Clarice: She waits..... she hopes........

In October I had the opportunity to go to the Ukraine, to witness an orphan become a daughter.  To accompany a friend as she met her new daughter.   And via many prayer warriors and by God's provision I was also given the opportunity to spend some time in the "back" rooms of the orphanage.  The rooms sometimes referred to as the "laying rooms"....... the rooms where the children with mental disabilities live, and the children unable to prove that they don't have a mental disability because their physical disability prevents talking or communicating.  Most of these children were in beds.  Day after day...... in bed all the time.  Nothing to do.  No toys in sight.  Very few caretakers.   80 children - ZERO toys.

One of the children that I met was Clarice  (not her real name, rather the name she is listed under on Reece's Rainbow website).   You can meet her by going HERE to her profile and reading about her.......

I met her.  I hugged her.  I was able to walk with her and provide a special belt that allowed her to walk better.   I was able to see the DELIGHT in her smile, the DELIGHT in herself as she walked without holding a hand or the wall.  The joy is obvious in the video I have of her walking!!   She is 13 years old, she is tiny...... more the size of a 5 year old.   She is very, very close to walking by herself........ I'm guessing a week or two in a loving family environment, with loving arms to walk TOWARDS.... and she would be walking by herself.

My heart aches for her....... she is beautiful...... she smiles ALL. THE. TIME.   .......  she loves to go outside.   She LOVES to go outside.    Once a week..... yes, [only] once a week she gets to go outside for a little while, in the stroller, pushed by one of the two volunteers who take the children outside.

She smiles.
She waits.
She hopes.
She hopes..... it is her turn to go outside.    Outside where the air is fresh, the sky is blue and there are things to look at besides the four empty walls of the room.

Whenever the stroller is sitting empty, she climbs into it...... and sits....... and smiles..... and waits patiently ..... and hopes........ that it is her turn to go.

But repeatedly she is taken back out of the stroller, sometimes harshly.... and sometimes gently .... sometimes being patted on the head and told  "not today"..... other times being told things in a harsh voice (in Russian that I didn't understand) that would make her smile flicker and her eyes turn away.... she doesn't cry...... she doesn't protest....... she doesn't try to get back in the stroller.

She sits and smiles.... watching as people move about the room..... delighting when given eye contact ....... and she waits....... and hopes...... that the next time the stroller is empty..... the next time that she climbs into it..... it will be her turn.

She doesn't hope for a mama, she doesn't know what that would be like.
She doesn't hope for a family, she doesn't know what family is.
She doesn't hope for a home filled with happy chatter, loving arms to walk towards, toys to play with, windows to look out of and adventures to go on ........ because how can you hope for those things when you know nothing of them.

So..... instead.......

She sits.
She waits.
and
She hopes........that it is her turn to go for a ride in the stroller.

My heart breaks for all of the children that I met...... many whom I don't about whether they are available for adoption or not.   But Clarice... IS!! she is listed with Reece's Rainbow.  Would you join me in praying that Clarice's family will find her........ that her gentle spirit will soon know of more things to hope for.     She is 13.  Her time is running out.  One day........ she will get transferred to a place where there won't even be a stroller ride to look forward to.   Please pray she won't have to lose hope.

Are you her family?  Would you help me spread the word about Clarice?  Would you help me find her family for her.  Please share her picture, her profile.