Oh Me of Little Faith...

There is no surprise more magical than the surprise of being loved. It is God's finger on man's shoulder. --Charles Morgan

I met "Andrew" at an orphanage few months ago.  He crawled over to me and greeted me with a huge grin.  Then he climbed into my lap.

As I held him I thought, "Poor little guy. No one will ever adopt him."

You see, despite being affectionate, curious, and cute-as-a-button, he had three strikes against him.

1) He was not a baby.
2) He couldn't walk.
3) He had water on his brain. (Hydrocephalus)

This is the SECOND time in Zambia that I've declared a child un-adoptable.  (The first time was here in this post.)  And this is the SECOND time that I was wrong.

Enter Ben and Laura.  This couple started on the adoption journey when they arrived in Lusaka, but just as soon as a door would open, it would slam shut again.  The orphanages are bursting at the seams with babies, but very few are available for adoption.

While they waited for a child, Ben and Laura jumped into African life.  They worked.  They volunteered.  And they hung out with a bunch of oddballs parenting kids with special needs.

See?  Case in point!

Another one...

And another

Oliver is not amused by these shenanigans

I'm convinced that our insanity rubbed off on them.  They caught our "bug".  But Ben and Laura claim that God had something to do with their decision.

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed.  Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice." Proverbs 31:8-9

Ben and Laura brought Andrew home over a week ago.  Now they are living the vida loca together, a whirlwind of giggles and tears mixed with lots of love.  Sounds like a perfect family to me.

Please forgive me Andrew for declaring your situation to be hopeless.

I really gotta quit doing that.