Vanessa has a family!

Vanessa has a family! :)

Updates

First, an update on our adoption process. We had our second home visit on Tuesday! After reviewing our entire lives, the social worker is still okay with us adopting. Next step: a lot more paperwork. Luckily, DH and I enjoy paperwork more than most. We still need to find the time to do it, though.

Remember sweet Vanessa?

She has a new picture!



Vanessa has had surgery to help her heart. The surgery was a success, but she may need another still. Good news for Vanessa, but the best news would be a family of her own--keep praying for Vanessa!

More good news--
Older children on Reece's Rainbow can now have money in their grant funds!

Dakota is 8 and needs a family very badly. I blogged about him before.


Dakota and other children can now receive grant funds, so if you felt led to give to him before but did not because the money would not go to him directly, now you can give. Please keep praying for Dakota!

Feel free to look back at all the kids I've posted before. They are growing and changing... and they still don't have families. Josie, Heaven, Valentin, and Teri Lyn have families; the rest are still waiting. Maybe you glanced over my quick post on Maeve. Maybe you weren't following yet when I blogged about Sammy. But save the four who were found, every child I have asked you to consider is still waiting. None of them is the child I'm hoping to adopt. The Church--and anyone else who recognizes the value of a little person others call imperfect--needs to step up and make sure these children have families.

Advocating for kids with special needs

Sometimes, when you look through a huge list of children, it's hard to personally remember each one. You see one or two who stick out to you, and the rest fade into the background of "other kids." It doesn't mean they aren't important, or that you won't be happy when someone chooses them, but you can't advocate for every one of them. That's why Reece's Rainbow has prayer warriors, orphan warriors, and others who advocate for a specific child. Kids are showing up daily on the "My Family Found Me" page. I was thrilled when Harry and Ras and Oleg were found; I was excited when Patrick was found. I was happy for Landon, Ella, and Shane too... but I didn't really remember them. And it's worth noting that Oleg was not a child I had really taken to the first time around, but one a friend had noticed... and because he was her favorite, he became one that I watched too.

So when you see one of these children that particularly touches you, show people their picture. Post them on facebook. Don't just say "They're on RR, people will see them there." Kids get lost in the crowd on huge photolistings, but if you present them one at a time, people notice them. That's why I try to do just one (or sometimes a few) at a time--on FaceBook (I'm Jessica Jane Cooper), on Twitter (I'm GlorifyHisSon), and other places I go (sometimes I'm Young Christian Woman... don't know how much longer I can use that one though ;). I try to pick different kids, but when someone says to me, "Look at this guy. He's special." I notice him. I remember him. Even if I never pass on that picture, I rejoice a little more when I see they have a family coming for them. And maybe if you pass on that picture of Vanessa, or Sammy, or Peter, even if they don't find their family, someone will go to Reece's Rainbow and fall in love with a different child. (And, yeah, I linked to a whole bunch of profiles... each link is for a different kid... you don't have to click on them.)

Yesterday someone posted on the (private) RR message boards about two little boys. One was Max:



Max will turn 2 in November. Look at the personality in this little guy! He totally needs a home. I can't believe he didn't stand out to me. But he didn't. I've probably looked at his picture before--briefly--but I didn't remember Max. But if you're reading this, you'll remember Max. And if you post Max on facebook, your facebook friends are going to remember Max. Especially if he's the only little kid from Russia you ever post to facebook. Especially if Max's mommy or daddy happens to read it. So if you browse the photo listings and see someone who stands out to you, go ahead and pass the picture on. Not everyone who goes to the HIV 0-5 waiting kids page on RR is going to fall in love with Max. He's not going to stick out to each person that goes there the same way. But Max is special! They are all special.

I also pray for every child when someone asks. So today I ask you to say a prayer for Max. Pray that he will find his family.

Adoption can save lives

You shouldn't adopt just to save a child. You shouldn't adopt unless you want to add a child to your family, to have a new son or daughter for the rest of your life. But there are children who do not get the medical care they need in their countries.



This is Vanessa. Her Reece's Rainbow file simply says that she has a heart condition and needs a family quickly. I don't know what kind of medical care she will get in her country (though many children with Down Syndrome do have heart defects repaired in their home countries). But having a loving family and excellent medical care is huge for these kids.

Other kids may have brain damage because they do not get needed surgeries for Apert Syndrome or hydrocephalus. Many times, a child may have a food allergy and not get the special diet they need (and if you know me, you probably know my little guy has a milk allergy... and I can tell you that getting a special diet has made a huge difference to his health!) There is so much that a family can do to care and advocate for a special child, but an orphanage cannot. Every one of these kids will be better off with a family of their own... and for some of them it may save their lives.

Would you be willing to bring Vanessa home, be her mommy, and make sure she gets the care she needs? Do you want those two big blue eyes, that wispy blonde hair, and a big smile in your house? Vanessa is two and she needs a mommy and daddy. She's not my daughter. Maybe she's yours.