I have the incredible pleasure of volunteering at Starfish Orphan Ministry one day a week. So, during National Volunteer Week, I thought I’d share a little about my friend Laura, who is the director of the organization. And, the ultimate volunteer!
Everybody associated with Starfish is a volunteer. No one receives any compensation–not even Laura, who spends countless hours working on behalf of children locally and abroad. Particularly orphans.
She takes groups of all ages to El Salvador and Brazil every year to work at orphanages and in the communities. But, she’s also caring for the community where she lives in a big way. You’ll hear more from me about Starfish in future posts but for now I wanted to introduce you to Laura, and let you know why the ministry began.
It’s an amazing story and I thought you’d like to hear it straight from her…
In Laura’s Own Words
Our good friends told us that they were adopting from Guatemala. I was so excited, and my husband John thought they had lost their minds. He said, “Our kids are finally old enough that we don’t need a babysitter, and now they are going to start all over?”
A couple of weeks later my friend called and told me about a baby boy. She said, “The adoption agency keeps asking if I know anyone that would take this cute baby boy, because when he turns six months old, his chances of being adopted will drop.”
I wanted another child really bad. I explained to my friend that my husband didn’t want more children.
I tried to move on, but I could not quit thinking about that baby boy. I called my friend and she directed me to a website, where I fell in love with a photo! Then my daughter caught me, and when I explained who he was, she said, “Well, we have to get him.” Keep in mind she was preparing for college!
When John came home that night, there was a picture lying on his plate. When he asked about it, Ashley said, “He’s a baby boy in Guatemala. He needs a good home, and family, and we have one, so we need to share it with him.” My husband said, “I’m not having any more children, and I’m not leaving the country again!”
The girls were begging. I suggested that we pray about it and see how God guided us in the matter. John reluctantly said that he would pray, but that nothing would change his mind.
A week later he told my friend: “ I’m not sure about this adoption thing, but I can do it for Laura!” While I found it lovely and flattering that he was willing to do it for me, I went to John and explained, “This is not something you can do for me! You have to want it just as bad as I do, and it’s between you and God, not you and me!”
Another week passed.
And John came to me and said that he knew God was leading us to adopt this child, and we needed to do all we could to get him home as soon as possible.
A Web of Deceit
Weeks turned into months, and the waiting was agony. We traveled with our friends to visit our babies. We were there for a few days and had to give them back. It was terrible! John got physically ill. I asked him if he was still sure, and he said that this was our child, just like our girls were. He took Jonathan to the window and showed him an airplane. He explained (even though Jonathan was seven months old, and too young to understand) that we had to leave, but that we’d return and we’d never leave him again. We all cried.
We did return, six months later, to get him. We had been told that he was legally ours and that we only needed permission from the U.S. Embassy to bring him home. We traveled in January, thinking we would return home in four days with our son.
We got caught up in a web of deceit. Our Guatemalan attorney had lied to us and committed fraud on our case.
The Embassy told us after two weeks, that he was not legally our son, and probably never would be. We were devastated!
My husband (who didn’t want any more children months earlier) looked at me and said, “You have to go home, and I have to stay here and fight.”
I left after another week. I was crying so hard when I left that the hotel paid for a cab for me because they didn’t want me upsetting the other guests on the shuttle to the airport.
John stayed, kept a one-year-old in a hotel room for five months, and we both fought with attorneys and government officials for those months. It was the most difficult time of our lives up to that point.
I will spare you many of the details, but it included death threats, riding around in Embassy vehicles with U.S. Marshalls for body guards, and assuming different names. It included going to lots of court houses, hiring different attorneys, being lied to by many, including government officials.
The Meaning of Surreal
During this time, John and I suspected that our child had been in a particular orphanage, when he was put up for adoption. I tried befriending the owner, thinking he might be able to help us. We went to see him at the orphanage. I had never been in one before. The second I walked in and saw the children, I was broken. I don’t mean that I cried a tear (I’m sure I did) I mean that I knew I would never be the same! I knew at that moment that God was calling us to do something. I had no idea what, but I knew it as sure as I knew my name.
I looked at the children and wondered who rocked them back to sleep when they had a nightmare. I wondered who comforted them when the skinned a knee. I wondered who would tell the about Jesus! I told God that when Jonathan was secure and everything was done with his adoption, I would do whatever He asked me to do for children without a family.
I flew back and forth and was there half the time. I would come back and tend to our other children and our business, then fly back to my husband and baby. John was there for over five months. We learned the meaning of the word “surreal”!
Definitely Him, Not Us
It was a terrible time, but God saw is through. Jonathan was finally allowed into this country under very unusual circumstances . He was granted a document that is only given in life and death circumstances. Once we got him back to the US, it took three more years to get all his paperwork done, and his citizenship solidified. It was one day short of four years from when we started trying to adopt him.
I went to our pastor and told him I needed to be part of an orphan ministry. He gave me names and phone numbers of a couple of other women with similar interests. Another woman and I started meeting and praying for orphaned children. We decided that we needed to learn more about them. We were shocked at statistics and how often the Bible told us to care for orphans. We thought if we didn’t know, then other Christians probably didn’t realize the scope of the problem either.
We assumed God was calling us to bring about awareness. We would later realize that was not it. We wrote letters to 300 area churches asking about joining this cause. We got zero response.
Later we would understand that when people hear the horrific statistics they are saddened, but quickly get overwhelmed, then often don’t respond. It’s not that they don’t care, they just get overwhelmed, and assume that they can’t make a difference. So, if you break it down into clearly defined jobs, people will help! It’s a blessing to help.
We had a meeting in the mall in November of 2006, and about a dozen people came. My big idea for Starfish Orphan Ministry was that we could do one international mission trip every year. I thought that would be huge! Our prayer was that God would bless this in a way that it would be obvious it was Him and not us!
Beyond My Wildest Dreams
Since that November day in the mall, there have been over 100 Starfish Orphan Ministry international mission trips, to countries like El Salvador, Haiti, Tanzania, Uganda, and Brazil. Starfish has given out thousands of beds locally to those sleeping on the floor. Not to mention other furniture, and clothing to anyone who presents a need, four days a week.
When we moved into our first offices, they were 2,000 square feet, and I thought they were too big! Now Starfish owns a 60,000 square-foot-building. We used to beg for another volunteer (we are all volunteers at Starfish). Now we average more than fifteen volunteers a day. Obviously our prayers were answered, obviously it is Him and not us!
People say “Oh, that’s a good thing you do.” They don’t understand that I’m the one that’s most blessed! I get to see God work every day! I get to do what I love every day!
If our adoption had been easy, we would not have gone to that orphanage, and I would have missed out on so many amazing blessings! God used an incredibly difficult time in my life to bless me beyond my wildest dreams!
Need to Know More?
If you would like to more about Starfish Orphan Ministry, head to the website. We’re always happy to welcome new volunteers, donations of items it takes to set up a household, or monetary donations. And we always welcome your prayers!
“It’s time to make a difference… One child at a time”
Brenda McElroy
Laura’s love for God and orphans is inspiring and contagious! If you want to see God work, just hang out with her!
Tracey Buchanan
So true! We’re blessed to get to hang out with her and see Him in action!
Linda Burrows
Every adoption has a story and this is a great one! So informative and inspiring!
Tracey Buchanan
You’re exactly right- it is a great and inspiring story!
Connie Smith
Thanks for sharing! Very informative.
Tracey Buchanan
It’s a fabulous organization!
Donna
awesome Thanks for sharing
Tracey D. Buchanan
Thanks, Donna! It’s a wonderful organization and a remarkable woman leads it.