Adoption Changes Everyone

It is interesting how adoption can change things. Our oldest son is getting top marks in his Aviation class in school, is a Royal Canadian Cadet, and wants to be a pilot in the Canadian Air Force.

Actually, those were his plans when he began Aviation in September. But then as our adoption, Africa, and the awareness of the needs of children around the world came to his attention, he realized that his focus was changing.

He recently told me that he wants to do something with the orphans in Africa. He read a story of the Kolfe Boy's Home, in Africa and it really touched his heart. This home is about 30 years old and not maintained by the government. (Many, if not most, orphanages are not maintained by the government - most people don't seem to realize this fact.)

This is a home of 180 boys from 12-18. The more we read about these "Forgotten Boys", through this blog's article, the more we were all in awe of the amazing, inspiring, loving, respectful young men living in this home.

Their home is totally derelict, like an old prison camp, with broken windows, holes in blankets, 1" mattresses, medieval kitchen, no chairs in their diningroom, rocks all over their football field, but yet these boys have the most outstanding 'up' attitude. They look at their home with great pride and what they do have is neat and tidy and organized! These boys want an education. They study 5-6 days a week and have great aspirations for what they want to become: doctors, teachers, carpenters, electricians - they study hard and they study in English!!

Thankfully, a wonderful family was so touched by what they saw that they came back from getting their children in Ethiopia, determined to do something for the Forgotten Boys of Kolfe. Through friends, a benefit concert, and caring people who have believed in what they are doing, they have raised about $50,000 for the Boy's Home!! This home, as well as needing all of the things I have already mentioned, needs their septic system and plumbing restored.

Can you see what ONE PERSON can do?!! One heart was touched - and that one heart reached out to others to help her. Those others reached back and now these 180 amazing young men will have their lives changed. These boys who were content with the little they had, because they knew there was no possibility of life changing for them! Won't they be surprised! I will post photos when I can.

We were so amazed at what we read about these boys. My son, who is 16, was so touched by these boys. I know from talking to him that the thing that so inspired him was these boys attitude! To quote him:

"I think it would amazing to give these wonderful boys a decent home to live in while they are young, hoping for adoption. The ones that are older than 16 (which are unadoptable) can have a home until they are ready to move out and get settled with their own family. There 4 million orphans in Ethiopia and only so many will be adopted. I want to give a home to these sort of boys because they are pretty much forgotten. People want to adopt babies and little girls, and after the age of 5, a child's chances of being adopted drop hugely.

I am afraid that since these kids are mostly not going to be adopted that they will be given the shaft and be out on the streets again.

I want to do the same sort of thing (as the family that raised the money to fix Kolfe Boy's Home), but instead, build a house for another 180 boys. I know the number could be bigger or less but God has really put something on my heart for this."

His concern was that these boys, at the ages of 12-16, were unlikely to be adopted. Therefore, this place that they live, is most likely their home until they are adults. When he saw the love these boys felt for each other, the pride they showed for what little they had, and their aspirations for a good future, he was moved to thinking that these boys have the important stuff already - they have a solid foundation. Now what they need is a good, clean, comfortable, well-maintained home where they can thrive until they become men.

When he was a small boy of two, I said he would do great things for God one day. There was something special about this child. He just seemed to 'get God'. His heart of compassion was/is huge. When he was five years old, he saved money to buy socks for the homeless. He has now seen a need that he can do something about.

Ever since he was a little boy, he has been 'a man in a little boy's body'. He just had amazing work ethics, enjoyment of men's work, and capabilities beyond his years. For the last number of years, he has had the opportunity to work side by side with his dad building houses. Because of this, at the age of 16, he is nearly capable of building a house all by himself. But he has decided that he does not want to be a framer/contractor for a livelyhood, even though he has had numerous job offers from other contractors who have seen him work.

But now he has been inspired to do something else with his abilities. He is contemplating the logistics and possibilities of going to Africa and building another "Boys Home" for other Forgotten Boys. We don't know what this will entail or when he could do this. Obviously if this was to happen there is a good chance it would end up being a family endeavor. We do know that he will be going to Africa with us when we get the children, and at that time we will look into the logistics of what this could mean to him in years to come.

He is probably going to continue with getting his private pilot's license and maybe even enter the Air Force, but for now he is looking at the Air Force as something he doesn't think he would want because it would cause him to be away from his family so much of the time.

We don't know if anything will come of this, but knowing my son, the boy who makes goals and attacks them with determination, it is quite possible he will do something about this new dream of his.

It is interesting how this adoption can change a whole family's outlook for the future!!