True Value - Part 1

Did you know they plan to spend a billion dollars on a cruise ship? A billion dollars on a BOAT when there are starving and sick people all over the world. People whom are eating cakes of mud so at least they don't feel hungry --- and we plan to spend that kind of money on a boat???

Nick Vijicic

I need to post this. I don't know why. Maybe for myself maybe for others. Loud and clear there is more than just one message in this. This is living proof of God's glory on Earth. So often I ask these same questions in this video. Oddly, it confirmed all I already felt and knew -- but sometimes we need to hear and see it again.

Thank you Nick Vujicic for being so awesome and inspiring and giving in sharing your absolute love of God.

Acts 18:9-10 :

"Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people."

Adopt Me...

...I'm 'Bella'. I turn 14 next month. After that, I will continue to live in the orphanage until I am 16, but I will never have a family of my own. For the next two years I will watch child after child be chosen... and not me. And I will know that it will never be me. Please chose me. More information and whom to contact to start asking about me today can be found HERE. If you can't adopt me please don't pass me by. Please blog about me so maybe someone whom see's me -- can. It only takes a few minutes. Please, I have no time left...

The Trash Bag:

It is up to each of us to listen, to act, to do something. We can make choices we like easily, good choices and bad ones. It is harder to make choices that are frightening with ends that are unknown. But that is what faith is, you have to believe first before you see -- this is something that has taken and is still taking me a very hard and long time to learn to accept.

But you do see in the end - and what you see is more amazing than you could ever lay out or imagine on your human own. You fight, you resist, you ignore, you pretend the message is for someone else and not you, you pass it by, you come up with excuses, you put things off to the end, you lie... but in the end when you run out of options -- you cave. You give in. You say ok God --- and then you seriously start to pray.

You dream of standing in a star field with a black and very tattered and taped up trash bag full of everything that you think is important to you, taped and tattered at the cost of hauling it around and trying to keep it all together. And Jesus is there just feet away waiting for you to give it to him. With tears rolling down your face you start to do so... but at the last minute pull it back from him for fear of letting go.

You still feel sick. You still don't want to do this. You still don't believe all the way. You still miss what you had and are 'secretly' thinking of ways to go back. But in the end again - you cave, and say -- Ok God. You try and give the trash bag over again but you can't quite do it. You pray again.

You spend days in tears of not understanding why it can't be the way you want it to be, why does everyone else get what they want? Why do you have to give up everything your happiness and comfort, your all for someone else's sake?

You rage for days with this question, weeks, months... again and again. Then one dark and rainy night at three in the morning you are staring out a window. The night and the storm has made your heart quiet and still enough so you can finally hear the answer that has been being repeated again and again in all the noise you've been making: Jesus gave up everything he had too. He gave his life for you - not for himself. He gave up absolutely everything.

It shocks you to the core. Especially when you remember you are supposed to try and be like Jesus. Give and give and keep on giving - because you love. Even if you do not get anything immediately back in return, even if it hurts. You are supposed to pick up that cross and be like Jesus.

So you pray again. The whole time he is just standing there waiting for you to trust him, to give him that trash bag you carry of everything precious to you. Just waiting reassuring you it will be alright. He could turn it into something beautiful. And this time you do it. You had that trash bag over. With shaking hands and tears pouring down your face you step back and whisper "Ok God, I will stop fighting and trust you. I will do what you want of me, just show me."

And he does. Slowly at first, one step at a time, one breath at a time, your heart changes, your world starts to crack open and you start to see bits and pieces of a plan that had that has been made since before the dawn of time. Looking back on your life to this point you can see where the pieces had fallen into place and you didn't even know it then. You see the tiny bits of light that shine through are so bright and brilliant that you dare to hope -- and at last it comes spiraling open until you are on top of a flowered hillside looking up into a beautiful sky, remembering what you had and fought for and wanted for so long was not nearly as nice as this is -- and this is what you were fighting against being given. It is more beautiful than you ever could have imagined:

LOVE.

Love.

love.

This could apply in many more ways than just adoption. It might apply in every heart felt-battle you might have in your life.
Some people may just have to look harder to find that hillside and they may have to do it more than once. For me, it wasn't related to the idea of adoption either at first. But in this moment I felt I did need to write it here for that relation.

I saw this quote on another blog. It was so strong inside me that I had to share it again:

"What if there are children in the world who will suffer somehow because I failed to obey God? What if my cowardice costs even one child somewhere in the world his or her life?"
-- Richard Stearns.

What about Bella in the post below this one? And what about the others? What about the ones we might never know? Pray, post about them, have faith and believe. Bring one home if you can. Really sit back and ask yourself -- can you? If not can you pass word on about them? That is important to because together we can reach someone whom can.

This has been posted time and again on the internet, even one other time by me here on this blog - but I will post it again:



My friends, your thoughts and actions are always your own. You know your own roads and I cannot and will not even begin to try to imagine them. It's just that after years of trying to take the trash bag back, I felt the need to share mine as encouragement to someone out there. So many of you have encouraged me that I also wanted to say thank you. Until next time, in peace and have a good night.
--Debrah

Kevin Has a Family!

Remember the boy whom had only 20 days left for his family to find him? Well, they found him. We don't know who yet but MIRACLES HAPPEN EVERYONE. They happen. You have to pray. You have to believe. You have to sometimes take a giant leap of faith and say - yes, this time it is me being called, not someone else. This time, its me. Because this time - it's Kevin. THANK YOU GOD!

Which brings me back to BELLA. She also is 13 and only has until February to find her family or she will NEVER BE ADOPTED. We did it in time for Kevin. We CAN do it in time for Bella. Please please please pass word of her on. This blog is entering it's fourth year. People ask me why I keep blogging for orphans and people I don't know. The answer is its because its all I can do. Please, do something too? Pray. Consider being Bella's family or pass word of her on today. With God, money isn't an object, it isn't, not for things close to his heart, and I've seen time and again and I believe that orphan's are. Thank you everyone.

Happy New Year

So ...2011. Time Flies, and I do not say it lightly. My baby sister is turning 20 this year, and that is hard to believe. I am further along in my 30's than I myself can even fathom. And it seems that 30's are going faster than 20's did. Time flies. Make it your best, enjoy it while its there, love all the moments, cause they go fast. Cherish the people in your lives. Wishing you the best and happiest of new years...

--Debrah

Please Remember Kevin:

'Kevin' is the 13 year old boy I wrote about in this entry HERE. His remaining 20 day chance to be adopted has dropped to just 10 -- But he has 2 separate families trying to rescue and adopt him. However, I am guessing, that as there are only 10 days left until he is not adoptable -- things are not going easy at all. They are asking for prayers for a miracle for him. If you pray, please, please include this boy. If not, think of him please? Thank you all again.

The Christmas Post:

This is an entry I've had in my head for many months, just trying to figure out how to write it. Last year, I posted 'yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus,' and it wasn't enough. I might think unfortunately that it even upset some people. So maybe something else this year?


Some people see only Santa Claus at Christmas. Some don't. Did you know that Santa Claus was indeed a real person - not a myth or a lie - he was St. Nicholas. Did you know that St. Nicholas was adopted by his uncle after his parents died? Did you know he used his parents inheritance to help the poor? Did you know that beyond Christmas he is known as the Patron Saint of Children and that Patron Saints are said to have lived a life as a worthy example of how to faithfully follow Jesus Christ?

Did you know he loved God?

At Christmastime, growing up in my family, there was always a Santa Claus. And at the same time, from when we were the smallest of children, my mom and dad instilled in us the holy value of what Christmas really was all about - the birth of our savior Jesus Christ - we knew that, without a doubt. We would have [and still have] the nativity scene, every year we would perform Christmas play of the 3 Kings and the Shepherds coming to visit the baby Jesus. Every year, I got to be the angel - to the point of having the verse memorized in my head:

"Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people, for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you, you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger."

This, my family, my friends, is what Christmas is about. We grew up lovingly and knowing it with our whole hearts. And Santa Claus? Well, my mother never even had to sit down and give us the 'he isn't real' talk. Because as we grew we came to know what Santa Claus -St. Nicholas- embodied- the spirit of giving, the spirit of Christmas - to be carried all through the year; for the Glory of God.

For that reason I still believe.

There will always be a Santa Claus in my/our home. Everyone has their own Christmas Traditions and beliefs, and cherish and love them and that is wonderful. I just thought I'd take a moment to share our own. From my house to yours, peace, love and joy this Holiday Season.

Merry Christmas.

--Debrah and Family

Chinese Adoption Older Child

This 13 year old boy is in China and needs a family to commit to him right now. When he turns 14 he looses the chance to be adopted - forever. That happens in 20 days. I am certain he has seen other kids get taken home and his turn never comes. Come on everyone, lets make a wonderful Christmas Miracle. Somewhere there is a family for him. Please, you have to have paperwork in China now. You might be able to add him into your adoption. Please don't just past this over. If you are adopting, if you are thinking of china, if you are thinking of an older child, give this boy a chance. And if not, at least please past THIS POST about him along. It takes two minutes, but can change his life. Thank you.

Celebrating Christmas

Lol! Isn't it cute! I loved it!

To the Person Asking About Dmitry :)

Hi! I do hope you come back to read this. As it is, I do not know which orphanage he is in but I may be able to get you in touch with someone who does. Please email me at debrahballard at yahoo.com. Please let me know how it goes, I love that little boy. Thank you so very very much for asking.

My One and Only Nephew...

...here he is, this past Halloween. Its been a while since I posted his pictures so I thought I'd put one up. Also, he's about to loose his title as 'one and only' -- he has a baby brother on the way! And a cousin on the way too, a little girl! Congrats so much to my brother and sister in law and my sister and brother in law!

There is a blog entry I am writing...

...but I don't know how without seeming biased or hypocritical or judgmental of people. Please, for now, just look at this video.

More Familiar Kiddos?

I Wanted Him...

...today, I read on a blog that a little boy has been transferred to an institution. A sweet little boy with beautiful eyes and a glowing smile that said he was so happy with what he had, too innocent to know it wasn't much to be happy about or that it all -soon- would be taken away. A little boy whom is an orphan, with $7,105 in his account and yet he wasn't chosen. He was smart, active, playful, outgoing, he wanted love.... ...he was sent to an institution in eastern Europe instead.

This is what that could be like, we've all seen it by now but I ask no matter how horrific it is just spare a few minutes at least for this little boy and watch it again:



Or maybe watch this one [warning, very disturbing content]:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=by0Q1H79bec

Or this one [also very disturbing]:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9lNUsLLC8c&feature=related

None of these were the country this little boy was in. But the country he is in was listed in the second video. As that video said, the conditions are generally the same in institutions all over the world. It brought a chill to my spine, and tears to my eyes, and a bit of anger to read when someone's blog declared that NO ONE WANTED HIM:


I did...[click here for an older post] He wasn't un-noticed.

This year on my birthday there will be a cake for Alexander instead. For a present I hope to help find his family and will be starting fundraisers for him. Look at him everyone, you can SEE his joy and his potential. Now look at him and think of him in one of the places as posted above. I can hardly stand to think of it. I wanted him. I can't have him. Hopefully this and this woman's blog post will have someone somewhere who can have him wanting him too.

He can't wait anymore. Contact Andrea at Reeces Rainbow about Alexander today.