Thirty-three years ago, Taya Lee was left as an infant by her birth mother on the doorstep of St. Edwards Catholic Church in Shelton, Washington. According to an anonymous letter sent to the Shelton Police Department two weeks later, the girl’s mother was only 16-years-old. "I know she was 16, she had no job, [was] leaving town, and wanted a better life for me," Lee told ABC News.

Recently, Taya put out a call on Facebook, searching for her birth mother. She posted a photo of herself holding a sign with a handwritten message: “Looking for my birth mother. She abandoned me in Shelton, WA on Jan. 25th 1981. I was found on a church doorstep at St. Edwards Catholic Church. Please help me find her by sharing my picture.”

She hasn’t found her birth mother yet, but she was thrilled to meet someone that she calls her “first friend.”

Taya’s “first friend” is 47-year-old Stephen Henry who was 14 at the time when he was walking near the St. Edwards Catholic Church on his way to school when he heard an unsuspected sound. "I could hear it, a baby crying in the distance," Henry, 47, told ABC News Seattle Affiliate, KOMO News. Following the sound, "I went and found a baby covered up in a basket. I knew I needed to do something about it." And he did. He walked across the street and told an adult at Mason County Courthouse about the baby. That was the last time he saw or heard of that abandoned baby until earlier this month.

Another Facebook user began investigating to try to help Taya. She found an article about St. Edwards Catholic Church being torn down in 2009, and it came with a comment by Henry that said, "I found a little baby on the doorstep one morning on my way to school!" When Taya learned about it, she immediately sent a Facebook friend request to Henry and followed up with a blunt email: "I think you found me on the doorstep." And he responded, "Yep, I think that was me."
Taya and Henry met outside his Shelton office on Tuesday, for the first time since he found infant Taya 33 years ago.

Lee has received some scrutiny for using the word "abandoned" on her original Facebook post. Some commenters say that her birth mom will never come forward because she chose to use a "negative" word. Taya responds: “I hope my birth mom can see past that. I know that she did it in a loving way, leaving me at a church, that obviously good people would find me, and … I know that deep down in my heart… I just want her to know, ‘It's okay, I would love to meet you, I would love to learn about you and your family and your life. I respect you for what you did. I hope that you don't carry any guilt.’”

You and I were created “in the image of God” (Genesis 1:26-27). In that sense, we are His offspring (cf. Acts 17:26-29).

However, because of choices WE have made, our sins have separated us
from God (Isaiah 59:1-2) and left us in dire and deadly circumstances.

We may feel abandoned by God, but nothing could be further from the Truth....

God loves us so much that He sent His Son to live among men and then to die on the cross for the sins of the world (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2). Through His death on the cross, Jesus paid the price for our redemption so that we might be reconciled to God (Ephesians 1:7; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

God will save and give the GIFT of eternal life to those who will place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). The blood of Jesus will continue to cleanse those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7).

Abandoned in our sins? NO!  Separated from God? YES.  But God is searching for us. Jesus is the “First Friend” who wants to save us and give us an eternal home.

Won’t YOU accept His offer on His terms?