Thursday, July 28, 2011

A Time To Save

I have had the thoughts of these little innocent forgotten children in my head more so than usual lately. Maybe it's the fact that we're getting so close to our 1st trip, maybe it's watching my little baby Hope growing, and achieving and laughing more and more each and every day. Probably a combination of the two.
I never thought I would be an international adoption advocate. I used to think of all the children here that need homes, I didnt need to worry about some other country's kids. The fact is, there are children everywhere that are needing to be loved. We are ALL of the human race. My country's children are the same as any other country's children They feel the same. They hurt the same. They love the same. The only difference is we are lucky and blessed..SO very blessed to live in this great country. We don't "throw away" our babies just because they have a slight or sometimes severe disability. We have the knowledge and understanding that these sweet children have every opportunity to live a full life. It takes our example as Americans to show the rest of the world, and prove to them that these children ARE wanted.  What they abandoned as an imbecile at a hospital we willingly spend 35,000 dollars to take in as our own.
I hate when I tell people about these children and they say  "You can't save them all" or  "You can't change everything"
That ticks me off about as much as when I tell people I have 4 kids and they say "You know what causes that don't you?!"
I HATE that!!!! Seriously, just don't talk!

The truth is, we can save them. Maybe not right away, but we can.
We can educate and show by example that these children ARE worth something. A recent adopting family said that when they went to Easter Europe that someone over there told them that because of the Americans adopting so many HIV+ children from there
                    

that it has opened THEIR eyes that these children ARE worth having, and loving...they must be if the Americans want them so bad. Now people in EE are adopting their own orphans with HIV, which was unheard of not too long ago.











Ive been thinking alot of the movie A Time to Kill.  The very end of the movie has a powerful court scene. The defense attorney (Matthew Mcconauhey) is defending (Sam L Jackson) for killing the white men who unimaginably  brutalized his little innocent daughter.

 In his last statement he tells the jury to close their eyes and "picture a little girl 10 years old walking down the street on a sunny day.....Two men drunk pull over and grab her"......he tells in detail of the horrible things they did to her. The jury, with their eyes closed and tears begining to run down their faces, listens as he describes this innocent little girl's torture. He then says


"Can you see her? Her raped, beaten, broken body, soaked in their urine, soaked in their semen, soaked in her blood -- left to die.
Can you see her? I want you to picture that little girl.
  Now, imagine she's white."
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 Everytime I see a little girl or boy...

Teri Lynn 30C

Innocent. Living a life of hopefully some happiness, but probably not. Living day to day thinking that there must be more. Knowing that they have so much love to give, and noone to give it to. Noone to laugh with, or tickle them. Noone to say "good job" Noone to claps their hands and says "yaaaay" after they accomplished something or did something cute. Then they turn 4 and are moved from the only place they know as "home."  They are taken away, leaving behind their toys, teddy bear, books, "friends." They get to ride in a car for the first time ever. They see the world. They are probably a little excited, a little curious...In Awe of all the things they've never seen before.
 Then....

They go through a set of doors, they get all their hair shaved off,  and taken in to their "new home"...the mental institution.
Can you imagine how scared they must be. Especially those that may be blind.  It makes me sick to my stomach.

I think of their lives changing forever. I think of the fear they feel. The hunger they feel, physically and mentally. Only 10% of these sweet little angels will live past the first year here. No medical treatment, no comforting, no playing. I can picture it

Now, 
I picture my Hopie.



That could be MY little girl. My sweet, happy, innocent loving, smart, AMAZING little girl.

Can you see her?
Could you visualize her like this.....



 I didn't make it through this video. I have tried to watch it several times over the past year, and have yet to make it through it. 
It is just crazy that I was never aware of this ...of places like this....I cannot imagine....

Are we really still living in "a time to kill?"


These babies have the right to love. The people of these countries have the right to be educated. Everyone doesn't have to adopt....or give tons of money.....but we as people..as Americans should be educated also. 
When this is all said and done, when I bring home my little girl, and give her a loving home, I hope I can find a way to help others be able to help. Wouldn't it be nice to have a database of companies, or people willing to sponsor a "special needs" adoption, and a list of people wanting to "special needs"adopt and put them all together. A big FAT special needs adopting match.com :)
What?...It could happen!!

Then again, we all have so much going on, and we have problems of our own- and if we don't think about it,  it won't bother us, and it'll just go away...
 Plus... someone else will do it. 

Reece's Rainbow Adoption Ministry
              http://reecesrainbow.org/

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Fundraiser for Davis

A fellow DS adopter is having a fundraiser with some really cool prizes.....Check it out, and help give a little boy a home. Click  HERE to go to the fundraiser.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Soooo close!!!

We only need 300 more dollars and we will have all the money for this unexpected home study.

 6 years ago we bought an old 100 year old farm house. I loved it because it had so much character and history. I also wanted an old house that my husband and I could fix up together.



The kitchen was our major "project"  It was BAD. It used to be the back porch before there were "kitchens" and it was falling apart. It was old. It was cold in the winter and unbearable in the summer. I wish I could find the pictures of it. Anyway... I put up paneling over the walls one night. Then painted it a cheery color. We installed a new countertop and  a new sink. It was alot better. It was good. We lived with it for a long time, but it just wasnt cuttin it. It was small, and dark, and not insulated, and It just needed to be done right. So...We ripped down the walls and a small bathroon that was not usable that was attached to it and we rebuilt. We insulated it. Leveled it. Put in new flooring.


Then we hit a road block!  I had a baby 6 weeks early (Hope, my DS little girl)
I hated it, but it was kind of a blessing that she was in the NICU for a couple of weeks because that gave us time to hustle. It was December and cold. We didnt even have to ask, friends and family came to help. We had our walls up and dry-walled in no time. 

This adoption has been very similar to all of this. It has brought our family closer together, as have many things that have occured in our life. We are now doing our "kitchen" again. It sux having to do this secong home study, but atleast I can do it with peace of mind knowing that it will all be done right. We have had people come out of nowhere to help us quickly in our bind. My husband has worked hard and fast to come up with quick money and with nothing but faith and trust we have just about done it.

All we need is about 300.00 by tomorrow evening, and I know it will happen. 
We are sooo close!!!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Blind Faith

So I guess this year's birthday present will be...A new home study!!! Just what I always wanted! So turns out the ENTIRE home study has to be redone....from scratch! Which means, another full fee. $1100.00.  Im just goin off complete faith that I will have it by Thursday. This month I have paid mortgage, Health Insurance premium, Down Payment on a bigger SUV to fit Milana, none of which is under 1000.00,and a heap of other bills, plus the ones still due and the business bills.. so now...We get to come up with ANOTHER thousand.!!! Yay!!!!
Thank goodness we pay our tithing.

If anybody at all donates, even 5 dollars (which will add up!) please donate to the "donate" button on the right. The one that is NOT tax deductible. I found out that I do not have access to Milana's fund until AFTER we receive a travel date.

Im selling off livestock, mini horses, anything I can think of!!! Gary is hustling and we WILL make this happen! We couldn't ask for better friends either. Thank You so much!!!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

The Starfish Story

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A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement.

She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”
The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied,

“Well, I made a difference to that one!”   

                                                                                The  old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done and said. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved. - adapted from the Star Thrower by Loren C. Eiseley





Just a few starfish, waiting to be thrown.....













It made a difference to HER...




   "Mia Kareen Cox"



And it WILL to HIM...





AND...


It WILL to HER


AND

to US!!!!