*Picture do not necessarily reflect the child in the story
The new mother struggled to survive after giving birth to her one and only daughter. After many days in the hospital she was sent home, still unable to walk or take care of herself. The complications continued as she struggled to make it on her own. So bad was her health that a “friend” offered to take care of the new baby while she recovered. This was a mistake that would haunt her the rest of her life.
The mother’s health issues would go on for years. But regardless of her health, what happened changed the course and the future of the baby’s life forever. The “friend” grew so fond of the new baby that she never returned her to the mother. In fact, the decision to keep her is what brought her to us. Only after the mother decided she was healthy enough, did she want her daughter back. But by this time it was too late. The baby and the “friend” had disappeared.
For 12 years the mother has been looking for her baby. For 12 years she has lived with an emptiness that most of us cannot imagine. For 12 years the wrong person was raising her child. And for 12 years the baby grew up with a lie. The woman who raised her was not the woman who gave her birth. The woman who she knows as “mama” is a liar and kidnapper. The life she has known will never be the same. All because of an opportunistic woman who wanted a baby of her own.
We don’t know why she stole the baby. All we know is that she did a horrifically selfish thing. She loves the girl like her own. In fact, she was caught and exposed while trying to adopt the girl. In her own twisted way she wants the best for the girl. But she wants to fulfill her own desires of being a mother first. Her love for the child is real. But the love of herself is greater.
Because of one unthinkable act, the girl is now separated from the only mother she has ever known and the mother who gave birth to her. As the courts try to sort it all out, the girl will stay at Shadow. The psychological stress on this girl is more than anyone should have to deal with. The broken trust, the lies, the confusion, the separation are all weighing heavily upon her. She feels lost, betrayed, and deceived. But she also feels hope.
Despite all that she is dealing with, she now knows to whom she truly belongs. She has been introduced to a Father that will never leave her or forsake her. A Father that will always love her, guide her, and protect her. He is a Father that does not lie, does not deceive, does not betray. And even though her case may take years to figure out, she knows her Heavenly Father is in control. No matter where she ends up or who she ends up living with, she has a Father that will be with her wherever she goes.
