"Brazos de amor"... these are the words written on the hospital clothes that I put on the little boy that I had only brought into my house only 5 days before. The significance of these words shot like a knife through my exhausted spirit and I just finally released myself to cry.
This is Anthony. He has a smile that captures the attention of anyone that sees it and he is so generous with that smile that he never meets a stranger. The first time I met Anthony he was handing his extra banana to another little girl..."ey! muchacha! mira!"...he then handed the banana to her and continued to play. He had me at, "ey!".... I had heard of Anthony prior to my visit to the public orphanage because he had already captured the hearts of our volunteer, Katlyn, as well as Kyle. It didn't take much for me to follow suit and my heart just melted into a puddle of love for him.
In the weeks prior to us bringing Anthony home, the Lord was preparing Kyle and I to become a transition home as one of our largest responsibilities here with R.O.O.M. It was becoming obvious that our hearts were kind of made for this type of love and we already had Alexander in our home for his entire 2 months of life so far as well having Jesus and his amazing caretaker Kacey living with us. It only seemed natural to continue to add to our home. My only thoughts when talking with Tara and Johana about the ages of the kids we could bring into our transition home was that I wanted children that needed less individual, extra attention. Babies require A LOT of one on one adult care..Estrella and Jesus require A LOT of extra care. With all of our other responsibilities within R.O.O.M. as well as our family's needs, I requested to bring older children into our home that would be looking to transition out into permanent families.
We specifically asked for Anthony.
The Lord laughs at using what we think we need to be used how He wants us to be used.
The day Tara, Johana, and Bekah brought Anthony into our home was a happy day. Although 6 kids were given the okay to be removed from the public orphanage into R.O.O.M. foster families or transition homes, only 2 made it out that day...Anthony and Judah, the 11 week old baby, were placed in our home.
The first thing we noticed after bringing Anthony into our home, after loving on him and showing him around, is that the slight quirk Katlyn originally noted in his leg that had turned to a true limp was now a debilitating issue that kept him from most mobility. I also noticed that the Lord gave me the freedom to pour into him in ways that I had not felt free to love with the other children who were transitioning through our home. I also noticed that the Lord clearly gave Anthony the same freedom to love me in return.
2 days after he came into our home we took him to the doctor for a basic check up as well as to ask specifically about possible need for OT or XRays needed for his hip.
While at the doctor, he delivered the initial blow that this smiling, happy boy was the sickest child we have had.
He initially thought the connection between the cough and leg pain was tuberculosis. He also suspected that it could be a bacterial infection in his hip that may have need surgery.
Our hearts were devastated by these potentials and we prayed to know what was best for this sweet boy. The following day we went to get the results from the tests and the doctor took one look at his blood work and told us that Anthony has Leukemia.
I immediately cried. The doctor told us of a foundation here that we could begin treatment and began to tell us what a gift from the Lord that Anthony was removed from the orphanage and would have devoted caretakers to help him through this battle.
And this is where I realized that the Lord used what I thought I needed in order to have us fight for what He knew. He knew that Anthony needed to be in a family.
Babies are the ones that generally struggle the most in the public orphanage. The attention that they need is difficult for the understaffed, overcrowded orphanages to properly serve and the babies suffer as a result. Our Scarlet Project normally only brings out the children in need of extra attention or struggling with health needs. Our transition homes offer another area of orphan care by offering homes for children that are adoptable or could be placed in foster families. Little did we know that when we were bringing Anthony into our home as a candidate for our transition home program that he would actually be one of our precious Scarlet Project children.
I asked Kacey one night why it seems that the Lord keeps bringing children into R.O.O.M.s care that need special care and her response was perfect, beautiful, and true...she said, "We are called to serve the least of these...and that is what we are doing."
So, Monday morning, only 5 days ago and only 5 days after Anthony first came in our door, we walked into a pediatric cancer clinic. Our day was long and the things we saw in that clinic I will never forget. I comforted him, held him, and prayed over him as I would have for my own children...because in this moment, the Lord has entrusted him in my care...
It was that truth that brought the tears to my eyes when I read the words "Brazos de Amor" inscribed in the seam of his clothes..."Arms of Love"...that is what the Lord is asking me to be for Anthony.
Before I read those words, I held him in my arms as he cried and screamed to crawl into my arms after his lumbar puncture...That smiley boy laid there on the table and I thought, "I can't do this...it's not supposed to be me..."
But because the Lord knew it, he finds comfort in my arms...
The beauty of the Lord continues to astound me...the fact that this precious child is so intimately known...the fact that the Lord provides...the fact the Lord entrusts us with his most precious creations to show His love...all reduces me to realize that it is supposed to be me...because it is supposed to be all of us.
So. five days ago we entered the hospital as a team. Anthony, my family and I, our volunteers, and our organization are in this together. By the grace of God, Anthony is not fighting this alone...
We are surrounded by warriors... the lady in this photo is on her knees every night praying for every child fighting cancer alongside her daughter. The staff openly suggests for the parents and caregivers to pray and ask the Lord for His help...they are quick to remind us that we "falta nada" (lack nothing)...I love that about this country...a public hospital openly serving the Lord.
So our team is forming...I have had the honor of standing by him during the day in the hospital and Bekah and Johana have shared the honor of standing by him in the evening...Everyone at home has helped maintain order and is graciously picking up what we are having to lay down...we are all in this together..
And the team grows on to doctors and donors...oh me...what a gift of life blood donors are...after 1 pint of blood and 2 bags of platelets, Anthony was a different boy. If you have ever given blood...this is a thank you from me to you!
As I paused to think what to write next I heard Anthony say, "Cassie! Listo?" and I turned around to see that crazy big smile and him give me a thumbs up...
How perfect is that?!?
Yes, we are ready, my love...I am ready because the Lord goes before us. He is ordaining our steps and I have never known that or trusted it more than I have over the past few months...and the best thing is knowing that we are more than conquerors in Him...
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| This is definitely the face of a champion. |
If you would like to join our team and help support the cause please consider donating to R.O.O.M.s Scarlet Project that pays all the healthcare costs for all the children in our program. Every surgery, every medicine, every doctor visit is paid for by donations to this program.
And for 10 more days, every donation will be matched by a generous donor. So $10.00 becomes $20.00, $100.00 becomes $200.00...all the way up to $15,000!
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