Cambodia or Bust!

This year I had the opportunity to go to Cambodia. I was seriously considering it. My fear was not about the funds to go, but the time away from my family. Originally, Ray and I had decided that 2011 would be our year to adopt a third child. I didn't know if I could travel to help orphans AND adopt an orphan in the same year, but I was definitely sensing a green light to fill out the application and go minister in Cambodia.

Ray supported my consideration for the trip. We had it planned. He would take time off work to watch the boys. My parents will both be retired by May, so I'm sure the kids would be okay. But, there was still this little twinge in me that didn't have peace. As I've discovered more and more about Jared's disability, I know that this summer will be very detrimental to preparing him for kindergarten next year. We've got to start rhyming with him and build listening skills with home techniques.  As I researched APD, my eyes were opened that this is not the year for Cambodia. The more and more Ray and I talked about Jared's disability, we realized that maybe God was calling us to step back and make sure we are doing everything we can to help Jared.

According to our research, the world is a cold, hard place for a child with APD. Here's a harsh reality:
"As a child grows, the complexity of his interactions with people, grows too. At an age when children are naturally compiling the first few pages of a developing instruction manual for how their world works, APD sees to it that important information is left out. With every unsuccessful social transaction, incomplete task, and missed point in school, the child with APD is being programmed to fail. APD's toll on listening begins a sequence of falling developmental dominoes that can reach into adulthood. Untreated, APD can drastically distort social and educational experiences of every kind. The child retreats into his own head."

Who wants to hear that her child is retreating into his own head?  I want Jared to find peace, instead of distortion and success, instead of failure. If I'm meant to travel to Cambodia, there will be another opportunity. Right now, we have an opportunity to help our son succeed.

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.  Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)