A Happy Easter! (+Shawna & Seth update)

Just had to share this first. I blogged about Shawna and Seth a couple day ago. The next day I found out Seth was no longer available for adoption, he was taken into domestic foster care. :( I hadn't blogged about it yet, but guess what I found out tonight!!! SHAWNA HAS A FAMILY! Soo happy for her!!! Please keep her and her family, as well as Seth in your prayers!

♥♥♥

Yes, this is in part copied from my mom's blog, but I wrote it so I can steal it. ;)

We're with family this weekend, and yesterday we had the egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa's. Elijah and Jonathan quickly got the hang of it if they didn't remember from last year, but I don't think either of them realized that there was candy inside!

Jonathan

Elijah

Rachel

Rebekah

Isaac

Anna

And... this would be where my camera stopped working so no pictures of me. Not that I would have posted them anyways. :)

And some pictures from this morning (from grandma's camera)...

Best picture we got of Rachel in her dress... she wasn't in the picture taking mood. This beautiful Ukrainian sparkle dress was Little Miss Ruby's dress (one of the way cute Nance kids I got to take care in Kansas). She generously donated it to a blog auction to help her new big brother, Maxim, come home from Ukraine. Rachel loved wearing it today, even if she didn't want to pose for a picture.

Elijah was all dressed up too.

Happy Easter from our family to yours!

6 years

Six years ago today, a child was born.

But because he wasn't "perfect", or the "ideal child", he was abandoned and sent to an orphanage.

Where he became available for adoption, and he grew.

And grew, without a family.

And grew some more, still without a family.

And today he turns 6 years old.

An age where families become less interested in him, because he is moved up to the category for older kids.

He is older, but still like a little boy in so many ways.

Please make this his last birthday without his family. ♥

Jimmy

Boy, Born March 30, 2007
C-KB

From a missionary who visited with him in May 2010:  “ Jimmy is a delightful three year old with Down Syndrome.  He is decribed as being quiet and playful.  Jimmy doesn’t walk by himself yet, but he can get anywhere he needs by holding onto furniture and walls.  He only says a few words, but understands so much more. Jimmy has a close relationship with his foster father.  When foster dad hugs him and raises him up, he laughs happily.  Jimmy also loves the outdoors.  When foster mom takes him to pick up his older foster brother from school, he raises his head in his stroller, looks at the sky, and laughs heartily.  He is curious about everything. ”

Update in July 2011:  Jimmy, now four years old, has been on the shared list for a long time … At the time his file was submitted, he didn’t even walk yet! Now he runs. When the file was prepared, he didn’t speak at all. He’s still a man of few words, but he does call those in his foster family by name …  If his family doesn’t find him soon, they may move him out of his foster home to make room for another child who they feel may have a better chance at a family.”

More photos available, along with full medical records.   Single moms permitted, no more than 6 children at home, only one parent has to travel.

$4132.50 is available towards the cost of my adoption!

Sometimes Max comes to visit

For the 3rd year in a row, we've gotten a visit from our friend Max during his time in the US. This years visit took place almost 2 weeks ago. It was soo great to see him, if only for a few hours. We all love Max!!!! A couple pictures from our time with him when he shared at church.

Anna, Max, me, and Isaac

I am part of the mission committee at church, and this year, we launched a drive to collect 2013 items for Max and his ministry in 2013! It's only March, and we are at 560+ items!

We had a nice size group (for how unadvertised it was) come to hear him, and a dessert social afterwards. He treated us to some absolutely amazing stories of how God is working and what he is doing through Max and True Hope Ukraine.

Max loves seeing how much bigger the boys are every year! He met them both when he visited my parents when they were over there adopting the boys.

Visiting & making new friends

Posing by the mission spotlight board about him.

With the Mission Committee Head... aka my dad.

And with the committee head's wife. Please note the double cups of coffee and treats, he had a 5 hr drive ahead of him. :)

If you don't know who Max is, aside from this post... he is an amazing young man, who runs a ministry in Ukraine ministering to the hopeless. My dad and I met him while on a mission trip summer 2010, and he visited my parents when they were there with both adoptions. I blogged more about him here.

Please, please, please take the time to watch this video about the new project Max is working on. You will not want to miss being a part of the amazing work God is doing!!!

**Oh and fun little tidbit of info. The lady seen in much of the video walking around with Max, in the black jacket and pink scarf. That would be Stephanie, the mother of the kids I took care of while she was in Ukraine adopting little Max[im]. She was able to spend quite a bit of time working with Max and his team while she was there!

Please consider partnering with Max and support the renovations of the True Hope Center. Former orphans caring for orphans, that is what is going to break the cycle.

Waiting Wednesday: Shawna and Seth

Shawna. Born 2001, age 11. Seth. Born 2003, age 9. Sister and brother.

They had an interested family, until Shawna tested positive for HIV. Other than that, they have no other special needs.

They love each other and were very close to each other.

But then Seth was moved, and they don't see each other any more.

All they had was each other, and now they don't even have that.

Look at the love in her eyes as she looks at him. Precious.

Shawna worries a lot about her brother, and takes care of other kids his age. The above pictures were taken in 2010. We have updated pictures of Shawna, and she is growing into a beautiful young lady.

But she still misses and worries about her brother.

They need a family that will reunite them, love them, and help them heal from the pain they've endured. Not only pain from feeling abandoned and unwanted as orphans, but from losing each other.

Please. Don't make them wait without each other any longer.

Read more about them:
http://reecesrainbow.org/48804/shawna-seth
http://askingwithfaith.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-fight-is-on.html
http://askingwithfaith.blogspot.com/2013/03/more-on-shawna.html

Many more pictures available, email me if interested: forhisgloryhandiwork(at)gmail(dot)com

They said yes.

Who said yes?

Heath's family! They said yes, we will adopt him!

HEATH HAS A FAMILY!!!! PRAISE GOD!!!

Thank you Father for answering the prayers of your children and moving in the hearts of a family to say yes.

Read about them, and visit their blog!

Celebrating World Down Syndrome Day

Last night we went to Monkey Joe's (a inflatable jumpy thing place-I'm good at explaining things) with our local Ds support group to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day.

Jonathan just wanted to sit there and bounce. He didn't like that he couldn't walk very well.

"Oh there you are... stop stalking me."

Rachel

Rebekah

Contrary to what this picture would have you believe, Chunky Monkey like the slide. Just wanted one of us to be at the bottom before he went down.

Elijah getting ready to go down with Anna behind him.

Ha! This picture cracks me up. Just chilling at the bottom of the slide.

Isaac at the top, and a blurry Anna.

Is there a rule about going down head first? If there is, leave it up to Elijah to break it! ;) Great sensory input for him though!

We weren't the only family there though.. there were a bunch of other cute kids too!

Like Mr. Lucas! Adopted from the orphanage I visited in Ukraine!

And Micah, Lucas's brother, adopted domestically. You can visit their mama's blog here.

And Ruby and her family! Sister to Lilya (who I assume was there... she's the only one I didn't see!), who is from Ukraine, her family paved the way for our adoption, and I traveled with them to NDSC in July. This was the only picture I got of her
that's focused enough to post! She didn't stop moving, not even to say hi to me! :)

A fun night, celebrating some fun kids!!

WDSD!

Happy World Down Syndrome Day everyone!!!!

More tomorrow, but I wanted to share this video with you tonight.

Watch it. Enjoy it. Share it. You won't regret it. ♥

Waiting Wednesday: Heath

There is this one little boy.... who has the heart of many in the adoption world.

Many have advocated, shared about him, prayed for his family.

Many families have seen his picture and said no, I can't take on those kinds of needs.

After how many years, it's about time someone looked past his needs.

And saw the precious boy in need of a family.

Because that all it really boils down too.

He didn't chose to live this life, to be confined to mental institution.

He didn't chose to have Down syndrome so he could become an orphan.

If he had the choice, he would have chosen a loving family.

Something he has been deprived of.

Meet Heath:

His adoption is just about payed for so you can't use that as an excuse.

Can you make room in your heart for him?

Heath

Boy, Born April 8, 2001
Heath is a sweet little boy who desperately needs a family.    

Heath is a twelve year old boy with Down Syndrome. He is tiny in stature. His feet hardly reach the edge of his shared wheelchair. Because of his age, he has already been transferred from the stimulating environment of his baby house to a dull and underfunded mental institute for boys ages 6-18. He is no longer the youngest boy in his group, but he is certainly among the smallest.

Heath is not a recent transfer. He has lived in the stifling boredom of institution life for a long time. He has lost the vivacity of life at the baby houses. In his three years at the institute, he has been given nothing of his own. He has not seen a book or a toy. He has never been gathered into anyone’s loving arms. He is a very lonely little fellow in desperate need of love and comfort.

We have few other details on Heath. He has been seen in a wheelchair, so he may not be able to walk. We don’t know if or how well he talks, or any other details on his medical condition. We do know that he is a cute, chubby-cheeked, dirty and neglected lonely little lost boy who needs a mother more than almost anyone else in the world.

If you would like to learn more about Heath from a family who met him at his present institute, please follow these links:

http://covenantbuilders.blogspot.com/2010/10/recalled-to-life.html

http://covenantbuilders.blogspot.com/2010/10/brady-and-heath.html

$22,494.50 is available towards the cost of my adoption!

*** A completed and approved home study for the adoption of an older, institutionalized child is required prior to commitment for this child.  Older parents and large families welcome, MARRIED COUPLES ONLY.  Travel for both parents required. ***

dance like nobody's watching

you gotta dance like there's nobody watching

love like you'll never be hurt

sing like there's nobody listening

and live like it's heaven on earth

(William W Purkey)