What We're Dealing With

I've just started a book (and I'm already halfway through) called The Boy from Baby House 10. It's about a little boy who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy in Moscow, Russia. Given up by his parents at 18 months, he grew up separated from the "normal" children in a room full of the "uneducable imbeciles."

Vanya, the little boy, has a tragic story. But it's the story of many in Eastern Europe and Russia.

When I told my friends how upsetting and painful reading this book was, they told me to stop reading it.

I refused.

While it may be so painful and sad it makes me cry at night, and so grotesque and inhumane it makes me want to puke, I need to read this book. Only when I am exposed to the wrongs of the world can I find passion to change it. I need to know what will happen to my sister if she doesn't come home, what happens to thousands of children every year, because it forces me to take action. I cannot ignore what I know. To do so would be against the Word of God. And I am responsible for what I have seen.

I'm going to post an excerpt from The Boy from Baby House 10. It's a little graphic, ridiculously unjust, and it makes me want to punch someone. I'm not going to make anyone read this. Some people may choose not to because they're scared. I don't blame them. But, personally, I think you need to read it. Knowledge of evil drives people to action for good. And, God knows, we need some action for the special needs children of the world.

Keep in mind that Vanya is very smart, especially for one growing up in such seclusion. He can speak, and was learning to walk. At this point, an instructor is taking Vanya to a mental institution. He doesn't know where he's going, and he thinks he will return home. Poor Vanya.

Already traumatized by his journey through the asylum, Vanya stared in horror at the scene before him. The room was crammed full of cribs. Not wooden ones like in the baby house, but bigger ones with high metal bars, like cages. In each crib was a bare mattress. There were no sheets or blankets. On each mattress lay a child. Some were naked. Some were wearing only a dirty undershirt. They were lying in puddles of their own urine. One was lying on his feces. Another child was banging his head violently against the bars of his crib. They were moaning and crying.

Before he could say anything, the deputy had taken Vanya from Svelana and torn off his coat and boots and dumped him in an empty crib. As Vanya struggled to pull himself up, he noticed the boy in the crib next to him was tied up in an old sheet so he could not move his arms. He was rocking from side to side.

Vanya grabbed hold of the bars of the crib and looked around frantically for Svetlana. She was by the door, not looking at him.

"Svetlana, Svetlana. Why am I here?" he shouted, breaking the silence. "Why has she put me in this crib?"

"Oh, he can talk can he?" said the deputy director, surprised. "You've brought as a talker - a troublemaker? As though we haven't got enough problems already."

Suddenly the terrible truth hit Vanya like a punch in the stomach. "You're not leaving me here are you?" Svetlana was still not looking at him.

The deputy director went over to Svetlana. "Are you sure you've brought the right one?"

"Oh yes. The commission examined him just two months ago. He's been assigned here. I've got the letter from the ministry." Svetlana found the document.

From across the room, Vanya yelled, "Don't leave me here, Svetlana. Auntie Valentina (a caretaker) wouldn't want it. I'm her little major." But Svetlana was still not looking at him. He searched his mind for reasons to persuade her to take him back to the baby house. "Adela will be bored without me. She likes the funny stories I tell."

Svetlana never turned around. The deputy ushered her out, shutting the door behind them. Vanya hurled his body against the bars of the crib and screamed as loud as he could. "Don't leave me here, Svetlana." He heard the key turn in the lock.

That is what we're dealing with. If you can read that and not be moved, at least a little bit, there is something wrong with you. Why should it matter if a child can't walk, or has a lower mental capacity than the next? They're children. God's children. Just like you and me. And I wonder how long he will allow his children to be so mistreated.

Reading (Yes, for Fun)

I love to read. I always have. Any books - I enjoy reading picture books, young adult fiction, classics, the list goes on and on. However, in today's culture it can sometimes be difficult to find good Christian books in the sea of literature containing non-Christian material. But, you'll be pleased to know, I have found so really great Christian reads that are for teens and young adults. Hopefully, you'll check some of them out. Trust me, they're worth your time.

1. Do Hard Things

Alex and Brett Harris

In Do Hard Things, Alex and Brett Harris (age 19) challenge the teenage mindset of "just have fun" and look at the teenage years as a way to start preparing for God to use you in the future. This book is life-changing. This book is what prompted me to start Shining City Teens. It really shows you how the low expectations on teenagers today have hindered our views on how to handle our teenage years. I recommend it to anyone, especially teenagers. Their new book, Start Here, is coming out this month with new ideas of how to become a "rebelutionary" and put Do Hard Things into action.

2. Generation Change

Zach Hunter
I just got this book, and I have to say that Zach (age 16) really knows how to talk to teenagers. His book addresses the problem that many teens are having - they want to do something to contribute to and help the world, but they don't know where to start. Zach gives an overview of many of the world's major issues and ways that you specifically can help out. It really is a great starting place. I also recommend his other books: Be the Change and Lose Your Cool.

3. I Kissed Dating Goodbye

Joshua Harris

Now, before I tell you about this book, let me just say that it's not a book that just points out all the different ways that dating is bad. Joshua Harris wrote this when he was about twenty-one, and he realized that, as a Christian, his life should be radically different than the rest of the world's - including his approach to romance and relationships. I Kissed Dating Goodbye focuses on living your life for God, and maybe that means not "dating" like the rest of the world. For people that are considering marriage or courtship, his book Boy Meets Girl is also a good choice.

4. Jesus Freaks: Martyrs

dc Talk

This is a very emotional book. Not like Twilight emotional, emotional in a way that leaves you awestruck at what people went through (and are still going through) for their Savior. It contains the stories of many martyrs, from the past and the present. After I put this book down, it made me look seriously at my faith and say, "Would I have been able to trust in my God enough to withstand the things they did?" The stories in this book will challenge and inspire you. I also recommend the second volume, Jesus Freaks: Revolutionaries.

5. Chosen

Ted Dekker

While Ted Dekker may be a Christian author, this may be one of the most action-packed, suspenseful books I've ever read. Fast-paced and full of plot twists, it may even be a little bit hard to keep up with. Young Johnis's world is turned upside down when he is made a captain of the Guard, a position he had never trained for, and is given a mission that concerns the fate of his entire world - and another. I can't explain how highly I recommend this book. However, it's only the first in a series. Following Chosen are: Infidel, Renegade, Chaos, Lunatic, and Elyon. I also suggest that you read Dekker's books Black, Red, and White. They tie in with the Lost Books series (Chosen, Infidel, etc.).

Words of Wisdom

Let's just cut to the chase.

I get mad at God. Really mad. Like yelling at him during my prayer time (where I'm supposed to be thanking him.

I've been especially mad lately about how long raising money for Evan's adoption has been. I don't get an immediate response to any ideas I have. I just feel like the entire fundraising process is taking entirely too long. And, what frustrates me, is that no one seems to have the sense of urgency I do. The way I see it, we don't get enough money, Evan doesn't come home. And I will NOT let that happen.

Many of you know how Lydia Hollis and her family raised over the amount they needed for their adoption in 9 days (For more info visit: http://the30dayjourneyforhope.blogspot.com/). I kept praying to God saying, "Why can't you just do that for us? We'd put in the effort! I'd put in the effort to get that done!"

I was watching the movie Prince Caspian the other day and this scene just really stuck out to me. It worked completely with what I was asking from God. There is a scene where Lucy finds Aslan (I think in a dream, but it wasn't exactly clear).

She asks him, "Why couldn't you come roaring in and save us like last time?"
And he replies, "Things never happen the same way twice, dear one."

That's what's happening here. For me, it takes more of my faith to be patient and wait for God. I feel like when I get an idea, or when I get a cause, I just start sprinting off, and God grabs me by the shoulders and says, "Slow down, there, Speed Racer." That's what's hard for me. Having to slow down, because its what God wants me to do.

Also, we have our in-home homestudy visit tomorrow, so be praying that that goes well. We've basically cleaned the entire house (closets and all) for this. So hopefully it will all pay off.