Freedom...

...it's important.  Isn't it?  Isn't it???.

It won't let me embed this video, but its a good song if you want to watch it.

Gone

This little girl is gone. She was eleven years old. She passed away in an overseas orphanage or institution without a mom and dad.  Some of you may 'slam' me for caring, but go ahead if you feel you must.  Sometimes people react to things they fear or don't understand by making light of them.  But why, oh how, could someone, anyone, make light of this?  And say that, these kids should stay where they are at?  And die of neglect?  Simply because they are overseas and not here in America?  I do not know much really, about all this and how it works.  But I do know a few things.  One of those is this, that if kids here in America were treated the way these children are --- people would be imprisoned, seriously imprisoned, possibly for life.  Children like this little girl are 11, 14, 15, 9, 5, 3, 2 years old, younger and older, and are left to lay in cribs all day long ---yes cribs--- at age 15--- until thier bodies stiffen up, bent out of shape so they cannot even move.  That, and/or they stop growing, and look like they are still only a year or two old.  And they are starving, literally starving, at age 14, weighing only 11 pounds.

Yes, it happens.  I am not making this up.  No, I haven't been there.  I don't have to be there.  Possibly if I was there, I would never ever leave.  I have to add respectfully that this does not happen everywhere over there.  But sadly, more often than not, it seems it does. 

Now, with all that said, I must point out that yes -- kids here in the USA need homes too, even if they are not starving to death, it doesn't mean they are any less deserving. I am simply stating, we shouldn't single ANY of these children out on either side of the ocean, simply because of where they live.  They all need homes.  Where you choose to adopt from, if you so choose, is up to you, what you feel comfortable with for not only yourself but for the sake of the child.

The little girl above?  Didn't she deserve a mom and dad?  Didn't she deserve to be loved by a family? Didn't she deserve to come home?  But sadly, most people just don't know.  If they did I believe a dozen or more moms and dads would have been knocking on the door to get that little girl out.

People just don't know.  Or they don't have the money.  Or simply cannot adopt.  But everyone can still help.  Everyone can do something.  We can help and support the people whom can adopt.  We can help them raise the funds they need.  While they can fully support the child when they bring them home (one of the reasons a home-study is done, I believe) most people just don't have 22,000 dollars or more laying around.  We can do something.  We can help the families.  We can sponsor them.  We can advocate for orphans.  Talk about them.  Get word about them out there. Pray for them if you pray.  There are many so things that we can do.

The fact is, this little girl is just one of many, many, many, I cannot even pretend to know the numbers, hundreds, thousands? whom die in these conditions every year.  Why? When we can help them.  And please don't tell me 'you can't save them all' because there are approximately 163,000,000 orphans in this world, which is, for an individual person -me- or any one person- a mathematical impossibility.  But if we group together who knows what we can do.  I've written here before, if only 7% of the Christian population were to adopt there wouldn't be any orphans left in the world.  When put into that perspective, 7% is a very small number indeed.  And by the way, it doesn't just have to be Christians.  I was just using an example to show the numbers and that we can do something.  

Which brings me to her.  This is 'Mabel' as she is known on Reece's Rainbow.  Look at her, everyone.  Look at the hurt in this little girl, its almost like she thinks is just part of life to be like this, to chew on her own hands to soothe herself because she has no one else to do it for her.  Should any child have to look like this? Hurt like this? Be like this? Goodness, she is seven!  Is she yours?  Even if you are not looking to adopt?  I will say it now like I have many times on this blog, once again I will put it out there -- right now I am not able to adopt.  I know there are people out there whom can't either.  But if you can't, she is someone's daughter.  It's amazing what a little love can do.  Let's get her out there?  In honor of 'Lynette' -- the little girl pictured at the start of this post. 

Yes, it will be hard.  Yes, she has special needs.  Yes, it will be expensive.  But isn't her life worth it?  Isn't it?  Even if you don't know her?  I think her biggest special need is simply the fact that she needs a family, to love and be loved.  Thank you everyone, for listening and passing her picture along.  More information about Mabel can be found right here.