Tag: teamwork tuesday

If you are a parent to a little child, this is one word which you will have a love-hate relationship with. You will love that your child is curious enough to want to learn more about the world around him/her but the never-ending nature of their “why’s” will make you hate the word.

i have been asked why many times by my son and i love it, except when it is “why” number 1496. i have also been asked why by people who are trying to understand my actions or thought-processes.

One of the “why’s” i have been asked recently is why do i do what i do for these special needs orphans, why do i want to get involved, why do i spend all this time, advocating for, praying for and almost constantly talking about them?

Well, i’m going to “borrow” Michelle’s words (she blogs at Imagery of My Heart):

The only answer I can give here is that once your eyes are opened to a need, it’s hard to be quiet about it. You want to shout it from the rooftops. You want others to care even though they’d rather look away. And that is what happened to me. I couldn’t look away anymore. I may not be able to get anyone else to take up the cause of advocacy, but I cannot be silent. If something I post gets a waiting child just a little more exposure so his/her family can find them, it’s worthwhile. If it makes just one person look at their life and re-evaluate “needs” then it is worthwhile. If one person contributes to an adoption fund for one child, it is worthwhile. Surely these children are some of “the least of these” spoken of by Jesus Christ. How can I turn my back on them?

The words of Jesus she speaks about is taken from this passage: Matthew 25:35-40

³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

So i’m asking you today NOT to turn away and meet Ashton.

Ashton is just 2 years old and has no knowledge of what a loving family would mean. He was born with Spinal Bifida of lumbar area with hydrocephaly; lower smoldering paraparesis. And it is most likely his disability which made him an orphan.

Whatever the reason he became an orphan is not what i want to discuss today. What i want to highlight is how we can help him as of today; how can we help one of the least of these.

We can pray for him; for his daily needs and for his forever family to come for him.

We can share his story so that his chances of finding a family would increase as more will get to know about him.

We can contribute to his adoption grant so that his forever family will have an easier journey in bringing him home. Click on his picture or name to go to his profile page where there is a Donate button. No amount is too small.

Do you see him and think he would be perfect in our family? If so, do contact Reece’s Rainbow for more information about Ashton.

Thank you.

syc

PS: please hop over to Imagery of My Heart: The “Why’s” to read about more “why’s” of international adoption.

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.

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

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.

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