Frank's Freedom

Meet Frank. He’s 13 years old, and is curious, busy, fun happy and bright. He has a mental delay, but that doesn’t stop him from being friendly, engaging and kind. He’s also an orphan in Eastern Europe. This means he is in an institution. If he is not adopted by age 16, he will be thrown out on the street with nothing but the clothes on his back and his “disabled orphan” status. Let me tell you more about Frank.

He’s little, about the size of a 7 year old. And he’s smart. He is in a group with teenage boys ages 16-24. He does puzzles and he does his chores diligently. He is very kind to the younger children. Frank is friendly and engaging. He likes being with the boys, but is happy being alone too. He plays appropriately with toys and is “all boy”. He could very easily function in a family. Frank is curious, smart, fun and sweet. He likes to play in the dirt and jump on the trampoline. Frank is independent, a good eater, is happy and content. Frank is physically healthy. He walks, runs, feeds himself, speaks, does puzzles and interacts with others well. He's a sweet boy who seems rather unaffected by his surroundings. He has no future where he's at, and without help, he's never getting out. Institutions are a one way ticket to nowhere. And this little boy deserves a future. This little boy will be a blessing to any family.

The Baker family has committed to adopt Frank and another boy, Emmitt. But international adoption is pretty expensive. The adoption would cost about $30,000. Reece’s Rainbow is an organization that helps with this cost. They set up grants for children in 25 countries around the world, and any money that is donated to these funds is given to the families to help with adoption fees. With Reece's Rainbow's help, the Baker family only needs about $10,000 to bring home both boys!





Monday, August 20, 2012

Meanwhile...

Many things have been happening. Some good, some not so good.
First of all, lets start with some familiar faces and names.
Orphanage 39 news:
Duncan's family met him. Sadly, after a lot of prayers and thoughts, he decided to stay in his country. This happened with Sam too. "Sadly, the older teens are in communicate with another child who was adopted earlier and that child made a comment that scared the teens from being adopted :( We think the child was likely just mad one day and said it carelessly but it nevertheless affected the teens :( And yes, there is a very unpleasant caretaker who has been intimidating the teens and filling their heads with lies." Horrible rumors that Americans adopt kids just to harvest their organs. It may seem unbelievable to you, but when they are so secluded from everything else, and everyone they know is telling them, it's enough to override what they know about how disabled orphans in their country are treated after they are kicked out. The question was raised why Duncan and Sam would be listed for adoption if they were just going to say no. Here is the answer: it's just the difference between saying yes to a dream (when you think it's unlikely that it will ever happen) and saying yes to a flesh and blood family standing in front of you asking you to leave everything you've ever known (and possibly get your organs harvested). Pray that God will help Duncan and Sam with the rest of their lives. Pray that they will not turn to drugs or even suicide, as most teenagers that age out do.
Tyler's family met him, and he was also asked. He said yes!! Renee got to see him, and she said: "We saw Tyler today, Moxie pounced on him of course and he rolled her around in his wheelchair in his lap :) She loves him to pieces! He looks SOOO happy with his new mom and dad!" I don't believe his family is blogging publicly, but I will see if we can get some pictures!Speaking of Renee and Moxie, they are adopting again! Now they are bringing home Bandit, Babygirl and Rascall. The thing is, Rascall is in a bad place. Not THE bad place, but still really bad. The director is very against adoption. When they get to meet Rascall, they are caged in and watched. Once, some of the other kids were allowed in, and Renee witnessed Everett (a boy there) being slapped for crying when another boy took his toy. Thankfully, Everett and Olson (the two boys there that are available that Renee has seen) have a family coming for them! She is raising money on her blog for them, so they can get there ASAP and get those boys out of there!
Now, for some not so good news. The facilitator Renee is working with, her son fell out of a tree and broke his skull. He was in a coma untill recently, and they are worried to try to fix his skull. Pray he will be healed!
Another bit of bad news. Remember the Clanton's? They were supposed to adopt Sarah (Genesis) and Seth (Dmitriy), but Seth was adopted by another family. So they brought home Selah, who is 8, just like two of her three brothers. Well, let them explain. 
From Wednesday:
"If you've not heard, we've had a terrible accident. Jon took Sam and Selah on a walk on the Erie Canal before lunch today. He stopped for a minute on a level surface, to check the time on his phone & the stroller rolled into the Erie Canal. Jon Clanton jumped into the canal right after them. He was able to hold the stroller up & fought against the current pulling him and the stroller down. ...He couldn't get the kids' unhooked but was able to pull them up some and evidently got Sam's head up. Someone jumped in and took him out and Jon and another lady pulled up the stroller so they could do rescue breathing on Selah until the EMTs got there. The Erie Canal is very deep, cold, and strong currents...the sides are cement with nothing to hold to... Sam is ok, put is being kept overnight since his body temp went down to 90 degrees. At this point Selah is not expected to live...our hearts are broken. PLEASE PLEASE PRAY FOR SELAH!!! We love her so much and have loved being her parents. We are asking God for mercy! She is on life support, currently she is in a study ( the only hope they could give us) The study is to keep her temp at a certain lower than normal point with the hope that could help. But they still give us no real hope and even if she should live, they feel she won't be "Selah" anymore. Please pray that God will give us a miracle for our little girl!!!!!!!"
Read more below:

Update and Request


Saturday

Sunday update

Trusting....God prepared!

Hard News....


We are all praying for God to heal this amazing little girl! Lift her up in your prayers!
For a little bit better news: So, Jacob  has a matching grant opportunity. This means that for every dollar donated, an anonymous donor will match it, up to $2,000. This is only lasting until August 25. But here is the amazing part: Last night (8-19-12), at about 8pm, Jacob had $620 in his fund. About 7am this morning, he was at $750, and I'm getting pied (yes, I will share on here :). 12pm this afternoon, he was at about $900. Now, he has $1,000!!! In 24 hours, his fund has almost doubled. Many of your favorite Reece's Rainbow people are getting pied or have been pied for Jacob. See HERE!

Now that we're caught up, here's what I wanted to talk about. Heroes.
Wiki defines a hero as "a person who performs extraordinary deeds for the benefit of others."
I asked the Reece's Rainbow family who their heroes were. Here are some of the answers I got:
"Princess Diana" 
"I always look to people who CHOSE to become involved....Corrie Ten Boom, Fr Maximillian Kolbe, Mother Theresa...all three could've looked the other way and made their own lives easier but chose to help others because of their love for God." 
"Raoul Wallenberg
"My baby boy, Isaac ♥ He was the strongest person I ever met. He was so beautiful, and perfect, and such a sweet boy. He fought SO hard and I am SO proud of him ♥ I love you forever, bubby ♥" 
"Mother Teresa: because she came from a very poor background that never stopped her determination. She dedicated her life to the destitue and poor, having been not to far off herself from the people she ministered to. When I think of Matthew 17:20 and moving mountains-she is the person I think of. She did this for decades before ever receiving any recognition or notority. Once she was acknowledged, she then balanced using that "fame" as a means to educate and bring in more resources to help even more people while rejecting any personal praise for herself. When she was critisized, she continued on, even worked harder, especially during her own times of doubt and crisis, she was human and was so conflicted with the large amount of despair that what she was doing wasnt enough! She inspires me, because she was human, prone to error, she gave everything she had and she did it all for the glory of God---that is not something you see very often!"
"Courtney Roth, mother of Tripp Roth, who passed away on 1/14/12. He had EB, "The Worst Disease you have Never Heard of" as quoted by ABC News. Her blog is actually the doorway to my introduction of RR through her advocacy for the adoption of Anton. Marc and Mandy Seymour are also on the list. They are the parents of Quinn Seymour who also passed away from this awful disease in April. All of these parents show extreme bravery and faith in God in the face of tragedy. You can read Courtney's story here:http://randycourtneytripproth.blogspot.com/. And here is the Seymour's story: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/quinnseymour."
"For me it has to be sweet Katie Musser and all the kids with SN in orphanges who endure so much and ask for nothing but love."
"Renee is just an awesome person. She is selfless, puttingthe needs of others before herself. She is caring.She is living out the first part of James 1:27 in a way I have never seen before. She has emptied an orphanage and has already started finding homes for more kids before even completing this round of adoptions. She has continuously fund raised for families despite her own financial hurdles the last couple of months and does it with a true passion for what she is doing. She is a prayer warrior, advocate, friend, and supporter for these kids and families. When I think of the word hero I think of someone I want to be like. If I could be half the advocate for fatherless children that Renee is I would consider my life well lived. Even more, these are qualities I would love to see in my children."
"My cousin, Holly. She beat the odds after having a baby as a teen. Graduated college as an RN and 20+ years later, she is still happily married and runs her own business-- care for medically fragile children, including daycares, group homes, and camps!"
"My dad!"
"my grandma if it was not for her love & generousity then I would not be who I am today. oh & my parents for the same reasons."
"My mom was my hero because she was the truest expression of love that I have ever known. (Aside from Jesus, of course.)"
"My grandma is my hero because she is everything I hope to be. She is the kindest, most loving person I know. She'll accept anyone for who they are and show them the real love of Jesus. She got really sick 11 years ago and the local doctors couldn't help her. She had primary pulmonary hypertension. She moved to FL for 6 months to get on the lung transplant list. By the time she got there and got on the list, she also needed a heart. The doctors were amazed that she was even alive when they saw the damage done to her lungs. This was 10 years ago, and you would not know by looking at her that she went through such a huge medical miracle!
My best friend Lori--I met her when we were in 5th grade. We were in gifted class together, after being in separate K-4 schools in the same district. We were instant friends! And we were only separable by her death in July 2002 (my grandma had her transplant in Feb 2002...that was a REALLY hard year for me!). She had spinal muscular atrophy, but that didn't stop her from being spunky! We had a blast together! She is my true hero because she introduced me to Jesus and bought me my first Bible. Despite having some real hardships in life, being so sick all the time and being stuck in a body that didn't do anything for her and her mom dying of cancer when she was 13, she still had such faith! I still miss her every day, and my kids LOVE to talk about her (even though she died when my first was only a baby). She and her dad are my inspiration for my desire to work with kids with special needs. I could see things from her POV and learned a lot from her and her family about what it's really like to live as a person with a disability in an able-bodied world."
"Elie Wiesel because - after all he's been through, he's not hateful, he hasn't turned from his faith, he's been honest about what he's been through and used it to teach tolerance throughout the world. I heard him speak my senior year in high school and it was one of the most inspiring experiences I have ever had. It takes a courageous and graceful person to take the horror of what he has been through and turn it into something good."
"If we can have everyday heroes I have at least four of those too. Oh man. Five. Six. Shoot. Every single adoptive family. Adopting a child with SN doesn't make you a hero... but giving selflessly to them out of genuine love - something that has become sadly uncommon in our society - that does.
Not to mention the girls we have in this group who are 12, 13, 15, 16 years old, and instead of spending their time out partying or whatever kids are doing these days (did I really just say that? How old AM I?!) are spending there time on here selflessly advocating for orphans, giving ALL of themselves to help those who have nothing. Like the poor woman in the Bible with her pennies, dropping them into the collection box... people here give all they have without regard for self, and that makes them heroes."
"Mother Teresa, Princess Diana, and Pope John Paul II... .They have all passed away now, and I am still searching for a more inspirational role model than these 3 people have been."
"My mom, Traci Knight Morton. Even through the heartbreak of having to back away from the adoption, she has stayed strong in her faith in God, and never stops advocating for orphans and adoptive families."
"The ladies in this group inspire me almost every day. They need $$ for their own adoptions or they want to adopt and the time isn't right (yet) but they step out of their own wants and needs and HELP AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS. It is truly amazing."
"My inspiration was my Grammy. And to this day still is! She's always had more of a positive look at life, and loves God very much. She can always find hope and I just LOVE her! :) My parents will always be my hero's though."
 
Who is your hero? Is it someone famous that you want to be like? Is it someone you know who defied the odds and that's why they inspire you? 
Who is Zack's hero?
  
He is 11 years old. But instead, he is in an orphanage. He doesn't have a hero. If he got adopted, maybe his hero would be an older brother, or a dad, an uncle, a family friend. Maybe he'll have a family with siblings with disabilities, who will teach him that he can still be a normal kid. 
Help Zack find his family, and his hero. 


Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Emmitt

Emmitt

Boy, Born January 26, 1998
Guardian Angel
Emmitt is a sweet boy.  He is living in one of the mental institutions, and has been for many years, yet he remains sweet, intelligent, and kind.  Ttwo of our adopting families met him while they were there, and are pleading for a family to save him.     From his medical records:  myelomeningocele  (spina bifida)   From one of our adoptive families:  ” Emmitt has a severe deformity of his legs.  He cannot walk at all.  He is very friendly, funny, and talkative. He desperately seeks out attention.  He was talking to my husband, and holding Zack’s hand, which he then put on top of his head for Zack to rub his hair.  He is extremely intelligent, and just precious!  I brought him paper and crayons, and he drew me a flower :)
We are seeking more official medical information about his condition, but hope someone out there will see this sweet young man and know his kind and loving spirit.

This blog has been dedicated to help Emmitt and Victoria (1) find families: http://savinghissparrows.blogspot.com/
Here is some posts that has been written for him:

Thursday, January 26, 2012

How do you know?

How do you know when you are growing up?
What lets you know you are maturing?
Is it the birthdays coming year by year...
Or is it...
Learning to ride a bike...
The first day of school...
or learning to read?
Is it when Mom lets you stay up an hour longer with the grown-ups when the little ones have to go to bed?
Is it that first after school job of raking the neighbor's leaves...
or graduating from 8th grade...
or the first day of high school?
The milestones met one by one...
Should make you feel more and more grown up!
But what would happen if you were deprived of the opportunity to meet these common milestones?
What would happen if you sat in a crib day after day...
Long after you had outgrown it?
What if you had no opportunity to even start school...
[Because your LEGS (not your mind) didn't work right!]
When you should be finishing 8th grade...
Or starting high school?
Would you feel that same sense of "growing up?"
If your birthdays were unnoticed...
Each day passing with monotony and sameness...
With nothing to occupy your mind or engage your curiosity...
No new responsibilities to challenge you and make you feel grown up...
What would that be like?
Instead of looking forward to your 16th birthday in a couple years...
When you could get your driver's license...
Your16th  birthday would be a day to look forward to with dread...
It would be the end of hope for you...
No more chance or opportunity to have a family...
To get an education...
Or a job when you grew up?
Can you imagine?
I can't...
Sweet, intelligent Emmitt is in this situation!
Today is his Birthday...
He's 14 today!
He's been waiting far too long...
I don't know what learning opportunities he may have had as a young child in a baby house...
But he has now been in a mental institution (because his LEGS don't work well!) for many years...
Deprived of a loving family...
Deprived of education...
Deprived of therapy...
Deprived of the opportunity to meet those milestones...
That would make him feel grown up!
At 14 years old...
He should be looking forward to starting high school soon...
But instead he sits in a baby's bed...
Waiting for someone to see his potential...
And get him out of there!
And give him the opportunity to grow into a man...
Is there any way you could be his Mom or Dad?

If not, could you share his story...
Pray for him...
And add even a few dollars to his grant fund?

In two years dear Emmitt will be too old to be adopted...
Without hope of release from the institution...
Without hope of a life of opportunity...
In bed for the rest of his life...
Let's not let that happen!
To read more about Emmitt or donate to his grant fund click Here!

Friday, June 8, 2012

Such a Long, LONG time! Forget-Me-Not Friday - Emmitt

14+ years...
168+ months...
728+ weeks...
5040+ days...
120,960+ hours...
7,257,600+ minutes...
435,456,000+ seconds...
 
How much longer till my Mom sees my picture?
How long till my Dad knows I'm his?
Will I be here forever?
Will no one claim me?
14 years is too long...
Much MUCH too long to wait for a family!
But more dreadful than this...
I have less than 2 years...
Till it's forever too late...
Till I age out of the system...
And lose all hope for a home!
Then I'll learn what forever means...
Forever institutionalized with no hope of release...
Oh forever is MUUUUUUCCCHHHHH too long to live in this miserable place!
Please, PLEASE don't forget me...
I've waited SOOOOO long!
Will you be my family?
Will you share my face?
Will you pray for me?
Your prayers and shares make a difference!
Please don't forget me!
To read more about Emmitt or donate to his adoption fund click here!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

18 months to save Emmitt!

Precious Emmitt...
Today is his "1/2" birthday!
Remember when you were a child how important that "1/2" was?
6 1/2 years old was SOOO much bigger than just being 6!
And nobody better forget it when saying how old you were!
Well at 14 1/2 Emmitt may technically be too old to celebrate "1/2" birthdays...
But in his case we need to notice...
Because his time is running out...
He can't afford for us to wait for his "real" birthday to shout for him!
He has only 18 months till he turns 16...
A birthday most boys look forward to and think will NEVER come...
Because they can't wait to drive the car all by themselves!
But with Emmitt, his 16th birthday is a day to be dreaded...
A day when his fate is sealed...
A day when his life sentence to a mental institution is confirmed and finalized...
His hope of escape will be gone...
Forever and FOREVER in bed...
No education...
No Mom and Dad...
No brothers and sisters...
No looking forward to marriage and a family of his own someday...
No job...
No hobbies...
Nothing to do...
Emmitt has already been living in an institution for years...
Many boring days have already been spent in bed...
But at this time there is still a small hope of escape!
If only he can be adopted by his 16th birthday...
He can be free!
He can have a life outside the institution...
And a family to call his own...
Mom, Dad, brothers, sisters...
Education...
The opportunity to learn...
To enjoy a hobby...
To have a job...
To receive therapy to maximize his physical abilities...
If only he can have that chance!
The thing is, Emmitt cannot shout for himself...
He cannot blog, twitter or shout on facebook...
He cannot speak on the radio or TV...
He can't call every name in the phonebook...
Or put his name and picture in the newspaper...
He is isolated in an institution...
With no chance to speak for himself!
He needs us to shout for him...
To spread the word of his great need...
To find his family for him before it is too late!
The clock is ticking...
The months (and years) are passing by...
Emmitt has just 18 months of hope...
Please help me shout for him!
He MUST be saved!
His life matters...
Please share!
His family MUST be out there somewhere!
You can read more posts about Emmitt at the blogs below!
*****

A couple of families met Emmitt some time ago and begged for someone to save him!  You can read what one of them said about his sweet personality in his profile HERE!
And if there is even a remote possibility that he could be your son...
Please read about how to adopt HERE!
Reece's Rainbow has a grant fund set up for Emmitt to help with his adoption costs.
Donations may be made to his fund by following this link and they are even tax deductible in the US!
Currently he has $1705.50 in his fund...
If we can get him to $2500 he will be listed on the page of children with large grants which gives him more visibility with families looking for their child!

Prayers and shares are important ways nearly everyone can help!


Thursday, July 26, 2012

For Emmitt

A while back I mentioned Emmitt in one of my Waiting Children Wednesday posts.  Today he gets a post all to himself!  Here he is:













Isn't he so handsome!  He is 14 and lives in an adult mental institution.  This is ridiculous because families that have met him say that he is super smart!  His only crime - he can't walk.  Instead of anyone taking the time to work with him or even push him in a wheelchair, he has been left in a crib.  He's 14!  Many of you reading this have children.  Can you imagine your child in a crib at that age?!  It is gut wrenching.

According to the families that have met him, he is sweet and kind despite the way he has been treated.  He would make someone such a wonderful son.  Please consider rescuing Emmitt.  He deserves better than this.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Emmitt Needs a Family Now. Please Rally For Him to Find His Family

Emmitt

Emmitt has waited a long time for a family. He deserves a family to help him live a successful life before he ages out and will no longer be able to be adopted.

PLEASE get the word out about this wonderful boy so that he can find his forever family.


Boy, Born January 26, 1998
Guardian Angel
 Emmitt is a sweet boy.  He is living in one of the mental institutions, and has been for many years, yet he remains sweet, intelligent, and kind.  Two of our adopting families met him while they were there, and are pleading for a family to save him.     From his medical records:  myelomeningocele  (spina bifida)   From one of our adoptive families:  " Emmitt has a severe deformity of his legs.  He cannot walk at all.  He is very friendly, funny, and talkative. He desperately seeks out attention.  He was talking to my husband, and holding Zack's hand, which he then put on top of his head for Zack to rub his hair.  He is extremely intelligent, and just precious!  I brought him paper and crayons, and he drew me a flower :) "
We are seeking more official medical information about his condition, but hope someone out there will see this sweet young man and know his kind and loving spirit.

$1705.50 is available towards the cost of my adoption!

Donations are tax deductible.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Aiden

Oh, sweet Aiden. There are so many pictures of Aiden.
Here are just some of the pictures of him. There's almost a hundred pictures. And there's a blogger who met him. Here is what she has said about him.

Imagine living in a world of complete darkness where your only stimulation is the constant noise of crying and yelling and the occasional elbow in the ribs as another child crawls over you in the communal playpen… That is what life is like for Aiden.


Aiden is four-years-old. He has sandy blond hair, gorgeous blue eyes and two of the yummiest cheeks you have ever seen. He is also blind. Sometimes I think that blind children are the ones at the greatest disadvantage in an orphanage. Right from infancy, babies in the orphanage are not held. They are rarely given the opportunity to listen to music. The only stimulation they receive is what they see as they look around their room, watching the other children, etc. But what about the children who cannot see? Theirs is a dark, empty, lonely world.


After four long years of darkness, Aiden has withdrawn into his own little world. He spends his days rolling back and forth on the floor as you can see him doing here. He has done this so often for so long that he has a huge bald patch at the back of his head. He does not like to be held. Instead, he receives comfort and stimulation by poking at his eyes and sucking his fingers raw.


Aiden was my greatest challenge. He did not like to be held in my arms or sit on my lap and he did not really interact with the toys I would bring. There was one thing that did break through his walls though… he loved to be tickled and would laugh and laugh as I smothered his face with kisses!
 

When I first met
Aiden , he would often walk around the edges of the playpen, holding onto the sides. He had the ability to walk while holding onto someone’s hand but because he did not like to be held on to like that, he would most often refuse to do so. During one of our one-on-one times, I stood Aiden up on his feet and managed to get him to take one or two steps without holding onto anything. The next time he took a few more and before I knew it, he was walking all by himself! It was if he had finally developed enough trust in me to know that I would not let him walk into anything and he was loving his newfound freedom. One day I went up to his room to get one of my other kids and there he was walking around the playpen, not holding onto anything, just smiling and laughing. It was one of the greatest moments of my trip…


The sad reality is, blind children are often the last to be chosen. Out of the 500 children that have been adopted through Reece’s Rainbow over the past five years, so far only three of them have been blind. I understand the fear, the idea of not being able to see is a concept that is hard for most of us to wrap our minds around. I myself wonder if/how I could parent a child with severe visual impairment. Then I read the stories of others with visual impairment who are simply living their lives doing most of what I can do and more and I am reminded that blindness is only a limiting disability if you let it be. I worry that
Aiden’s visual impairment along with his more significant delays will put him at the bottom of the list when it comes to being chosen for adoption. I so don’t want that to be the case. Even if you’re not being called to adopt Aiden yourself, you can help him find his family by spreading the word, donating to his grant fund and remembering him in your prayers. Will you help me make sure this little man has the chance to live a life of joy, meaning and potential? For more information or to donate, click here.

What more can I say about Aiden? Last time I shared with you about what Aiden’s day-to-day life looks like, the neglect he experiences and the heartbreak of what it is like to be a blind child in a baby orphanage… Today however I want to tell you more about his precious, infectious giggle.

There are different things I miss about each of my kids. With
Aiden, there is no doubt that what I miss most is kissing those yummy cheeks of his. I would hold him in my arms and just kiss his face over and over again and he would let out this giggle that is guaranteed to melt any heart. He spent so much of his time sullen and withdrawn but when he giggled, I felt like I was seeing a glimpse of the real Aiden and it was just priceless.


Aiden’s grant fund is the lowest out of all my kids and I worry that that just confirms my fear that, because of his visual impairment along with his more significant cognitive/emotional delays, Aiden is finding himself at the bottom of the list. It’s been nearly six months since I kissed those cheeks and my heart sinks at the thought that he most likely has not received a single kiss since. Aiden needs a mama who will give him kisses every day (even when he’s 16!). He needs someone who will see past his sorrow and delays and see the sweet little boy deep inside. Can you see it? Could that someone be you? Could it be someone you know? You may not be able to adopt him yourself but you can help Aiden’s family find him by sharing his story, donating to his grant fund and remembering him in your prayers. Help me make sure that this sweet little boy is overlooked no longer so that he can know him mama’s kisses real soon. For more information or to donate, click here.
It’s time for an update on Aiden (you can read more about him here and here). Unlike Brody, I do know people who have seen him over the past couple of months. Unfortunately however, the reports haven`t been good.


Here is what one orphanage visitor had to say:
“I've seen Aiden; poor, poor boy. He does not get much love… And he's contained most of the time… They pretty much let him be; unfortunately I haven't seen anyone really care about him.”


Doesn’t that just break your heart? I don’t have any new pictures to share because he is rarely brought outside. Instead, he spends most of his days in this ‘playpen’ (he is the one rolling back and forth on the floor), doing whatever he can to dull the boredom.


I don’t know what else to say. This boy needs a family. I need help in helping him find one. Please help me by sharing his story, donating to his grant fund and storming the gates of heaven on his behalf. For more information or to donate, click here.
Transferred. Yes, another one… only for Aiden, transfer may not end up being such a bad thing
(you can read more about
Aiden in my previous posts here, here and here).

As I’ve shared before,
Aiden received no positive attention at his baby orphanage. For the most part, he received no attention at all. He was rarely brought outside and spent pretty much all his time in a wooden playpen void of toys or any other stimulation outside of what he could provide for himself by sucking his hands, poking his eyes and banging his head on the bars.


Sometime within the last couple of months however,
Aiden was transferred to the special needs orphanage for older children. This is the same orphanage that I volunteered in last year and the great news is Aiden is in my favourite group – group 9! Oh how I adore the children in group 9 but I not only love the kids, I love the workers too. The workers there truly care about the kids (which is true of most of the staff at this orphanage). They are kind and affectionate with them, even holding them on their laps and giving them kisses. The children in this group have varying degrees of physical ability nevertheless all of them are given the freedom to move around the room, to play with toys and to interact with each other and the staff. For that reason, I truly believe that Aiden is better off where he is now than he was at the baby orphanage.


That said, I am still concerned. I am concerned that as
Aiden gets older with each passing day, his already dim hope for a family will only continue to fade. I am concerned that words like “transfer” and “institution” will scare people away from choosing him. I am concerned because even though he may be doing OK right now, his future still holds nothing more than mere existence in an adult mental institution once he turns eighteen. Adoption is still Aiden’s only hope to be all that God created him to be, yet I am concerned that no one will ever choose him. After nearly six months, Aiden’s grant has yet to even reach $200. You may not be called to adopt Aiden, you may not be able to be his mom, but you can help him find her. If just one quarter of the people reading this donated one dollar, we could get Aiden’s grant up to $200. If everyone who reads this donated just five dollars, we could raise his grant to over $500. It may not seem like much but all the little bits add up, every dollar counts. Please help Aiden find his Momma by sharing his story, donating to his grant fund and remembering him in your prayers. For more information or to donate, click here.
Unfortunately, I have nothing new to report about Aiden (you can read more about Aiden in my previous posts here, here, here and here).

Aiden has nothing new to report either.


Day after day it’s the same… confined to a walker because the orphanage does not have enough staff to keep him safe if he were to roam around freely. Instead he spends his days chewing on toys, his hands and whatever else he can find to pass the time and ease his boredom. No opportunity to learn and develop and become all that he could be. No mama to kiss those scrumptious cheeks of his, no papa with safe, strong arms to protect him as he runs and plays. Instead he just waits. Waits for the day when someone will see his picture and say, “That’s my son!” and will cross the oceans to whisk him away to a life much greater than he could ever dream.


I want to say thank you to everyone who has donated to Aiden’s grant fund. In the past month Aiden’s grant has grown more than in all six months before it combined! Still, he has a long way to go. If you have a few dollars to spare this week, every little bit truly does add up. If not, will you help me spread Aiden’s picture and story? You never know, the family who sees his picture and says, “That’s our son!” just might be someone you know, or the friend of someone you know, etc. Finally, the simplest yet greatest thing we all can do is continue to keep Aiden in our prayers and ask that God would bring his family forward quickly. For more information or to donate, click here.
Guess whose grant is up over $1000?! Yep, the little guy whose grant took six months to reach a mere $200 now has over $1000 in his grant fund! (you can read more about Aiden here, here, here, here and here)

Although he still has such a long way to go, I was so excited to see
Aiden’s grant pass that $1000 mark not only because that money will help with the cost of his adoption but because it means that people are seeing his face, hearing his story and their hearts are being moved. I don’t know who has been donating or where are all this new found attention is coming from but it gives me hope that maybe 2012 will be the last year Aiden has to spend without a family.



Please, keep donating, keep sharing his story and keep praying for this sweet boy’s family to find him.

For more information or to donate, click here.
Last week I heard about a little boy with visual impairment at a different orphanage in another city in the same country as “my” kids. In so many ways he reminded me of Aiden; (you can read more about Aiden here, here, here, here, here and here) they are both blind, they both spend most of their days in a hard, empty playpen, they both poke their eyes… they even look alike. Yet there was one big difference – the little guy I heard about last week desperately seeks attention, literally cries out for affection, while Aiden prefers to be left alone.


Aiden does not like to be held and would often scoot away from me whenever I tried to pat his back, etc.
He would laugh when I tickled him or kissed those delectable cheeks of his but that was the only attention/affection he seemed to enjoy and he would only tolerate it for short periods at a time.


Hearing about this other little boy made me wonder, was Aiden ever like that? Did he used to hang over the edge of his crib moaning for attention? Did he eventually just give up when, after years of crying out only to have those cries ignored, he realized that no one cared?
Or has Aiden always been guarded, self-sufficient and withdrawn? Did he never even seek out attention to begin with because he was never shown what he was missing?


Who will show this little boy the love that he doesn’t even know he needs? It probably won’t be easy. It will likely take a lot of patience, persistence and the decision to love even when you don’t get much in return. Yet I believe that there is hope for every child. I want so much more for this little munchkin then the emptiness that is all he has known thus far. I believe that no matter how long and difficult a road it may be, he deserves the chance to be loved and to learn to love in return, don’t you? You can help Aiden’s family find him by sharing his story, donating to his grant fund and continuing to keep him in your prayers. For more information or to donate, click here.
I am truly out of things to say about Aiden (you can read more about Aiden here, here, here, here, here, here and here).



I know that many people love him but somewhere out there his mommy and daddy have yet to realize that this little guy is their son.


Please help me get his picture and story out there so that his family can find him.

You can also help Aiden’s family find him by donating to his grant fund and remembering him in your prayers.
For more information or to donate, click here.


I get to be lazy today because Natalie put together this video which says pretty much everything I want to say...

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiX0lgxLZVY&feature=player_embedded

Please help my little munchkin find his family!
Share his story, donate to his grant fund, remember him in your prayers.

You can read more about
Aiden here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here. For more information or to donate, click here."

From his Reece's Rainbow page: " Boy, born May 2007 From a volunteer who spent several months at this orphanage: Aiden is visually impaired (I'm not sure if he has some vision or if he is 100% blind). Aiden has some more significant delays however it is difficult to tell if he is cognitively delayed for medical reasons or if his delays are simply a result of institutionalization / lack of stimulation. Aiden engages in a lot of self-stimulation such as poking his eyes, tapping his head on the side of his crib, rocking back and forth, etc. When I first met Aiden he was able to walk around the edges of the crib holding on to the sides, but he would not walk independently, even while holding on to someone's hands. As I worked with him however and he grew to trust me he began to take his first steps and now he loves to walk! Still, at least while I was there, the workers never let him out of his playpen. Aiden does not speak but he responds to his name and I believe he understands simple directions. He is not toilet trained but he is learning to feed himself. Aiden is difficult to engage. He doesn't initiate interaction but when you play with him/tickle him, etc. he is full of smiles and laughter. I believe that this boy has way more potential than can be seen right now. Whoever Aiden's family will need to be persistent about getting in his face in order to force him to engage and patient with what may be slow progress but I believe that with the consistent love and stimulation that a family would bring this little guy has all kinds of potential. From a missionary who spent several months at his orphanage at the end of 2011: Aiden is a complicated little boy. His years of minimal attention and probably some sensory issues seem to be the biggest of his struggles. He does at times hit his head or bite his hands to self stimulate. He let me hold and comfort him when he hit his head harder than he meant to one time, which was a great sign as far as attachment and trust goes. I like to refer to Aiden as my "mouthy" boy. He loves to chew on hard toys, and he very much enjoyed holding a slinky in his mouth and shaking his head to make it fly back and forth. He does not seem to have any vision at all. He navigates fairly well despite his lack of sight. His favorite thing ever is to be tickled. He has a wonderful smile and laugh. He will need a lot of attention and stimulation to help him to recover from all he has experienced, but I think he would really blossom with the right family! More pictures available.

$1160.87 is available towards the cost of my adoption!"

Let's find Aiden a family! We all want Aiden to find a family, and to help him out, Annie Trenda has agreed to get PIED when Aiden's fund reaches $1,500, and publicly share it with all of us!That is only $339.13 away!
AND.... if his fund reaches $2,000, I WILL BE PIED AND SHARE!!!
The catch: this must be raised BY AUGUST 30!!!
Let's get going!