Where a New Year Means Nothing…

Yep, it is a sad sad statement but so very true for many in the world; many who are in such difficult circumstances that just getting through another day is a blessing in and of itself, many who do not even know that a new year has come because it is just another day for them, same hard life as always; many who can not even speak for themselves.

There are so many who need help in this world and i so wish i – we – could help them all but… it is not possible. However, that does not mean that i should sit by and do nothing. No. i can do something, i can help and even if i help just one of the thousands, i would have helped and that one person who have a better future…

So i continue my advocacy for special needs orphans and this month, the Teamwork Tuesday bloggers are focusing on Spina Bifida, a condition where the spinal cord isn’t completely covered on both sides. You can read more here and here.

Many infants in countries where medical facilities allow are treated early and have an almost normal life with this condition rarely limiting their development. However, where medical care isn’t so advanced and where society is more fearful of disabilities, these children do not have such opportunities.

Emmitt is one of these children with no chance for such early treatments and no opportunity has been given to him to prove that he can succeed in life. Instead he is an orphan, deemed to be unfit for even a basic education simply because of his physical condition which can be easily managed if he had a loving family who would support him through all the treatments and therapies needed.

Look at those intelligent eyes, imagine all that he could do if given the right opportunities…

There is a more urgent need than his physical health. Emmitt is 15 years old and in a year’s time, in 12 short months, he will age out of the system and he will either be sent out onto the streets with just the clothes on his back and a tiny amount of food (maybe money) and expected to find work with no skills and no education, or he will simply spend the rest of his life in a crib, confined to nothingness for the remainder of his likely short life.

He may not be able to walk but he is said to be “extremely smart” which means his mental capacity isn’t affected by his physical disability. A family who saw him said the following: “He is very friendly, funny, and talkative. He desperately seeks out attention.  He was talking to my husband, and holding Zack’s hand, which he then put on top of his head for Zack to rub his hair.  He is extremely intelligent, and just precious!  I brought him paper and crayons, and he drew me a flower.”

This sweet clever boy needs a family to help him get the best out of his life. He can have successes and accomplishments. He just needs a caring family who would believe in him. Are you that family? If you feel drawn to Emmitt, please please contact Reece’s Rainbow for details.

There are other ways you can help too. You can pray for Emmitt, pray for his daily needs and most of all pray for his forever family to come for him. You can share his story so his family can be found.

You can also help his forever family reach him faster by growing his adoption grant (international adoptions are so very expensive). Click on his name or picture to donate.

You can also support his wonderful advocates, at TheScenicRoute-Momto6kids and SavingHisSparrows.

Thank you.

syc

If Only…

There are so many times in my life that i have started a sentence with “If only…”, often expressing regret at something i have chosen to do which had gone wrong, and more often than not, i had chosen despite the fact that i knew it would be wrong. “If only…” to me is a luxury statement; it means i have the chance, the choice to make a mistake.

But little Alexander does not have that luxury. He can’t imagine an “If only…”. He is an orphan and has very little say in what happens to him and in his life. But he needs, he deserves to have choices, he deserves a chance to live.

Alexander awaits his forever family who might help him get the medical care he needs.

You have to know something about Alexander – he has a brain tumour! The doctors in his country do not have the resources to help him, on top of that, he is an orphan and his orphanage is unlikely to be able to afford the surgeries he needs. They can do some of the surgeries he needs but not ones which will help him live a full and complete life.

BUT… if he had a loving family, a family who would be there to support him through the lengthy treatments, surgeries and recoveries, he would have a real shot at a fulfilling life; a life filled with love, a life filled with choices, even a life filled with the possibility of making a wrong decision and saying “If only…”.

Missionaries who have worked with Alexander say that he is a “very lovable kid and very smart.  He remembers people and things that they say and he is very in tune with how sick he is.  He understands and comprehends a lot for his age.  He loves to dance and get one on one attention (what kid doesn’t?)  He’s sensitive and his feelings get hurt easily… is concerned about others.  He always asks how you or someone in the group is doing.  He is very outgoing, not shy at all.  He loves to sing songs and recite poems for you, and he knows so many!… Simply put, he is a loving little boy who is such a pleasure to spend time with.

Doesn’t he sound like such a sweet child? Are you his family? Can you give him the love and support he needs to grow up into a wonderful young man? If you felt drawn to Alexander, please click on his name or picture to find out more and contact Reece’s Rainbow.

Even if you are not his forever family, you can pray for him; pray for his daily needs, pray for the treatments he may be receiving in his home country.

You can also help by sharing his story far and wide so that his forever family might find him.

Last but not least, you can donate towards his adoption grant so that his forever family’s journey to him will be much easier and faster. Please click on his name or picture to donate.

Thank you.

syc

Giveaway for the Campbells Ended… Winners are…

First order of business is to say THANK YOU to all our very generous donors. We have raised US$460 in a week. Thank you very much for caring about Maya Grace enough to contribute to the Campbells’ adoption grant.

Second, THANK YOU to everyone who has shared this post and giveaway. Visibility and building awareness is half the work.

Although we raised only a small part of the US$5400 the Campbells needed, it is still a good amount and would go some way to help them defray those costly travel expenses. And while i know that many have contributed and shared, only a handful have actually commented and made their efforts and generosity known. So my third THANK YOU goes out to those anonymous donors and advocates.

Now onto the winners:

Winner of the Semi-Precious Bracelet is Beth Baird.

Winner of the Stamped 1″ Silver Disc is Kathy Wiehl.

i will be contacting the winners via Facebook message.

Once again, Thanks to everyone who made this Giveaway a success.

Maya Grace thanks you for helping her family get to her.

Please keep the Campbell family in your prayers as they travel today to go pick Maya Grace up. Pray for safe travels within country as well as for all paperwork to go smoothly and quickly. Pray also for them all to stay healthy.

If you have missed the Giveaway but have been led to give towards this adoption, please do. It is never too late to give. Go here to donate directly to the Campbells’ FSP (Family Sponsorship Page).

You can also keep up with them as they travel on their blog. i’m not sure how much access they will have but i know they will update whenever they can.

So excited for them to start to the new year together as a family of 5.

syc