Transformation.

Four years ago I fell in love with this face.

The face of an orphan . . .

waiting to belong.

Three years ago we went to China . . .

and one little girl who had waken up

as an orphan was tucked in as our daughter.

She now belonged.

Three weeks ago, this same little girl

began ballet class . . .

and as I watch her, week by week,

learning to dance,

it brings tears to my eyes.

I haven't really even figured it out yet. Sometimes the "figuring it out" happens as I sit down and write. Why so many emotions?

As I look across the dance floor --

I remember a tiny three year old who had a hard time staying on her feet. Yet now I gaze upon a confident six year old whose stumbling has been replaced by grace.

From across the room I take in a dark haired beauty. Head-to-toe in pink, tall and lanky, and I wonder what her China mama looked like. Did she dance? Would she be proud? Oh I know she would be.

I look at our girl and I see how love transforms. I see how love brings hope . . . and grace . . . and life-- lived to its fullest.

Yet there are millions upon millions of orphans in the world. It overwhelms my heart. Love transforms, but how many will never know love's touch? How many will never ever go to sleep as a son or a daughter? How many will wait until hope fades and they age out of the system?

How many of us are capable of making a change? How many of us could support just one orphan waiting in an orphanage? How many of us could help someone else bring an orphan home, forever? How many of us can pray for the orphans of this world? How many of us are capable of making that "millions upon millions" count go down by one? Many of you reading this know the feeling of making that count go down by one, or two. Some of you know the feeling of making it go down by three or four . . . and more. Bless you.

God calls taking care of orphans and widows pure religion. He didn't say it would be nice if we helped. He didn't say if we have it in our hearts we should give a little. He didn't say orphan care was only for a select few. He said that the purest and most genuine form of religion is taking care of orphans and widows in their distress, and keeping ourselves from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)

As overwhelming as it is to look at the statistics and think that what we do won't make a dent. We must do something.

We must.

My prayer is that the Lord would show me daily, ways to help the cause of the orphans of this world.

Mother Teresa said it well--

"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop."

One drop makes a ripple . . . and that changes everything.

Be the drop that makes the change.

Love transforms stumbling to grace, and that's just the beginning.

Blessings from my nest ~

Tina