some compassion. Thom patiently stood by her and held her hand with the most tender voice he tried to comfort her. This precious sprit took my breath away, and will hold a place in my heart forever! Reluctantly the little girl let go of Thom's hand as he was called over to our table. The social worker escorted a small brood of children toward our table. The site was straight out of the movies. Walking toward us standing strong but with a look of desperation on her face was the oldest girl age 12. She had under each arm one of her younger sisters. These two small cuties were happy to introduce themselves and strike up conversations about their favorite toys and such. The older sister still with reservation began asking questions about us and our family. At one point when we showed her a photo on our phone of our children the smallest glimmer of a smile came to her face. She knew that she had a friend at our home. Sarah had befriended this girl at school over the past year and seemed to be relieved that she would have a friend as she navigated this road. We took a few moments for the children to hold their newest sibling a small yet handsome infant who never made a sound during our time at the shelter. We brought the children to our home and instantly I could see the joy and excitement come to the faces of these children. Sarah, Emily and even Sean welcomed them into our home with open arms, and lots of toys to play with. As the evening progressed items for the girls were brought to our home to assist with the transition. Though I know that every day these beautiful spirits will be in our home will not be a picturesque as tonight was, but if we are able to keep those faces filled with joy and love instead of the desperation and sadness that was there when we met. Once Thom and I had put the youngest 3 in bed Thom and I stole a few moments to just reflect on the events of the day. I think the general consensus is that it is hard for us to fathom how children like these are put into this kind of situation. With all the people in the world who would give nearly anything to be parents, why can't those that are parents cherish that wonderful opportunity! I know how hard it is to be a parent, and even a parent of a special needs child! I have had my days when I wanted to throw my hands up in the air and walk away. Those are the days when I walk inside, wrap my arms around my children and just let the genuine love and energy rub off on me. I now have the answer to what would I do if money were no object... I would do everything in my power to change the lives of as many children in need as possible. I don't know what that means but I know that it will be centered in love and the pure love of Christ.