But What Can I Do??

There's a story tht floats around adoption circles, actually around a lot of circles, and it goes like this....There is a little boy walking down the beach covered in thousands of starfish that have washed up on the shore. The little boy is picking them up one at a time and throwing them back into the ocean. An old man walks up to him and asks him why he bothers. "You can't possibly make a difference to all these starfish." The little boy picks up one more and throws it into the water and says, "But I made a difference to this one."
 No human being can save all 147 million orphans in the world today. It's easy to get overwelmed and throw up your hands and say, "There's nothing I can do." But there is!!!!
Everyone of us can pray. I don't mean a nice "Please save the orphans" kind of prayer. I mean the down on your knees pleading with God to save one particular orphan. Find one kid who needs a family and beg God like your praying for your own childs life. Orphan care IS spiritual warfare. If you don't believe me, get involved and you will see the forces of evil rise up against you. Fortunately, you will also see the awesome power of God like you can't believe unless you've seen it.
Raise money. Find a particular child and raise money for that child. Many times families would love to adopt but the cost of international adoption is not feasible. If that child has money in his or her fund, families without a lot of resources can pursue that adoption. Find a family thats in the process of adoption and fundraise for them. Find a particular orphanage that needs your help. You can do a million different fundraisers from yard sales to spagetti dinners to walk-a-thons. Yes, all of those things take work but how much work is too much to save the life of a child?
Adopt. Yes, I just wrote the "A" word. Why is that so scary? Yes it maybe hard. Yes it will take a lot of money and work but again, how much is too much to give to literally save the life of a child? Isn't the Body of Christ called to do the hard things that the world won't do? Aren't we supposed to help "the least of these"? Why are we not doing that? Why are we putting our comfort above what Christ has called us to do?
What are you going to sacrifice to save one child????

Two Little Girls

Today I heard great news!!! A little girl that my friend, Sherry has been praying for, is being adopted! This little girl has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and is HIV positive.

Tatiana


Not many kids with two serious diagnosis like that find families. How did Tatiana find a home? Because someone blogged about special needs orphans and someone read their blog and posted that on Facebook and someone else read it and reposted and their co-worker saw Tatiana and fell in love. Just when I thought my little blog wasn't making any difference, I realized that I never know who will see Irina and her picture and will know thats their daughter! So, I'm going to keep blogging about orphans in general and Irina in particular. And I'm going to keep praying and trusting that God will send it to the right person. Will you be the link to Irina's family? Can you repost this so others can see her and her family can find her?

Irina

This little girl hasn't been found yet. She is still in a mental institution where she receives no education, no stimulation, no one to tuck her in at night, no one to comfort her when shes scared from a nightmare. Please, please spread the word about the orphan crisis. Please spread the word about Irina. Give this little girl a chance to go to school and the playground. Give her a chance to have a mom hug her when she gets off the school bus and kiss her good night. Give her more that a bed to lay in and rock to relieve the boredom, or bite herself or any other behaviors that institutionalized kids learn to do just to feel SOMETHING! Wouldn't you want someone to come for YOUR child if she were in this place. Please, pray and ask God what He wants you to do. I know it's easier to turn away than to feel for this child but we are her only hope.

Let's hear it for the boys!!!

Todays shout-out is for all the boys on Reeces Rainbow and Project Hopeful. While all children need a home, boys are less likely to be chosen for adoption. Maybe it's because girls are perceived to be easier to parent. As the parent of four bio children, two of each, I can tell you that's not always true! Girls are perceived as being less rambunctious. Again, that's not always true. There's just something special about a son. I love my daughters and I have a special relationship with each of them. My oldest is just incredibly resiliant and tenacious. She has a good heart and is very caring. My youngest is very intelligent and motivated. She is also very adventurous and does things people twice her age don't have the courage to do. I admire them both so much. But, my relationships with my boys is different. I never really wanted sons but I'm so glad God saw fit to give me the gift of two incredible young men.  I truly would have missed something special if I hadn't had my sons. My oldest son has been such a help to me throughout the years. He is the leader of his siblings an has always looked out for them. My youngest son brings humor into any situation and is carefree. Hakuna Matata could be his theme and never stresses about anything. Both bring a uniquely male perspective my life lacks much of the time. So for those of you out there who are considering adopting, think about the joys a son can bring. (For those of you not considering adopting, pray about it) Here are some boys listed that deserve and are needing a family!


Simeon

Simeon is a gorgeous Roma boy born in October of 2007. His fraternal twin sister was adopted but he was not. He is delayed and has cerebal palsy. He is largely ignored by the orphanage staff because of his dark complexion. A family that visited with him last fall said he responds to very little but they believe he would once he is in a loving home. Could yours be that home?

Michael


Michael is an active little boy with Downs Syndrome who is 10 years old. He lives in Latin America and is in need of a family. He is very loving and affectionate and has been well cared for. He has an attatchment to his caregiver which means he will have a good chance of forming a healthy relationship with his new family. Won't you consider giving Michael a family?





Tim

Tim is an orphanage favorite! He very much wants to be adopted and is always looking to new adults to see if they are there for him. He is almost thirteen years old and will be too old for adoption in just three years. What will his future hold? Statitically speaking, without an adoptive family, his chances of suicide, homelessness and a life of crime are astronomical. Tim is HIV positive. To learn more about HIV go to www.projecthopeful.org Tim has a large grant through Reeces Rainbow to help with his adoption costs. Please consider making Tim part of your family.



JJ

JJ is a sweet, active 3year old who likes being part of everything going on. He has spina bifida and hydrocephalus and is unable to get the care in his country that he needs. You can literally save JJ's life by making him a member of your family.


These are just a few of the great boys listed on Reeces Rainbow (www.reecesrainbow.org) and Project Hopeful (www.projecthopeful.org) that are looking for loving families. Please, please pray and ask God what He would have you do for these boys.

Meet Beckett!!!

This adorable little boy needs a family!
                                
Meet Beckett! This cutie with the bright blue eyes needs a mama to call his own. Beckett is just three years old and has spent his life in an orphanage. He loves to cuddle and is described as having a calm and sweet personality. He has some very minor special needs....some vision loss in one eye and some hearing loss in one ear. Those needs can easily be overcome here in the US but what does Beckett's future hold for him in his country? At best, a stay in an orphanage until he reaches 16 and then he's turned out into the streets. If he's not blessed, he'll be sent to a mental institution in a couple of years where he will remain for life. Please dont let that happen to this child. If you can't adopt, please spread the word about this little boy who so desperately needs help.  

Introducing.....IRINA!!!!!!

This is Irina!!! She is the reason for this blog and the reason I have come to understand the orphan crisis. Irina was in a decent hospital where she was being cared for. The director of the hospital even cared enough to write an article for a magazine about her. The director  was afraid to send Irina on to the mental institution because the staff there were afraid of her HIV status. To learn more about HIV and the TRUTH about it, go to www.projecthopeful.org  Eventually Irina was transferred and the second picture is her after her transfer to the mental institution. Irina has cerebral palsy and HIV. When she was transferred she was beginning to talk, pull herself up and walk. Affter 5 years in an institution where people are afraid of her she may have lost these skills. A home study approved family can inquire about her and her current condition. Please,please help this little girl. She desperately needs a family. She's only 8 years old and will spend the rest of her life bedridden if someone doesn't save her.

Plevan

Everyone now knows about the Nazi atrocities during WWII.  However, before the US was bombed at Pearl Harbor, the vast majority of American citizens either remained uninformed or just plain didn't care what Hitler did to the Jews, Gypsies, the handicapped and all his other "undesirables". History is now repeating itself. In many places around the world today children are being starved, locked away and ignored all because they are not "perfect" in the eyes of the society that they live in.

The idea that we as Americans have of orphanages is just not reality. When we see Little Orphan Annie we think of a nice old house fillled with lots of kids, maybe not the best way to grow up but certainly not the worst. The reality is much different. While no orphanage is a good place and most are not even mediocre, there are some that rise to the level of a Nazi concentration camp. One such place is a particular orphanage in Eastern Europe. Children there with such disabilities as Downs Syndrome and cerebral palsy are literally starved to death. They are given a mixture of water and another substance in old beer bottles with rubber nipples placed over the top and large holes cut in them where the mixture is forced down the kids throats. None of the kids are given solid foods and none know how to chew because of that. There are just a couple of staff on the weekends to care for 240 children. Consequently, the childrens diapers are not changed and many times they are not fed. The government has been made aware and is taking some steps to correct the situation but because of the limited funds and the condition of the children, they need help.

Several families are working to adopt or have adopted from this orphanage. The story of three little girls can be read about in their mothers blogs. To read Katies story: www.theblessingofverity.blogspot.com . Katie was 9 years old when her family adopted her. She weighed just 10 pounds. To read Faiths story: www.nogreaterjoymom.blogspot.com Faith is still in Plevan and at 14 years old weighs just 14 pounds. Her family is wrking quickly to get her home. To read Carringtons story www.carringtonscourage.com Carrington arrived home last March weighing just 11 pounds at 3 years old. After only a year at home with her family, she weighs 26 pounds and is sitting up and crawling. Please, please take the time to read these girls stories and see their pictures of what they looked like before and after and what difference a family can make.

I will be doing a fundraiser to raise money to help with several projects being started in this orphanage. One of the programs is sort of a "foster grandparent" program where several of the children will have their own "babba" who will come daily to hold, talk to and play with that child. Another necessity is for nursing staff to be added. These children are so malnourished that they must be carefully fed or risk having their little bodies shut down if they're given too many calories all at once. The kids need special formula for the same reason. Please add any comments on faundraisers that you have....I'm open to all suggestions! I have been thinking of doing a yard sale so if I do I will happily take donations from all of you who live in Northwest Indiana! Please pray for these kids!

Everybodys Kids

	We pray for the children who sneak Popsicles before supper, who erase holes in math workbooks, who can never find their shoes. And we pray for those who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire, who can't bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers, who never "counted potatoes," who never go to the circus, who live in an X-rated world. We pray for children who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions, who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money. And we pray for those who never get dessert, who have no safe blanket to drag behind them, who watch their parents watch them die, who can't find any bread to steal, who don't have any rooms to clean up, whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser, whose monsters are real. We pray for children who spend all their allowance before Tuesday, who throw tantrums in the grocery store and pick at their food, who like ghost stories, who shove dirty clothes under the bed, who never rinse out the tub, who get visits from the tooth fairy, who don't like to be kissed in front of the carpool, who squirm in church and scream in the phone, whose tears we sometimes laugh at and whose smiles can make us cry. And we pray for those whose nightmares come in the daytime, who will eat anything, who have never seen a dentist, who aren't spoiled by anybody, who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep, who live and move, but have no being. We pray for children who want to be carried and for those who must, who we never give up on and for those who don't get a second chance. For those we smother and...for those who will grab the hand of anybody kind enough to offer it.    This poem has touched me for many years but particularly since I've begun finding out what the lives of orphans are really like. At age 16, these kids are literally "shown the door" at the only home most of them have ever known. They are given about $30 and a ninth grade education and sent out into the world. Is it any wonder that most commit suicide or begin a life of crime or become victims of human traffickers? What choice do they have? YOU can make a difference in these childrens lives! What are YOU going to do?