In a mental institution

Stacy is 5. She is in a mental institution because she has Down Syndrome. She likely is in this crib all day, every day. (The odd glare on her picture is because it was taken through a window.)

Stacy needs a family, not an institution... she would blossom in a family.

He needs a family

Abbott is a 4-year-old boy with Down Syndrome. He has just been transferred to a mental institution, so his need is urgent--90% of children with Down Syndrome die during their first year in a mental institution.

I don't know why we live in a world like this--a world where little boys and girls are basically sentenced to die because of their extra chromosome (whether in a mental institution at 3 to 7 years old or before they are born) and no one seems to care. But I do know there's a solution. Societies can change, and we can all work for that. Societal change is unlikely to come quickly enough for Abbott, though. His needs can only be met by a family willing to step out and go to where he is and rescue him. Otherwise, he will die alone surrounded by the moans of others sentenced to a life in a bed without love. But he does have a chance--a chance not just to survive but to know hugs and kisses and siblings and school and the outdoors and all those things that say vroom. When these kids get big grants, someone goes for them. Or sometimes someone goes without a grant.

Can you be Abbott's mommy? Can you give just a little money to just one child who needs a family?

Would you be Jesus's mommy?

Amanda, a cute little girl with Down Syndrome, has lost her family. She needs someone else to commit to her before she ends up in a mental institution.

The situation is grave for every one of these children... they all face either the mental institution or one day, the streets. Even if they did not, the specter of life with no family is enough of a tragedy.

God knew from the beginning of time that Amanda's parents would not choose to care for her in a culture where children with disabilities are "the least of these." But He tells us that what we do for the least of these, we do for Him.

These kids leave the orphanage in clothes belonging to their new parents--their mommies and daddies clothe them. When their parents take custody, they may have enough to eat for the first time in their lives--their mommies and daddies feed them. Before they can bring them home, their mommies and daddies visit them behind the gates of the orphanage they cannot leave (their prison). Is this not exactly what we are commanded to do for the least of these?

If Jesus were an orphan, would you be his mommy?

little girl

Kaleigh just turned 4. Somehow her birthday hit me because, like my daughter Hannah, she was born in 2008.

And this year, unless a family comes for her, Kaleigh will be sent to a mental institution. Forever.

That's not a place, that's not a fate for 4-year-old girls with so much potential and their whole lives ahead of them.

Please won't someone make Kaleigh their daughter?

The need is desperate for these cute chubby babies

Isn't Gerri a sweet little girl?



She just turned one and is waiting for her family to find her.

Gerri is a sweet, chubby little girl that anyone could fall in love with. You may wonder why it is so urgent that she find a family.

The pictures in the rest of this post are harder to see than the picture of a cute chubby baby. But they are also real and precious children.

Well, in the same region Gerri lives in, there are little boys who look like this.



Ivan is 7. His picture may be out of date... or perhaps worse, it may not be. He is painfully skinny. He looks to be "stimming"--behaviors children who are severely neglected develop to amuse themselves. He seems to be patting or rubbing his head. At 7 he now probably does not understand how to give or receive touch and affection. He may have behavioral problems Gerri's family will not have to deal with if they go for her soon. He is listed as happy and cheerful. If that is still true it is a miracle.

And there is a little girl who looks like this.



"Alexander"--I'll call her Lexa-- is a girl, aged 9. I have no way of knowing if her picture is up to date. I have no way to know if she is even still alive. She looks almost skeletal. She would need lots and lots of help to learn how to interact with people, to overcome the emotional wounds of living for almost a decade without a family, to learn that she is a human being deserving of love. She desperately needs someone to care enough to commit to a lifetime of helping her to see that she will always be loved. Lexa's family will need to be willing to go through the hardship of rescuing her not because of anything she can give them, but because she is a priceless human being, created in the image of God, who deserves love, a family, and life.

Ivan and Lexa are not even listed separately on Reece's Rainbow. They are "additional children" in a region known anonymously as Region 8. Gerri is also still listed as an additional child under a different name--probably this is an error, not an identical twin. There is still hope for Ivan and Lexa, however, as they are available for international adoption. If you are interested in becoming their mommy, you could commit to them (I am not sure whether a homestudy would be required before commitment to these children--it is not for Gerri).

I don't know if Gerri is in danger of ending up in the same mental institution as Ivan or Lexa. I don't know what her conditions are like now. But I do know that no child should go through what Lexa has gone through. I know Gerri needs a family now, to help her grow and develop into a person who knows her value. And Lexa and Ivan need families now too, to help restore to them their birthright--to be a son and a daughter, to be loved, to be valued.

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.

Russia is full of Teri Lynns

Teri Lynn's before-and-after photos from her transfer to a mental institution caught the hearts of the blogosphere.
Teri Lynn before transfer, at the baby house:















Teri Lynn just 3 weeks after her transfer to a mental institution:
















It's hard to believe both pictures are of the same little girl.
The upside of the story was that within a week of these pictures being posted, Teri Lynn had a full grant of over $20,000 dollars. This will not completely cover the cost of her adoption, but it will be a huge help to the family that adopts her.

With all the attention I am surprised no one has committed to her yet. To commit to an institutionalized child on Reece's Rainbow, a family must have their home study ready--but several inquiries about her were from home-study-ready families. She's inspired some to start the adoption process. Maybe she is still waiting because she's your daughter. But even if Teri Lynn's family steps forward, Russia is full of Teri Lynns.

In Teri Lynn's region, Nadya is waiting for a family. She is two and will face transfer one day if she is not adopted.













April and Veronica, 6 and 7 years old, have probably already been transferred.




























Ksenia is 4 and may face transfer soon.









Elsewhere in Russia...
Alice, 5, has a $6,000 grant.

















Cora Lynne, 4 1/2, is facing transfer.

















Robyn, only 4 years old, is likely already in a mental institution.












Celine is facing transfer. Will she need to become another Teri Lynn before anyone will commit to her?
















Jillian is 5 and loves to learn; she will be institutionalized soon.






These are just a few. Teri Lynn wasn't the first little girl this happened to, and she probably won't be the last. But maybe you can make sure Ksenia, or Alice, or Cora Lynne, or Celine, or Jillian is not one of them.

The institutions these kids get sent to are not good.

These are some pictures I saw yesterday... they are just awful. The first picture is Dakota's picture from Reece's Rainbow. The others are from an organization called "His Kids Too" which ministered in Dakota's "home" last summer. Dakota is 8.

Picture 2
Picture 3
Picture 4
Picture 5

































































We are the body of Christ.

What would Jesus have you do to help Dakota?