A letter from Paul and Darlene Heller in Malawi
June 2010
Dear Friends,
Chindikani
Blessed Chindikani.
It was an ordinary day with ordinary weather and ordinary baby behavior. We had nothing special planned. At midmorning, our neighbor who was seeking to adopt, along with the social welfare worker, walked in and asked for a conference with the director, nurse and matron. To our surprise, arrangements had just been finalized for Chindikani's adoption!
Chindikani had been dumped into a pit latrine at the tender age of 1 month (we think) by her psychotic mother. (See our previous blog “Rescued From the Pit.”) She had survived unhurt and came to us from the hospital a few days later. We weren’t looking for a place for her yet because she is only about 10 months old. We once took her to see her mother, who is in jail, but for the hour her mother held her she didn’t once glance down at her own daughter. Going back to mom was not a possibility.
But while we didn’t plan, God did. Months ago our neighbor, who is a judge, and her lawyer husband had started adoption proceedings for this little girl. All was completed without our even knowing about it. This involves at least one year of fostering a child before formal adoption proceedings can begin. Everything was in place when they showed up at the door!! This is a miracle in Malawi, where complex adoption rules prevent most adoptions from ever taking place. So this was Chindikani’s own miracle.
Chindi and foster parent.
This neighbor lives only two doors down from the nursery in a beautiful home. She is well able to care for this child and very excited. Her own children are grown and she has another adopted daughter who is about 6 years old.
So all we had to decide was — when. We feel the sooner adoption takes place, the better for the child. So on Tuesday it was decided that Chindikani would leave us for good on Friday to join her new family.
What a blessing! What a surprise! Just when you think nothing special is happening, something that has been happening all along comes to light. And that day it came as a home for one of our abandoned little ones. Chindikani means praise, Chiuta means God. Chindikani Chiuta!
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Paul and Darlene Heller
The 2010 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 59
