“I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness – secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.”
Isaiah 45:3

In a crib, in an orphanage, halfway around the world, sits a boy. He’s easy to miss, as he sits there quietly with his head bowed. You might even pass him by, unless you took the time to look into his face, pick him up, hold him in your arms.
At that moment, he becomes unforgettable.

This is what happened to me on Monday, October 19, 2015. I walked into his room, going from crib to crib to speak to each child, to touch each child, to tell them that I saw them, that they mattered. His was the last crib on the back row. He sat so still, not making a sound. All I could see was the back of his head, as he had it bowed down. I reached out to stoke his head, never dreaming that I was about to lose my heart. When I touched him, he raised his head up, and I saw his face for the first time, a face that radiated with joy and light. I felt the presence of the Lord.

I was the only one on our team in this room. The nannies spoke no English. I spoke no Chinese. There was no way for me to find out anything about him, not even whether he was a boy or a girl. All I knew was that I had never been affected by anyone like I was at that moment by him.

As the week went on, I spent every second I could with him. He could not walk or talk or see, but to be with him was enough. To hear the precious laughter flow from his beautiful lips when I tickled him. To see his pure joy the first time I put his hand to my face, his delicately little fingers gently touching my eyes, my nose, my mouth, my hair, the fuzzy softness of my shirt. It was like I was watching him “see” for the first time. To let him run his hand down the wall as I carried him around the orphanage with me. To experience his wonder as I carried him outside and he felt the crisp air on his cheeks.

These were holy moments.

I was continually crying out to the Lord for this precious baby boy. My heart was torn to shreds, knowing that I would leave in a few short days.

“Lord, who will touch him? Who will hold him? Who will sing to him and tell him that he is loved?”

“God, You have to give me some hope. Show me, Lord, that You have a plan for him beyond his life in that small, dark crib.”

And He did.

Up to this point, I had held little hope that the orphanage would allow him to be registered for adoption, because of his age and special needs. But God had a plan for this precious one long before I arrived. Through a set of circumstances, I discovered, much to my surprise, that he was actually already registered and available for adoption and had been for some time. The orphanage told me that they were going to pull his adoption paperwork because he had been available for so long and no one had chosen him.

As I held him on my lap one morning, I prayed that that the Lord would give me an English name for him to use when I shared his story. In that very moment, the Lord whisper, “Seth.” but I wasn’t sure it was from Him. Not until I looked up the meaning of this name. Seth means “appointed one.”

This whole time I had been asking God, “Why him? Why this little boy out of so many beautiful precious children in this place?”

Now I knew. He was the appointed one for me.
I was supposed to tell Seth’s story.

So, I am telling it.

This video of Seth on one of our last days together is such a treasure for me. Words cannot adequately describe this amazing boy, but this video catches a glimpse of what I experienced with him.

This beautiful six-year-old boy needs a family. This boy who has waited 5 years for someone to chose him needs to be chosen. Seth, so full of life and light, whose laugh lights up the room, is the “treasure hidden in the darkness,” and he is waiting to be a son.

Seth is currently on the shared list, however, the staff at AWAA is familiar with him and his file. Please contact them for more information.

“O Lord, You hear the desire of the afflicted;
You will strengthen their heart;
You will incline Your ear
to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.”
Psalm 10:17-18

~Guest Post by Ashley