Tag: teamwork tuesday

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What Makes a Family?

Just very recently, i read a beautiful statement over at Make Something Beautiful:

What makes a family–a family??? Is it blood? Is it marriage? Is it friendships so strong…what is it exactly? Well, it can be a lot of different things that MAKE a family…and at the core of each of them–it’s always LOVE.

Yes it is indeed true. Love makes a family and a family is made to give love.

i have seen that so clearly as we have spent the last 10 years living away from our home country. We have made for ourselves a family here – the friends and neighbours we have come to know and love. And in the recent few years, the many international students we have had the privilege to befriend and sort of play host to. We have become their family – a family away from home. We care for each of them and do try to stay in touch and involved in their lives even after they leave because we love them; they have become family.

i have online families too. Most recently and most prominent at the moment is my RR (Reece’s Rainbow) family. i may never have and may never get to meet many of these families i pray for and these orphans i cry out for and all my fellow-advocates but they have become family. i love them and want the best for all of them.

i want the best for Sophia too, an orphan with Down Syndrome, living in an orphanage,  likely facing life in an adult mental institution as she has no family.

Sophia awaits the day she has a family to call her own.

Sophia was not chosen by her birth family to remain with them. Why? We may never know. But what is important is that this Christmas Sophia comes to know that love truly does make a family. She needs to be shown that people do care for her and love her. You and i can become the family she never gets to meet. You and i can pray for her; pray for her daily needs and for her forever family to come and bring her into the loving folds of a family. You and i can share her story so that her family might spot her sooner and come bring her home.

She has a virtual family member working hard for her now – her Angel Tree Warrior, working to raise awareness for her and to raise her adoption grant. Go over to My Journey Through Life and have a read.

You and i can also make a contribution to her adoption grant so that it would make her forever family’s journey to her easier. You can donate by clicking on her name or picture. If you make a contribution of US$35 or more, you will be given a lovely Christmas Ornament with Sophia‘s picture for your tree.

Do go over to Make Something Beautiful!: What makes a family? and read the very lovely post which inspired me.

Thank you.

syc

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Special In Every Way…

“…special needs kids are just kids.  Just kids that need moms and dads to love them and take care of them.  To treat them like any other kid.  They are no less deserving of a loving family and parents to take care of them than any other child…”

That’s what Amber over at Skyward Journey said when she wrote about special needs adoption.

And it is so true. Every child deserves a loving family and parents who will take care of them, they need people they can depend on to support them, teach them, guide them, help them through life; special needs or not.

Kaleigh needs such a family too.

Can you picture this lovely girl with a beautiful bow in her hair, a pretty little dress, laughing, running at full speed towards mum & dad?

She is an orphan who is special in every way… she has Down Syndrome and just looking at her, i know she has a wonderful personality just waiting to shine. She needs a mummy and daddy who would help her shine, help her show off how special she truly is.

Unfortunately, she lives in a country where her extra chromosome is considered a burden rather than a hidden blessing waiting to be discovered. So what awaits her is life in an adult mental institution for the rest of her life. She could be transferred real soon. She is 4 years old.

But this festive season she has a person she can depend on; her Angel Tree Warrior who is working hard to raise awareness and to raise funds for her adoption grant. See here for more about what her AT warrior has planned.

Would you show Kaleigh a little love by giving towards her adoption grant? It would take anywhere from US$25,000 to US$40,000 or more in paperwork and adoption fees before a family can bring her home. Please go here to donate or click on her name/picture.

Please do also pray for her, for her daily needs to be met and most of all, for her forever family to come for her real soon. Do also share her story so more may know about her and more may help.

syc

PS: Go here to read the whole article i quoted from at the beginning of this post. Special Needs Adoption « Skyward Journey. You can also read about other aspects of special needs adoption there.

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Down Syndrome… A Blessing…

Yes that’s right having that extra chromosome is a blessing… not just to the person who has it but to everyone involved in that extra special person’s life.

Since joining Reece’s Rainbow some 9 months ago as a prayer warrior and advocate for special needs orphans, it has been a delight to my ears to hear children having loving families come for them, even better than that, my ears ring with joy, when i hear not just how the child is blessed but how each and every member of the family who adopted a Down Syndrome child (or a child with other special needs) are so blessed by the new addition. How it has changed their perspective in life, for the better. How much happiness has entered their lives since they brought home their extra special child.

Now i’m only speaking from what i know, what i have heard. But here are some blessings of having a child with Down Syndrome and their accompanying numbers from three surveys conducted by doctors at Children’s Hospital in Boston.

Among 2,044 parents or guardians surveyed, 79 percent reported their outlook on life was more positive because of their child with Down syndrome…

…among siblings ages 12 and older, 97 percent expressed feelings of pride about their brother or sister with Down syndrome and 88 percent were convinced they were better people because of their sibling with Down syndrome.

You have an opportunity now to help one of these children with that extra wonderful chromosome.

Meet Carter.

Sweet Carter is waiting for his forever family.

Unlike the children who have taken part in the above surveys, Carter has no loving family who could give him the care and support he needs to live his life to the fullest of his abilities. He is an orphan. And in his country children with special needs are not regarded with the same eyes, they are seen as less than worthy.

But he is worthy. Every life is worthy and should be given every opportunity to take life head on and raise above all the ups and downs which make up life itself. He is worthy, simply because God made him the way he is; extra special. But he needs your help to have these opportunities.

You can help Carter by sharing his story so that his forever family might find him and come to bring him home. You can help Carter by praying for him and his daily needs, and most importantly, for his loving family to be found.

Having enough funds would be the biggest burden his forever family would have, so Carter‘s Angel Tree Warrior is having a wonderful Christmas for Carter Giveaway where you can get a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy 2 Tablet, a LeapPad 2 bundle, and lots of other awesome prizes! Please see here for details. You can also follow the extra special fundraiser for 4 other orphans run by the same advocate on this Facebook page.

If you feel led to, you can also give directly towards Carter‘s adoption grant (which would greatly help his forever family to reach him easier). You can do that here, or click on his name or picture to go to his profile page.

Thank you very much.

syc

PS: i found out about the above mentioned surveys from this blog post: Mostly True Stuff: My Angry Down Syndrome Awareness Post.. She made some really interesting points, please do go over and read the whole post.