One Year Ago

One Year ago today a little girl who I lovingly referred to as Liliana went to be with Jesus.

This little girl was near and dear to my heart as I literally pulled her from the orphans bed. She was dying in a Ch*nese orphanage and from the moment I laid eyes on her I simply knew I could not leave her.

I was blessed to spend time with the late Amanda de Lange on that trip and got to see her heart, passion, and share in it. Amanda was the most amazing and selfless woman I had ever met. She loved Ch*na and it's children and most of all she loved Jesus. It shined through in everything she did, too.

I will never forget when I picked Liliana up from that crib and said "Amanda, her. we cannot leave her." In true form Amanda looked at me and said "You're right. We can't" and with that I wrapped her in a blanket and carried her out of the orphanage. I will never, ever forget that moment. It is forever etched into my heart.

When I found out that Liliana had in fact died, my heart broke. I could not believe the precious baby I was just snuggling in my arms was no longer on this earth. It literally hurt.

Now a year later, it still hurts. I can't honestly believe it has been a year. So much has happened and it has left me simply being thankful for every single moment.

I miss Liliana and it hurts to know she will never have a forever family, but I am so thankful that now she is whole and dancing at the feet of Jesus with Amanda.

Please pray for all of Starfish today. A lot of things are happening that I'm not comfortable sharing at the moment.