A young man who needs a family

Duncan is 15 and needs a family very soon, or he will age out and likely end up in a mental institution:


Duncan has CP and believes that because of this he is ugly and a family will not want him.

He uses a wheel chair, but he is very bright and in a great orphanage. He will not be able to stay where he is forever, though.

He deserves a chance and a family of his own.

UPDATE: He now has one!

Is he yours?

This sweet-faced 1 1/2 year old boy is "Joshua." He has been diagnosed with Down Syndrome.



I bet soon someone is going to fall in love with that sweet baby boy face.

I bet someone will see him and know he is their son.

He has a face it would be easy to fall in love with.

Is he yours?

Edit: The day before this blog published, Joshua showed up on MFFM (My Family Found Me)! I was right--someone has fallen in love with this sweet boy and he has a family coming.

How about Vincent?



Vincent also has Down Syndrome. He is just 6 months old--if his family starts the process now, he could be home and safe before his first birthday. Medical info about Vincent will be available once his family completes a home study. I just noticed Vincent today--hopefully he will be on MFFM soon too!

Broken heart

My heart is broken for these children who so deserve a home and a family.

Some of them will get it.

Remember Sergey?



He has a family coming--praise God!

Doyle not only has a family coming, but they are adopting a baby as well--Fischer, a healthy 7-month-old with Down Syndrome.



They are a large adoptive family and I'm sure they will bless these boys and the boys will be a blessing to them.

Right now my heart is especially broken for 4 kids who have Apert Syndrome (which involves craniofacial differences and fused fingers and toes).

Ivan, who I posted about not too long ago, now has this medical update:
"He needs surgery very soon or he will miss the window of opportunity to correct the fusion of his skull bones before it damages his brain. The webbed fingers and toes seem to have all of the bones present by the pictures, but we would need an x-ray to be sure."



Reading this made me wish I could go and bring him home tomorrow... I just can't. Realistically it's unlikely we will be restarting the process before 2013. And I fear Ivan needs a family before that. Please pray for his family to find him soon! Even better, pray about whether you are that family.

There are three other kids with Apert Syndrome on my heart as well. I've posted about all of them before but I am doing it again.

Remember Sammy, who has always been one of my favorites?

Sammy is growing up, losing that toddler look and starting to be a big boy... which is great to see, but makes me wonder if it's that much less chance he has of finding a family. Look at that crazy hair, that sweet face.



This picture also shows his hands, which gives you an idea of how those are affected with Apert Syndrome. Doesn't he look like he would be a blessing to any family?

Then there is Mandy. Apert Syndrome is not an official diagnosis in her file, but she does sound and look like that may be what's going on.
She's young, she's a girl (girls are much more likely to be adopted), she's cute as a button, and she even sounds relatively on target developmentally... why is Mandy waiting?


Sweet Kacey has a new picture too, and a lot more info.

Her hands and feet look good, and before that she was keeping up despite her limitations. She is determined. She's due for another surgery soon, probably on her skull. And she desperately wants a mommy. From a mom who met her a few months ago:
"Every day she'd walk up to me and say, 'Mama?' It broke my heart to tell her no."
Imagine being able to tell her yes. That would make every dime, every scrap of paperwork, seem worthwhile.

There are a few other kids on RR with Apert Syndrome, but these 4 are the ones I would bring home if I could... and Tatiana.

Five children who desperately need the love of a mommy and daddy. Could you be the one to bring one of these home? Or could you help Sergey or Doyle and Fischer come home?

Please pray with me:
God, you set the lonely in families. You are a father to the fatherless. As much as it breaks our hearts that Ivan, Sammy, Mandy, Kacey, and Tatiana do not have families, you are more broken. As much as we rejoice that Doyle, Fischer, and Sergey will have mommies and daddies who love them, you are more joyful still. And you are watching over the little ones who are not yet spoken for, working out their lives for their good. You love them as much as you love us. Father, please bring them home to their families. In Jesus' name.

So many need families

Sweet Doyle has a family!

But Bethany and Wyatt lost their families.... Wyatt has additional medical needs. This little boy needs desperately to be saved. He is fed through a tube and is now listed as possibly having cystic fibrosis.



















Dorothy needs a family too:


She has Down Syndrome and is only 8 months old. She has a heart defect that will need attention. But she is so little and will benefit so much from having a family soon.

Hope

What do this little girl and this little boy have in common?

They have families trying to adopt them! Hooray!

Please pray that Bethany and Wyatt's families are able to bring them home quickly--Wyatt especially is not doing well.

Here is another little boy who still needs a family:




Darby has Down Syndrome, and also has some craniofacial differences. He had one surgery already and it is likely he will have more in the future, but the first surgery was great for his development. At 2 1/2 he is kind, friendly, and healthy. He is developing within range for his age.

Darby will continue to grow and blossom in a family, but if he is sent to an institution he may not receive the care he needs... he certainly won't get stimulation and the love of a family. This sweet boy deserves a family of his own! Can you give him the hope that Bethany and Wyatt have now? If you aren't Darby's mommy or daddy, you can help by spreading his image and story, donating to his grant, or praying for his family to find him.

And Genesis...

Probably has a family.

She's on MFFM.

One who has a family, and one who is still waiting

The good news: baby Trent has a family!

So many are still waiting.

This little one is called Olga.



Olga has cerebral palsy. She needs physical therapy; she needs to get up out of her crib. She is said to be smiley and happy and lovable. She is sickly and she needs to be up and moving more to help her become healthier. Olga needs a family to bring her home and love her--she will go to a much worse place if she is transferred. She won't be loved. She will not ever leave her crib again. Her family needs to go for her soon.

Olga had a family committed to her, but they were unable to proceed because they were already in the process of another adoption. Olga's country wanted their previously adopted child to be home for a year before they adopted another child.

Have you adopted this year? No? Maybe you're Olga's mommy :)

I know it's not that easy. I know sometimes we just can't swing it. Certainly no one person can bring every child home. But somewhere, Olga has a mommy and daddy.

What is the difference?

These two boys are Keith and Steven.
















These two boys are Mark and Jonathan:
















How are Mark and Jonathan different from Keith and Steven?

They aren't. All four boys have Down Syndrome. All four boys are precious to God. All four boys need families.

But Keith and Steven have families coming for them, and Mark and Jonathan do not.

Mark is in Latin America and has a $3000 grant. He's five.
Jonathan is in Russia and will turn 3 in February. Reece's Rainbow does not have his complete medical information.

Someone thinks that Keith is worth taking a chance. Mark is too.
Someone thinks that Steven is worth all the money international adoption takes. Jonathan is too.

But there just aren't as many families stepping out as there are children who need families. God wants these little boys to have mommies and daddies, maybe brothers and sisters. He has a plan for Mark and for Jonathan. You just might be part of it.

Vanessa has a family!

Vanessa has a family! :)

One more kid I've featured who has a family:

I have been busy trying to work on my own adoption process, mostly the education component... but I just had to post that Josiah, the very first little boy I advocated for here, is now on the MFFM page! I am so thrilled that he will have a home and a family. His family will be so blessed.

A girl who needs a mommy and daddy

This little girl is Serenity. They don't look like pictures of the same girl, to me, but there certainly is a little girl in Russia with Down Syndrome who needs a family. Serenity is definitely available and her heart is healthy. She's in the same region as Lindsey and Rebekah, Vitaliy, Juliet, Lizzy, Arden, Ralph, and Thad (click on the "labels" to see the posts).

Bradley, Bryant, and Brooks will have a family soon, as will a sweet girl named Amanda I mentioned on facebook but not here :)

If you want to donate to a family in process, please donate to the Burlingham family. Their son Andriy is blind. They are in desperate need of more funds to bring him home.

tugging at your heart

Josie just found a family! She is one year old and has Down Syndrome.



This is Jack. He is almost two and does not have a family yet.

If that doesn't tug at your heart, you may want to make sure you still have one...

Josie and Jack are both precious children of God. Both are equally valuable in His sight. He loves them. I believe that He will call a family for every child who needs one. But he might just call one. And they might not answer. If you look at that little boy and know he's special, that he is meant to be your son, don't click away and assume someone else will go for him. Maybe God is calling you. Maybe you are Jack's only chance. Adoptive families are old and young, have no kids or many kids or anywhere in between. No family is perfect but maybe your family is perfect for him... and it's better than no family.

A little girl who lost her family

A family had been in process to adopt Victoria, a 6-year-old girl with Down Syndrome, but they were not able to complete the process.


Victoria is lovely and it seems she is still in a place where she is very loved.

Victoria has a grant of nearly $20,000, and the family who could not adopt her is committed to helping her new family fundraise. There's still a ways to go, as Victoria's region is more expensive (around $40,000), but that's still an impressive grant.


Do you think you could be Victoria's family?

Heaven have recently found a family! I advocated for her just last week, and she was only recently listed. If only all these little ones had so short a stay in the photolistings.

More children from the institution Katie, Liliana, and Steven are in.

Reece's Rainbow has posted info on 3 more children with Down Syndrome in the same institution where Katerina, Liliana, Steven, and many others have been badly neglected.

At this institution, which houses 250 children, the top floor is where children with more challenges, like Down Syndrome, are kept. The caretakers visit only to feed and change them. These processes involves little to no interaction and neither is done frequently enough. Of the 17 children with Down Syndrome, 6 have committed families (Liliana now not only has a family but a full grant fund!) There is also a 16-year-old young woman who is too old to be adopted. Word is that 4 more families want to adopt one of these severely neglected children. There are also 40-odd more children on the top floor living under the same conditions, presumably kids with other special needs. Ideally families already approved to adopt for Bulgaria will step up to adopt each of these precious little ones. In addition, 200 more children live on the lower levels of the institution. Conditions seem to be better for these higher-functioning kids, and they even participate in programs outside the orphanage. But I certainly wouldn't want anyone responsible for Liliana's condition in charge of any child.

Tony:


Tony is another severely malnourished little boy who appears far younger than he actually is (almost 12). He doesn't look as bad as Liliana, but he has definitely been through a lot and needs a family who can help him start to regain as much as possible of what he has been denied.

Kami:


Kami is 5 or 6. She needs a mommy to come and take her away from the awful conditions she is kept in.

Keith:


Here's another young boy who desperately needs a family, a healthy diet, and medical care. Keith is painfully skinny.

Don't forget that Steven is still waiting too.

Nailan

Nailan is four and is at the same institution, but clearly gets more opportunities and better care than those on the top floor. He has some sort of problem that results in vomiting, but no specific diagnosis. He needs a family, a real home, and good medical care to diagnose and treat his condition.

Two happy things

Sorry I missed yesterday! I have two pieces of very happy news.


Valentin, one of the first little boys I featured on this blog, has a family now! I don't know who they are yet, but he's on the "My family found me" page!

My other news is that we are now ready to start a home study! We are in the process of setting a date for our first visit, which could be next week. Please pray that everything will go smoothly and we can have our house a little more organized by then (we've been making progress, but I want the shelves a little neater, the bathroom a little cleaner, the pile off the stairs. That sort of thing).

Here's hoping that before too long, it will be my little girl on the MFFM page :)

Big things

One of the children I mentioned on this blog found a family--Teri Lynn. It is the first time since I started this blog, so that's kind of exciting, even though I knew when I posted about her that she was bound to find a family soon.

The unusual part is that when so many people were fundraising and advocating for Teri Lynn, she already had a family coming for her. Her ransom was already paid when twenty thousand dollars were given for her. So all of that money will be redistributed to help other little girls who need the money--girls like Alice, Cora Lynne, Celine, Jillian, and Robyn.

The other big news is that we have finally heard the official word from the agency we've been in contact with that they can do the home study for our adoption. We have been assigned a social worker! So keep praying for these girls in Russia, and also for our family and the little girl we hope to bring home.

Ksenia no longer appears on the "additional children" page for region 30. I do not know what that means. Hopefully that she has been adopted... maybe that she is no longer available... maybe that she is deceased.