Yesterday at about 10.30pm, i was (still am) the happiest person on this earth! i found out that my precious beloved little Heath has a family coming for him!
See that red circle with the red arrow pointing to it? Those words made me so very happy!
Meet the Drake family. They are homestudy approved and have committed to him! And because God had worked the miracle of bringing in the funds before He brought in the family, they are fully funded! At least for the paperwork and travel required by Heath’s home country. i don’t know yet if they will need to do some fundraising to cover the expenses of the paperwork and medicals they have to do stateside. You can follow their journey at their blog.
The Drake family are coming for Heath! Hurray!
What you can do now is to pray, pray for them as they prepare to receive another child into their home, pray their children to be ready for a new brother and pray Heath’s heart to be ready for a life-changing experience. Pray also that their process will be smooth and without any hurdles so they can reach Heath faster. Pray for Heath’s health, pray that he remains healthy while waiting, pray that his daily needs are met.
Praise the Lord! i’m soooo very happy that my little Heath will soon have a mummy and daddy and brothers and sister to call his very own. 😀
syc
PS: i was so excited to post this blogpost that i didn’t realise maybe some people may not understand the significance or how important this little guy is to me. He was the one my heart broke into pieces for (i first saw him in this post), he was the one i wanted to bring home so very badly, he was the one who led me into the world of special needs orphans and international adoption, he was the one God used show me what was the work He had for me at this time… and it has been 13 months and 4 days since i came to know about Heath and that is why this is the most joyous news to me. 😀
Yep, that’s what we need… many hands and hearts… you have heard the saying, “Many Hands make Light Work.” and i’m sure you would agree it is true – yes?
Recently i have been full on helping families who are adopting and shouting out for waiting children who need their families to step up for them. And it is hard work and a lot of the times, it seems like it has no effect, it made no difference. But it does! i was reminded by Char at Joy in the Moments:
When we are kind to others, our teaspoon fractions add up to delicious overflowing honey. We don’t have to wait for big things to pool our efforts (like natural disasters). We can make a difference each day through small, compassionate acts (a smile, a kind word, a listening ear). Think of what a great impact millions of these acts done around the world each day would make.
She speaks about what we can learn from bees in this post. Did you know that a single bee can only produce 1/12 teaspoon of honey? Wow, that really is a tiny bit. But have you seen how the hives are stock full of honey?! It is because every little bee did their teeny little part and it all adds up.
So i’m asking you today to lend a hand, help with your small compassionate act; help Jon and Angela bring home not just one little boy but TWO! That’s right, they are now bringing home Jensen as well as Jack.
Help Jon&Angela reach Jensen…
Jensen is a sweet quiet yet friendly child who is calm and loves people, animals, nature and crafts. He has CP but that does not define him. Jensen has told visitors that he is worried he will not get a family by his next birthday (July this year). You see, Jensen is aging out – he is only 13 years old but in a few months he will not be adoptable!
BUT… NOW he has a family coming for him and they are working their very very hardest to reach him and Jack in time.
Jack needs to come home asap…
Jack is also living on borrowed time. Jack does not have the medical care or protection his needs for his skin condition, which has likely led to cancerous lesions already. He needs to come home asap and get treatment! Most children with his condition do not live to adulthood. But he has survived all these years without treatment, he needs it now more than ever. (You can read more about Jack in my interview-post here.)
Would you please lend your hand and help these boys come home to the family they so richly deserve and need?
Here’s how you can help:
Fundraisers – you can take part in the following fundraisers:
1) Jack’s 8th Birthday Bash – celebrate the life of this little boy by giving him a little boost in his adoption grant! There is a whole array of thank-you gifts for your generosity, including a brand new iPad! Ends 31st March.
2) Tupperware Fundraiser – i LOVE Tupperware! They are such amazing products and so useful to have around. Please do some shopping here and Jack & Jensen will get 40% (plus 15% which is the normal commission of the lady hosting this but she is also giving this to the boys so it is a total 55%) of the sales. End Date – uncertain at time of writing.
3) Springtime Fundraiser – It is time to celebrate new birth. How appropriate that Jack & Jensen will, in a way, be birth into their new family. Please show the boys that they are loved, contribute to their adoption grant and give them a colourful Easter egg wall to remember you by. There are also lovely thank-you items for this fundraiser. See here. Ends 1st April.
4) Masterpiece Quilts are giving 20% of their sales to Jon&Angela when you purchase from them and state at check-out that it is for the Jon&Angela adopting Jack&Jensen. Please go here to see what wonderful quilts they make! The young girl who makes these has Down Syndrome and therefore would like to help other special needs children. (Note: they are currently on holiday but will be back in a week so do check back.)
Giving – you give directly to their adoption grant here.
Praying – please please pray for the expedited paperwork to go smoothly, for the officials handling the paperwork to have compassion and do their work right so Jack & Jensen can come home really quickly!
Sharing – please share this post far and wide so many more hands can help.
Thank you so much for your kindness, compassion and generosity.
That really should NOT be a question – it should be a statement:
Love the widows and orphans of the world.
Because that is how it is written in the Bible, that is what God expects us to do; to help those less fortunate than ourselves, to speak for those who can’t speak for themselves, to care enough to actually move our hands and feet to be part of God’s plan to be a blessing to these who need it most.
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. – James 1:27
In Chapter 1, James speaks about what we would face as believers of Jesus Christ and what we need to do to continue our walk as believers. The above statement concludes Chapter 1 and that gives it great significance, because a concluding statement sums up what was said before, doesn’t it? We need to ask God how we can practically live out that statement.
You don’t have to be specifically called into a ministry for orphans or into a ministry for widows to help. There are small ways you can help, right from where you are sitting now.
Today i would like to present you some ways you can help a specific orphan.
Look at those intense blue eyes! They need a sparkle in them. He needs a family to love him.
Colin is an orphan with special needs who lives in an Eastern European institution and he has CP. It seems to have affected his legs but otherwise he is healthy. It has been noted that with therapy and a supportive family to help him, he has tremendous potential for improvement and living a full life!
You can pray for him. Pray that his forever family sees him and comes for him. Pray that his daily needs are met, that somehow he could get some of the therapy he needs, that he stays strong and healthy mentally, emotionally and physically while he waits for his forever family to come.
You can share his story, share on FB, Tweeter and other social media. You never know who is reading and one of those people reading your post or this post might be his forever family.
Maybe you are Colin‘s forever family? If you think so, if you feel in your heart that this blue-eyed boy belongs in your family, please go to Reece’s Rainbow to find out more.
There is one more thing you can do to help Colin. You can help grow his adoption grant by donating to his grant account on Reece’s Rainbow. A bigger grant would allow his forever family to reach him faster. Click on his name or picture to go to his profile page to give.
Colin has a wonderful advocate over at Saving His Sparrows, please go over and have a read. Another Teamwork Tuesday blogger, at SwissMaman, has written a lovely post about Colin too, see here.
Thank you very much.
syc
PS: you can read a bit more about today’s title here
trippingdifferently 