Category: Prayers For

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10 Things I’ve Learned From My Child {With Special Needs}

That’s the title of the blog post i read a couple of months ago and was very touched by it.

In my eyes, before i read that article, even since i was a little girl, orphans have always had a special place in my heart. i had wanted to do something for them since the day i was kept from visiting an orphanage for a school outing. My mother didn’t want me to go. Not because she didn’t want me to help the orphans or learn about them but because she knew me so well and knew that i was be so teary upon seeing them that i would not be of much help. So this desire to help orphans found a very tiny outlet; i gave whenever i could to charities that did help them.

God has led me full circle and now i advocate for special needs orphans who live in countries where resources may not allow them proper care. Even if they had proper care, it is not the same as having a family to call your own; to belong to a group of people who love you regardless of your disabilities.

But this article has turned it around and looked at what a child with special needs could bring to the life of a family.

Have a read: 10 Things I’ve Learned From My Child {With Special Needs}.

i love all 10 points but my favourites are:

2.  Flexibility – I never thought I would allow my children to watch Barney while eating dinner, but Adeline does.  She eats and is not aware of what she is putting in her mouth, it works.

3.  Patience

4.  The value of uniqueness – My children have learned that we all have areas that are weak and strong, and it is O.K.

 

November is little Evelyn’s birthday – won’t it be a great gift to have a family step forward and claim her for their own?

i look at little Evelyn and just know that she has so much to give to a family who would love her just as she is. She is unique; she has weakness such as a short attention span and is limited in her speech. She has FAS (Fatal Alcohol Syndrome). It will require patience to teach her to follow instructions and to help her understand being calm. But with flexibility and a bit of creativity, it can be done.

She will blossom if someone would just take the time and effort to show her how. And i know she can and will be a blessing to the forever family who brings her home. i see in her the capacity to love unconditionally and to be a blessing to the people around her.

But her situation right now doesn’t permit her the opportunity to even think of others. She is an orphan, living with dozens of other kids and given very limited attention or encouragement. She, a 7-year old little girl, needs to look out for herself for now, until someone steps up to look out for her.

Are you that someone? Are you her family? Maybe you would like to find out about that possibility. Please contact Reece’s Rainbow for more information.

Maybe you are not in a position to consider adoption. But you can still help; you can share her story so her forever family can be found. You can donate to her adoption grant so that a lack of funds does not become a reason for her not having a family. Please click on her name or picture to donate.

Last but most definitely not least, you can pray for her; pray for her daily needs and that she would soon have a family to call her own.

Thanks for your kind attention and efforts.

syc

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Down Syndrome Awareness Month…

Chromosome 21 from Human Genome Program
Chromosome 21 from Human Genome Program (Photo credit: Wikipedia) which causes Down Syndrome.

It is Down Syndrome Awareness Month in the US… and you may have heard of Buddy Walks and other events linked with this campaign to build awareness of the wonderful and unique individuals who have that extra chromosome…

Here’s a link to the NDSS website with links to some of these events – NDSS, DS Awareness Month October.

i don’t have first-hand experiences with Down Syndrome and have had only very limited interactions with people with Down Syndrome. i remember a little girl who is my cousin a few times removed (she is my 3rd Uncle’s wife’s niece or something like that – i was little and don’t remember exactly). Even though i only saw her a couple of times and had limited interaction with her and i was little, she left a great impression on me. The one thing which stood out for me was her smile and how warm and sincere it was and how her eyes light up with every smile.

i have always tried my best to treat every person with respect, young, old, able or disable. i hope i have been able to do so and have not unknowingly hurt anyone, especially someone with a disability such as Down Syndrome. i hope too that i have been an example to my son.

My favourite line from that video is:

All those with Down Syndrome have feelings, thoughts, interests, hopes and know what they want from life. Most, with support, lead interesting, independent and fulfilling adult lives.

i believe all of us need support to lead fulfilling lives; we all need a little more help every now and then. So why not give a little extra support to those who may need it a little more?

Do you know someone with Down Syndrome or has a child with Down Syndrome? Have you shied away from offering your friendship and help?

Don’t worry about it. Step up and let them know that you are there and can be counted on to support them in some small way. Most would be glad to have that support.

You can also choose to step up that little extra for orphans with Down Syndrome (as well as other disabilities)… Reece’s Rainbow is one such organisation which helps these orphans who have less chances of finding a family because of their disability. Reece’s Rainbow focuses on orphans in Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America, where they are likely to be lacking in facilities and opportunities.

Right now, Reece’s Rainbow has a chance to get more funding for these orphans. They have chosen 10 orphans to get a US$5000 boost in their adoption grant (which helps their forever families reach them faster) if Reece’s Rainbow gets enough votes to win 1st place in the Cultivate Wines US$50,000 grant. You can help by voting daily! Click here for details or click here to vote directly. Thanks so much.

Happy Down Syndrome Awareness Month!

syc

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Two’s A Company…

… that’s the way the saying goes… and there is definitely truth in that, especially when you have a sibling whom you love and who loves you right back.

Today i would like to introduce you to a pair of siblings; sisters who are in need of a loving family to care for them, to love them, to give them the opportunities that would enable them to get the best out of life.

Meet Karen and Chrystyna.

10-year old Chrystyna needs a family…
Karen’s only chance for a family is to be adopted together with her sister.

Karen is already 16 years old, she has no special needs and is a developmentally normal teen whose profile says she is smart and has no negative behavioural issues. Chrystyna is her younger sister who has FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) and developmental delays. She has been fortunate enough to be transferred to a place where they do care about her and teach her.

Karen has to be adopted together with her sister Chrystyna because of her age. They both have so much potential but they need a family to provide them with a truly loving environment, a family who would help them meet life’s challenges. Are you that family? If you are looking to add a sibling pair to your family, please do consider Karen and Chrystyna.

If you are not called to adopt (not everyone is), there are other ways you can help. You can share their story so their forever family might find them sooner.

International adoption is an expensive thing to pursue. You can help by helping Chrystyna‘s adoption grant to grow so that a lack of funds would not stop these sisters from having a family to call their own.

You can also pray for both Karen and Chrystyna; for their daily needs and most of all, for a family to come for them.

Thank you.

syc