Her Story

We are reading The Story at church. It goes in the chronological order of the Bible, but it is told in a story format. Every week, the message is the same. The first message is that God uses the most unlikely characters to fulfill his plans. He does this so that HE gets the glory. Second, God can use anyone to do anything at anytime. Week after week, my thoughts go toward this little girl when I am sitting in church:

This is my Emma Grace. Once an orphan, abandoned on a busy street in Fuzhou City in the south of China. We will never know why, but we can guess that it had to do with her needs, or her appearance. Whether her parents were unable to care for her or simply did not want to take a chance, she was left. A tiny newborn baby set out on the street and seen by many as trash. Now I know that God said, "You know what, I will use her. This orphan, this child with a facial deformity and a less than perfect heart, I am going to use her to do great things." Boy has HE decided to use her!

Through her life, she has changed me and our entire family. I love in a completely different way. My children ask if they can have siblings from China or Africa because they know there are kids just like Emma who are waiting. I know that the hearts of my boys will always be broken for the orphan.

She has changed the lives of those she meets. She has opened eyes to consider adoption AND she has opened eyes to consider a special needs adoption. Everyone that meets her falls in love with her.  

She introduced us to Shepherd's Field where we now sponsor 4 children and give to the medical fund monthly. That is 4 lives that are directly impacted from her life. 

Through her life, we learned about her China roommate, who traveled with her from Fuzhou City to Shepherd's Field... the only constant person in her life. Once we learned about him, we advocated for him! An email that I wrote pleading for his adoption was read and he now HAS A FAMILY. 

God used Emma to lead 4 women back to China this summer to volunteer at Shepherd's Field. Because of this mission trip, we had the opportunity to speak at a local church where hearts were stirred as even more people learned about the orphans at Shepherd's Field. The ripple effects of this trip will be countless. 

Emma's life will be used to bring another child home. Our family has been so blessed by adoption that we will do it again. 

God continues to use my little girl, that orphan abandoned on the street, to do great things and we certainly give Him all the glory and credit. 

She is only 2... we are just getting started!