HIS PLANS ARE GREATER THAN MINE

Nikki

Here is her story...

My name is Nikki and I am originally from Canada but have been living in India since June 2013 serving as a foster mother to 12 amazing children with special needs. I didn’t ever think I would be a Mom of 12 with no husband by the age of 26, sleeping on Dora the Explorer bed sheets surrounded by cuddling children, but God is awesome like that and His plans are greater than mine. When I moved to India, 7 children from an orphanage run by Sarah’s Covenant Homes and I moved into an apartment together, along with 2 ayahs (Indian caregivers) and a friend of mine and we became a family. Over the years, various children from the government orphanage have been placed on my heart and they have joined us, bringing me to a total of now 12 children. Lily is 11 years old and has cerebral palsy. She thinks she is another Mom to the little kids. Molly is 8. She uses a wheelchair and doesn’t have a lot of control over her body, but she works hard to participate in everything that the other kids do. Dinah, who also has cerebral palsy, is our sunshine girl who is always smiling. Nolan, Louise, and Theo are all profoundly deaf, and Nolan also has cerebral palsy and is fed through a g-tube and Theo also has spina bifida and hydrocephalus. All three children have cochlear implants. Cedar, Chloe, Charlotte, and Brianna all have anophthalmia, a condition which means that they have no eyes so are fully blind. Jasmine is also blind. It is amazing watching each of their unique personalities develop, and watching them learn to navigate with guide canes and watch them explore the world with their hands. Finally, Selah was the most recent to join our family, 10 months ago. In June, at 3 years old, Selah learned how to walk independently and now she is running! My kids are the light of my life and I thank God for the unique and beautiful way He united each of them with my family. Even amidst the brokenness here in India, He gives me strength every time I see them smile, or watch them reach a new milestone, or think back on how far they have come since the traumatized little kids they were before. This is not where I imagined myself to be at this stage in my life, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Sarah’s Covenant Homes: http://schindia.com/

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