1 Year With Jesus:

For sweet little Chrissie, whom taught the people of this entire world so much, and for her dear family for sharing the precious gift of her life with us. Love goes on for ever and ever. You are all in my prayers.

Heidi:

Hi everyone, this is Heidi. This is a child I saw for the first time today. It was one of those moments where you are just scrolling and scrolling down the page of pictures hoping those kids get homes and you get to this one photo of a child - and your heart jumps, your throat constricts, your breath stops. It's a feeling of knowing you have to do something. You have to do more than just hope. God calls some of us to help some people and others to help others. So today I am including a post about little Heidi.

I admit, in light of my post below this one, I thought I would post this entry about Heidi tomorrow so that my announcement could be read. But I couldn't shake the feeling that I had to do this now. That is, after all, was a much more important announcement than just moving blogs.

And that announcement is that Heidi needs a home. This little girl has already been transferred, and look at her, look at the adorable trusting innocence in her face. I think about what transferred means and get cold all over.

Here is Heidi's information from Reece's Rainbow:

Date of Birth: June 2005
Gender: Female
Eyes: Gray
Hair: dark brown
Character: normal. She smiles, plays, eats well.

HELP! I HAVE ALREADY BEEN TRANSFERRED!

Heidi is such a love! Brown hair and big brown eyes, she longs for a family of her own. Heidi is moderately delayed. She is able to walk on her own. She does have an astigmatism and strabismus, and also has an additional chord in the left ventricle of her heart.

MORE PHOTOS AVAILABLE

I AM ELIGIBLE FOR AN OLDER CHILD GRANT

Heidi is listed here on the Down Syndrome page for Girls ages 6 and up. You may have to scroll a little but she is there. Heidi is also listed here as available for single women to adopt, which is where I found her originally at. Again, you may have to scroll but this time quite allot.

Yet, like all the others I have written about here, I cannot go and get her and bring her home. Can you? Do you know someone who can? This is a six year old girl we are talking about - six years old - locked up in what is likely a Eastern Europe Insane Asylum. Google those.

Then think about this little girl there.

We have to get her out.

All Good Things

Hi everyone...

For a while now, many months in fact, I have been thinking of ending this blog and moving over to another I've had going for a while. Alot of that depended on what happened to a little girl I love, and just like this blog was started for and dedicated to a little girl whom captured my heart - so will the new blog be - for a little girl that I must never forget.

Who knows. I don't know for sure yet. I realize that my blog is finally starting to catch on. I have ten followers and a few hits here every day. I am hoping if I do persue this move that you all will come with me. I am hoping that anyone who is directed here might also come that way.

Take care everyone, out there, and goodnight.

Oksana, Oksana...

Ever since I saw your picture I have been drawn to to you - to think of you, pray for you, check on you to see if you had a home yet, to knowing that if I was allowed to I would go right across the sea to adopt you - for three years now.

For a while, I wondered if anyone else even noticed you as I watched other kids I have kept up on and prayed for get adopted. And yet, my sweet Oksana with her beautiful eyes and little blue bonnet, waits.

But people have noticed you sweetie. My feeling this way is just me wanting to see you have a family so badly. And I have to trust that everyone is waiting for God's perfect time for you, that the waiting leads to something beautiful.

So today, on Mother's Day, I felt the need to do share about you on this blog. And as for others to share about you too. It takes only five minutes and a tiny bit of blog space to help this little nearly forgotten girl's family come. I am praying they will find her soon. Please pray with me. Please post with me. Lets get this little one home at last.

Visit Oksana here at Reece's Rainbow today. You may have to scroll down a bit but she is there. Thank you.

For My Beautiful New Baby Niece Kayla

Today you were born. Welcome to the world little one. I love you and wish and pray for you to have the most beautiful life. Your aunt Deb.

We Pray for Children:

I read this on another blog. Of course I will re-post it. I hope you will too.

A Prayer for Children
Written By: Ina J. Hughs

"We pray for children
Who give us sticky kisses,
who hop on rocks and chase butterflies,
Who stomp in puddles and ruin their math workbooks,
Who can never find their shoes.

And we pray for those
Who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire,
who've never squeaked across the floor in new sneakers,
Who've never ‘counted potatoes,'
who are born in places we wouldn't be caught dead,
Who never go to the circus,
who live in an X-rated world.

We pray for children
Who bring us fistfuls of dandelions and sing off key, who have goldfish funerals, build card-table forts, Who slurp their cereal on purpose, who put gum in their hair, put sugar in their milk, Who spit toothpaste all over the sink, who hug us for no reason, who bless us each night.

And we pray for those
Who never get dessert,
who watch their parents watch them die,
Who have no safe blanket to drag behind,
who can not find any bread to steal,
Who don't have any rooms to clean up,
whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser,
Whose monsters are real.

We pray for those
Who spend all of their allowance before Tuesday,
who throw tantrums in the grocery store,
and pick at their food,
Who like ghost stories,
who shove dirty clothes under the bed,
And never rinse out the tub,
who get quarters from the tooth fairy,
Who don't like to be kissed in front of the carpool,
who squirm in church and scream on the phone,
Whose tears we sometimes laugh at,
and whose smiles can make us cry.

And we pray for those
Whose nightmares come in the daytime,
who will eat anything,
Who have never seen a dentist,
who aren't spoiled by anybody,
Who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep,
who live and move,
but have no being.

We pray for children
Who want to be carried,
and for those who must,
For those we never give up on,
and for those who don't have a chance,
And we pray for those who will grab the hand of anybody
kind enough to offer"

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. Please Repost, Please Pray.

THIS IS WHY:

Yes, I shouted that. THIS IS THE ANSER FOR PEOPLE WHOM ASK ME WHY NOT ADOPT KIDS IN OUR OWN COUNTRY. This is the body of a 3 year old girl whom is -- by what can only be described as a blessed Miracle -- still alive. Three years old, weighing only 11 lbs.

Her parents just adopted her from an eastern Europe country. They found this the first time they undressed their little precious daughter and the moment their plane touched down in America on March 17 they rushed this child to the hospital where it was found that her little body was already shutting down, no longer receptive of any food and she continued to loose weight. A tube had to be placed directly into her intestine to prevent stomach reflux. This little girl - Carrington - is lighting a fire across the net and in the hearts of people all over the world. I understand kids in the USA need homes and by far I am not out to deny them in fact I encourage it and may adopt from foster care myself one day. I understand that international adoption is not for everyone. But please -- do not lash out at those whom it is for and ask them why not adopt from their own country. Their hearts have been broken for a child on the other side of the world. My heart is breaking for her - and this little boy too:



This little boy is -Kirill- with the mommy and daddy whom have battled so long and hard to go across the seas to adopt him also from an eastern European orphanage. When they presented their case to the judge she told them no - that they could not adopt him because she felt that kid with Down Syndrome was better off in a mental institution.

Maybe maybe someone should slap that picture of Carringon's little body down in front of the judge and ask her flat out if she thinks that is what is better for him, because, that all I see in this -- that her choice will allow this to happen again. If she argues its just one case -- no, its not. Kids DIE of malnutrition and neglect in these institutions and orphanages over there ALL THE TIME. All the time. This is just ONE precious case that has the chance to be brought to light.

"Do not withhold good from those to whom it's due when it is within the power of your hand to do so." -- Proverbs 3:27

Someone needs to remind that judge of that Proverb too. If she is doing so she has no right to let her personal feelings on this matter interfere or I don't feel she should be allowed to have the position she has.

Please understand I write what I write because I am on FIRE about this. I do not mean any disrespect for the families involved. [The children's names are linked to support blogs if you click on them.] I hold them in my prayers and I hope you do too. Also please think of going to get one of these kids if you can, or donate to them if you can. They need you. The are all precious little Kirill's and Carringon's...

The Road You Leave Behind:

A couple years back I was driving along, and about 20 miles from home the tire on my car blew out. I had the spare tire in the trunk but not the knowledge or tools I needed to fix it. I didn't have anyone in the city whom could help me, or my phone to call anyone. It would have taken me over an hour to walk to where I worked to call my dad. That was my only option, or so I thought.

As I was locking the doors a red car pulls up behind me and a kid of about 16 gets out and asks if I needed help. I admitted what my problem was and without another word he got the tools needed out of his own car and changed my tire out. This kid told me all he was thinking was that this could have been his sister standing out here.

To this day, every so often, I am reminded of this. And will carry it with me the rest of my life.

Simple kindness does exist. It is stronger and goes sooooo much further than anger and hate. You are remembered longer. You leave a better impression behind.

Here's another one for you. Also a couple years ago.

I was driving around in my van in the busy part of the city in the busy part of the day and had pulled up at a stoplight. On the street-corner was a middle aged man in his wheel chair whom had just pushed the button to change the signal so he could cross the road. As the light changed another man whom was approaching and getting ready to cross walked up behind him and pushed the first man's wheelchair through the intersection...

...when they got to the other side. Both men went their separate ways.

Wow, I thought, that was nice! And they didn't even know each other! Until I saw them part ways I thought they had.

Isn't it horrible that simple kindness is amazing these days?

I got another one for you:

So a bit over a year ago my sister and I were driving the same van and the engine was finally getting ready to give out. And it does at a stoplight in the middle of a busy road. I managed to roll off onto a side street which thankfully was built on a long and downward sloping hill where I turned into a hospital parking-lot by the momentum of the hill alone. We were hoping to get the van into a parking spot at least before it stopped all the way.

It stopped at last about ten feet from a parking space.

Keep in mind this is a Chevy Astro van and I am not a big person. Neither is my sister whom is with me. So, I get out of the van and tell her to steer while I try and push.

I struggle. I strain, I give it everything I have and cant get it to do anything but roll forward just a few inches before it rolls back. By this point I was so frustrated and angry I could hardly breathe. Out of the corner of my eye I had seen this car drive by, slowly so the driver could stare at us [yeah, i noticed], before they drove away.

Well, three minutes later this car returns and pulls up next to my broken down van. An old lady gets out, significantly older, and she walks up to the back of my van and without a word helps me push it into that parking spot.

I quickly learned not to be so judgmental, about people staring and what they might physically be able to do or not do. I was stunned that the van had moved. I looked at her and thanked her, so much, that i just didn't have the words.

She said very nearly the same thing the sixteen year old boy had. Only her words were - I saw you as I drove by and I thought -- what if those were my girls. Then she told me that her next thought had been that -- they are someone's girls [meaning my sister and I] and she just had to come back.

Now, I never saw any of these people again. But these simple little acts of kindness have struck a cord I will remember always, and I hope you do too.

With all the trouble in the world, and yes, there is alot of trouble in the world right now; earthquakes, people protesting their governments and being shot in the streets, our own citizens protesting it all as well, the shootings in Tucson, the hostages taken and slain at sea, North Korea and South Korea...

I saw a picture online. It was part of some sort of memorial with all sorts of pictures and flowers and candles about.

It was written on a white sheet of paper in marker and it read:

Love is greater than H8

My memories above of my own vehicles breaking down reminded me of the song I posted in this video.

P.S. Whomever is Googling me in Maryland will you please step forward? I would love to know about you too. Thank you.

What Can $2000 buy?

So. 2000 dollars. What can it buy? A junk car maybe? A laptop computer or two? An X-Box? A fifty inch flat-screen T.V?

Ok I realise its not a 'small' amount like 200 dollars or so. But really, its not all that much nor is it impossible for those enabled to do so to reach either. Most of us are paid at least that in one month. I've seen 22,000 dollars plus raised in a matter of just a week twice now. This is just 2000 dollars. And all that stuff up there is nothing compared to those whom really need it. The following is pasted over from this blog here:

I received an urgent email from our good friend Natasha at Father's House Christian Orphanage in Green Forest, Ukraine. They are in dire need of help to feed the children there and pay the heating bill.

I'll try to give you as much info as i can and try to stay as brief as possible.

Father's House was started by Grigoriy Zinchenko, a survivor of Buchenwald. He wrote a book "Escape from Buchenwald" and used the proceeds to open this Orphanage. When Grigoriy was younger he traveled the United States speaking at Churchs and raising support for the Orphanage. He is now is his 80's and cannot travel. Many of the supporters that he had built up have fallen off. When we were there last October the Director told us she is keeping the place running on about $500 a month from the donors that are left. She didn't know how they were going to make it through the winter but she has faith that God will provide. We gave them what we could when we were there and told them to keep us informed of how everything was going.

This Orphanage has been under attack in a past few years by some unscrouplulous businessmen that are taking advantage of the fact that they don't have much money. When the land was first purchased there was nothing around. But now it has become a very nice area with larger homes. These people, although so far unsuccessfully, are trying to swindal the orphanage out of it's land. One of the tactics they use is to pay off officials to come down on the orphanage with code violations. They are being required to install a fire sprikler system even though the government owned school across the street doesn't have one.

I want to say that these people work hard at raising these children in a Christian loving atmosfere. Diana and I fell in love the these children the moment we met them. When there is something this good and God honoring in the world, we have to dig hard a fight for it. It is what Jesus expects of us!

They were able to put the Sprinckler system off but are required to immediately change all the Interior doors. They don't have money for this and are asking our help. The government isn't giving them a break on the heating bill either so they were forced to start heating with wood. The government also requires them to feed the children a certain diet and they are required to show receipts for the food they purchase.

They humbly asked us to help them raise $2000. This is what they need to scrap by for the next two months. If we can raise more it would be fantastic and would allow the Orphanage nurse to buy medicine for the children. When you looked at her inventory in October there was only a few bandages. We brought her some supplies from the states on our second trip but not enough for what she really needs.

Natasha the Nurse. She is shy and quiet and a very sweet soul.

A couple of the girls wanted to show their artwork.

The old guy (Me) playing Ping Pong with the boys.

Please do whatever you can to help! If not us, then who?

Out of gratitude for your caring support we will be giving away a hand painted 7 piece Nesting Doll set that we purchased from a very well known Artist in Kharkiv. Each $5 donation gets an entry in the drawing.

If you have any questions you can email me at momentum133@gmail.com


--So, 2000 dollars can buy a laptop or help keep these kids in their home? Please donate, or at least, please copy and paste the chip in widget and pass this story on. We can get this $2000 and maybe even more. Thank you everyone. Have a good night.

Dmitriy Has Been Transferred

Dmitriy has been transferred to a mental institution. I have said many times on this blog what transferred means...

A family once asked me if I knew where he was. I do not for sure. But now I found someone whom DOES know where he is at. You can contact them HERE. They are the Cornish family and have adopted two little kids out of his same orphanage. I really hope you come back to read this. Everyone, please pass word of Dimitry on. He's been waiting on Reece's Rainbow now for at least three years. Thank you.

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.