When I was a junior in high school God put a dream in my heart, a dream to one day work at an orphanage for children with disabilities in a developing country where they are oppressed from society. I didn’t know if a place like this even existed or if God was calling me to start my own orphanage one day. God had been calling me to mission work for years. He gave me a huge heart for people living in poverty as well as a huge heart for other cultures far different from my own.
Working with people who have disabilities brings me a joy that nothing else on this earth can. People have asked me why I started this work and what made me love it this much. I’ve thought about that a lot and I really believe God placed this passion in my heart when I was a really young child. When I was in kindergarten there were two students in my class who had disabilities. My mom could tell you multiple stories of me loving them and always being the first to volunteer to do more activities with them. Seeing as I was so young at the time, I don’t have too many vivid memories of when I was in kindergarten. But there is one memory I will never forget. I remember sitting in a circle of my classmates who were all talking to a girl in our class who was autistic. Many of the kids were asking her questions which prompted her to respond in a way that marked her as different and unintelligent. I remember all of the other kids laughing at her responses and imitating her speech behind her back. Little five year old Carrie got MAD. I remember not being able to stand hearing other kids make fun of her. So I began standing up for her. I have several memories of playing with this girl in our classroom and on the playground. When our kindergarten class took our first field trip to the zoo, we were told to find a partner whom we would stay with on the trip. I picked this girl over all my other friends because I wanted her to know that she had friends too.
So why I am so passionate about working with people who have disabilities? I’ve just never seen these people as “different”. I’ve always seen them as equally as I see everyone else. I know the rest of the world doesn’t see them the same way I do, and my natural reaction is to stand up for them.
Proverbs 31:8 says “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.”
There are many people with disabilities who have trouble standing up for themselves due to communication barriers. That does not make them any less of a person. They know when they are being outcasted. They know when they are being made fun of. They know when others view them as childlike when they are fully grown teenagers and adults. And they hurt. Many of my friends who have disabilities long to be treated just like everyone else. And there is absolutely no reason they shouldn’t be.
So that’s a little bit about why I feel called to work with people who have disabilities. I’ll post more about it in the coming weeks leading up to my trip to India! Which leads me to my big announcement and the whole reason I started this blog.
I AM MOVING TO INDIA!
For six months I will be living in an apartment with six of the most beautiful girls on the planet. I will be their foster mama at Sarah’s Covenant Homes (the orphanage I volunteered at last summer and also known as SCH). I will be leaving sometime around June 18th (once my plane ticket is purchased I will know the exact date) and I will be returning to Tennessee in December.
To say I am absolutely thrilled would be an understatement. I cannot wait to see each of my six girls again and scope them up into my arms, showering them in hugs and kisses. I’d like to introduce them to you now so you can start to get to know them!
Stephanie is a quiet thirteen year old girl who loves music. She is blind and due to her disability and probably her history before arriving at SCH, she is very cautious to explore the world outside her personal space. One thing I’m incredibly excited about is purchasing her a guide cane! I’ll be ordering her one before I leave and taking it with me to India in June. I’ll spend time teaching her to explore the world on her own and hopefully build her confidence and help her to become more independent. I’ve been doing a lot of research on how to teach someone to use a guide cane, but I would really like to get in contact with someone who has experience here in the States first. So if you know of anyone I could learn from please let me know!
Paula is the most joy-filled twelve year old I have ever met. She has cerebral palsy and cannot walk but she recently received her very first wheelchair! She had to heavily depend on others for mobility her entire life, but she is now learning to get around on her own! Paula’s smile can literally light up a room and it’s nearly impossible not to be happy when you’re around her.
Naomi is about to turn nine. She was born with Down Syndrome and is a curious little girl ready to explore the world.
Angel will be turning four about a month before I arrive in India. She was brought to SCH with some undiagnosed problems which turned out to be tuberculosis. Thankfully she was under fantastic and loving care as she began a nine month treatment. And last fall it was announced that she is completely cured! She is an active and rambunctious little girl who loves to play.
Heidi is four years old and has Down Syndrome. As the world’s biggest cuddle bug, she really stole my heart last summer. For nearly three days she didn’t leave my arms as we sang songs, ate ice cream, finger painted, and ran around. God really bonded my heart to Heidi’s in a special way and I cannot wait to be back in India as her new mama!
Chelsea will be turning three in a few days! She was born with a cleft lip and palate but has had them repaired since arriving at SCH! When I met her last summer she was still learning to walk and spent a great deal of time cuddling in my lap. She is a sweet little girl who will be starting preschool soon!
All of my girls attend school in our city. The three little ones (Angel, Heidi, and Chelsea) are in preschool.
I’m funding all of my personal expenses for my trip on my own so everything I fundraise will be for the girls! I’ll have another post soon detailing the items I am fundraising for and collecting!
I am incredibly excited about going back to India and fostering my girls! Join me in praying for them and preparing all of our hearts for my arrival. They currently have another amazing foster mom named Marla who is with them now. She will be leaving a few days after I arrive in June. Pray for her as well as she fosters these girls the next three months and prepares to move back to the States!
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” -James 1:27
