Please don't forget them.

Dearest Readers,
Happy almost Christmas! I hope your upcoming celebration is filled with so much joy.

Today I'm here to talk about something hard. I'm here to talk about Russia. This country has many, many children in need. It has one of the worst orphanage systems in the world, and very few Russians are willing to adopt. It's estimated that 300,000 children languish in about 3,000 institutions across Russia. (LA Times)

This month is the two year anniversary of the Russian ban on adoptions, the Dima Yakovlev Law. This horrible, life altering bill was passed on December 28th 2012. It banned Americans from adopting from Russia, including families who had met and loved on their children. I remember being horrified into silence as I read article after article on this ban late that night. It seemed like an awful nightmare, and I couldn't believe it was true.  I read until the tears pouring out of my eyes prevented me from reading any more.


More than three hundred Russian orphans had American families working to bring them home. Those children remain in Russia today. Their families are heartbroken. The beautiful little angel you see pictured below is Natasha. Today she celebrated her ninth birthday in an orphanage, despite having a family that is desperate to see her in their arms. Her family had already met her when the ban was put into place.

This beautiful girl met her would-be adoptive family when she was six. She has spent an extra *unnecessary* two and a half years in an orphanage, and will most likely spend the rest of her life in state care if changes are not made. Children with disabilities are rarely adopted in Russia. Many are sent to adult institutions where malnutrition and neglect are the leading causes of death. 

In these past two years, these 300 plus parents have screamed for their children. Their cries alone aren't enough to get their children home, though. You can help them. Go "like" the Facebook page Parents United for Russian Orphans.  Their goal is to bring about change for the better in Russia, and to get these remaining children who had families home to them. If this isn't possible, their prayer is for Natasha and children in similar situations to find loving families in Russia. You can join them with your prayers, and write an encouraging note on their Facebook page. Please also share the group, share this blog post, share Natasha's picture...whatever you can to keep these children on the forefront of your prayer list! Once you've "liked" the page, you will find many more opportunities will be posted with ideas to help. 

I have been blessed with the opportunity to watch (thanks to the internet) not one, but TWO precious little ones with special needs find families in Russia. Russia is a beautiful country with a beautiful culture and people. The thought of these children getting to stay in their homeland, growing up with their language and people is a lovely one. Many Russians flooded the streets of Moscow in January 2013 in defiance of this bill. I get goosebumps envisioning so many people standing up for Natasha, for all of these children. Sadly, though, there are just too many orphans and not enough people able/willing to adopt. 

Please never forget the children who are locked away. Just because you don't see them everyday, don't forget their suffering. Please pray for them. Pray for the Russians who are risking everything by fighting for these children's rights. Please pray for the families in the States who are still heartbroken, especially Natasha's mama. Please never stop praying for Russia.

Your Blogger,

 Claire

One child and One family: How YOU can change their lives this Christmas!

Dear Readers,

I love this time of year. Every day just seems so much better when the air is cold and Christmas is right around the corner.

I don't so much love the panicky "Oh my goodness it's almost Christmas and I still have so much to do" feeling that has been creeping in lately. I mean, guys, I don't even have a clue what I'm getting anyone for Christmas! I had this great plan in October to cross-stitch all of my dear ones little ornaments...well, here we are at Thanksgiving, and I haven't finished on. Oye vey!

Not to mention, I signed up to be an angel tree warrior with Reece's Rainbow this year, and haven't even put sweet little guy's button up on my blog. Or started fundraising. Yep. I get the worst Angel Tree Warrior Ever Award.

But, I'm here now, and I'm here to introduce you to a little boy in Asia and to let you know how YOU can make a difference in his life.

Meet Titas. I'm pretty certain he's already stolen your heart, too, right? I wasn't going to be an AT Warrior (because, as we've already ascertained, I'm the worst), but no one picked sweet little Titas. And as soon as I saw his picture, I couldn't refuse. His sweet little smirk reminds me of a little boy I know and love in AZ. 

Titas will be six years old in January. He is a leader in his orphanage, and all of his caregivers and peers love him. He's kind and gentle, and understands much more than he can say. He goes to a special class and helps with the younger children in the class. So, basically, he's an angel child. But wait--there's more! His Reece's Rainbow description ends with, 

"He loves to play new games and sometimes he is naughty!"

Aha! So he isn't an angel all the time, just most of the time. 

That line makes me laugh out loud. His little smirk made me think he had a mischievous streak! 

That line means more than that, though. It means he has personality! Sometimes institutionalized children are constantly trying to please in order to gain affection. That sentence shows that he isn't so eager to please he's lost all sense of his own stubborn will. It's a very good thing! Besides, aren't mischievous little boys the best kind?! 

So, now you love Titas. Do you want to know how you can help him? As his AT Warrior, it's my responsibility to advocate for him until the New Year, and to fundraise for him in any way I come up with. I've put together a few Christmas goodies you can order to raise money for Titas! The money you give will be added to his grant on Reece's Rainbow. This money will be saved just for his family. When a family begins the process of adopting him, they will be able to use that money to bring him home. 

It's my firm belief that we are all called to serve the orphans. It really is true, though, that you don't have to adopt to make a difference. You also don't need to have a lot of money. 

The items I've made aren't expensive at all--but I promise you every small amount added to his grant makes it easier for a family to bring him home! You really will be making a difference....and you'll get a Christmas memento, too! 

Christmas gift card holders! Right one still available; five dollars.

Next up are the Christmas ornaments! These are also five dollars each, hand stitched, and firmly attached and glued to a small embroidery hoop. I can add a bow to the top for hanging in whatever color you would like! I am able to make multiple ornaments for all of the pictures you see. *However*, if you would like the music note one, the flower will have to be a different color/pattern. :) If you would like any of the designs in a different color or fabric just ask! 

DISCOUNT: THIS ONE IS THREE DOLLARS!

This one's my favorite :)

A package of five Santa Claus gift labels for five dollars! 

A set of three crocheted Christmas lights is twelve dollars! :)

Option number one for ordering these items: please go to this page and donate the amount you owe to Titas's grant. Email me a picture of your receipt (or just forward it to me) at clairesignshere at yahoo dot com. :)

Option number two: I love Angel Tree and the gift that it will be to the families adopting these sweet children. However, I can't ignore the fact that there are many families working hard to bring their children home right now. The Vargas family is one of these. They are working so hard to bring home three beautiful children with special needs. You might remember Sadie from this blog post? This is her family.  I want to give you the option to bless them this Christmas, as well. If your heart is so inclined, I will be selling packages of five gift tags (different from the Santa Claus ones) for five dollars per package to benefit this family. Follow the same process you would for buying an item that helps Titas, only donate to this page.

Thank you SO MUCH for making a difference in Titas's life and in the lives of the newest Vargas children this Christmas! You are changing the world for them. Be praying for Titas, Alonzo, Sophia, and Sadie as they spend their days in the orphanage, and please pray for their families--for Titas's family to realize he is theirs, and for the Vargas family as they work to bring their children home! 

Much love to you, dear Readers, and I hope your Thanksgiving is full of love and laughter! 

Your Blogger who is so thankful for you,

Claire

This set of three is twelve dollars.

She waits

Dear Readers,

This beautiful girl is Sadie. She has waited eight years for a family, and just recently watched her best friend go home with her family. Can you imagine that? She longs for a family of her own. Her best friend's family spent a lot of time with her while they visited their daughter, and said the following about sweet Sadie:

"URGENT!! Sadie's file is available and she needs a family to see her and know she is theirs. 

The night before we met our daughter the nannies said the girls laid in their cribs talking. Our daughter asked Sadie, "What if they don't like me?" and Sadie assured her, "Of course they will love you!" And our daughter said, "Then we need cake to celebrate"! 

The night before our last visit the nannies said Sadie  told our daughter she would miss her so much. Our daughter promised Sadie that night that we would find her a family. There they laid in their little cribs and exchanged a promise so profound. I promise not to forget her, a promise to bring her hope and love, a promise that a family will be found and come and call her their daughter! 

They (Sadie and the author's daughter) are the only two verbal children in their room. They have been best friends since they first were able to speak, the nannies told us. I cannot imagine her being left behind. If you could hear her giggle you would agree there is nothing in this world sweeter. 

Our translator said Sadie is incredibly smart! Our translator actually cried the day we left and said she is precious and needs a family to come and asked that we would help to find a family. 

Sadie insists on doing anything she can do for herself... she is very determined. She has the nannies (and she had us) laughing so much. And she has a mighty throw when playing catch with the ball.... she could throw it further than our daughter. 

Sadie had a family that couldn't continue and she already met them and knew what love feels like. Before she didn't know, but now she does and she wants it again so badly!! When we were saying goodbye, our daughter just smiled but Sadie's eyes were wide open and her little chest started to show she was breathing so heavy. She didn't want love to leave again. We spent every moment with her the same as our daughter and would love to answer any questions anyone has. Would you help us keep our daughter's promise, would you help her not be left behind?? If you are not Sadie's family can you please share this post everyday until we find them??!!"


You can tell a lot about someone by the way they handle a difficult situation. Sadie has handled every difficult situation thrown at her with grace and wisdom. She put her own hurt at being left behind and desire for a family behind her in order to encourage and love her dear friend. What a precious spirit this young lady has. 

If you would like more information about this beautiful girl, you can contact Shelley at 
shele337@gmail.com.

Your Blogger,
Claire

Birthday Week Featured Child: Mirabel

Dearest Readers,

It is now, officially, our birthday week. Woohoo!

 Our birthday is Friday, I have my theater class's show Saturday, and then it's Easter! I will be blogging about the festivities once they are all said and done. But today it is time for you all to meet....


Mirabel.

Mirabel means "wondrous", or of wondrous beauty. Definitely
an appropriate name for this beautiful girl!

About this time last year I wrote this post about an orphan in Eastern Europe who, like me, was about to turn 16.

I knew I wanted to feature another waiting child this week, but who? An April baby? Another 16 year old? Instead, I picked a four year old born in August.

That smile. So precious!

Mirabel is four years old. In her country, this means she will be transferred to a mental institution soon. Soon she will be taken away from the only home she has ever known. She's only four years old. Most four year olds in America don't cross the street without a parent's hand.

 Adoptive families are called forever families for a reason. Mirabel's whole life has been unstable. Nothing has been constant. When she is home with her family, though, the same person will wake her up every morning. She won't cry alone after surgeries. 

A family that met her last year said the following: 

” We saw Mirabel this morning.  She is in the laying down room.  The nannies were carrying them outside.  She can’t hold her head up, support herself, sit, or stand.   It looks like she has no control over her legs at all…flopped to the side when the nannies carried her. She does, however, have good use of her arms.  She kept reaching up to try to touch me.  I gave her a set of the rings to play with.   She was SO happy to have something to play with. She kept smiling at me. I really think that there is a smart, aware little girl in that broken body.”

Will you please pray for Mirabel this week? Pray that she will get to celebrate her birthday with her family one day. 

If you would like more information on adopting Mirabel, please go to her profile at http://reecesrainbow.org/?s=mirabel. 

Your Blogger,

 Claire

Four Little Lives

Dear Readers,

 Please take four minutes and watch this video. 

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/26332429/ns/dateline_nbc-international/t/serbias-horrific-institutions-relic-past/#.UkcLK7_N7FI


Then look at the below children...all of whom are facing transfer to mental institutions like the one in the video.

Janna, facing imminent transfer to a mental institution

Marla, facing imminent transfer

Salome, facing imminent transfer

Jefferson, already transferred.

Now please take a moment to pray for these children. Please pray for their biological parents and the hurt they may be feeling. Please pray for these precious ones, pray for them to be filled with peace during this time. And please pray that adoptive families will come for them before they are transferred. 

Your Blogger,

 Claire

For Kyle.

Sweet baby Kyle. Look at those eyes! They seem to pierce your soul, don't they? 

This picture was taken several years ago when Kyle was still living in his baby house.

Since then, he has been transferred to a mental institution. 

Do you recognize this boy? Still the same soulful, beautiful eyes...

Only in this picture his face is marred with gashes. 

These pictures hurt my heart, and I almost didn't share them because it is just too sad. It is all too sad. 

Please pray for Kyle. I urgently ask you to pray for this precious little boy. 

Isaiah 54:10

Nothing I say will ever make this situation better. Kyle's country is closed to Americans, and so my family can't adopt him. Chances are yours probably can't either. (But if you are Canadian then by all means go rescue this boy!) But we can all pray. We can pray for comfort and peace for Kyle...we can pray for his caregivers to be moved to not just meet his most basic needs, but to love him. We can pray for him to palpably feel the Lord's love for him. 

Because that verse is true. Though the mountains shake...though life is ripped apart at the seams...the Lord's love is still with us. Nothing can remove His covenant of peace with us. He is moved to compassion for Kyle, for you. He doesn't sit by passively and watch us suffer--He cries with us when we cry and  counts our tears in His bottle. (Psalm 56:8) 

My dad once told me something that really impacted me. What if we look at life as merely five minutes. Yeah, sometimes those five minutes are excruciatingly painful. But they are only five minutes. We have an eternity of pure joy stretching before us...but first we have to get through these five minutes. 

Please pray for Kyle as he goes through these five minutes. 

Your Blogger,

 Claire

Orphan Care

She laughed as I pulled her hair up into a ponytail for the third time. She wanted it to match her friend's hair, but I just couldn't get it high enough. Or smooth enough. After finally getting it right, she pulled it out. Ha!

We just started walking around the orphanage that is home to so many precious kids. On seeing a ball, I  grabbed it and asked if she wanted to play. Of course she did. :) Soon we had a little group of four children playing, and she was laughing so hard she missed the ball almost every time. 

After a while a couple of girls wandered off, and soon Ana found the swings to be much more interesting than our three-person game of fútbol. I pushed her and her little friend for a while, before they decided to take me on a tour of their home. (Ah, the attention span of little kiddos)...

They pointed everything out to me, including the multiple video cameras stationed, and the gate that they pointedly showed me they were not allowed to go out of.  

Look at those pictures. See the adorable gap in her teeth? She is growing up, reaching milestones, learning new things--all without a family. 

I still can't believe I got to hold her in my arms. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to show those precious ones love...and so thankful for the love that they filled me with. I'll always cherish memories of my time with Ana, and the other sweet kiddos there.

Angelina is another precious little girl growing up without the love of a family. Look at this picture from 2011, and look at the below one from this year...

She is in the same exact bed. She has been living in that bed, waiting for her family, for six years. I have never met Angelina, but judging by her precious smile I would say she has the same spirit as little Ana (their names have been changed for privacy). 

"How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
    The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings." ~Psalm 36:7

These pictures raise a lot of questions. Where are their families? Why are they living there? Why on earth haven't these beautiful girls been adopted yet? 

I don't have the answers to those questions, but I find comfort in that verse and the fact that I know God has a beautiful plan for their lives. I know He is holding them in the shadow of His wings. 

You don't have to travel the world over to show these children the love and comfort of the Father. Pray for these dear girls and the thousands of others like them around the world as they live out their days in government institutions. Pray for the families who are working to bring their child(ren) home through adoption. Pray for the ministries and their workers who are being Jesus' hands and feet and meeting these children! 

Thank you for reading. 

Your Blogger,

 Claire

Dearest Readers,

   Thank you so very much for your prayers, kind notes, and words of encouragement this week. We so appreciate you!!

Hopefully Benjamin will be coming home tomorrow (woohoo!!!). In this entire hospital stay, as in the ones years past, my mom has been by his side the entire time. She left only briefly yesterday. (And yes, we enjoyed every moment she was home!)

Every time we are in that hospital room, I'm blown away by my mom's love and care. Despite her extreme exhaustion, she jumps up whenever Benjamin needs her. And every time we are in that hospital room, I find myself wondering about the children who are in the hospital without their mothers beside them? I have wished numerous times during the week that I could DO something for children left alone in the hospital. And although they're not in the hospital, I do know of three precious ones who are at this moment lying in a bed without their mother beside them to comfort them. I wish with all of my heart that they had someone to hold them in their arms and love them. And since I can't magically transport myself to these precious little ones, (Mason's been introducing me to Doctor Who this week...I couldn't help myself :)) I can make sure that one more person knows about them. 

So without further ado....meet Seeley, Linny, and Marla. 

This picture breaks my heart. Sweet Seeley's little arms. He looks as if he's just laying there, waiting for someone to swoop in and tenderly hold him and love him. I've looked at it so many times these past couple of years, and yet no one has ever come to pick him up and take him out the doors of his orphanage. He still lies in that crib alone.

There are many children like Seeley listed on Reece's Rainbow. They're referred to as "crib babies" because they are bedridden. The saddest part of Seeley's story? His mother cared for him until April 2012. He's been alone ever since then. I can't imagine having your mom by your side, and then one day losing her. I would be devastated.  Precious Seeley has had to endure that. 

Sweet Linny. Another crib baby...

I know for a fact that sweet Linny has been in the hospital recovering from surgery. She had an operation to repair her spina bifida. She was developing typically physically and mentally after this operation. At 21 months old, however, she was admitted to the hospital again, this time for head trauma. She endured yet another surgery, and is now paralyzed on the right side and unable to walk or talk. Was she alone during these hospitalizations?

Precious Marla, who will soon be transferred to
a mental institution...

And then there's dear Marla. This precious angel is six years old. In an earlier picture, she was laughing. Here she looks so heartbreakingly alone. Once transferred to an institution her hope for a family, for a life outside of a crib,  will be practically non-existent.

These are just three of many, many crib babies in the world. They all contain so much life inside of them if only they would be taken out of those cribs!

Please pray for these little angels on earth. Please pray that someone will see their value and lift them out of those cribs. I'm thankful to know that even though they don't have mamas beside them, Jesus has never left their side. 

Interested in adoption? Reece's Rainbow

photo courtesy of Mellissa 

Dear Readers,
    Russia's ban on adoptions broke my heart. It's like I'm being punched in the stomach every time I go to Reece's Rainbow and realize this child or that child no longer has a family coming for them.
When I see anything remotely related to Russia on the news, I stop whatever I'm doing and give it all my attention. But it's never the news I want to hear. People are saying they may never allow us to adopt those kids. My heart breaks for these precious children, and I long to scoop them all up into my arms.

     Now there's nothing for us to do but pray for Russia. So we will pray. And in the meantime, there are many many many other precious babies waiting who are NOT in Russia.

  Latvia is another country that has many orphans waiting for their families. Like Russia, children with special needs are institutionalized. And they deserve families just as much as these Russian children do!
   Dee Etheridge (from http://faithlovehopeandcourage.blogspot.com) answered some of my questions on her experience adopting her daughter from Latvia, and has graciously allowed me to share them here! I hope the answers encourage you. I found them very insightful, and have to say, they gave me the itch to adopt from Latvia! :) Enjoy, dear ones!

Why did you decide to adopt from Latvia? I found my child first and then luckily she was in a country I was able to adopt from


How did you find your children? Were they listed on Reece's Rainbow? I'm a foster parent and while at a meeting someone mentioned the book The Connected Child. When I googled the book, it linked it to Reece's Rainbow. That was sometime around spring of 2011. I was immediately hooked. But I was looking at it as an advocate and providing financial support for families and children. I saw Darya (listed as Brigita on RR) that summer. I had started doing daily prayers for certain children and families and Darya was one I prayed for daily. I fell in love with her beautiful smile! I honestly did not feel Darya's chances of adoption were good given her description and age. It wasn't until Sept. that I felt/heard God tell me that Darya was my daughter. It was an experience I had never had before and cannot even describe fully. It was like I had instantly fallen in love with Darya. It was a tough decision though. I am single and was very scared about adopting a
child with special needs, esp. being so very low functioning. It was extremely emotional. But I knew in my heart that Darya was my daughter and that I couldn't go one without her. 


What were the conditions of the orphanage/institution like? Darya was transferred to her institution in 2009 when she was 4yo. It was very clean, the children were separated into groups and lived in what looked like small apartments, and there was a playground there. When we went on the first trip, it was their summer and so they let the kids go outside twice a day. I'm not sure if they got to go out like that when its cold. The children were clean. The girls had long hair and it was fixed nicely. Darya was very clean. There were about 6-7 kids in each group. They just recently added a school on the campus. Darya had not started yet but was supposed to start that Sept. The caregivers seemed to genuinely care about the kids. However, Darya does have a lot of learned behaviors that are concerning (biting, hitting, pinching) and self-plays being choked, bit, spanked, pinched, pulls her hair, slapping herself in the face, etc. I don't think she was abused
necessarily. I think a lot of this behavior likely came from other kids. While I was there, a much older boy/young man kept pulling her coat to choke her and pulling her hair. 



What would you tell someone considering adopting from Latvia/ considering adopting a child with special needs? In regards to special needs, research everything you can and have as little expectation for your child as possible. Even for their future. A family met Darya in 2010 and shared their experience (and pictures) with me. Based on that, I was expecting a very listless, extremely delayed child with other issues aside from Ds. I was pleasantly surprised to find Darya in much better shape and development. 

In regards to Latvia, be prepared for many trips and long stays. But, this country allows you the opportunity to bring your child home the first trip! Its a fantastic blessing (with added financial problems though). But I'd do it again. Latvia is beautiful and a wonderful place to visit. But it can be expensive. Bring some food yourself. In addition, multiple unrelated children can be adopted together. 


How many trips did you make to Latvia during the adoption process? 3 trips total. The 1st trip is to meet your child. The child(ren) stay with the family in an apartment or home for 10-14 days or so. This is for a bonding period. If you want to adopt multiple children, the children have to spend this bonding time together. Social workers visit you in the home to check on the child and see how bonding is doing. This trip is about 17 days. Both parents travel this trip. 

After you come home, you get the paperwork together and apply for the I800a. The 2nd trip comes after this and the article 5 are received (the embassy does that based on the approved I800a). This is the actual adoption hearing. Latvia has a mandatory 20 day appeal period. Only 1 parent needed. If the child is over 12yo and went home after the 1st trip, the child has to return for this trip. 

The 3rd trip is after the 20 day appeal period. This is to get the new birth certificate, passport, medical, and Visa. This trip is about a week. I believe only 1 parent for this one as well and the child has to travel this trip. 


How are your children doing now that they are home? Darya is doing fantastic! She has transitioned well and is learning so much. She was taught basically nothing and I'm not sure what she understood or didn't understand in her language. But she has caught on to English really well and follows simple commands well. Her self-injurious and self-stemming behaviors are getting better. She hits, bites, and pinches people all the time but its not as fierce and hard as it was in the beginning. She is learning sign language and definitely has potential to learn to speak some. She can quack and makes other noises that mimic syllables/words. She still doesn't really play and the self-play of hurting herself is a bit sad. She is becoming more and more healthy. Her hair and skin glow and her physical abilities are getting better (though she has really good muscle tone anyway). She loves to snuggle, loves to have you sing to her, loves music in general, and loves to
swing! She is so much easier than I was expecting but at the same time is a lot of work. I think she is fantastic (though I may be biased). 



   If you are interested in adopting, visit reecesrainbow.org for more information. And please remember to keep those precious kiddos in Russia in your prayers. Your Blogger,
 Claire

It could have been me. Reece's Rainbow Waiting Child

Benjamin, Mason, and I meet Cinderella!

Dear Readers,

  Today was a wonderful day for us and I hope it was for you, too! It was so wonderful to be together again. We had fun sending out Christmas cards and sewing! Thank you for your prayers for Benjamin....we truly appreciate them. He is doing well! 

    I was all set to write a Christmas post, but God had other plans...

                                

Rebekah, a precious child listed
on Reece's Rainbow

Meet Rebekah. Isn't she just precious? I was scrolling through Reece's Rainbow this afternoon in search of a child to feature on an advocacy blog that I'm blessed to write for, Still We Wait. I fell in love with her and decided to post about her. As I pulled up the short segment Reece's Rainbow has on her, I read a sentence that hit me in the chest. See if you notice anything about this sentence: "Rebekah was born premature at 27 weeks and has quadriplegic CP." 

    Born early at 27 weeks. Benjamin, Mason, and I were born at 28 weeks. Oh. My. Goodness. 

  I suddenly was filled with the desire to go hug her now, to hold her and squeeze her and never to let her go. She has Quadriplegic CP just like Benjamin. She was born at 28 weeks. And she is darling. 

  

    "Okay, Claire, we get it, y'all were all born early! What's the big deal? Most of the kids listed on RR were born early!" I know. I know, I know, I know. 

   But the reason her story so broke my heart was because I know that could have been me. Or Benjamin. Or Mason. We could very well have been the child listed on a waiting children site. 

   But the difference between Rebekah and Benjamin, Mason, and I is our mothers. My mother chose life for us, because she loved us with or without disabilities. She loved us through the long, tiring days at the NICU...loved us through hard days of therapy....loved us through times where I felt alone because I didn't have CP...loved us through surgeries...tears....and days of joy and triumph. Rebekah's Mommy said she couldn't do it. She said she couldn't handle a baby born premature, couldn't handle CP. 

   

   I'm not going to lie. This makes me mad. So, so, nailbiting mad. How anyone could look at that face and not be willing to give her the world is unthinkable to me. 

I'm angry that all mothers aren't like my Mom. I'm angry that Rebekah's Mom was unwilling to care for her daughter, despite the sacrifices. I'm angry that she has to suffer while I was blessed with so much. I'm angry that she has waited for six years. I'm angry that no one has snatched up this beautiful little girl! How could you not?? 

   

  But maybe you are feeling like Rebekah's birth mom did. Maybe you feel called to adopt, but unable to care for a child with a disability. Let me tell you this: You yourself are unable to handle caring for Rebekah. It's true. You can't do it. But God can. God is able to care for her and the millions of other inhabitants of the earth. In fact, He does it everyday! He is caring for her as we speak. He is caring for you, and me, and my family and yours, too. He will carry you as you carry Rebekah out of that orphanage. His GRACE is sufficient for you in all that you do. Adoption included.

   My sweet little angel Marcia is no longer listed on Reece's Rainbow as being available for adoption. She may never know the love of a family, may never feel the arms of her mother around her. She might not know how it feels to be loved until she reaches Heaven. She waited for five years and now it is too late.

  

    But it is not yet too late for Rebekah! She still has a chance! She is filled with so much joy, despite her suffering. She would be the biggest blessing you have ever received, I can assure you of that. She needs you. Please step up and save her before it is too late. 

Give her the world like my Mom gave me. 

Thank you, Mom, for all you have done for us and continue
to do! You are the biggest blessing
God has ever given me!
 Te amo!

There is HOPE for Rebekah and many other children around the world! Please remember them in your prayers as we celebrate the One who gave us blessed hope. Your Blogger,
 Claire

  

     

Orphan Sunday: Reece's Rainbow

Dear Readers,

Every time I go on to Reecesrainbow.com, I go to the search box and type in the name "Marcia".

And every time I type that up, the above picture is my answer. I had allowed my heart to hope just a little bit in the moments between the home page and the no results page. "Maybe she will be there this time!!" But Marcia is no longer listed on Reece's Rainbow. So instead of her sweet little picture, 

I'm greeted with this dismal message: "NO RESULTS FOUND". 

But does the fact that she is no longer on Reece's Rainbow mean she no longer exists? Of course not!

Somewhere this precious girl is locked in a mental institution. Somewhere halfway around the world from me Marcia is hurting.  This sweet girl is in desperate need of a family. She needs someone to hug her and kiss her and wipe all her tears away. She needs someone to scoop her up from that crib she spends all day in and tell her she is loved. Marcia needs medical care for her Spina Bifida and love for her tender little heart. 

This picture makes me cry every time. Seeing her little fist on those metal bars...that hopeful look in her eyes! When I was able to get updates on her from Reece's Rainbow they said she had lost all hope. 

Lost all hope. 

Today is Orphan Sunday. 

Marcia is one of millions. There are hundreds of millions of children in the world who go every day without a mommy or daddy tucking them in at night. Like Marcia, they have no one to tell them they are loved. 

If you jumped from foster family to foster family because they couldn't handle your extensive emotional needs, or disabilities, or even just your personality, how would you feel? If you were left in a cold bed all day, never feeling a loving touch, would you feel loved?

Here are some staggering statistics from Show Hope: 

 43.4 million orphans live in sub-Saharan Africa, 87.6 million orphans live in Asia, and 12.4 million orphans live in Latin America and the Caribbean.
 1.5 million children live in public care in Central and Eastern Europe alone.
 At any given point there are over 500,000 children in the U.S. Foster Care system.

Do you know what "public care" means? Public care means a mental institution where they lay a five year old down on a bed the day she arrives, and she will hardly ever leave that bed again. Public care means laying in that crib with nothing to listen to all day but the screams of the others in there. Public care means stimming and biting yourself because you are so, so bored. 

Today is Orphan Sunday. Today we need to do something for those children who are in Foster Care in the US. Today we need to do something for the millions dying in orphanages and mental institutions around the world. 

Today we need to pray.

       

Her life is no mistake.

"The other side of the world....she's just a few days old...a helpless little girl, with no family of her own. She is not to blame for the journey she is on. Her life is no mistake.
                                                Won't you lead her to my cross?

  Won't you be my voice calling?....won't you be my hands healing?...won't you be my feet walking, into a broken world?... Won't you be my chain breaker?... Won't you be my peacemaker?... Won't you be my hope and joy?
                                                         Won't you be my love?"
 ~Mercy Me's Won't You Be My Love


Dear Readers,
  Above are two pictures of Marla, a five year old listed on Reece's Rainbow. She has Cerebral Palsy and faces imminent transfer to a mental institution.  I can't even write I'm just staring at her picture wishing I could scoop her up and hold her close.  My arms are getting that achy feeling I get so often when I look at these kids' profiles...tears are blurring my vision and  I...am going to stop before I just burst into tears.  It's not fair that she is lying there alone, about to go to a mental institution where she will probably die. It's just not fair. We aren't allowed to say that phrase in my house, but there is nothing else TO say as I look at her picture...This child deserves so much more than this. So much more.
    Won't you be Christ's love and commit to pray for sweet Marla?
There are so many orphans around the world...and yet even though this earth and its people have failed them, God hasn't. He cares deeply about each of these children...so I feel it is important to pray not just a blessing over "all the orphans of the world", but to pray for individuals, also. Let Marla's story hurt your heart. Cry over her. Don't just generalize this group of children and not let your heart be touched. They are real, they are living. Show them someone still cares.
Your Blogger,
 Claire
   
 
Dear Marla.
  Please know that your life is not a mistake. There is One who loves you so much...He loves you more than anything else in the world! He cares for you so much He was even willing to die for you. And even though you may feel alone right now, I need you to know that you are not. Your Heavenly Father is with you always...He's there when you hurt, and He's holding your hand as you cry. He cheers for you  when you experience joy, and waits for the day when you will be back in His Arms again. He's using you, even now as you lay in that crib, for His Glory. You are touching the hearts of those around you and those around the world who see your picture. Don't lose hope, precious girl, and remember that you are a treasured child of the King! You are important and you are loved.
Much love,
 Claire

One more note... here is a devotion from Joni and Friends that I felt related to Marla and all the other children listed on Reece's Rainbow...

 

Ryan Leads the Way

Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends! Philippians 4:1 Ryan Mazza is a profoundly disabled man who lives in a care center. He was born with Crouzon's syndrome and has endured countless setbacks which have left him blind, mentally disabled, paralyzed, and unable to feed himself. But he can hear. He loves the sound of his father's voice - especially when his dad reads to him from the Bible. In fact, his father used to work as senior American executive for the Suzuki Motor Company located near Ryan's care center - many times the nurse would call Doug Mazza out of a meeting: "We are having trouble getting Ryan to eat his lunch... would you please come over? He'll respond to you!" No matter if it was a top management meeting or a marketing presentation, Doug was out-the-door to go help his son. To this day, Doug reflects, "No one has impacted me more for Christ than Ryan." This young man inspires not only Doug, but thousands who hear his story. Does this make Ryan nothing more than an audio-visual aid in the hands of a utilitarian God who only uses him for inspiring others? Are Ryan's severe hardships merely "object lessons" from which we can learn? What does Ryan stand to gain? Plenty! What others gain from observing Ryan's sweet attitude gets credited to his eternal account (Philippians 1:25). Almighty God notices when Ryan's life encourages others - if they profit, Ryan gains. If his dad is rewarded, Ryan reaps. Ryan's "joy and crown" are people who are blessed by his example. Think of the crowns being reserved for Ryan Mazza! By the way, his father left Suzuki years ago... N. Douglas Mazza serves as our President at the Joni and Friends International Disability Center. And, yes, Ryan keeps leading the way. Lord Jesus, I need this perspective in my life. I pray for all the "Ryans" who are persevering through pain - thank you for the rewards they'll receive in heaven for inspiring people like me.