China and Maria Sue Chapman!

Last night around 5pm I panicked because I couldn’t find two of my kids. My husband, myself and older daughter scoured the house looking in every room , screamed at the top of our lungs inside and out and couldn’t find them. In those 5 minutes I thought the worst and started screaming and was ready to cry. Then Mark yells “we found them”..relief filled my heart and soul. I then was reminded by Andrew that he told me while I was on the phone and cooking that he was going over with Matea to jump on the trampoline at the neighbors house. I had actually given him permission. I felt like a fool for forgetting but was so grateful that they were alive.

Later that night I found out about Maria Chapman (Steven Curtis and Mary Beth’s) 5 year old daughter. She was killed in the family driveway after her brother hit her accidentally with his car. I cannot fathom the pain this family is going through. I also read that in the same day previously they had celebrated the engagement of their daughter Emily. Their older son was going to be celebrating graduation and Maria Sue had just celebrated her 5th birthday 10 days prior. In an instant life can change.

I really was trying to think of something I could do to honor Maria Sue. We are going to continue to contribute to Shaohannah’s Hope an organization that Steven started to provide funds for people adopting. We will honor that fund especially…go to http://www.shaohannahshope.org . But when I think of Maria’s death I can help but think of the irony/coincidence in her dying so close in time to the tragedies in China (her home country). I don’t believe in coincidences and believe it was God’s timing that this happened when it did. I think the best way to honor her is to not forget China and the people there now. I read in the news today that there have been 81 thousand deaths from the earthquake and threatening rain is ready to cause mud slides in the lake regions that could annihilate more villages. The Chapman’s have worked in the past several years to help build orphanages and raise awareness to the orphan issue in China. Following the earthquake and collapse of the high school many parents who had only been allowed to give birth to one child had to grieve the loss of that child. According to Unicef about 100 thousand babies (almost all of them girls) are abandonded in China every year. Chinese culture values the lives of boys much more than girls. So when a family is given the choice for one child many of them give birth and if it is a girl may leave the baby in a field or on the side of the road. If they are lucky someone will come to pick them up and drop them off at an orphanage or police station. New adoption laws in China are becoming much more strict and difficult for Americans to adopt. It is becoming a grueling process to adopt there. And yet the need is huge.

I have friends that are missionaries in various parts of the world including China. In China you are not allowed to be a Christian. There are churches there but only individuals who are not citizens there can worship in the churches . Guards stand at the entrance to check your i.d’s to make sure the Chinese citizens don’t enter. Missionaries are not allowed to preach or teach anything but Buddhism. Missionary work in China is dangerous.

Steven and Mary Beth had a passion to adopt from China. They adopted 3 daughters. They started a fund to help others adopt. They went on several trips to China. They started to consider China their home as well. In the end their little Maria came to America and went to church in Tennessee. She went to Sunday School. She had a father that sang songs about heaven (a place she would never have heard about if it wasn’t for them). This child was greatly blessed but if you ask the Chapman’s they will tell you that they were the ones blessed by Maria. They would be right.

It warms my heart to no end to know that tonight this child is in the arms of God in heaven. This was such a tragedy but Praise God that this child lived a blessed life with Godly parents. I would like to believe that God will anoint Maria as an angel for helping her Chinese sisters who are losing their chances at life, love of a mom , dad and family the ability to sing “Away in a Manger” at Christmas time or hang a cross over their bed. I would like to believe that even in heaven she is continuing the work that God gave to her family in igniting a fire to come and help the orphans and people of China either through adoption or charity. Maybe she will whisper in the ears of parents pulled to China and say "COME FOR YOUR DAUGHTERS".

I attended the Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit in April. Steven Curtis and his family were in China but spoke via video. Emily his oldest daughter was there. Kay Warren spoke about God’s call for the orphans around the world. She said we would be “forever disturbed” and “totally ruined” by our passion for God’s cause to come and take care of orphans and widows. I think that is true. Today we are totally , deeply disturbed and ruined by the death of Maria. But my hope would be that as our pain in the death of this sweet Chinese baby deepens that our passion for her sisters and extended family in China deepens as well . Those of us in privileged countries should open our eyes and ears and hear the cries of the orphans and people suffering. As we sit in our comfortable homes with full bellies or ponder whether we want a grande late or frappacino we should remember that in most parts of the world people are lucky to have one meal a day or clean water. I pray her death will open the eyes of people who are comfortable in their status quo. I pray the cries of this little angel are heard in the ears of everyone so we cannot sit comfortable while 100 thousand little baby girls are abandoned every year. Dear Lord…please allow us to know your heart and also feel restless, ruined and disturbed by the 143 million orphans globally.

Maria’s life was so precious and her family’s ministry is so crucial. But they cannot do it alone and it has to be difficult to continue after a loss such as this. So my wish is for all of us to step forward and lift our brother and sister in Christ up, take on the cause, remind everyone you know that God calls us to take care of orphans and widows (James 1:27)and the poor and suffering people . Let Steven and Mary Beth grieve in peace knowing that there are armies of people out there willing to stand in the gap for their cause …GOD’S CAUSE AND CALLING.

We need to pray for their family and especially their son (her brother). I have seen God turn things around miraculously. I know that their son will process this with the counseling and prayers of many wise friends and family. I can’t help but think that God will turn his tragedy into an amazing testimony and that this boy will minister to many one day. His ministry is "a wonder in the making and God's not through. He's just getting started" from SCC song Fingerprints of God. God can turn this intense grief into joy again in seeing God’s hand through the healing. And Maria in her heavenly home will continue to help Daddy and Mommy by reminding people that God is calling them to China and all of the places in the world where children are living without parents.