A few years ago, a carpenter working in Ecuador was taking out some trash when he noticed a bag near the dumpster. It appeared to be moving and when he opened it, he found a baby boy inside.
It was immediately clear the baby had been born with Down syndrome, which had caused his mother to abandon him. The carpenter took the baby to an orphanage that specialized in special-needs children.
A few months later, Rachel Van Eerden and her family went on a tour of the extraordinary orphanage and saw the rescued baby, now named Eddie, for the first time. Van Eerden, who has a brother with Down syndrome, said she knew right away that she had to adopt Eddie. It took five long years before Eddie permanently joined the family in the United States.
Van Eerden and her husband often talk about the happiness that Eddie has brought to their lives and those of the town they live in. The child made such an impression that he was nicknamed “ambassador of love.” He continues to bring joy to everyone he comes in contact with, and his mother says that good things do come to those who are willing to wait.