To Weep with Those Who Weep

I was reading Kathryn Campbell's website today (http://www.kathrynskeepsakes.com/) and learned that Stephen Curtis Chapman's youngest adopted daughter, Maria Sue, was tragically killed in an accident outside their home yesterday. She was hit accidentally by the family car, being driven by Maria's teenage brother. Below is the text from the news release...

NASHVILLE, TN...5/21/08... At approximately 5pm on the afternoon of Wednesday May 21st, Maria Sue Chapman, 5 years old and the youngest daughter to Steven and Mary Beth Chapman was struck in the driveway of the Chapman home in Franklin, TN, {with the family SUV driven by her teenage brother]. Maria was rushed to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Nashville, transported by LifeFlight, but died of her injuries there. Maria is one of the close knit family’s six children and one of their three adopted daughters.

More than five years ago, Chapman and his wife MaryBeth founded The Shaohannah’s Hope Ministry after bringing their first adopted daughter, Shaohannah, home from China. The ministry’s goal is to help families reduce the financial barrier of adoption, and has provided grants to over 1700 families wishing to adopt orphans from around the world. Chapman is a five-time GRAMMY ® winner and 54-time Dove Award winning artist who has sold over 10 million albums and garnered 44 No. 1 singles.

You can leave messages of condolence on the Shaohannah's Hope website (http://www.shaohannahshope.org/) Attached is the video they have posted in Maria's memory. It moved me to tears, and reminded me that for every orphan like Maria that we weep for because we knew her, there are thousands more who go unnoticed, and who suffer and die each day without ever having the chance to be part of a loving forever family like the Chapman's for even a small time. My prayer is that God will use this tragedy causing His Spirit to move many to give precious children like Maria Sue a loving home.