tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37221398522694248982024-03-05T15:45:24.076-08:00BeginningsYoung Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.comBlogger203125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-76275920520471867452014-11-02T03:09:00.000-08:002014-11-02T03:09:25.710-08:00Psalm 31Early this morning I was reading my Bible and praying through part of Psalm 31 when I was struck by some scripture.
Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. (9)
Immediately I thought of Cherie.
http://reecesrainbow.org/1633/cherie
She has lost vision due to a shunt failure. So has Mary Ellen.
http://reecesrainbow.org/68522/mary-ellen
Mary Ellen is in distress and her soul and body are grieving.
My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.
I wondered how many years Cherie and Mandy would wait, groaning?
http://reecesrainbow.org/9351/mandy4106
Think of the older children waiting, confined to a crib; when will their strength fail? Is Reign's “affliction” cerebral palsy... or is it loneliness?
http://reecesrainbow.org/59331/reign
We all have heard stories about how years of malnutrition and crib life weaken a child's bones. Cherie is often in a crib or stroller. Are her bones growing weak? How about Denzel?
http://reecesrainbow.org/65205/denzel
His old picture showed his heartbreakingly skinny legs. Is he getting enough food in his tube? How much time is he allowed to be out of his crib, let alone getting therapy that will help maintain or strengthen his bone density?
Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors; I am a dread to my friends—those who see me on the street flee from me. (11)
I have heard stories of children with craniofacial differences who are adopted. When they are adopted, their own people avoid their new families. I know one family was advised to stay in their hotel room because bias against their daughters caused some sort of complaint against them. I have heard that children have been spit at, and I've heard that they are considered cursed by their own parents. Is that what people in their country think about Cherie and Mandy?
Is Keagan treated like he is a curse?
http://reecesrainbow.org/81957/keagan
I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. (12)
Have Cherie and Mandy been forgotten? How about Clarice?
http://reecesrainbow.org/32799/clarice
She is so much more than a broken dish. A broken and forgotten human being is still the image of the Father.
For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side; they conspire against me and plot to take my life. (13)
Imagine being an orphan in a time of war. Ernie was formerly located in a region where there was unrest, but now he is available again because he was relocated.
http://reecesrainbow.org/44061/ernie
God has not forgotten him. This is his miraculous second chance to find a family. Now his family needs to act.
I kept reading to look at the rest of the psalm, to see the path that God might set before Cherie, Mandy and others if He rescues them as he did David (the psalmist):
But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” (14)
I need to trust in God and His timing for when my family can adopt. I need to trust in Him to find a family for Cherie and for Mandy.
I don't know if Trudy and Tristan know to trust Him, but I do know that the Lord is their God as well.
http://reecesrainbow.org/54397/trudy
http://reecesrainbow.org/54394/tristan
I know that he is their hope of rescue and salvation. So is the family that He will call to be His hands and feet, to go to them, to rescue them, to free them, to bring him home.
My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me. (15)
He has a plan for Cherie and for Mandy. He has a plan for Abram, too. I do not know how much time Abram has....
http://reecesrainbow.org/79598/abram-2
I do know that his Father holds that time in His hands; I do not know who will be the Father's hands and feet and become an earthly father and mother to a fragile little boy who needs to learn the love that they and his heavenly Father have for him.
Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. (16)
God wants to save Cherie and Mandy. He wants to save them all. His face shines on Rachel.
http://reecesrainbow.org/83258/rachel
His face shines on Dewey.
http://reecesrainbow.org/79470/dewey
He wants them all to come home.
Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord. (24)Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-30267518862348199112013-01-13T20:36:00.003-08:002013-01-13T20:36:55.148-08:00Where am I going?I know I haven't been regular but I needed to post this and... this is the place.
Josiah. Sammy. Owen. Shaun. Philip. Eddie. Vanessa. Xenia. Tatiana.
Mason.
Genesis.
Names of kids I loved and prayed for over a year ago when I first started following RR.
I decided I wanted to adopt. We were having trouble conceiving--maybe it was time. I saw a description, a little boy who just needed a family to love him, and DH said find out more. He was half a year older than our daughter. Soon we were trying to start a home study with an agency deciding whether they would even do one for his country. They said yes... and we found out he had been adopted and was no longer available. I questioned whether we would still adopt. We thought about other countries and/or going blind. But I still looked at RR. How could I look and not love them? I saw a little girl I hadn't noticed before. I hadn't noticed her happy picture, but I noticed her sad picture. We didn't have much to go on. But I fell in love with this sweet girl... and I decided not to go blind after all. I decided we would pursue her. DH agreed despite the unknowns. She never felt like mine, really... not like the first one did. But we went forward... slowly. Educating ourselves took a long time, and we were already up to our ears in our two kids. We sent her Christmas presents, participated in a program to send presents to other kids at her institution. By mistake she was put on MFFM. I thought some other family had adopted her, and I was not sad for her.... Did we want her, though? Yes we did. We did. And she stayed on MFFM. And we got an update. Not a happy update. Not what we'd pictured. Extreme delays... delays that might or might not be from her disability and a new disability we had not known about. If we had older children, or no children, we could give her the attention she would need, but we had two very young children. And two days later... two days... we found out it was actually 3 children. Not exactly unplanned. We weren't avoiding. Certainly not unwanted. We debated. What was a sign? What wasn't? How did we know whether to pursue? RR gently said that they would take her off MFFM, and I didn't say no. We told the agency we were pregnant. They said see you in a few years, and no your HS can't be on hold. Not till baby is 18 months (had been 12 before). We could have found a new agency. We didn't. We weren't sure we could give her all she needed.
Days later that little girl found a new family more perfect than we ever had been. Who had a son JUST LIKE HER. Who completed their adoption in barely more time than we'd been working on the home study. The little girl had a family... and I was pregnant through my parents' divorce, which was a comfort I badly needed then and couldn't have known. I had complications, surgery around 17 weeks, and there's no way things would have gone well for us to be travelling in my second trimester. God knew all of it. And we DID help that little girl come home.
Sasha. Ivan. Kacey. Gianna. Cherie.
I watched RR. I always look at the newly listed kids. Maybe one day I'll say, "that's my son" or "she's my daughter." But it hasn't happened.
I get crushes like a teenager in high school. Ten at once, some more intense than others. They come and I fall hard... and they go. Some have families. Some still don't... but they stop resonating the way they first did. Mostly.
There's one little boy in a place I didn't want to consider the first time around. Growing up through four pictures.... four pictures where he never smiles. My daughter wants a sister. My husband wants a handle on the three we have now. I don't know what I want. The newest little girl I crushed on, in the safe (ish) country? The little boy I loved from the beginning, my first RR love, the one I thought of late on the night before my induction and thought about when I heard about the ban and talk myself into and out of--too old now. Don't know his prognosis. None of those cute stories from anyone who met him. Never quite out of my heart.
Is this what it's like? I fall for them--but then I un-fall. I want to--but I am afraid (and I'm not even the reluctant one). Is it really for real, when I keep falling out of love as easily as in, when I wait and it passes, when I see a potential family member in one picture but dismissed an earlier one? I am overwhelmed already with my 3 bio kids (4 1/2, 3, 6 months). I can't stop thinking what if--pros and cons. I know that if God wants it He can show my husband--I have faith in Him that he can move and in my husband that he would follow. I'm not patient enough, not loving enough, not perfect and wouldn't I have to be? I don't know how to find the drive to get done what needs to be done... when, how will it come together? Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-29501035023569444002012-08-15T06:30:00.000-07:002012-08-15T06:39:02.193-07:00A new name<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ts3f-updatejan2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="168" width="118" src="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ts3f-updatejan2012.jpg" /></a></div>
I noticed <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">Peter</a> more than a year ago. He has the same name as my son and my husband, and even looks kind of like my boy Peter. He's a beautiful little boy, isn't he? His last picture was awful--too bright and you could barely see his face--but even so I decided he looked like my Peter, and I liked him.<br><br>
If you are on the Reece's Rainbow facebook page, or keep a close eye on the listings, you may have noticed something. Slowly but surely, <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/42954/felicity-8w">additional children</a> are getting <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/42965/brant-8w">their own pages</a>. They are being given <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/42974/rurik">new names</a> and a chance to be seen by a family as <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/42987/reagan-8w">individuals</a>. There's no new information but it makes it easier to <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/43013/eloise">share them</a>, and that much easier to consider <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/43019/zannen">committing to them</a>.<br><br>
Peter will have his own page, too, and a better chance at a family! I am hoping that he will be able to get more exposure then instead of being buried in the middle of the additional children.<br><br>
I had the privilege of naming three of these precious boys who have new pages:
<br><a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/43007/obadiah">Obadiah</a>:
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<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/179nbDmitryS-225x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="225" src="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/179nbDmitryS-225x300.jpg" /></a></div>
<br>He shares a name with my 7-week-old son :)
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<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/42977/nehemiah">Nehemiah</a>:
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<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/images/novafml.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="500" width="375" src="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/images/novafml.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/42979/phineas-8w">Phineas</a>:<br>
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<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/5cbp-update-june2012-e1340763469438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="292" width="225" src="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/5cbp-update-june2012-e1340763469438.jpg" /></a></div>
<br>
I asked for Phinehas, but he is adorable... I think all three suit their names.
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And <a href="http://adoptionbeginnings.blogspot.com/2012/02/need-is-desperate-for-these-cute-chubby.html">this precious girl</a> is now <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/42956/wren-8w">Wren</a>:
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<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/17sm1AlexanderC2011-225x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="225" src="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/17sm1AlexanderC2011-225x300.jpg" /></a></div>
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I am especially hoping a family will step forward for her now.Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-71409592690618536362012-08-14T08:53:00.002-07:002012-08-14T08:53:53.121-07:00This is what joy looks likeCatherine is four and has Down Syndrome in a country where that means her parents abandoned her and in a few years she will be sent to a mental institution for the rest of her unnaturally shortened life.
<BR><BR>Her only hope is for someone to see her on the <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">"additional children" page</a> and take an extraordinary leap--decide with nothing more than a picture to make her their daughter and bring her home.<BR><BR> And yet... look at her joy:<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/qsmx-update2011-23-e1322504354766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="378" width="300" src="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/qsmx-update2011-23-e1322504354766.jpg" /></a></div>
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If you bring her home, I am sure she could teach you a great deal.Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-676444620659138012012-08-12T03:01:00.001-07:002012-08-14T08:46:21.588-07:00Life to the full<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/qyyl-update-april2012-e1333666899964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="293" width="225" src="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/qyyl-update-april2012-e1333666899964.jpg" /></a></div>
This is Galina.<BR><BR>
Jesus loves her.<BR><BR>
From the beginning of time, Jesus knew when Galina would be born. He and His Father planned for her salvation. He knew that she would be born in a poor communist country, that she would be abandoned shortly after birth because she had Down Syndrome.<BR><BR>
But Galina was created through Jesus Himself, made in the very Image of the Father. She is the work of His Hands. Every day of her life is written in His book, and His daughter is of more worth to Him than precious gold, or refined silver, or rubies. God intended Galina to know fullness of life.<BR><BR>
Look at her sweet face.<BR><BR>
Now, in her orphanage, does she know fullness of life? <BR><BR>
Is this the great plan God has for her, to prosper her and not to harm her?<BR><BR>I don't think so.<BR><BR>But I believe I am a part of what God is doing for Galina. I believe God has a plan--that He intends to place this lonely girl in a family. That He has a momma for her.<BR><BR>
God's plans may start with the additional children page. They may start with someone blogging about Galina, someone sharing her picture on facebook, someone asking a friend whether they've considered adoption.<BR><BR>But our Father--the Father to the fatherless--does not intend this little girl to live out her years in an Eastern European mental institution. He is calling her parents. He is calling her family to step out in faith. He will call others to give, to donate. He will bless them when they obey.<BR><BR>
If you've read this blog for a while, you know that there are children who die in Eastern European mental institutions, children who are there just because they have Down Syndrome, children who are there because they are deaf or blind or have craniofacial differences or limb differences. Children made through Jesus. Children made in God's image. Children for whom He planned fullness of life.<BR><BR>
Maybe you wonder how that can be.<BR><BR>God's people aren't doing their part.<BR><BR>
There are some who are shouting about the orphan crisis, blogging and praying and bringing home the kids that they can. There are some who are giving. But the church seems to be sleeping when it comes to the little ones Jesus loves--they are abandoned. They are abused. They are left to die. Doctors kill them because they are imperfect--before birth here, legally. After birth, legally, in parts of Europe. After birth, illegally, in parts of Asia. And in other parts of Europe they are just warehoused until they die.<BR><BR>Not everyone is called to adopt. But everyone is called to help. Maybe you don't have much to give, or are giving to other good causes here. But you can pray--right now--for Galina. For children like her all over the world, dying just because someone doesn't recognize Jesus in their faces. For God to show you your part--donating? Praying? Sharing? Maybe adopting? If we all did it we could solve this crisis. There don't need to be children in Eastern Europe waiting for adoption when there are Christians who can help here.<BR><BR>Galina is an "<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">additional child</a>" with Down Syndrome, age 3 (almost 4).Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-45116339678518361622012-06-28T02:05:00.000-07:002012-06-28T02:05:00.664-07:00Needs a mommy<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/qfzv-updatejan2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="401" width="295" src="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/qfzv-updatejan2012.jpg" /></a><br><BR>
<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">Nikita</a> needs a mommy. He will be four soon, and he's never had one.Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-5849548663275046922012-06-26T02:10:00.000-07:002012-06-26T02:10:00.219-07:00She needs a mommy<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/pke5-update2011-23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="165" width="124" src="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/pke5-update2011-23.jpg" /></a>
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She has a touch of strabismus (which is correctable), but isn't <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">Sophia</a> gorgeous? I bet she is well-loved. She is also described as sociable. I bet she gets along well with Julia, who is just 4 months older :) (I don't know if she is in the same place, but it seems likely).<BR><BR>
Sophia needs a mommy.Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-58454958318636902672012-06-25T01:59:00.000-07:002012-06-25T01:59:00.755-07:00sociable 4-year-old girl<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/oigs-update2011-23-e1325548174134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="325" width="225" src="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/oigs-update2011-23-e1325548174134.jpg" /></a>
<BR><BR>This is Julia.<BR><BR>
She is actually the second "Julia M." listed in "<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">Region 23</a>." <BR><BR>
She is about to turn 4 this month. She is sociable! I have a four-year-old girl myself, so I certainly find that believable. Four-year-old girls can talk your ears off.<BR><BR>
If they have someone to listen to them. If they think you might care.<BR><BR>
I bet Julia would love to have pretty ponytails... to learn how to dance and play baseball and slide down a slide and swing... to be your daughter.Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-39627991632831987842012-06-24T01:58:00.000-07:002012-06-24T01:58:00.216-07:00I don't get...<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/nt6i-updatesept2011-23-e1316639916338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="321" width="225" src="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/nt6i-updatesept2011-23-e1316639916338.jpg" /></a>
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I don't get the bonnet. (It's just gotta be said.)<BR><BR>I do get that somewhere in Eastern Europe, there is a four-year-old boy who needs a family. You can call him Cyril. <BR><BR>I guess I don't really get it, because I have always had a family. I can't comprehend his loneliness, his isolation, his lack of hope.... but I do know that <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">Cyril</a> is a real, living human being. And I know he deserves better than an orphanage.Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-85459829148760410892012-06-23T01:41:00.000-07:002012-06-23T01:41:00.067-07:00For Jesus<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/n3wa-updatejan2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="334" width="261" src="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/n3wa-updatejan2012.jpg" /></a>
<br><BR>
Ivan is another little boy with Down Syndrome. Just 4 years old.
<br><BR>
Just another face on the <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">list</a>.<BR><BR>
He does have quite the description:
calm, emotional, active, interested in toys, gets tired quickly
<BR><BR>When I looked at Ivan this morning, a song came to my head:<BR>
This, this is Christ the King,<BR>
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing.<br>
Haste, haste to bring him laud<br>
The babe, the son of Mary.<BR><BR>
Obviously this little boy isn't Jesus... but Jesus did tell us what we do for the least of these we do for Him. Ivan needs a family. Hope. Love.
<BR><BR>Do you have these things?<BR><BR>What if Jesus were four years old, alone in an orphanage, faced with the prospect of growing up in a mental institution? How much paperwork, family upheaval, travel would He be worth?
<BR>God made Ivan and stamped him with His image. God says if there is something you want to do for Jesus, do it for Ivan instead. For the "least of these."Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-30760385110796179432012-06-22T01:40:00.001-07:002012-06-22T01:41:18.280-07:00Someone's little boy<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/mr99-updatesept2011-23-e1316639438517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="224" width="225" src="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/mr99-updatesept2011-23-e1316639438517.jpg" /></a>
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<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">Aidan</a> is 3 1/2. He is an orphan with Down Syndrome. He deserves to be someone's little boy.
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Imagine him in your house... playing with your kids... hugging you good night. It would be hard but you would never regret stepping out for him... because he is your son.Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-27830289412400445422012-06-21T17:08:00.001-07:002012-06-21T17:08:49.696-07:00Another orphan<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/l01p-updatejan2012-e1325558878637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="299" width="225" src="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/l01p-updatejan2012-e1325558878637.jpg" /></a>
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Dmitry will turn 4 in November. He is an <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">orphan</a>. He needs a mommy and daddy.Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-43851675582194670672012-06-20T08:03:00.000-07:002012-06-20T08:05:37.586-07:00Little boys and opportunities<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ipvh-update2011-e1308015800739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="270" width="225" src="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ipvh-update2011-e1308015800739.jpg" /></a>
<BR><BR>
Stanislav is a <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">handsome little boy</a> with Down Syndrome. He was born 3 1/2 years ago in a country where his diagnosis meant life in a crib... where his family was encouraged to give him up... where he will never get the chance to show everyone how much he can accomplish.
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Sometime very soon--maybe today--I am going to give birth to a little boy. To my knowledge he does not have Down Syndrome. But if he did, he would never see the inside of an orphanage, let alone a mental institution. He would still come home with me and be loved by his brother or sister. No one would suggest maybe I should just leave him at the hospital and try again for a healthy baby. He would be eligible for many services, and likely attend a public school alongside typical peers, unless I decided to homeschool him. If I didn't feel equipped to be his parent, many families would be willing to adopt him. I know families right now who would love the opportunity to parent my son if I felt I could not handle a baby with Down Syndrome. I could visit him, receive pictures, and be part of his life. There would be no reason to be ashamed of my son.
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That's not because something is different between a little boy with Down Syndrome born in Eastern Europe and one born in the US. That's because in our country we've decided that people with Down Syndrome matter, that they deserve the opportunity to flourish to the extent of their potential (if they are born, anyway). And if a family here decides that Stanislav is their son, he will have all those opportunities too. And he will have a family. He deserves all of that.Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-38790437131132502022012-06-15T04:10:00.000-07:002012-06-15T04:10:00.350-07:00<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/i6wt-updatejan2012-e1325558809863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="251" width="225" src="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/i6wt-updatejan2012-e1325558809863.jpg" /></a>
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Her <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">picture</a> is blurry, but isn't Anna a beautiful little girl?
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She likely has Down Syndrome and is described as calm.
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Around Christmas time Anna will turn 4. She won't have brothers or sisters to celebrate with her, or even parents. She won't have a princess party or a Minnie Mouse balloon. Her friends won't bring her homemade cards. At Christmas she won't get any games or toys. Not only is Anna an orphan, but she has Down Syndrome. So where she lives, that means growing up in an institution. It means that it has been decided she has no potential, and that her life isn't worthwhile.<BR><BR>
But Anna is worth it. She is worth the money, the travel, the risk. She is worth it because she is someone's daughter... maybe yours?Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-60910508000786895462012-06-14T04:30:00.000-07:002012-06-14T04:30:01.165-07:00friendly and curiousLook at sweet baby Catherine:
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Catherine actually will turn 4 in November. I am betting her picture is way out of date... but Catherine is lucky. Someone cares about her.<BR><BR>
Check out her description:
Character: friendly, curious, willing to play with toys
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Someone cares enough to give her more than a one-word description. Someone cares enough to notice her positive traits. If that <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">description</a> is still true, if that special worker is still around to invest a little bit of attention in Catherine's life... she will blossom in a family! And if that person isn't around, and she is now another little girl who lays in a crib... well, God will still bless you if you step out to adopt her. God will make a way. He cares about her; He cares about you. If she is your daughter, he will lead you to her and give you what you need to be Catherine's mommy or daddy.Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-83010217267586170972012-06-13T04:04:00.000-07:002012-06-14T03:54:27.651-07:00The least of these<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/cxa3-updatedec2011-23-e1325547645740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="313" width="250" src="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/cxa3-updatedec2011-23-e1325547645740.jpg" /></a>
Julia turned 4 in April.<BR><BR>
She is an <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">additional child</a>--who needs a family no more or less than those with their own page and funds.<BR><BR>
Our God, who sets the lonely in families, is pleading with his church to go and rescue his precious sons and daughters. The ones we call the least of these... but I don't think that's what He calls them.<BR><BR>
He calls Julia Precious Daughter. Redeemed. Beloved. Made in His Image. Bought by His Blood. Above Rubies. Like Refined Gold. Created Through Christ.<BR><BR>
Who does God think are the least of these? I think those who are concerned with themselves... those who look down on others... those who think some people's lives just aren't worth the time and effort. But these people too were worth it to Jesus. He died for them with no more hesitation than he died for sweet Julia.<BR><BR>
And he called us to die to ourselves and to follow him. <br>
That might mean travelling around the world to adopt a little girl who desperately needs a family... or it might mean supporting a family who did so... or it might mean fostering a child in your community, or helping the single mom next door with groceries, or working for one of many other very good causes. <BR><BR>
I don't condemn you if you can't adopt Julia. I am not going to adopt Julia--I hope to adopt one day, but if I could adopt right now--I can't--she isn't the little one I'd be inquiring about. I don't condemn you if you can't donate to RR right now--there are other causes and we are called to take care of our family first.
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But there are two things you can do, and I think you should.
Consider, if you have not, whether you might be Julia's mom (or dad). Could you open your heart and home to another child? Could she be the one? Maybe you know it's not the time to adopt, or that you will never have that opportunity. That's okay. But make sure you've considered it... and if it's been a while, consider it again.
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Pray for Julia. Pray that she is loved and cared for now. Pray that she will find a family, that someone will recognize her as the daughter of their heart. Because you can always pray, and it matters.
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If you have prayed over Julia's situation and your own, and you know that's all you can do... thank you. You're making a difference.Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-21955296011887871032012-06-12T03:55:00.000-07:002012-06-20T08:03:42.660-07:00Down Syndrome means....<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/c1oc-update2011-23-e1325548014370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="264" width="225" src="http://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/c1oc-update2011-23-e1325548014370.jpg" /></a>
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Francine turns 4 in August. She is such a lovely little girl--I am betting the <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">picture</a> does not do her justice.
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Imagine her smiling and playing. Imagine her reaching for you... calling you mommy. If she understands that she does not have a family, and what that means, and what a family could mean... that's her dream too. And if she does not understand, she needs a family no less.
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Francine is "calm."<BR><BR>
In our country, Down Syndrome means special education and services. She would receive many supports, and therapy. Some people might be biased against her... but she would have the opportunity to prove them wrong.
Where Francine lives, Down Syndrome means a lifetime in a mental institution. No chance to show what she can do. Once she leaves her baby house, not even a chance at therapy or education.<BR><BR>
She's a little girl who deserves a chance.Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-45765246132681070302012-06-11T03:54:00.001-07:002012-06-14T03:52:59.373-07:00She's not busy.I have been busy... I have been distracted... I have been living my life.
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Amina has had no such luxury. Every day is like the last. She may have toys... she may have some affection... she may have enough food... but she may not.
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Amina does not have a family. It is unlikely she receives education. At almost 4 years old--not much younger than my daughter--this little girl has nothing she can call her own.
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You can change that.
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You could be her mommy--or share her <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">picture</a>, and help her find her mommy.
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Amina is calm.Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-1191008748995860872012-05-16T05:06:00.000-07:002012-05-16T05:17:17.848-07:00Beloved by GodDo you remember this line?<br><BR>
"She kept asking 'And Tania? And Tania?' She would sob when we would leave her with the groupa."<BR><BR>
<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/876/tatiana2304">Tatiana</a> won't be left behind much longer... she's going to have a family! She's on <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/category/rescued">MFFM</a>! Praise God!<BR><BR>
Will it ever happen for <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">Daniel</a>--almost 4 years old, calm, likely has Down Syndrome.
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Beloved by God. His son.<br><BR>
When God adopted me, my prognosis was pretty poor. I was already a sinner. Likely no matter what my Father did to help me, I'd be a sinner still. I wouldn't ever get better from it. But he decided that I was his daughter, and he didn't care that I wasn't perfect. He wasn't looking for a perfect child. He already is perfect... He wanted a child to love.
<BR><BR>That's what Daniel deserves. Not a family who wants a perfect child, just a family with more love to share. Maybe that's your family.Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-78809394014466001982012-05-15T14:41:00.001-07:002012-05-15T14:41:25.986-07:00Waiting on GodHave you ever had to wait on something? Maybe it took a long time to get a degree... to find a spouse... to have kids....
Likely, though, you were doing something in the meantime. Working at it. Working in other areas of your life.
Adam has waited almost 4 years for a family.
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He is "calm." He has Down Syndrome. His one chance is a picture on a list of <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">additional children</a>.
Likely he will never get what he's been waiting for... what he needs. Likely he will age out of the system in about 12 years and die of "old age" in a mental institution. In his 30s. If he lives long enough to age out.
But maybe someone will find him and see he is their son.
God, please bring a family for Adam.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-58085155122448238502012-05-10T12:36:00.000-07:002012-05-10T12:36:16.060-07:00Four-year-old girl<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">Catherine</a> turned 4 in March. She's dressed up in an outfit (and haircut) that make her look like a little boy. She needs a mommy and pretty dresses and big sisters. She is considered calm and passive.Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-22542679803198166742012-05-04T13:46:00.000-07:002012-05-04T13:46:00.838-07:00One post for Dylan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In going through all the kids of "<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">region 23</a>," I find myself sometimes at a loss as what to say. It's easy with the kids who look more appealing, who have a smile or a story or even just a name that helps them stand out. I tend to see the cute kids, the kids whose names I like, or the kids whose story touches me. Sometimes the kids in bad condition. Sometimes a kid with a bad picture who grabs me.
I don't think Dylan would have grabbed me, but what if this boy never grabs anyone? What if this is the only post anyone ever writes on Dylan--what if this is the only place his picture ever is apart from Reece's Rainbow?
Dylan has potential. He is more than a picture, more than a diagnosis. He will turn 4 around when my daughter does, in May. He is sociable. I bet he'd have fun at her party. He likely hasn't been to a birthday party before....
Dylan is just one more little boy who needs a family. But he was created by God and is loved by him. And if someone brings him home... well, for them he won't be just a name and a word of description on a photolisting. He'll be their son.Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-59050281146428222612012-05-03T13:57:00.000-07:002012-05-03T13:57:00.367-07:00somebody's little boy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">Denis</a> looks like a sweet little boy with a lot of personality. He's 4.
He is calm.
He deserves a family.Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-67698675498258485462012-05-02T13:47:00.000-07:002012-05-02T13:47:00.460-07:00Daughter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Deirdre is beautiful. They say that a big hairbow often means the child is a favorite with her caregivers. She is almost 4 and is said to be sociable.
Having a caregiver, even one who loves you, isn't the same as having a family. Deirdre needs a mommy, daddy, and siblings who will love her forever. Who will not leave her because they move away or find a better job. Who don't go off duty at night. Who don't have so many other little charges she gets lost in the crowd.
Can you be the one to tuck her in at night, give her a bubble bath with her sister, teach her to ride a bike and pump on a swing? Can you show her what mommy means?
She doesn't have to be an <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">additional child
</a>--she could just be a child.Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722139852269424898.post-10971888500229999572012-05-01T13:38:00.000-07:002012-05-01T13:38:00.274-07:00All things are possible with God<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What do I say about <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/6302/russia-region-23-additional-children">Irina</a>?
She just turned 4. She has Down Syndrome. She needs a family. She is described as passive, displaying little emotion.
It's all been said before of so many. She isn't one of those really adorable kids who grabs you... not one with a story, happy or sad, that we know... not even a smile on her face. She's worth it, she deserves to be a daughter, but will she ever have that?
All things are possible with God.Young Christian Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14841086379453634889noreply@blogger.com0