Today is Orphan Sunday. I am thankful that the Lord has brought us together with four beautiful children that have filled a special place in our hearts & family that was created by God that only they could fill.
It is hard to believe that at this time last year, Kemeri Abigail was still in an orphanage so very far away as we did everything we could to keep the paperchase moving along.
Today, I am thankful she is home. I am thankful for EVERY SINGLE PERSON that helped bring her home through prayer or financially. In case you don't know the story, we received LOA way sooner than is normal, so suddenly we found ourselves within a couple months of travel, but short on funding.
We could not figure out what was going on, but it is said that God loves showing up in the impossible so that He gets the glory. And show up He did. Through a simple request on FB for people to join "Team Hendershott", God showed up through person after person after person. It was one of the most amazing, beautiful things I have ever been a part of. God's heart is for the orphan. And His goodness shines through people. And He is glorified!
We now know that God totally knew what He was doing (as He always does). Once Kemeri was home & we were meeting with specialists, we learned that she had come home none too soon. We knew that she had some form of spina bifida, but what we didn't know was that her spinal cord was tethered.
Within 2 months of coming home, we found ourselves walking through a very major surgery with our new daughter.
We just recently had her follow-up MRI from surgery to see how things looked. When her neurosurgeon put the images from before surgery & after side-by-side, I was floored. While I had obviously seen the "before", I didn't really know what I was looking at since I had nothing to compare to. But now I had the comparison....oh my word, the difference! I really did not have a full understanding of just how tight her cord was being pulled, & her neuro said irreparable damage was a certainty if she had gone on without surgery for too long.
Instead, she becomes stronger every day. She is no longer tripping every other step. She can go up & down stairs. She is continent. We praise Him!!
While my heart is so thankful, there is also a piece that still breaks. It breaks for the millions of children that wait for medical care that is so readily available to us. It breaks because beyond any physical need they have, an orphan's greatest need is to be part of a family. We hear so often people say, "That's such a good thing you are doing." Let me assure you again...
Parenting children is a privilege. While it is not always easy, I can honestly say that being able to walk with Kemeri on this road to physical health & emotional healing has been an honor. Watching her blossom is so special! Being the ones she looks to for love, courage, strength, comfort, & encouragement is a gift. She is an amazing, brave little girl that brings to life that He brings beauty from ashes.
I am thankful to be her mom.
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