Orphanage One Year Later

A year ago today we spent the day in Foshan City, China at Asher's orphanage. This is where he was brought after he was abandoned and found, just hours after he was born. While we don't share the details of how and where that took place, trust me when I say it is heartbreaking to even try to understand it all.

But he was brought to this orphanage by the police, and cared for there for 23 months. We had a lengthy visit, and through our guide, were able to speak to the director and nannies.  Asher was held by nannies and caregivers for the majority of the time we were in the building. They kept passing him around, but honestly he didn't seem to have a clue who any of them were. He got very animated when we went to his room, probably because he had spent close to 22 hours a day there for so long. He played and relaxed immediately, as if he was grateful to be in familiar surroundings for the first time in days.

At one point we asked the director for any pictures or items we could have of his stay there. She took me alone to a room with a computer and pulled up a few early pictures. She would only allow me to take pictures of the computer screen with my camera, but we treasure these early glimpses of his life and we'll take anything we can get!

I don't see how anyone can visit an orphanage and not be changed. I was on the verge of tears most of our time there. And this facility is actually fairly nice by orphanage standards. But still, it's NO place for a child to be raised. As I walked those halls, I resisted the urge to get angry at the Lord. As in WHY in the WORLD do there have to be places like this? Where are you Lord? Can't you stop this? And as He always does, he gently said to my heart, "I am here. This is where I AM. I am not in the over commercialized shopping malls and money driven hearts of the people where you are from. THIS is where I am."  

And it's true. He is "near to the brokenhearted" (Psalm 34:18) and if we want to be near to God, we have to be near to what His heart beats for. And these precious babies are very near to the heart of God. 

Psalm 68:5

A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation.