Someone to Fight for You

We have spent much of this summer urging, pleading, cajoling, nagging, encouraging Will to work on his Eagle project for Boy Scouts.  He has 3 MAJOR merit badges to finish and his project to do in order to obtain his Eagle ranking.  It's been a family effort.  His attitude has been really good.  No, seriously it has.  While he has needed daily reminders of what needs to be done he has done it.  Bless his heart, I haven't seen him in nearly a week and the first thing I said to him this morning (after Good Morning and I made you bacon) was, "You need to call your Daddy about THE project."

Why are we doing this? Because we are his parents.  Obtaining Eagle is a goal he set 5 years ago and a goal we as his parents feel is important.  And it's time.  He's 15.  He has show choir next year.  It's now or never.  So we are doing what we have to do to get it done and have him learn the lessons intended during the process. Because we are his parents.

Will turned 15 in April.  Parenting a teenager is intense.  The physical work of parenting little ones is so very hard and the emotional work of parenting a teenager is equal to that.  It is intentional parenting at it's height.  And he's only 15, we have a ways to go.  And Jenny is 12 so it's just starting on that end.  Regardless of what they may think my teen and preteen children need parents more now than ever. Guidance, prayer and someone to be proud when right choices are made and someone to cry with when bad choices are made are just some of the things they need.

In China orphans age out at 14.  There are some rules in Chinese adoption that are "flexible", but not this one.  Once you reach 14 - No parents.  Ever.  The amount of parenting my 14 year old needed last year was huge.  Constant.  Can you imagine being 14 and the hope of mother and father being gone.  Never.  No home to come home to.  No grandparents for your future children.  No aunts and uncles and cousins. Ever.

The calling to adopt aging out children is just that.  A Calling.  The people who adopt these children are heroes to me.  And the children are beyond courageous.  Think about your 14 year old self.  Now imagine being 14 and not really understanding what a family is. Having only lived in an orphanage.  Imagine people coming to get you who don't look like you.  Who don't speak your language.  Who are taking you to a new country.  I would have been scared to death.

What happens to them when they aren't adopted?  They are allowed to stay in the orphanage for awhile. Some until they are 16, some until 18.  Then they must fend for themselves. These are children who have spent their whole lives in an institution. Some will have had schooling, some not.  Some will have a trade, some not.  Many of them will fall victim very quickly to human trafficking.

Will you pray for them?  Will you pray for the families adopting them?  Many times the process needs to be extremely expedited to get them in time.  If you are in process to adopt an aging out child and it isn't completed by their 14th birthday it doesn't happen.

Will you look at their faces?  You can click the Wonderful Waiting Kids icon to the left and join that site for free and see some of their faces.

We are standing with Will as he works toward his goal of Eagle.  We have fought for him this year as he learns to become a Godly man.  It is work and it is driven by deep, unconditional love.  How very tragic to have no one to fight for you.