a single mama with a purpose {celebrating women in may}

celebrating women doing their God-given thing

{for the month of may, i’m highlighting a few women who are gaining confidence in who God has created them to be and displaying it so through different means. for some, it was born out of cause. for others, it was there since birth. and some, it’s the season of life they are in. and they are sharing their stories here this month! join me in celebrating them and that’s not all…they want to celebrate you! a giveaway on each blogpost through the month of may! make sure you leave a comment the day or the day following the post, for that’s what enters you in the drawing. winners will be announced on the following post}   {congrats to Kim - winner from the previous post}

welcome an adoption gal & friend who teaches me how to pray - kristen williams...

¡Hola!  I’m Kristen Williams and I’m a single mama to my amazing daughter, Munni. I love traveling, photography, painting, gardening, my dogs, and anything that keeps me creative.  My paid gig is being a middle school Spanish teacher.  However, my passion is for Christ and bringing light to the “least of these.”

When I started on my adoption journey, I thought I would become a mother for the first time to a perfect, healthy, Nepalese baby girl.  But God had different plans.  Nepal closed its doors to adoption and after 10 long months of grieving, I found myself on a waiting children’s page.  The moment I saw her face, it was as if an electrical current pulsed through my body.  She was everything I wasn’t looking for and it scared me.  But I heard God whisper to me in his sweet voice, “Whatever you do unto the least of these, you do unto me.”  I knew that God intended for her to be my daughter.  It was a battle of my will vs. God’s will and I had to surrender my dream of a “perfect baby” and trust that God’s plan was so much bigger than mine.

I am so thankful that God is patient.  He gently worked in my heart and opened my eyes, which caused me to question what “perfect” was anyway.... I found out that at least three other families passed over her file because there were too many red flags.  What others saw as reasons to not pursue her were the reasons for which I became relentless in my pursuit of her.

A year and a half later on Valentine’s Day, Munni and I became a family forever.  This sweet, precious, child has been the biggest blessing I could ever imagine!  Turns out that everything I wasn’t looking for ended up being everything I needed. She has taught me that the “least of these” are worthy of taking that step out of the boat.  That in each child is a precious treasure, ready to be unearthed.

Munni has forever changed the way I see the world and the way I see those in need.  I am currently in my second adoption process for a little sister.  Like Munni, Baby R was cast aside, not considered worthy of this life.  Thankfully, she was found but not before maggots ate her nose.  I was horrified when I learned this but even more so when I learned that it is a common occurrence in her country.  Due to Gendercide, the UN estimates that there are 50 million girls and women missing from India’s population.  1 in 4 girls in India does not live past puberty and on average, one girl is aborted every minute - just because she is female.  This is not acceptable!

I am thankful that God has entrusted me with these two precious lives.  I am also thankful that God has opened my eyes and given me a voice for the “least of these.”  I encourage you to check out The Invisible Girl Project and if you do just one thing, that you watch the movie, “It’s a girl.”  Your eyes will be forever opened and hopefully, you will not be able to stay silent.  Awareness and Education are the biggest weapons we have against Gendercide.

Mother Theresa once said, “Spread More Love, everywhere you go.”  I am using part of her quote for my fundraiser for Baby R’s adoption.  Please check out the invisible girl project at:  http://invisiblegirlproject.org

After reading how they are fighting against gendercide, 
please leave your name with the hashtag #invisiblegirlproject in the comments section
 for a chance to win one of these amazing totes from my fundraiser.

If you would like to read more about my adoption story or would like to purchase other Spread More Love items, please check out my blog at http://mynepalibaby.blogspot.org

and remember, EVERY GIRL MATTERS!