Helping James

When D and I went to Haiti in June, we met a little boy named James. He is living at Conleigh's orphanage. Part of him has come home with me. Thoughts of him remind me that children should not grow up in orphanages, that children need families and one on one attention. Don't get me wrong. Orphanages minister and serve and love but they are not homes for children. Every part of James' being is screaming "Pick me! Choose me! Love me!" And unfortunately, no one has. For five years. He has been at HCH for five years, watching other kids come and go, clinging stubbornly to a hope that some family will come and take him home. Again, he just reminds me how an orphanage while meeting basic physical and even emotional needs is not a family. No one is sitting down with James over supper asking him how his day went. No one is curled up with James at night, asking him what he wants to be when he grows up. No one is telling James every day how special he really is.

There is a part of me that wishes I could be that person who picks James up and with a touch of my magic wand, makes him a part of a family. But, it's not us. He's not our kid. My prayer is that if I'm not his momma, then by golly, I'm going to do what I can to try to find that person who is. So this post is all about James, a boy who needs a mama and papa desperately. I don't know much about James. I believe he is 7 and has been at HCH for five years. I know he is struggling with his behavior at the orphanage and one can't help but assume some of this would follow him home. But I also believe that, while love can't fix everything, a mom and dad who consistently love him and can accept the hard work that comes with loving him could change his life forever. So help me out here. Link to my blog. Tell your friends. Pray for James and his family who just haven't shown up yet. I've asked permission from the orphanage to advocate for James as best as I can and have their permission to do so. I believe that somebody somewhere is missing a little boy with a mischieveous grin, a boy who is desperate to finally come home. Contact information for James would be Patti Vold at vvold@rttinc.com or 403-783-6079.