I had never seen anything like it before.
Our group was lead through a series of dark hallways and stoic faces in the deafening silence of an orphanage supposedly full of children. Destination was the office of a skeptical director ready to listen to more empty promises and false hope for his 156 little residents. Unaware of our purpose, he indulged us as we explained our plan to teach the caregivers techniques to improve gross motor and sensory development in the children with special needs. He obliged and we were off to another room where the special needs children were handed off to us, like a conveyor belt, to be evaluated. We
weren’t even able to distinguish the boys from the girls due to short hair cuts and similar clothing. Most of them had either cerebral palsy, mental retardation, cleft palate, Downs syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, and/or some developmental delays. It was that day, in all the madness, I saw him. He was quiet and scared of all these strangers moving his limbs, testing his senses, and analyzing his every move…or lack thereof. Ivan (pronounced
Evon), his crossed eyes and little teeth had struck something deep within me.
Just to give you a better idea of the life that Ivan and the other children live, these are some of my firsthand accounts…
While I was there my heart broke for many of the children. You see, any child with even a mild disability who is not adopted will be sent to an institution at the age of four. We visited one institution in and all I will say is the conditions are beyond bleak. Our thoughts do not even begin to imagine their conditions. There were times I wanted to hide them all in my bags and take them home. Although that is was not possible, I knew I could make a big difference in at least one child’s life. Ivan was born two months prematurely and abandoned in the hospital by his mother. He stayed there until the age of seven months. He has large brown eyes (that tend to cross), reddish-blond hair, and a tiny build due to malnutrition. Ivan turned two on July 6
th. He weighs only 15lbs. He is unable to speak or walk at this time, but crawls with speed and determination. He has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy by the local doctors although after our evaluations we were not sure of this conclusion. All of the children with diagnoses listed previously were given the diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Ivan, like most orphans, rarely cries since he has learned it does not help. Little time, attention, or sensory input are given to these children due to lack of funds and education in this country. To put things into perspective Ivan does not have one toy to his name. He very seldom gets to go outside, and does not know things such as animals even exist. During the day the children take two three-hour naps in their cribs, but stay in wooden play pins for almost the entire rest of the day. There are a few dangling toys and a couple of balls. Each child remains in his group’s room- they eat, sleep, play, and are changed there. The many blessings that children outside the orphanage take for granted have yet to be discovered by those inside it. Their lives are literally contained within the four walls of the orphanage. Our hope is to provide Ivan the opportunity for a bright future in a loving, Christian home.
Since those days, I have returned once more. John Michael and I feel God has blessed us with the desire to pursue a major role in Ivan’s life through adoption. To make this possible, we are pleading for your financial assistance. We have already started the adoption process. We have finished the home study, the medical exams, the background checks, and now need to send it all in. We will then just have to wait until they give us a court date. Once we are able to go over, we will be required to stay for approximately 4-6 weeks. We will be able to spend time with Ivan during that time, but that also means no work or pay for either of us. The process is fairly difficult financially (approximately $20,000 not including lost wages) to adopt a child internationally.
John Michael and I had previously spoken about adopting and agreed it might be something we would do after marriage. Although my first trip presented a nice opportunity to start the adoption process, we both agreed before I left that we were not in the right place financially to pursue adoption. As He does so many times, God decided to speak a little louder to us and initiate the beginning of the adoption process. We did not expect this to take place so soon, but when God speaks, you listen. We truly believe that God is going to provide where He leads us.
As difficult as it is for us to ask for money we know it is the only way we will be able to bring Ivan home. Fortunately, we have 3 nephews which will provide us with a lot of second hand clothing. Besides that we don’t have many of the necessary “things” to raise a little 2 year old boy. However, once he is over here and settled down we will be able to provide him with all the essentials for an awesome Christian life. Through the gracious love and passion of our church, New Heights Church, your donations will be tax deductible. If you would like to help financially you can simply send the enclosed envelope along with whatever amount you choose. Your prayers and emotional support are equally important to us.
Thank you for all of your help and for being wonderful friends and family. We could not do it without you.
Sincerely,
John Michael and Karen
HairstonPS- Ivan’s name will be changed to Lance Ivan
Hairston, after my maiden name.
