Jacques and I received an email from Kyla, the China Operations Director of the International China Concern, who was helping to care for LiHua prior to her passing. In her message she said, "Her caregivers are heart broken, and they are fearful. Fear is common around death here, and something we battle in our high needs areas. The caregivers are still taking care of a palliative baby that will pass any time. We need to pray that they can embrace him with courage, and will not be too scared to face him and love him."
Kyla is the brave woman who fought to show the Orphanage staff that this tiny baby had worth, and that a family who desperately wanted her could be found. And sure enough, one was found - our family! She asked Jacques and I to write a tribute about LiHua that would be translated and read at her memorial service, which is scheduled for Wednesday, October 14th at 8:30am (China Time). We decided that the best message we could send was one of hope, and where our hope comes from.
Below is what we sent...
Dear ICC and Hengyang Orphanage staff,
Life is a gift. Every life is a gift. Every child born into
this world is a gift. The tragedy is, that not every child is born with the
same chance at a great life. Some are born into wealth and have every worldly
opportunity to succeed. Others are born into dire poverty and may never have
the opportunity to break out of it. Some children are born healthy and vibrant,
thriving from day one. Other children are born with medical challenges they may
never overcome. Some children are born into homes with parents who love and
nurture them. Others are left on doorsteps or dumpsters, discarded by parents
who don’t have the means to raise them.
But regardless of the circumstance we are born into, every
child is a gift. Every baby matters. Every life has meaning. Li Hua was born
into circumstances that broke our hearts. She was born poor and sick, and left
by her parents who knew they didn’t have the means or ability to care for such
a sick child. Her parents most obviously
loved her and left her when they didn’t know what else to do…they even left
provision for her. That means that
everyday of her life until she was abandoned she was swaddled and loved by her
birthmother. And on the day that she was
found, God in His care, brought her to a home where people would love her and
care for her. She did not suffer
alone. This brings us, her parents,
great comfort and joy. Thank you for the love you showed our precious baby girl.
We fell in love with Hua when we first saw her picture and
heard her story. She was lovable, and we began to dream! What would it be like
if she came into our family? What would it be like if she had brothers and
sisters to love and play with and fight with over toys? How would she respond to the affection of a
Papa and Mommy? What if loving doctors got her the medical care she needed? And
the more we dreamed, the more we wanted her to be our daughter. So we made the
relatively easy decision – let’s bring her home. We couldn’t wait to see the
difference love could make!
This doesn’t make sense to a lot of people. I know this
because people say to us all the time, ‘Why?” “Why bring home a child you
know may die?” Or, “Why spend all that time and money when there are no
guarantees that things will work out”. I’ll tell you why. Love is why!
Love is the most powerful force in the universe. I know this
because I am the recipient of the greatest act of love ever displayed. The Bible
teaches us that “God showed His great love for us by sending His son Jesus
Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8). In other words,
just like our precious Hua, we were a complete mess. She was physically sick. We were spiritually
sick. Every one of us have done wrong things, said wrong things, and thought
wrong things. Every single one of us. The bible calls those wrong things we do
“sin”. And sin is a sickness – a spiritual sickness. And while God could have
looked at the mess that we were and said, “Why bother with them”, he didn’t.
Instead, he sent his son Jesus to die for us. The death of Jesus paid the price
for our sin. In other words, God took the punishment we deserved for our sin
for us. In so doing, he took our sin away. He healed our spiritual sickness!
While we were sick with sin; while we were a mess, he died for us. That is the
greatest act of love in the history of the universe. He took our sickness so
that we could be well. Now that’s love, and without His love, we would still be
a mess!
As people that have received God’s great love, nothing
brings us more joy than to bring that same love to everyone – no matter their
age or race or circumstance. Love had made the greatest difference of all in our
lives. And so we believe love can make the greatest difference of all in the lives
of others. Because God showed us His love when we were helpless and weak, we
have a heart to bring love to children who are helpless and weak. We have
watched with our own eyes the difference that love can make in the three
children we adopted already from China – Lily, Mackenzie and Thaddaeus. They
are thriving because a family cared enough to risk everything to give them a
home. It’s the same thing God did for us. He risked everything to give us a home
in His kingdom, and through His love, we are thriving!
We wanted so badly to see Hua have the opportunity to thrive. And it breaks our hearts that she is no longer with us. But we do not regret – not for a second - making her our own! We do not blame God for her death. God loves her, and she will have a home with Him forever. We live in a world of sickness and pain, and we understand that death is a reality. Death is a certainty for everyone, whether young or old. Death is certain, but it is not final. And one day, we will get to meet her. And on that day, she will get to meet the family that loved her so much that they would go through anything to have her. And thanks to the God who said, “I will do anything to have us”, we can look forward to that reunion in Heaven!
You see, there is nothing to fear in death. Because death is
not the end! It is the beginning of a life free of pain and suffering and
turmoil. Revelation 21:4 tells us so. Jesus says, “On that day, I will wipe
every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying
or pain for the old order of things has passed away”. You see; every human who
loves God and follows His son, Jesus, is guaranteed that no matter the
circumstances they were born into, this promise of new life is for them.
And while we are living in this sin filled, sickness filled,
tragedy filled world in the meantime, we are going to bring as much love and
hope and joy as we can. Because that is what our God did and does for us.
We are heartbroken that we won’t get to bring sweet Hua
home, but we are filled with joy knowing she is not suffering now, and knowing
a new life is what awaits her. Thank you so much to all of you who loved her
and showed her that there is good all around – even in the middle of the
trials! It is our hope and prayer that you will find hope and joy and peace in
the love that God has in Jesus Christ, for you!
Jacques and Emily Rancourt
***Please consider spreading HOPE to the other children in the care of the International China Concern Program in memoriam of our sweet LiHua. There are many ways that you can donate to help save lives: http://www.chinaconcern.org/donate
