Sabina {a girl who changed my life}

I was reading a friend’s blog and he challenged his readers to share how an orphan has changed your life. I love that idea for many reasons, but one of the biggest for me is to get to share about a little girl who never had a mom or dad go on and on about her to others. This might be a wordy post…

In the summer of 2000 Chris and I spent 8 weeks in Kazakhstan. It was the summer before we got married and we were there partnering with workers in that country to teach summer english camps. The camps were great, but in our down time we volunteered at an orphanage. My time with those kids was the highlight of my summer. It was amazing to watch Chris with the kids – confirmed in many ways he was the guy for me. From the first time we walked through the gate a little girl with a questioning smile caught my eye. She always stayed on the edge of the group and never demanded my attention. In the games she seemed to have a need to prove to the boys she could beat them – which she usually did. She was strong willed, quiet, and liked to take charge. She reminded me of myself in many ways and we just hit it off. Her name was Sabina and she became my little friend for the rest of the summer. I would have adopted her had the country allowed it. When our summer was over and we began preparations to leave my heart broke at the thought that I wouldn’t know how her story ends. The only picture I have of the two of us now hangs on my refrigerator. My boys know her story – which makes me happy that she is not forgotten. I still think of her all the time. She is probably about 14 years old now. Most likely she is still in a government home for teenagers. If that is the case in a couple of years she will age out of the system and be left to fend for herself in a very poor country. If she goes the road of many young girls like her it is likely she will find herself in the sex trade industry. If she is like many young girls she will sell her body to feed her stomach. As I look at her picture, I pray that she has found a different road. I pray that light in her eyes is still there. I pray that the fire in her would be used to change not only the course of her life but the lives of other girls like her. I pray that when she falls asleep at night she would somehow know she is not forgotten. I pray she is happy…and loved…and safe. And so I share her story with you, so again she is not forgotten….

We killed Chris and the boys at baseball – we had to prove ourselves and we did 🙂