A Piece of My Heart

Is there something that God has given you a heart for unlike anything else? A particular cause or group of people that you can stand behind with every fiber in your being. For some it is breast cancer, or the homeless, or animals. For me it's people with special needs. When I was a child my neighbor gave birth to a beautiful girl with cerebral palsy. Before I was even old enough to babysit I would go over there and keep an eye on that sweet girl while her mom took a nap after a long day of work and eventually I started babysitting her. So started my journey. When I was in 6th grade I volunteered over the summer at a preschool that had many children with various special needs. At 16 my first job was as a camp counselor. I was so excited to spend the summer with my friend who also got the job. At orientation they mentioned that they needed counselors for their special needs camp. That's all I needed to hear and I volunteered to transfer to that camp. What amazing experiences I had that summer! When it was time for consideration for colleges there was no question that I would pursue special education. I'd never considered anything else (except maybe deaf education but close enough). During college I held various jobs, one of which was at a home where three mentally disabled girls lived, and the organization I worked for provided round the clock care for them. Unfortunately it wasn't the best place to work but certainly not because of the girls. I eventually needed to leave because of the way some things were handled but still learned a TON!
OK I really got blabbing there but all of this is to say that I've discovered a ministry that I want to share with you that reflects my heart. Reece's Rainbow is a ministry that helps find families for Down Syndrome children(primarily..but also other children with disabilities) in orphanages overseas. In these countries children with disabilities are considered worthless. They are put in orphanages until they are about 4 at which time they are moved to institutions. After that point they can no longer be adopted. Many die with the first year, most by age 10. I get choked up just typing this....that is a piece of my heart and it kills me. I've prayed and prayed and God hasn't clearly told me that there is a way for us to adopt one of these children so I'm telling you about it so that you can see what God tells you ;). The sweet baby on the right is Sophia and she is a Reece's Rainbow child.
But you know, as I type this I realize that the United States isn't always much better. Did you know that there is about a 92% abortion rate in pregnancies with Down Syndrome children? Appalling isn't a word strong enough for that statistic. Oh Lord, that you would give me the privilege of doing something about this for your glory, would be an honor!