Monday, November 28, 2011

The Blessing of a Child Named Katie

It was an evening that 
Warren, Mike, Jenny and I 
will never forget.

It was the night we met 
Katerina Hope Musser.

All 10 pounds of her.
Perhaps she is up to 
eleven pounds by now.
The feeding tube is firmly 
in place and is feeding this 
precious 9 year old girl....
so recently come
from an orphanage in 
Europe.

But Katie no longer lives
there...She no longer suffers
the indignities of neglect.
That is in the past.

Katerina is now embraced by the 
love of parents, 
called by God, 
from a world away.

Parents who obeyed His voice
and went through 
impossible situations in order
to bring her home to a place
of safety.

When we walked into her room
tonight I was holding my breath.  
How would I respond to this 
child whom I had seen so many photos of
and yet had not seen in person?

Well, it took about a second to figure 
that out.  The response was pure love.
It took no time at all for this little one to 
respond to her Mamma's voice and touch 
with a smile that lit the room like a million
watt lightbulb.
Then came the giggle.
Oh.my.goodness.
We were all totally taken with Katie
in no time at all.

It has to be said that 
there are no words to 
describe the delicacy of this 
girl's condition.
To explain how small she is.
It truly is shocking.
Your brain works and works
to comprehend what it is seeing.
It does not compute.
The abuse this child suffered is
unbelievable.
Inexcusable.

There are many stories to be told
when the time is right.
Those stories need to come from 
Joe and Susanna,
but suffice it to say that God not only wanted
this little girl to know what it is to be loved
but He is doing more.....
much more.

Before leaving Susanna and Katie this 
evening Pastor Mike and Warren took 
turns praying and then we all joined in singing
The Doxology.
Picture if you will 
a tiny face with 
big brown eyes 
chattering away
as we began to sing
and then she grows silent.
Those big brown eyes with the 
long, long lashes growing bigger
and more intent if that is possible.
Then imagine that she leaned out
just a bit and studied us as we sang....
watching and listening to the 
music.
Enjoying it.
As if for the first time
in her nine years.
Now that is an audience that 
would encourage one to 
continue to sing.

The time had come for 
us to leave.
I reached my finger out to this 
beautiful girl.
She did me the honor of grasping 
it briefly.

Softly.

So softly....and gently.
The human touch.
It means so much!

We left the room with tears in 
our eyes.  
In wonder at the workings of 
God in the life of this child.
Praising Him for the privilege 
of bearing witness.

Of course we would covet your 
continued prayers for Katerina, Susanna
and Joe.  
It is not easy for Susanna to be away from 
her other ten children, waiting at home.
It is necessary for now as bonding takes 
place and Katie's health is stabilized.

Susanna wrote a post
after Thanksgiving that shows the 
children meeting their new sister for the first time.

Look at how she remembers 
and already loves her new Daddy.

Katie is one smart cookie!!

6 comments:

Theresa said...

What a sweet post! I know that young girl is going to melt hearts all around her for a long time! God's richest blessing to that sweet family! Have a blessed day, HUGS!

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

I am so happy you were able to go and visit Susanna and Katie!

Joe and the kids came here yesterday and it was sweet to spend time with them and get to know them better!

Verity loved the Christmas tree!

We're blessed to know them, aren't we?

Deanna

Debby said...

Wow, I am holding back the tears. I prayed for this sweet little girl. I worried about the pain she might be in. God had a plan for her or she wouldn't have survived. I adopted a child that turned our lives upside down. In the beginning a good way but there were some really trying times that we went through.
I have to tell you that I have a granddaughter named Katie.
Her full name.......are you sitting down.....Katelyn Hope Messner. Gives you goosebumps doesn't it. The name was chosen before she was born. When she was born as a true emergency her Apgar was only 1 out of 10. She was a warm body and that was all. Emergency procedures were performed not by the doctor as he was a bit in shock, but by her nurse. She is now a very normal sweet beautiful 8 year old. I will continue to pray for Katie and have hopes for her to have a better life. Suriving is the first step.

Diane Shiffer said...

Oh Becky, I'm in tears just reading this post. I would so so love to be able to adopt a little "Katie" of my own... but for now I shall content myself with praying for this one♥

Vee said...

Oh, Becky. You've told this so beautifully. I am sniffling here. Love to you...

Elena said...

I was so happy to read this post. I am so glad they have her here now and she is able to get the best love and care possible!