Saturday, February 26, 2011

Chrissie's Legacy Continues

I continue to be amazed by how God used and continues to use Chrissie's life to touch so many lives around the world.  I stand in awe, still in somewhat of a shock, at how God used (and still uses) a once forgotten orphaned girl to bring so many people to Him.  I can't help but praise Him for all He's done and continues to do through Chrissie's story, even though we wish Chrissie were still here with us on earth.  Praise Him for His goodness and faithfulness, even when our desires differ from God's will sometimes.

Rewind to November 16, 2010.  Here is a portion of a sweet gift God delivered to me through an email I received on that day:

"First, this is a Chrissie story. She is so special. I followed your blog faithfully and prayed daily for Chrissie. I was just positive that God would heal her and she really helped me spirtually with my walk with God. I have been a Christian for a long time and I just needed to hear and read all that you posted in your blog. When she was ultimately healed and went to be with Jesus, I was just devestated. I grieved so much and that brought more grief to the surface from my life, and I really questioned God. Why??Why?? Why, her?? It was so unfair and I literally stayed in my bed as much as I possibly could. My family was worried and my children were worried. I just could not understand. I am not sure how long I went through this, I was amazed by how you were so brave.I know it was the most difficult thing you ever faced, I can only imagine. I grieved for her as if she was one of my children and I lost some of my faith for a time. I was just so amazed at your strength and courage and the joy that returned to your heart and that you continued to adopt and open your heart. I pray for only a tenth of some of your faith, courage, joy, ect... During my time of grieving and amazing thing happened that was a miracle. I was lying in bed, I am not sure if I was asleep but I think that I was awake...and I promise this the truth and not a made up story...It was as real as I am sitting here typing on this computer. I suddenly saw Chrissie standing next to my bed holding Jesus' hand. She was smiling and radiant, she had pigtails and pink ribons in her hair. She wore a pretty dress and she was so happy and full of love. They did not speak to me, but I felt that Jesus was taking her around the world to see all who prayed for her and whose life she touched. I also felt a peace and love that I had not felt in a long time and I cried tears of joy.I also sensed or felt that Jesus was telling Chrissie about me, my life, and that He was proud of me. I did not hear any words but I just knew these things.She ministered to me in my distress. I could let her go and know that she was safe and happy and where she was supposed to be. I did not need to grieve for her anymore. This was the most awe inspiring thing that has happened to me. I have had spiritual experiences before but this was beyond that. I hope that I told this well and I hope that this blesses you in some way. I am sorry that I did not share this sooner and I also wonder if anyone else has had a similar expereince?  I am sorry for what you have been through but I am also so inspired by you and your family."

Fast forward to today:
I'm honored to introduce you to the woman, Melanie Kerr, who wrote me the above email on November 16, 2010.  You may "meet" her here on  The Kerr Family blog.  Today this family is fundraising to bring home two older children from China, one of whom will age out of the system (and be unadoptable) this June if they don't get to him before his birthday.  God has not only called this family to unite 3 girls, who were like sisters in their orphanage in China, but also to rescue an older boy from never knowing the love of a family.  This is an amazing story that God is writing, and I'm honored to play a teeny tiny role in coming alongside this family on the path God has asked them to take.  I urge you to pray for this family, as they only have a couple of weeks to raise the ransom needed to commit to their son in China, then only a couple of months to get to him before he ages out of the system.  They could really use all of our support.  I hope you are blessed by their story as much as I've been!

Here's their story, written by Melanie Kerr, the same woman who Chrissie visited with Jesus:

Hello, we are the Kerr Family and we have a heart for orphans. In 2007, we brought home our first daughter from China and 5th child. We had always dreamed of adopting a daughter from China and felt this was a call on our lives from God. Jordyn was an older waiting child with a special need of Cleft lip and palate with a partial repair and Hepatitis B positive. We believed that she was our daughter form the first moment that we saw a small 2x2 picture of her and never looked back. Later, we found out that there were two other older girls in the same orphanage that she was very close to. She grieved over leaving her friends behind and we grieved with her. We began praying for the two girls to find families of their own. We never dreamed that we would be their family too. Well, I did dream but I believed that it would be impossible for us to adopt again from the same orphanage. We still prayed every night. In 2008, an amazing thing happened. The waiting child list was created by the CCAA to help older children find their families. I believed that was a direct answer from God and we began to search for one of the girls on the list. A year later we reunited Jordyn with one of her favorite orphanage friends, Jailynn, who moved from being a "sister" to Jordyn in China to being her forever sister in our family.

During our trip to China to adopt Jailynn, we met the third little girl (who was also like a sister to our Jordyn and Jailynn).  Our hearts were broken when we had to leave Jaidyn behind and take her two best friends away from her. I cried and prayed that she would find a family of her own, but I told God that we could never do an adoption again. Well, never tell God never!  Now we are currently on our journey to bring home the third little girl and reunite her with her best friends and sisters. We are very excited and look forward to bringing her home.

However, we also feel that God has one more child for us. We read about an older boy that will age out close to the time that we will travel to bring our daughter home. We sincerely feel that he is our son and that God has called us to bring him home, too.

However, this is something that is bigger than us and we cannot do this alone. We are praying that God will provide the finances for us to help "Jaxon" Xiao Lei come home, too. He is 13 years old and will age out in June. We need to work fast to get a PA and bring him home. Our one setback is the first agency fee of $4300 to start the process. We know this is hard times for everyone and we do not ask for help lightly. We need this fee in order to take the first steps to bring him home. 


     We are on another huge adventure! We are adopting Jaidyn along with a big brother, Jaxon, and we have to get to accomplish this before June!

We believe that this is what God has called our family to do: To say yes to an orphan boy, about to age out of the system, to be an orphan No More! We are holding a fundraiser to help Jaidyn and Jaxon Xiao come home to their family. We need a miracle to make this happen and we know how hard it is right now with the economy. However, bringing home two children to a forever family is something that cannot have a price put on it. To give two children hope and love and a future is priceless. We cannot do this alone. We just ask that you will search your heart and and pray over giving to bring Jaxon Xiao home.

 There are currently 79 children currently waiting for families who will age out of the adoption program in 2011. ALL of these children are considered Special Focus and can be adopted under the SF guidelines.
This means they could be adopted at the same time a family is traveling to complete another adoption OR a family who has adopted within the last 12 months can move forward without completing a new dossier. A family who is currently logged-in could also adopt one of these children and maintain the LID for a referral in the regular program. These children must be adopted before their birthdays, so any potential families will need to have a current immigration approval.  These children need families desperately. Once they age out and are no longer adoptable, they remain orphans. They have an extremely difficult time with getting a higher education or job. They have no hope in life. No family to come home to on the holidays or come to their wedding when they get married.  We are just asking for prayer and a miracle for this boy, that he can have a family to come home to. That he can grow up knowing that he is loved and not forgotten. Can you help "Jaxon" Xiao Lei?

Here's a short glimpse of my feelings toward an older orphan boy, who God used to turn our hearts toward "Jaxon" Xiao:  I saw his picture and I was smitten. I was moved. His sad eyes just pierced my heart and I dreamt of a miracle. Maybe we could rescue him from a life of destitution. A life marred by the fact that he had no family. A stigma that would follow him the rest of his life and take away all his chances for college and a career. In China, if you are an orphan, then, you are unlucky. No matter what, people see you as unlucky and then they are afraid that you will bring them bad luck to their family or their company. Life becomes very difficult to find a job or a place to live, a lonely life.

Please help us adopt "Jaxon" Xiao before his birthday in June or he will remain an orphan forever, unadoptable, simply because of his age.  (Chip-In button is at the bottom of this post.)


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