Do you remember back in January when I came to you with a desperate plea for one of our darling boys who was absolutely wasting away? I wrote about him here. We, and the orphanage staff feared for his life. He was dying before our eyes. At that time I asked for a family to please step up and adopt him, but then shortly after that post, issues with his documents made him unavailable for adoption. We mourned that loss of opportunity, but still, God had his way with that post and hundreds of people contacted us, letting us know they were faithfully praying for our sweet Danya.
Today I want to encourage you and let you know that your prayers have not been in vain!
“To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.”
-Unknown
Meet Mira.
Mira first came into our lives when our local Ukrainian church’s discipleship school began to volunteer for Wide Awake. Wide Awake was the “outreach” portion of their discipleship training, so we instantly had 12 volunteers every week at Romaniv! Mira was on the team.
Romaniv is a pretty extreme place. The whole team faithfully served there for this whole past school year whether they liked it, loved it, or…didn’t really enjoy it at all. We could never thank them enough. They have been the hugest blessing to our lives!! Most of the team members had no idea places like Romaniv, and people like our Boys even existed in their country, so hidden is Romaniv from society. Serving at a mental institution isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s okay! But for a few of the team members it was completely life-altering. Mira was one of those people.
The discipleship school ended a few weeks ago, and still many (most!) of the team members come to Romaniv every chance they get. In between university exams they’ll squeeze a visit in, filling up our boys’ love cups, and getting their own filled in return. They are pretty much the best group of teens I have ever known. I wish I could have been half as cool at that age. 😉
Mira never EVER misses a trip to Romaniv. During every day of Romaniv day camp, she was there. Every day of the German medical team’s visit, she was there. She is just always there. And she is making a difference.
You see, our sweet Danya loooooooves Mira. And the feeling is quite mutual. Over the past month or so Mira has been at Romaniv almost every single day, and the changes we have seen in Danya over that time have been nothing short of miraculous!
Mira is not a therapist. She’s not a medical professional. She’s just an 18 year old college student with a fierce love for one small boy.
When she is at Romaniv Danya gets her whole self. He gets her hugs, her tickles, her eye contact. They walk together, they run together, they smell flowers together and feel the grass together. They sit together and rock together. Mira truly SEES Danya, and Danya comes alive. His heart is so ready to accept her love, and her heart is being changed in the process. It is a miracle for them both, and all glory goes to God.
Danya in January, and Danya last week 🙂
I think that sometimes we humans operate under the thought that unless we can do something “big” that is noticeable by a lot of people, and impacts large populations that it’s not important. I think we miss so many opportunities for love while searching for the next “big thing”. Me too!
What about the people right in front of us? What if there is one person out there that is desperate for someone to truly SEE them and your eyes are just the ones equal to the task? They don’t necessarily need someone more qualified or smarter or more important. Maybe they just need you- to walk together, smell flowers together, sit together…just BE together. Maybe.
I know one boys whose life is literally being saved by that kind of love.
Praise God for His never-stopping love for our Danya. Praise God that He knew just what Danya needed, and praise God that Mira said, and keeps saying YES.
One foot in front of the other, Friends. One YES at a time, with eyes wide open, with hearts Wide Awake
“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.” -Edward Everett Hale
Mira and Danya from Wide Awake International on Vimeo.
*Please keep praying for Danya. He still has far to go, but as you can see, he’s on the right track! THANK YOU!