yoongz

August 7, 2012August 15, 2012

A Child Should Be…

Do you have pre-conceived ideas of how a child should be? How and when a baby would grow up into a toddler, into a child, into a teen, into an adult? Any idea of how a kid should behave or even how your child should look??

Well, i’m sure we all do. i know i did. i also believe that every child is loved by God because He created us all. i believe that He created each kid to be loved by a family too.

i believe God wants a loving family to come and take care of little Owen. Little Owen is born with a rare condition – Acrocephalosyndyldactyly Type Chotzen, also known as Saethre-Chotzen Syndrome.

owen3g — 5-year old Owen needs all the help you can give him.

This condition gives his head an odd shape and make his eyes droopy and crossed. His fingers and toes maybe fused and his nose beak-like. His brain development is also affected because of the tower-shape of his head. He will likely remain small in size.

In short, he will not fit anyone’s idea of a typical child or how a child should be. He is different, very different but this does not mean he should not have a family. On the contrary, he needs a caring and supportive family even more.

If you feel God filling your heart with love and concern for this precious one, please do not ignore that feeling. Ask God what you can do about it. Ask God how you can be of help to little Owen. He needs all the help he can get.

i pray that if God is moving you to adopt Owen, that He will give you the courage to act. If God is wanting you to donate to Owen‘s adoption grant, then i pray that He will enable you to be generous. If God is building up more prayer warriors for Owen, i pray that He would give you the strength to stand in the gap for Owen.

Click on his name or picture to go to his profile page on Reece’s Rainbow. If you do help Owen in any way, please leave a comment below so i can send you a personal thank you. Thanks so much for caring.

syc

August 4, 2012

Do you have nomophobia?

That’s right – another phobia to worry about… This one is so relevant to how our lives have become so instant, always connected.

Mobile Phones!! Nomophobia has to do with that little digital device which keeps you contactable at all times… it is the fear of losing or being without your mobile phone… simply put, it is a fear which stems from the need to be constantly reachable.

Frankly that prospect isn’t all that appealing to me. i mean, i completely agree with how convenient it is to have a mobile phone and how it has made some areas of our lives much easier; but there are times when i simply don’t want to be contactable. Haven’t you felt that way? Or maybe i’m just weird that way?

When we first got to Switzerland (almost a decade ago – can you believe it? i can’t.), i went from a high-stress, always must-be-reachable job to being a home maker and having no mobile phone at all, for 2 years. And i must say, they were quite carefree years… i only got re-connected to the mobile world when my little guy was about 6 months old and the thought of being stranded somewhere with him, without being able to contact my husband was a little scary.

Another thing i have noticed is that with the rise of the use of mobile phones, people seem to value punctuality less, because they can easily pick up their mobile phone and call a friend to say they will be late or cancel at the last minute. Before mobile phones, when one makes an appointment, one makes more of an effort to keep those appointments and be on time for them. The motivation factor is that there was no way of contacting the friend once you have left the home/office. So you just had to get there.

The waiting friend also tended to be more patient waiting for you, as if you were caught in traffic there was no way of letting him/her know. Now almost 90% or more carry mobile phones, so friends expect to be updated all the time and if they are not, some do get offended.

But the greatest loss for me with this mobile age, is the lost art of simply being with people and enjoying their company, and interacting with the people and environment around you. i observe that a lot of people simply carry on on their phones, either texting or playing on apps or even watching movies, when they are with their group of friends, while they are on public transport, or worse still while driving or walking. What’s the point in meeting up if you don’t wanna interact with “real” people? i know not all do that but i have seen quite a number who are so very devoted to their devices.

Now i’m not saying mobile is all bad – as i said before, there is good which comes from having a mobile phone. i just wish that more people would strike a balance between their digital lives and their real lives. And maybe take a break from the digital world every now and again – as suggested at the end of this article.

Here is the article which started my mind along this train of thought. Do you have nomophobia? – Your guide to digital living. Have a read and let me know what you think.

Also if you do suffer from nomophobia, here’s a website which talks about it and i believe offer some form of support for it.

So will you fight this phobia and schedule some “phone/wire-free” time??

syc

August 1, 2012August 15, 2012

Heart Issues…

i have a cardiac condition – i have a “leaky’ heart. So when i hear about another person with a heart condition, my heart goes out to them (no pun intended) and in some way, i identify with them.

i identify with Angelina – a little orphan with Down Syndrome and a heart condition who is listed on Reece’s Rainbow.

This little precious one is now 4 years old and desperately needs a family who will care for her and love her and help her to seek medical care for her condition (we are not told of the exact nature of her cardiac condition) and guide her to live a full life.

My heart condition is not life-threatening but i could have been a very weak sickly child and be stuck just making it through life, if not for the wonderful care my parents gave me and the good doctors they brought me to.

Angelina can also live a full life. She just needs a parent to give her that support and direction. Are you her parent?

Angelina has a sizeable adoption grant (more than US$4700) which will go towards her adoption costs which can be anywhere from US$25000 to US$40000.

If you are thinking about expanding your family, would you consider this cute little one? Click here or on her picture/name to go to her profile page on Reece’s Rainbow.

Do pray for her – for her daily needs to be met, for her medical condition to improve/stabilise.

Do contribute to her adoption grant (just click on the Donate button on her profile page) so that her forever family can reach her sooner.

syc

PS: This is a belated Tuesday Teamwork post.