Updated pictures

A couple more of my favorite kids have updated pictures too.

Sasha, who is in very poor condition and has Down Syndrome, has a new picture up. I don't know if his condition is improving; he needs a family so badly. Here's his old picture that I have posted before:


Sasha may also have cerebral palsy and/or autism... or he may just be severely neglected. Here is the new picture:


Remember sweet baby Rebekah?


She has Down Syndrome and just turned 2 in January... here's a much newer picture:



Sweet Constantine has some adorable pictures which inspired this whole post when I saw them. I only had seen one picture of this little guy:


But someone posted some more on the Reece's Rainbow message boards:




Gorgeous, isn't he? His parents are going to be so blessed by him one day.

I also found a few more pictures of Ivan, who desperately needs surgery so his brain has room to grow and develop:




Someone please give this precious boy a home and a family; he is so worth the effort and cost!

Many orphans

If you are interested in adoption, please check out Adeye of No Greater Joy Mom's "linky thing" to see over 100 orphans who are in dire need of families...

Aging out in a few short weeks or months.
In urgent need of medical care.
Transferred, or about to be transferred.

You will recognize some of these sweet boys and girls...
Bethany. Megan. Wyatt. Maxim. Owen. Shaun. Nicholas. Ivan N. Preston. Sasha. Alix. Ivan. Tatiana. Lexa.

Every one of these precious children deserves a family of his or her own.

Laurel is facing transfer to a mental institution and a life of hopelessness in a matter of months. She has been in an excellent home for children with physical disabilities where the children are nurtured and well-adjusted. All she needs is a family to step forward and say "This is our daughter."

Facing transfer or transferred

These children do not have forever to wait for their families. Some will age out of the system and be locked away in institutions forever. Most won't make it that long; they will probably die, like Warner and Dakota did.

Today I wanted to point out some of the kids who I've posted here before who are in danger of being sent to institutions soon. (All of the girls at that link--except Teri Lynn, who has been adopted--are also institutionalized or in danger of it).

Kyle is one of those boys who looks a little like my son.


Kyle is 5 years old and has Down Syndrome. He'll be in a mental institution soon. His fifth birthday is this month. He has a $2700 grant.

Sergey was due to be transferred in September, but I haven't heard any updates.

(Actually it looks like I haven't blogged about him before--now I am!) Sergey is 4 and has HIV. He gets along well with other children; he's never aggressive; physically and developmentally on track, cognitively normal. There's no reason why Sergey shouldn't have a family. It's not known whether he was/will be sent to a mental institution or a boarding school for older children.

Last but not least, remember Sasha, age 7 but so tiny.

Sasha has Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, and possibly autism. No one pays attention to him or works with him. No one loves him. He lies in his crib and he chews on his tongue. At his age he must already have been transferred... he desperately needs a family. It is a wonder he has held on all these years. Sasha will need a lot of attention and care, but surely God has a reason for keeping him alive this long... perhaps because he would be such a blessing to your family. His needs would be a lot to take on... but even if you are not his mommy or daddy, you can pray for him.

Last but not least, remember Dmitriy and Genesis, who are both blind and in the same institution... they could be adopted together.


Every one of these kids deserves a family, not a warehouse. They deserve to live, not just be kept alive. Some have more difficult special needs, but sweet Sergey would fit into any family. And nearly every child would be adopted if money was not a problem--if we could fill Sasha's grant, maybe a family with a lot of love who had a heart for very special kids but not a lot of money would be able to commit to him.

Whatever we do for these little ones, we do for Jesus.

Malnourishment

This is Sasha:


He is 7 years old. Seven! His profile says 6, so the picture may be a little older, but this little boy is badly malnourished. He needs a family to save his life. You shouldn't adopt a child just to save a life. You have to want that little boy or girl to be part of your family. But sometimes, these kids do need their lives saved. Sasha might just be strong enough to hang on another year, maybe even another decade in whatever institution he's in. But sooner or later he will die alone and hungry and bedbound. Love won't take away Down Syndrome, or cerebral palsy, or autism (at least not on its own, and maybe at all). Love can't erase all the effects of seven years of institutionalization. Love will never make Sasha's first 7 years go away. But only love can save his life.