Contact with the Castaway Kid

After Rob Mitchell posted a comment on our blog, I replied to him with a comment on our blog.  Thinking he would never see the comment, I sent a message to him through his Castaway Kid website expressing thanks and appreciation for him sharing his story through his book.  I was surprised when he emailed back to me this morning.  I was also surprised with the news that he shared:

From: Rob Mitchell

Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2010 6:50 AM

To: nordstromseven@cableone.net

Subject: Castaway Kid thank you

Our 23yr old son, Luke, is fighting Leukemia.  www.caringbridge.org/visit/lukemitchell2009

He is winning but some days are difficult.

So yesterday, in the hospital for massive amounts of chemo, I was just surfing the web under Castaway Kid and found your posting.

Thanks for caring.

And as you feel led, maybe post your thoughts about Castaway Kid on your favorite book buying website, Amazon.com etc..

In Hope,

Rob

PS: Emotionally powerful emails from around the world of wounded people finding Hope are being shared at:

www.castawaykid.com

So here was someone who had great childhood struggles and yet was preserved by God's hand.  Through the difficult storms of being orphaned, God was there.  Always guiding, always loving.  And ultimately gave him a loving family.

Now he and his family are struggling because his son has leukemia.  These are the hard questions of life. How can a man with such a difficult childhood have a child with leukemia?  These are the questions that Job struggled with (and his friends).  And yet we have an Anchor that is sure, a King that is on the throne, a Father who is always loving His child.  He is our Rock.  To Him alone we cling.  We walk in faith.

I encourage you to check out their journal on their son's website.  I encourage you to read his book.  And if you have read his book and were moved, send him an email and let him know at rob@rbmitchell.com.

It has been exciting to meet so many wonderful people since we started to be pursued by adoption.  I can't imagine the people we have yet to meet.

Castaway Kid Comment!!!

You gotta see who commented on our "Castaway Kid" post!!!!!

Castaway Kid

I finished a great book last night called Castaway Kid (click here for the Amazon link).  It was given out for free at the Christian Alliance for Orphan conference last month and is published through Focus on the Family.

The book is about a boy named Rob Mitchell who was left at an Illinois orphanage by his mom when he was three years old.  The first chapter is about this initial event and is very moving.  You can Google the book and read the first chapter online.

His initial abandonment occurred in the late 1950's when there was no foster system.  He ended up being raised in the orphanage until he graduated from high school.  This was the last generation of orphanage kids in the U.S.

The story follows his life, his struggles, his painful loneliness, and ultimately his relationship with Christ.  It is his relationship with Christ that finally allows the deep healing to begin.  It is a moving story and is highly recommended.  It helps to paint the picture, from a first-person point of view, of the pain and abandonment that an orphan suffers.