Crying out...

"In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears."

Psalm 18:6

What happens to a Momma when her baby cries out? Her heart strings are pulled, hard, and she has to go to her baby. She has to embrace her baby with all she is and make their hurt or fear or hunger go away. She shows them that she is there for them and she will take care of them. She instills trust in their little souls, whispering deep within them that all is well, Momma is here.

These are my babies. They knew that I would hear them when they cried. Not only did I hear them, I went to them in their distress. I answered them with coos of "it's okay, Mommy's here". I whispered reassuring words of "I got you sweet baby". I shushed their cries with "shhh shhh shhh". And they would settle in to nurse. They would lay on my chest and hear my beating heart and know they were safe.

Zakry, 6 months old (2001)

Brenna, 9 weeks old (2003)

My babies are bigger now but they know without a doubt that Mommy still hears them when they cry. It still pulls on my heart strings, still pulls them hard when they are in distress. They both still cuddle and snuggle with their Momma and know they are safe.

Zakry, 12 yrs old (2012)

Brenna, 9 yrs old (2012)

Even when our world is turned upside down. Losing Noah and Jack changed our "normal". It changed how we define family. It brought us to our knees and we could only cry out to our Father, in our distress. And, He heard us, He turned His ear to us and came to us. Just as we Mommas do for our children.

But what happens to those sweet babes that don't have a Momma to run to them with open heart and open arms? What happens is they learn to stop crying out. They learn that no one gives a crap if they are lonely or scared or hurting. So they stop looking for love. They find ways to make themselves feel better.

Sweet Mia was adopted last June. She is 5 years old and is so full of smiles, laughter, love and life. She has learned so much and taught her family so much about love. Yet, when she is sick she will curl up into herself and cry. For four years she learned that no one cared when she threw up in her bed, all over her hair and clothes. When her throat hurt she would just lay in her bed, alone, and cry. She didn't cry out so a Momma would hear her, run to her, embrace her and whisper prayers to our Healer. She would just cry, alone, not expecting anything.

I stole this picture from her Mommy's Facebook pics.

Mia was an orphan for 4 years. What happens to those sweet children who are orphans and alone for 5, 10, 15, 20 years? A lifetime? They have to learn to depend on themselves, fight for themselves or be trampled on. Can you imagine being a child and having to physically fight for food? Can you picture your sweet son as an orphan, crying himself to sleep tonight because he wasn't strong enough to fight the older boys for a few bites of food? Can you feel the anger rising in your Momma's heart as you picture your fighter girl beating other kids as her heart turns a little bit colder with each punch she throws as she fights to just survive? The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy! Our enemy LOVES to see orphans die in emotional, physical and spiritual anguish, without hope, without peace, without love.

It completely and totally breaks my heart. It consumes me. I cry out so often. My Heavenly Father comes to me, running, with arms open. He hears me and comforts me. He knows each and every orphaned child, young and old. He hears their cries. He whispers to them.

He also whispers to Mommas and Daddies, busy with their own lives. Busy with work, their own children, their churches, their stresses, their fears. He whispers to them and their hearts begin to stir. He calls them to see and love and fight for these sweet children. Orphans who are babies, 5 years old, 9 years old, 12 years old, 16 years old. Orphans who are healthy, orphans who are special needs. He created every single one of them. He calls them beautiful and loved and cherished. Same as He calls me. Same as He calls you.

Beautiful

Sweet boy still an orphan

Loved

Maria, she slept in her bed at her home for the first time on Monday night

 

Cherished

Adopted together from Ukraine last year

I can't be quiet. I can't stop yelling. I have to talk about adoption. I have to share these children with anyone who will listen. I won't stop praying. I won't stop crying.

There are so many wonderful families adopting. There are so many organizations advocating for orphans still waiting. Reece's Rainbow is one of those organizations. I have committed to pray, yell, cry, share and pray some more for sweet Elias. He has been chosen to be a part of the Christmas Tree Angels on Reece's Rainbow.

He currently is at $130.00 (Yahoo! Praise The Lord). Our goal is to get him to $1000.00 and to find a family for him. Head on over and donate $35.00 to Elias or any other sweet orphan there. As a "thank you" gift you will receive an ornament with each sweet orphan's face that you donate $35.00 to. I am sure there are people on your Christmas list that would love a donation in their name and an ornament under the tree.

Thank you for listening to my heavy heart today.

~ One Less Orphan ~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Whatever you do for the least of these...

 

Reece's Rainbow is an incredible organization started by Andrea Roberts. Her son, Reece was born with Down Syndrome and it rocked her world! And rocked it hard! He brought so many blessings into their family that they never knew they were missing. She heard about other children in Eastern Europe, also born with Down Syndrome who were abandoned at birth simply because of their extra chromosome. She couldn't believe it! So, she did something about it. She started Reece's Rainbow in 2006 and advocated, worked and prayed 2 sweet children home to their forever families. That was only 6 years ago. What started as 2 children six years ago has added up to close to 500 special needs adoptions!! Wow!!

Andrea and Reece

Reece's Rainbow website led us to Dmitri and so many other children in need. This Christmas I am advocating, praying and working to increase awareness for all of the children listed on Reece's Rainbow but especially for a little boy, Elias.

Elias is 5 years old. In the United States, a typical 5 year old is full of life, learning everyday and loving life to the fullest. Even children with special needs are given countless opportunities to learn and grow. In Eastern Europe, a 5 year old with Down Syndrome is on the verge of being sent from their orphanage or baby house to the despair of a mental institution! What!?!? An ADULT institution! 90% of these sweet children die within a year of being transferred. They are abused by the older children and adults who are also prisoners there. They lose all stimulation and sit in a room or shed all day long. Their heads are shaved. They usually begin to pick at their faces, bite their hands, bang their heads, anything for some type of stimulation.

Elias is heading to an adult institution.

An Update on Elias from Summer 2012 –

"He is social and interacts with adults and children. He shows a strong interest in re-pronouncing syllables. He knows his name. He knows how to do children’s songs with actions. He understands when you tell him its time to eat, or he needs to get dressed, and every other day activities. He has developing fine motor skills, and a short attention span. He is calm and affectionate, and his memory and thinking are poorly developed."

 

He needs a family and he needs one SOON!! I don't know what our future holds. I don't know if the door will open soon enough for us to even consider adopting sweet Elias. But I do know that he needs a family NOW!! Are you his family? Will you step out in faith and say "Lord, here am I. Send me"?

 

Will you share Elias' picture with your family and friends? Will you pray for him?

I will! I will share, advocate, pray and share some more. My goal is to add $1,000 to his grant account!

Matthew 25:37-40

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

“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."

 

You can donate any amount to any of the children selected for the Angel Tree this Christmas. Under each picture is a link to donate. Every donation of $35.00 will give you a special tree ornament with that specific child's picture. You can add it to your tree, donate in honor or memory of someone or give the ornament as a gift. Elias is currently listed under the $0-$99 raised category with $29 raised so far. What a beautiful little face he has! I am praying his picture up the tree to the $1,000 raised category. Will you help us help Elias?

 

~One Less Orphan!~

 

Posted with Blogsy

Long Time No Post...

Yes, definitely long time with no post.  Over a year. I have though about this blog so very often but have not had the courage or emotional strength to write anything...

A year has brought some changes for us.  Some of these changes were BIG and some were small.

- We put our adoption on hold as we prayed about moving from NJ back to NC.  The  homestudy agency we were working with in NJ (based out of NYC) was, ummm...cold and very critical of our faith in God and His love for all of us. So, we also were praying for direction in moving forward with this agency or finding a different one.  The decision was made to wait for 6 months, knowing full well that Dmitry may become available to another family while we prayed. What an incredibly hard decision to make!

- The doors flew wide open for a move so we packed up and headed south! It was incredibly hard to leave our family but we were coming home to our other family at Taekwondo and at church.  We rang in the New Year with kisses, hugs and cheers at a gas station somewhere in southern Virginia (a first for all of us, my awesome mom included).  Countless friends showed up at our new home the next morning and helped us unpack the truck and move in! (See, we came home to our other family!)

- My mom motivated me to unpack quickly (definitely NOT the norm for me. That's more likemy sister's kind of fun) and get our home set up.  A few weeks later a mom and her two littles moved in with us during a separation from her husband.  They were here until the end of March.

- Spring time came and I contacted our adoption agency to get the ball rolling again. I was so excited to make the call. It had been 6 months since we had prayed about putting everything on hold and it was time to move again.  I heard back from the agency only it was not with the news I expected to hear.  Dmitry was no longer available for adoption.  WHAT?!?! That must be a mistake! I checked a few times during the 6 month wait and he was still waiting. Did his family come back for him, did someone else step up to adopt him? What happened? The agency partner on the ground in Russia inquired about him for us and did not receive a direct answer. It was a lot of beating around the bush, ask so-and-so, file lost, etc. After waiting a week we heard back that the agency partner is pretty sure that our sweet Dmitry passed away.  What a heartbreak!

                                               

- Okay, stop everything! Back to our knees we go! Did we wait too long and it cost his life? Did God put him in our lives for us to pray for him until he went to heaven? Did his short life open the door for another sweet orphan to have the opportunity to love and be loved in a family? We still don't know that answer.

- Fast forward to July.  I had been seeking The Lord on what to do and where to go with adoption.  One morning I was crying out, tears streaming down my face, asking my heavenly Father why had has given us the desire to adopt but has not opened the door yet.  We know that our family is not complete yet. We know we are commanded in Scripture to care for the orphans. We know we can share more love, laughter, joy and our family with more children. There is an incredible blog I follow called The Blessing of Verity. That very day I had been pouring out my heart to The Lord she had a post with so many pictures of children needing families. I decided to show Brian their pictures when he came home from work that night. Ask him if we can pray together about these children and find out if one was for us.  He lost his job that day. We have to have a job to even be considered for adoption.

- One month later, August 15 th, I slipped into a shallow hole in the yard and broke my ankle in 3 places. 7 days later I had surgery to repair the bones. I was blessed with a very talented orthopeadic surgeon and now have a titanium plate about 6 inches long and 11 screws in my left ankle until the day my Jesus takes me home.  It is the beginning of November and I am just now starting to walk around some and get regular things done.

                                                     

- I have continued to pray and ask what I can do to help an orphan. We are not in a position to give financially. I can pray, that's for sure! But Lord, isn't there more I can do?

I am so excited to report that a door has opened and there is something more that I can do! From November 1 to December 31 I will be blogging, Facebooking, emailing, talking, praying and sharing some more. What will all this be about? A sweet little boy, sitting in an orphanage in Eastern Europe. I am his Christmas Warrior and will do my best to find a family for him and add $1,000 to his grant account.

Check out the Angel Tree Here!

Thank you for joining me once again! I look forward to the next part of this crazy journey!

~ One Less Orphan! ~

God's Timing...

God's timing is always perfect timing IF we are in communion with Him.  Ha!! That IF gets me all the time.  I really like to get my way and voice my opinion.  It has been such a struggle for me for the last 10 20 30 well, the last 34 years (yes, from birth).  I guess it has only been the last 10 years that I have really cared and wanted to work on myself.  I am a loooooong way from complete self control but darn it (!!) I am working on it!!!! 

http://crazymomof4.blogspot.com

That being said, God's timing with our adoption is not my timing and it hurts, frustrates, confuses and humbles me.  We did our puzzle piece fundraiser (and still have many pieces available) and were praying for the full $7500 in order to complete our homestudy and get the BIG BALL ROLLING.  We are beyond thankful for every person who gave from their heart.  We raised about $1200 with selling puzzle pieces, $400 from 2 yard sales and $200 from miscellaneous donations.  THANK YOU!!!

That leaves us way short of completing our homestudy ($1600), necessary  post placement fess ($1400), adoption agency consultation fee ($1000) and the INS (forms to get permission from our own gov't to adopt a child from a foreign country) fee ($800). So, we are at a standstill for now.  We are going to continue to raise funds, save what we can and pray the rest in.

  

       

There are so many families out there that are adoption through Reece's Rainbow like we are.  This family is one of them.  They are working and praying Autumn home.  She is such a doll!! They have raised a bunch of money but have a looooong way to go (sounds so familiar!!)  Please go over to their blog and show them some love and support through giving!! 

http://asad123.wordpress.com

~ One Less Orphan ~

We Have Some WINNERS!!!

The kids were so excited to draw the names for our giveaway!  Thank you so much for your support.  There still are many puzzle pieces available and we will continue to sell them until everyone has been purchased.  Please link our adoption blog to your blog, email your family and friends and shout it from the mountain with us!!  We will be doing another giveaway around Christmas.  

http://sibylschristmas.wordpress.com/

So, without further ado, here are the winners of the giveaway:

iPad- Diana Lisle

Massage- Amber Sullivan

Wine Making Experience- Lori McColgen

Pillow Case Dress- Karen Clark

Waterproof Camera- Sarah Edwards

Chocolate Divine Cake- Theresa Zimmerman

$10 Target Gift  Card- Jamie Cromwell

$10 Walmart Gift Card- Becky Christopherson

http://inthelandoffire.blogspot.com

I am working on uploading the video of Zak and Brenna pulling names for the drawing.  It doesn't seem to want to work for me tonight.  

~ One Less Orphan ~

A few days ago I read a blog post from a Momma who was in Bulgaria to meet Katerina (her name will change to Katie once she is adopted), her daughter who has lived in an orphanage for her whole life, nine years. I was overjoyed to know that this little girl would have a family to love her. My joy quickly turned to anger and grief as I saw pictures of this little girl.

Yes, this is Katerina and YES, she is NINE years old! She was born in Bulgaria with an extra chromosome. She was denied the love of her birth mother. She was sent to an orphanage, taken to the back room and basically left for dead. She was given basic care and nothing more.

Her family is doing all they can to expedite her adoption so she can get to the United States and receive the medical attention she desperately needs. Please PRAY and PRAY and PRAY for this little girl and her family!! We all know the power of prayer!

As small and frail and malnourished as this little one is... she has found laughter and smiles to share with her Momma. The power of a loving human touch! It astounds me!

In the words of her new Momma, upon meeting little Katie...

 "Whatever was left of my heart has been smashed up into little tiny bits and is crying out in pain."

Please take a minute and stop over at their blog and pray for them.

　

~ One Less Orphan ~

Little Teeny Steps

What a patience testing, faith building, prayer inducing journey this is!  Sometimes I wish it was all easy, done with, over and that our little boy was here with us already.  Being in the line of work that I am in as a doula I know how important and necessary those 40 weeks of pregnancy are and how critical it is for a baby to not be rushed out of the womb.  So why is it so hard to transfer that same belief to our adoption journey? 

Probably because I know that Dmitry has never known a Momma's love or a Daddy's tickle.  He has never known the fierce protection of an older brother or the sweet kisses of a sister.  He doesn't know that he has had 2 birthdays already because no one has ever celebrated him, never celebrated his life.  He just exists from day to day, much of the time being left in a crib, alone, dirty and hungry.  Some of the children are drugged for "best sleep".  That means they are given sleeping pills so they can stay in their crib 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and not make any noise.  Is our little boy given sleeping pills?  Or is he in a "good" baby home and is allowed to sit on the dirty floor with a toy? Here are the words of one Momma who adopted her daughters from an orphanage in Eastern Europe. 

Simply heart breaking!! 

This is why I want Dmitry to be home NOW!! So, as we wait and go through each step needed, we pray all day and before bed (and in the middle of the night when I wake with him on my heart). We pray for his protection. We pray that his belly is miraculously filled with food, his heart with laughter and love and his bones with strength.  We pray for the hands that take care of his daily needs.  We pray for healing over his little body.  We pray for our bond with him to be STRONG when we can finally hold him in our arms. We pray for mental stimulation as he sits in his crib.  And his big brother and his big sister, with tears in their eyes, pray prayers of thanksgiving, joy and praise for a life soon to be saved.  They love this little boy and have given most of their own money for his adoption. It is one thing for my heart strings to be connected to a little boy in an orphanage in Eastern Europe but to see the smiles on their faces when we talk about Dmitry, pray for Dmitry and collect funds for Dmitry... It makes this Mommy's heart soar!

Sweet boy of mine, sitting on the other side of the world, you are loved beyond measure, treasured more than any earthly jewel and missed more than words can describe.  We are working so hard to bring you HOME, a  place you don't even know exists.  We look forward to the day we will take you from that orphanage and never look back.  

The day that there is 

One Less Orphan!