Do you remember Bernadette? Do you remember her? She was 16 when her family stepped out to commit to her. SIXTEEN.
THAT'S SCARY!
Sitting in a room with little stimulation. Hidden away from the rest of the children at the institute.
Bernadette.
Now Jesse.
AND I MET HER.
Yes I did....
A few weeks ago.
Ignore my awfulness in these picture PLEASE!.... Jesse (Bernadette) is absolutely one of the sweetest little girls I have ever met in my life. She stole my heart and has it in her pocket. Only home a few weeks but already coming alive. Praise God the Rogers didn't let fear keep them from going to get her. Their lives have absolutely been enriched beyond measure.
THAT'S SCARY!
Sitting in a room with little stimulation. Hidden away from the rest of the children at the institute.
Bernadette.
Now Jesse.
AND I MET HER.
Yes I did....
A few weeks ago.
Ignore my awfulness in these picture PLEASE!.... Jesse (Bernadette) is absolutely one of the sweetest little girls I have ever met in my life. She stole my heart and has it in her pocket. Only home a few weeks but already coming alive. Praise God the Rogers didn't let fear keep them from going to get her. Their lives have absolutely been enriched beyond measure.
I cannot find words to describe her. Just know that the smile on her face is an absolute reflection of who she is inside. She radiates joy. You cannot help but be overcome in her presence.
And I didn't just meet Bernadette - I met Caleb (Mason on RR). Now her brother. Same institute. Same hidden away room. Scary. Again - the Rogers made a leap of faith for an older boy.
And he is another absolutely precious treasure. He has delays, yes. He's nine but the size of a four year old. Tiny. Malnourished. Yes. He's only been home for less than 2 months. Already starting to fill out. Finding his way. When I held him I thought of Heath. What he will need and how he will change and grow if someone would be willing to just give him a chance. Heath is 10 in age but so tiny and so much like Caleb.
But the blessings didn't stop there....
I got to hold Claire and Malachi again.
Do you see Claire? She has been home a year and she was as lost as she could be when she first came home. Tiny. Malnourished. Zoned out. Completely unable to make eye contact. A year later she is a ball of energy and life. You can't hold her long because she wants to go and then go some more. And Malachi. What in the world can I say about him? He is so full of joy. Happy. Content. SMART! Oh my goodness he is so smart.
And Tyler.
Twelve year old Tyler.
Home only a few weeks.
His parents took a massive leap of faith by adopting an older boy from an institute. We yelled for him on this blog and look at him. I had a hard time holding back the tears.
TYLER ROCKS!!
ALL OF THESE ADOPTIONS WERE SCARY. They are older special needs kids.
But as I watched each child, held them, talked to them, loved on them, I was reminded again and again that God equips those who choose to go. Is it easy? NO! Are there issues? ABSOLUTELY. Do they sometimes wonder what in the world they got themselves into? MOST DEFINITELY. But do they regret crossing the ocean? Not one family whom I have met in the last 3 years who adopted has regretted going. I have met almost 50 Reece's Rainbow children. We have a large number of adopted children in our Homeschool Co-op (I'm privileged to teach some of them). I have friends who have adopted. Not one. Despite the tears. The lost sleep. The trauma. The process. The upheaval to family and schedule. The medical issues. The tantrums. The food issues. The potty problems. Not one has regretted going.
Not one.
My Family Found Me
My Family Found Me My Family Found Me
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Inventory is fine when it involves looking at how many products we have on hand for BiblioPlan.
Inventory stinks when it comes to orphans.
It just stinks.
I rejoice for every single child with the red My Family Found Me above their name but my rejoicing is offset by the sorrow at seeing so many who are still waiting.
Emmitt is still sitting in his crib. He's still there. Waiting.
Heath is still sitting on a bench all day every day. He's still there. Waiting.
Hanson. He is still laying in his crib staring at the ceiling. Waiting.
Those are the left-over kids from the Mulligan Stew. All waiting.
All sitting in mental institutes. Waiting.
All sitting in mental institutes. Waiting.
Desperately waiting.
And the Passed-Over Babes from last year... The ones who had been on the Angel Tree the longest...
Yegor waits. Sergei waits. Robyn waits. Mark had a family and then lost them so again he waits. Arina waits.
OUT OF NINETEEN BABES, EIGHT STILL WAIT.
I'm not closing the book on these kids. I'm not giving up. I will continue to pray and plea and advocate for them.
They are way too precious to be left behind.
I'm not giving up until I can put a My Family Found Me above EVERY.SINGLE.ONE.OF.THEIR. NAMES!!
SO PLEASE... HELP ME OUT!!
I need EIGHT brave families to step forward to be their hope.
I know. I am asking a lot. These are all older children. Mostly boys. Most of them are sitting in a Mental Institute.
It is a fearsome and scary list of kids.
But look at the list of FOUND kids.
And look at Bernadette. And Mason. And Claire. And Malachi. And Tyler.
And think of our Aaron.
All scary. But all most definitely worth the risk!!
GOD EQUIPS THOSE HE CALLS.
WILL YOU ANSWER HIS CALL??
SO PLEASE... HELP ME OUT!!
I need EIGHT brave families to step forward to be their hope.
I know. I am asking a lot. These are all older children. Mostly boys. Most of them are sitting in a Mental Institute.
It is a fearsome and scary list of kids.
But look at the list of FOUND kids.
And look at Bernadette. And Mason. And Claire. And Malachi. And Tyler.
And think of our Aaron.
All scary. But all most definitely worth the risk!!
GOD EQUIPS THOSE HE CALLS.
WILL YOU ANSWER HIS CALL??
Julia - you have done so much for these kids! I am so glad that you get to meet them, love on them and see their smiles.
ReplyDeleteI love when you show updated pictures of these kids! Whenever I read posts like this and see the older kids in their new homes it always reminds me that "they are just children." Their ages and conditions sometimes seem scary but when you boil it all down and see them in a family, they are just children who want love and acceptance like every other child. I LOVE the picture of Tyler. I have wondered how he is doing. He looks so content.
ReplyDeleteSue H.
julia that is beyond awesome....am sharing if possible? xx
ReplyDeleteSHARE AWAY JANE DEAR!! SHARE AWAY!! We got to get that Bobby in a family!!
DeleteThank you, Julia... It still takes my breath away to see that photo of our girl and have the words "my family found me" by it... Will it ever get old? This awe that the Lord is using us to be one of "those" families that get to serve an orphan? We are blessed beyond measure. Thank you for helping to get her home, sister!
ReplyDeleteOh, and we are still waiting on Shrine... As soon as we hear anything, I'll let you know! :)
Oh, Sergei! I am going to be Sergei's Christmas Warrior again this year! I know he is too old to actually be on the Angel Tree this year, but I can't give up on him! I am going to fundraise with as much effort as I had last year despite him not being on the Angel Tree!
ReplyDeleteDebby www.packofpashos.blogspot.com
What an encouraging - and motivating - post! Awesome!
ReplyDeleteAren't we incredibly blessed to get to hold them when they come home? God is increasingly good to us. Everyone of these children deserves a home, a family, a life outside the walls of an institution. Age is just a number. Kids are kids and want to be loved. Our Vaylo was 7 when we brought him home and watching him blossom is like having a front row view of redemption in our living room, everyday. Thanks for yelling so loudly for each of these blessings. I can't wait to see you meeting the next group home :)
ReplyDeleteI so appreciate the heart you have for the children. Heath has a very special place in my heart. I have prayed & cried for him many times, & God has comforted me about Heath...He's given me many verses & I believe even a name for Heath, which means "God will raise up, God will set free". I wholeheartedly believe that Heath will be redeemed.
ReplyDeleteYou are an amazing and I thank you for all the good work you've done for your kids. I love the attention you pay to the older boys, who so many are afraid to adopt, but who can be so sweet and loving and need families just like every other child. Can I convince you to add Brett #19 to your list of overlooked kids? He has all of two advocates that I know of including myself, his story is heartbreaking, he's been abandoned since the moment he was born, and he's been sitting on RR as long as I can remember. No updates. No one else at his orphanage to tell us how it is. Just a little boy, sitting, shut away somewhere without a family to love him. Him finding a family is possibly one of the most important goals of my life... poor sweet boy. http://reecesrainbow.org/1146/brett-b-396. How much I want to hug that little boy and tell him he's loved... I can't even go get him when I'm 25 (year and a half) because B requires a 15 year age difference :( missed it by a hair. If I could go get him I would jump. Please, consider adding him to the kids you advocate for? I know there are so many... but their visibility on your blog and elsewhere is what has helped so many find families. You underestimate your effect on the world. Love you Julia, even though I've never met you. What kind of fun RR meetup were you at, anyways? I need to get into one of those! :) thanks for your post, it was amazing.
ReplyDeleteJulia, how do you get a child listed w/ Reece's Rainbow? There is a little boy our family has been trying to advocate for. He is 8 years old, has spina bifida, and living in an SWI in southern China. Long story short our family and another asked the director to process his paper work for adoption and the director did it. Now it has been over and year and he is still waiting. I know, I know, who would go looking for an older child w/ such needs. But despite his living conditions and limited use of legs he is still smiling in all the pictures we have of him. Many of us have pictures of him literally growing up in the back ground of all the pictures of the other children that got adopted. At least two families have met him. Anywho, just let me know if there is a way to get him listed and seen more on Reece's Rainbow - much appreciation!
ReplyDeleteContact Reece's Rainbow!!!!
DeleteI've been praying for a home for Emmett for several months now. His story is so wrenching to me. He has the same disability as a friend's son who is flourishing and the same eyes as my husband. Unfortunately, I was 12 when he was born, so not an appropriate match for our family, but I am certainly praying and praying someone else who is eligible will bring him home! Thanks for raising awareness!
ReplyDelete