The Perfect Christmas Gift

(SHHH Don't tell Andrea Roberts....)

    

You run around trying to find those perfect Christmas gifts for your kids, your grandkids, your husband, your wife, your niece or nephew.  What to get.  What to get.  You look in catalogues, browse the aisle in the stores.  Wonder. Wonder.  Think. Think.  Finally you figure out what they would like, what they need, what would be fun... buy them - wrap them up.  Place them under the tree.  You smile.  You can't wait for Christmas day.

But something is missing.  You just know it.  Something is missing that you should be giving them.  What??  They need an envelope.  An envelope in their Christmas stocking.  It could be red.  It could be green.  It could be a boring old white envelope. 
An envelope with a stamp on it. 
And an address.
This one:  Reece's Rainbow, PO Box 4024, Gaithersburg, MD 20885

Inside the envelope with the stamp and the address - some money.  Maybe a 1 or a 5, or a 10, or even a 20.  Maybe a 100.  Whatever.  A  bit of money in an envelope.  What's it for?  This Perfect Christmas Gift? What is that little bit of money for....

It is a chance on Christmas Day to stop - go to the computer - let your child, or grandchild, or niece or nephew, maybe your husband or wife, how about a neighbor or a friend - let them take their money - go to the Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree and let them pick a child - any child - or two - or three - and put that money in that child's account. 

You already sponsor a child??  That's okay.  Pick another child.  The more the merrier.  This is their Christmas gift pick.  Put the child they picked - put their name on a piece of paper and put it in the envelope.  Seal it.  Walk out to the mailbox on Christmas Day and stick it inside.  EASY.  A five minute gift.  But priceless.  Then - for just a few minutes, stop and pray.  As a family.  Pray for that child.  Those children.  Consider them.  Consider their world, their circumstance.  Pray that a family would come soon.  And... Maybe - maybe - maybe - it could be your family.  Maybe.

    

What a gift.  What a Perfect Christmas.  For just a few minutes - in the midst of the hustle and bustle of presents and festivities ON CHRISTMAS DAY - to let your children, your family, your friends - to let them be reminded of the Lonely - the Lost - the Fatherless.  To let them - for a moment have their hearts broken for the 'Least of These.'  1, 5, 10, 20, 100 dollars.  Just a bit of money.  But what a priceless gift.

    

And Maybe - just maybe - that little child or children that they picked will, next Christmas, be getting a bit of money in their own Christmas stocking.  So that they too can pick a child.... and pray...

      

Do it.  Give the Perfect Gift..

And... If you do it - If you participate in the "Perfect Christmas Gift".... Don't tell Andrea Roberts at Reece's Rainbow.... SHHH... Wouldn't it be fun to bless her socks off with a whole host of envelopes after Christmas???  Come on.  Do it!!  It costs little and yet it means so much!  I'm going to.  There will be an envelope in each of our stockings.  I can't wait.  If you want to join me just leave a comment and let me know!!   And yes - you are welcome to post this on your blogs and on Facebook. 

       

I'll try to keep Andrea distracted!

SIXTEEN

Time Flies.  It goes too fast.  I should be rejoicing that my oldest is sixteen but instead I am sad.  He's too close to being a man.  Dear Lord I am not ready to let him go.  My oldest.  My firstborn.  Gentle Ben.

Sweet - Ben....

Sixteen. 



The Vote

I know that many of you have been praying around the clock for the vote coming up in Aaron's former country...

The good news - it has been postponed until next week.  That means that a few more kids are going to slip under the wire - PRAISE THE LORD!   Right now every time I hear that a family has their final paperwork in hand, I want to shout Victory to those who chose darkness and despair for these kids.

The other good news - there have been MAJOR efforts to get the wording changed so that adoptions will continue as they work towards reforming the system.

Again - IF THE WORDING IS NOT CHANGED AND IF THE VOTE PASSES - ALL ADOPTIONS STOP.  No matter at what point in the process.  If the family does not have birth certificate in hand - they are out of luck.  Those in country go home - without their child.  I can't even bear the thought.  So we need to keep storming heaven.  Pray.  Pray.  Pray.  I KNOW God is big enough to move this mountain.  After all - HE IS GOD!

So pray, Dear Church.  Pray. 

Early Christmas

Guess what we got in an e-mail yesterday from the French family who adopted their little one from Aaron's orphanage several years ago????

TWO MORE PICTURES...

See my little boy smiling for the camera??? 

And check this one out.... Oh My Goodness!!!

PRECIOUS BEYOND BELIEF!

Makes me want to reach through the picture and hold that baby tight in my arms.

I sure hope she keeps finding more of these gems - they are truly a treasure!

When we first met Aaron - he was NOT used to be carried.  It was obvious that no one had ever carried him or held him as only Mama's and Papa's do.  He held his body stiff away from us which made it very difficult to hold onto him.  Because of this I could not pick him up.  Rob was strong enough to hold him and thus spent each visit getting Aaron used to being in his arms.  By the time we left the institute - after 65 visits - Aaron was happy and content with Rob holding him.  He was still too hard for me to carry though because he would not wrap his legs around me or help in any way and his 50 lbs was too much for me to bear without him helping.

About a week ago, I needed to put Aaron's shoes on him and so lifted him up onto a stool.  Instead of lifting him down, I pulled him up into my arms.  For the first time, ever, Aaron melted into my arms.  He laid his head on my shoulder, wrapped his legs around me and I was able to hold him.  It was the sweetest, most precious gift that little guy could ever have given his Mama.  I held him for a long time before I had to put him down.  Since then, he is discovering that being held by a Mama is pretty sweet.  He's too big to hold for long, but I treasure each and every embrace.  He's learning though that when Mama has him tight against her, she does a whole lot of yucky kissing.

I Love Christmas

I LOVE Christmas.   Not for Santa.  Not for the craziness at the stores.  But I love Christmas.  I love to celebrate with my kids each year that God came to earth.  I love that despite all the world's attempt to change the subject - they can't.  Christmas IS Christ.  You can remove the words, take down the nativity scenes, pretend the Incarnation never happened but it doesn't work. 

Just sit in the car with your teenage boys and turn on the radio after Thanksgiving.  Their favorite radio stations are now playing Christmas music - 24/7.  Interspersed between the Rudolph songs, you get to hear "Oh Holy Night" and "What Child is This?"  Too fun.  Walk in the stores and look and listen.  Amidst the Santa Claus and reindeer displays, there ARE nativities.  Listen to the music playing in the background.  Even CHRISTmas trees speak His name.  Christ is everywhere.   They try to erase Him but the honest truth - they can't.  You can't erase the Creator of the Universe.  He will NOT be silenced.  Look around and prove me wrong.  It's the best kept secret out there - We win.  God wins.

So I LOVE this season.  No matter how hard they try to erase the fact that Jesus came, Jesus died, Jesus rose again - it is never enough.  They lose.  Truth prevails.

Since God wins - there is no guilt about Christmas for me..... I get to enjoy this time - I get to Celebrate! I get to LOVE the very best parts of Christmas.

• I love decorating our Christmas tree. 
• I love putting the nativity on the mantle and putting lights around it (LED lights drive me crazy though - the white lights are NOT white - Thank you very much!).
• I love driving at night and seeing all the decorated houses.
• I love the music. 
• I love buying my kids gifts.  (I don't love wrapping presents though!)
• I love opening presents on Christmas morning. 
• I love watching Rob enjoy all the candy in his stocking!
• I love the Salvation Army bell ringers and I love putting money in their pots.
• I love Christmas pageants and singing the carols at church.
• I love watching The Grinch That Stole Christmas (animated version NOT the movie) and I LOVE Charlie Brown's Christmas (although I missed it this year). 
• I love that Linus tells it straight - "And there were shepherds..." 
• I love Operation Christmas Child.
• I love our Advent Nativity calendar that we have had since Ben was a toddler - I love that on Christmas morning we read "The Story" and we put baby Jesus in the manger on the calendar. 
• I love Christmas caroling.
• I love baking cookies and giving them out to everyone on our road.
• I love the big family gathering with Rob's family every year.   I especially love the time of singing and worship.
• I love getting Christmas cards in the mail.
• I love sending out our Christmas picture every year.  I especially love that Aaron is on our Christmas picture this year!
• I love that in the midst of the world's vain attempts to erase the reality of God coming in the flesh - I love that in our home - in our family - we get to celebrate the Truth.  We get to enjoy the holiday in its entirety. We get the last laugh.   Christmas is truly about Christ.

     And the best part of all this year -  Aaron.  Dear Aaron.  A Lost Boy.  I love that Aaron is experiencing it with eyes wide open.  The wonder for a six year old child who has never heard the story - never experienced the joy.   I love showing him the lights, the decorations, the wonder of it all.  I can't wait to watch him pull all his candy out of his stocking.    Oh how sweet it will be to watch him open his presents.  And the sweetest part - the most precious for me - we get to tell our former Lost Boy about Jesus.

Yep - I LOVE Christmas.  Celebration.  Wonder.  Worship.  Awe.  God became flesh and lived among us.

Come on... Celebrate with me!!!

Isaiah 9:6-7

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Still Reeling...

In case you wondered... I am still in shock over last night's news.  I could NOT sleep last night... Brady and Gavin have families.  Unbelievable.  Two boys in one night.  After hours of laying in bed, I quit trying to sleep and decided I should just get up and work on the computer (as always - writing Medieval curriculum).  Now I'm tired and it is 9:00 am.  Ben is at the Community College, Elijah is making himself breakfast and Aaron is still sleeping.  I want to go back to bed.  But my brain is still full of thoughts.

Sweet thoughts.  Sad thoughts.  Thoughts overflowing.  Part of me - the human, tired part - wants to rejoice and then go back to what used to be normal.  Brady has a family.  My number one goal when I left that village in September.  Can I pass the baton?  Can I say "all is well" and then pick up where we left off a year ago - before the lightning bolt of adoption hit our family?  Yeah! Hurrah!  Gavin is going home.  Praise God.  I'm done.

That's the human side.  The 'tired of feeling overwhelmed with the children pouring over the wall' side.  The selfish, 'pitiful is me' side.  The sick on my stomach each time I post about my Lost Boys side.  The weary of our financial woes and just wanting life to ease up side.  Brady has a family.  Gavin does too.  I rejoice deeply in that news.  It makes me cry tears - tears that are so confused that I can't even put into words how I feel.  But I know it isn't over.  Not for me anyway.  Not for Rob.  The first words out of his mouth after I told him were - "Poor little Heath.  Who's going to go get him?"  My thoughts too.

What about Heath?  What about poor, pitiful little Heath - sitting in his shared wheelchair, playing with the only toy he can find - a string.  A dirty piece of frayed string.  Who's going to yell for Heath if I quit?  Maybe someone else will but probably not as loudly.  He's too easy to forget.  He didn't even show up on the radar until we walked into his institute.  He was completely hidden.  Truly Lost.  In reality, he's only been barely 'found.'  Heath needs someone yelling his name.  So do the other boys in that place.  They need to be found.  You see there are 100+ boys at that institute who are NOT listed for adoption.  Many should be but unless the director agrees - they remain completely Lost to the outside world.  The boys walking or in wheelchairs - the ones we saw - there are about 60 of them.  Inside those buildings, laying in cribs, are 40-70 MORE boys.  They can't even feed themselves.  They are unable to sit up.  They are laying there - day after day - rotting.  Dying.  Who will yell?  Yell, so that we can pray and then pray all the harder.  Pray for the Lost Boys - the ones seen and the ones not seen. 

I have to keep yelling.  Praise God, Brady and Gavin have families.  I rejoice - I celebrate - I weep.  So many more.  So many.  We can't quit.  Too many more are pouring over the walls.   I want them to pour.  Seriously.  I'm praying with all my heart that some of those who come pouring over that wall will be newly 'found' Lost Boys from Brady and Aaron's FORMER institute.  Please pray with me.  And don't forget little Lost Heath.  He too needs a family.  Strings are not proper toys for little boys.

Shouting for Joy!

TWO LITTLE BOYS HAVE FAMILIES TONIGHT.  TWO LITTLE BOYS.  BRADY AND GAVIN.

 

I'm blown away.  I'm completely at a loss for words.  I have no more information besides what I just wrote.  Those two families had  better be sending me e-mails soon!!  I'm off to go find some tissues.   Maybe throw a party.  Maybe go outside and shout Praises to the Heavens. Dear Lord - Thank you. 

Tree Fun

Sunday afternoon - on our do NOTHING afternoon - we decorated our Christmas tree.

The lights....

The ornaments....

The angel....

The football game.....

Ooopps... When the Cowboys are playing - this is one son who is not too interested in putting ornaments on the Christmas tree...

That's okay... the little guy will make up for his older brother's less than enthusiastic participation in the affair!

THERE - A TREE RINGED WITH ORNAMENTS AROUND THE BOTTOM EDGE.  HOW APPROPRIATE.

P.S. - For all those who have asked... Yes my oldest is a Cowboys fan.  I have NO idea how that happened.  I was born and raised a Redskin and will be loyal to my team till death.  As any good Redskin fan knows, the Cowboys are our arch rivals.  No way would I EVER raise a Cowboy.  Somehow though, despite all my best efforts, my son strayed from his mother's good teaching.  He fell in love with the blue and gray team.  I tried with all my being to change his mind.  Nothing worked.  Finally, I gave in.  He gets to love the Cowboys.  An uneasy peace reigns now in our house, only broken on days when the two teams face each other.  The love of the boy over the love of the team!

Aaron's Nothing

      We live a harried life.  Running here, there and everywhere.  We work, take our kids to this activity, then that activity, rush to meetings, juggle schedules and cook, clean and work side-jobs in our spare time.  We rarely have time to do Nothing.

     We love doing Nothing.  A day where we have no appointments, no meetings and no places where our children have to be.  An evening where we can stay at home, curl up as a family with a bowl of popcorn and watch a movie.  An afternoon where we can take a walk or play in the yard.  Nothing.  Nothing so that we can do what we find pleasurable.  Reading a book, building a puzzle, playing a game.  Nothing has warm connotations, happy thoughts.  Nothing is what we live for as a family. 

For us, in America, Nothing means Everything.

For the Lost Boys and Girls, Nothing means NOTHING.

This is what NOTHING looks like for the Lost Boys at Aaron's former institute.  This was Aaron's Nothing.  A shed with Nothing in it but carpets and benches.  Nothing. 

On warm days, 20 plus boys will be led to this shed.  20 plus boys will go inside this shed.  A bench will be placed across the door so that they will not be allowed to leave.   Then, those 20 plus boys will do nothing.  They will sit inside that shed.  They will sit.  They will rock.  They will cry out.  They will moan.  They will stare at the walls.  They will hit each other.  They will hit themselves.  They will sit.  They will sit.  They will wait.  After hours of sitting they will get to leave for another shed, to eat.  They will be forced to eat quickly so that they can be led back to this shed.  To do Nothing.  In the afternoon they will be led to their rooms.  They will be made to lay down on their beds.  For hours they will lay on those beds.  Some will sleep to escape.  Others will lay and do Nothing.  Staring at the walls, ceiling - staring at Nothing.  When it is time to get up, they will go back to their shed.  Again, to do Nothing. 

On rainy days, or cold days, they will stay in their buildings.  They will not leave those buildings.  They will not venture downstairs or get to visit the other boys in the other buildings or even in the other part of their building.  No.  They will stay in their section.  They will sit in the sitting room.  It is as empty as the shed.  Benches and carpets.  They will sit.  They will sit and they will do Nothing.  They will rock.  They will moan.  They will hit each other.  They will hit themselves.  They will sit.  They will wait.  They will stare at the four walls.  They will do Nothing.

Once in a while, on weekends, they will get to hear music.  The bigger boys will get to do jobs.  Some jobs that are heart-breaking.  The best behaved boys will get to kick a deflated ball sometimes.  Sometimes a stick can be found for drawing in the dirt.  Sometimes they will even let a child or two play in the sand pile that is often used as a toilet.  Sometimes.  On really rare days, when visitors come, they may even get out a hidden toy or two.  Rarely.  Most of the time, they do Nothing.

Nothing for the Lost Boys and Girls in Eastern Europe means Nothing.

Two worlds.  Our Nothing.  Their Nothing.  Can we just sit by and do Nothing?

Three Santa's

I'LL JUST LET THE PICTURES SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES!!

Faith

WANT TO KNOW WHAT ALL THESE CHILDREN HAVE IN COMMON??

THEY ARE ALL IN THE 6+ CATEGORY...

THEY HAVE ALL  BEEN TRANSFERRED

Ask Aaron what that means!

A life sentence unless someone says:

"Hey - THAT is MY son.  That is MY daughter.  That is My child." 

Pray church.  I know for a fact that the Holy Spirit is moving in hearts and that there are a number of families right now losing a lot of sleep - praying, agonizing, struggling, weeping over the very children on this page.  God IS moving in hearts.  He's calling His church to action.  He's calling out Moms and Dads to cross the ocean and rescue these Lost Ones.   Those families are struggling deeply. 

Pray for them church.

 It takes faith.  Faith to jump, faith to trust and faith to believe that God WILL provide.  Faith isn't faith if you can see it.  It isn't faith if you know the outcome.  Hebrews 11:1 says:  "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

The life these children are currently living is no life at all.  They are in desperate need of families.  Pray church.  Pray that the families will heed God's call. 

Looby Loo

     Last night I was making dinner and dancing with my youngest.  Anyone looking in our window would have thought I had lost it.  Two nutty people in the kitchen, laughing and singing.  "Here We Go Looby Loo."  Dancing and singing in the kitchen.  When Elijah walked in we included him in our party.  He thought we were a bit nuts with our turning and shaking.  No pictures to share except in my head, as I consider our dance. 
     There is so much that Aaron can't do.  So much.   He wanted to help me put the groceries away last night but couldn't get the deli meat into the refrigerator.  His fingers can't grasp the package and his arms can't lift anything heavier than a plastic bag.  He tried.  Over and over again he tried to get that deli meat on a shelf.  Finally he left it.  On the floor of the fridge.  Helpless. 
     It grieves me.  So much lost for him.  Six years without help hurt him.  Profoundly hurt him.  He has so much therapy to face just to master the skill of lifting a bag of deli meat into the fridge.  It overwhelms me sometimes.  It's so easy to focus on all the things my son can't do.  The list is endless. 

     But he can dance.  He can laugh.  He is learning to love.  For now, that is my focus.  The rest - We'll just entrust that to God.

from Aaron...Part Two

Did you know that there are TROLLS in my house??

I MEAN IT - TROLLS!!

My Brothers!  Trolls!

Not me though.... I'm just too CUTE to be a Troll!

P.S. - Mom says thank you to EVERYONE who has donated to the GIVEAWAY for Gavin. 

Please don't stop. 

Gavin sure doesn't want to end up where I lived for a year. 

It was not "Neverland." I LOVE the movie Peter Pan so I should know!

Stemming the Tide

    There's a story I read when I was growing up called "Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates."  I loved that book.  Inside that story was another story of a little boy who walks by a dyke and sees a hole in the side.  He sticks his finger in the hole, staying there all night to keep his town from being flooded.  In the morning the townspeople discover the boy and work together to stem the tide.

    On Monday Andrea Roberts spent the day listing onto the Reece's Rainbow website 100 more little ones with Down Syndrome.  When I saw that news I felt washed over with weariness.  Here I am - hollering for Gavin, Brady and Heath in my tiny corner in the world - holding my little finger in the dyke and 100 more children come flooding over the walls.  What does my finger matter in the whole scheme of things?  How can I even think that what I do makes a bit of difference?

I despair.

    It's too big for me.  I feel like throwing in the towel.  Giving up on keeping my hole plugged.  I've got my child.  I did my job.  Let me go back to normal. 

    To be honest - that is what the church as a whole has done.  Given up.  The church has seen the huge need and decided that what needs to be done to fix the problem of orphans in the world is to forget the individual orphan and instead to focus on the 'social' ills that cause the orphan problem.  It's become a license to do nothing. 

     I've been in a lot of churches in the last 48 years of my life (yes, I am that old).  I've heard a lot of sermons.  Lots.  The honest, sad truth - Rarely - rarely - have I ever heard a sermon about the orphan.  Almost never.  How unbelievably sad.  I hate to write that on my blog because I love the church.  I love my faith.  I am a Christian and I am not ashamed.  But it is the truth.

     So I stand here, with my finger in a dyke, wondering what good I am doing as I watch the water pouring over the sides.  There are millions and millions of orphans.  I don't even want to post the number because it is too discouraging.  Too big.  What difference does my little finger make?

     To God - all the difference in the world.  To God - my little finger matters greatly.  It may be little and I may not even be plugging the hole properly and I may even have water leaking out around me but to God - my finger in that dyke is of great value. 

     And I am not alone.  Nope.  The church is around me.  I know this.  Maybe not the church proper but the real church - the individuals - those driven by the Holy Spirit - they are definitely around me.  All I have to do is read my comments section to see that mine isn't the only finger in the dyke.    All I have to do is walk into the grocery store and have someone come up and tell me that they are reading our blog, praying for the Lost Boys, cheering us on.  All I have to do is walk into my Homeschooling Co-op and see that ours isn't the only child saved.  All I have to do is hunt the internet on adoptions and see that there are hundreds, thousands of other Christian families standing next to me, stemming the tide.  All I have to do is open my e-mail and discover that I am surrounded.  There were thousands of bowed heads behind us when we stood before a judge back in September.  I am discovering that there are even more bowed heads standing with us as we fight to stem the tide to rescue the least of these. 

     Just yesterday I was given a gift by one of those who is standing with us to stem the tide.  Someone who chooses to be nameless.  Someone who has put in the mail - an iPad - a gift to help raise money for a little boy in a far away land - Gavin.  Sweet Gavin.  Another finger in the dyke.  I cried when I found out what they were doing.  I panicked too.  I am just one small person.  I am not good at fundraisers and raising money.  What if it bombs?   Yuck!  Oh me of little faith.  Truly little.  I'm struggling on Monday with whether my finger matters and yesterday someone sends me an iPad to GIVE-AWAY for Gavin.

     Our fingers do matter and saving one child is of great worth to God.  Beyond measure.  Gavin matters to the Creator of the Universe.  He matters to me.  He matters to my anonymous friend who cares deeply that he find a family.  Soon.  Gavin turns six in just a few months.  He faces transfer any day.  He needs a family quickly.  

Please stand with me.  I am putting another chip-in for the iPad.  Here's how it is going to work - If you make a donation to either of Gavin's chip-ins before December 19 - your name will be entered in a drawing.  The more you give, the more times your name will be entered.  Those who have already given to Gavin WILL have their names entered into the Give-away.  You have not been left out of this!

$5 = 1 entry
$20 = 5 entries
 $35 = 9 entries
$50 = 13 entries
 $75 = 19 entries
$100 = 25 entries
$150 = 40 entries

On December 19 we will draw a name for the iPad.  I will then ship it to the winner Priority mail so that it will arrive by Christmas! 

**If you Donate 35.00 or more before December 15th, you will also receive an Angel Tree Ornament with Gavin's picture!

Please help spread the word - Help us raise money for Gavin.  Help us find a family for this sweet little boy.  

What we do matters - maybe not to the rest of the world - but in the eyes of the Lord - Priceless.

Matthew 25: 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Hang On...

 TRIVIA FIRST...

About the birds - We had a choice with our birds - either we lived here or they lived here!   Our house was just not big enough to include both our family and three very loud birds.  So we called a local Pet Store and they agreed to take the birds.  In return we brought home a sweet, quiet little parakeet.  The birds were in fine condition when they left our house.  They were not abused, misused, left out on the porch or mistreated.   They were healthy and will make the Pet Store owner a good bit of money (70.00 per bird).  Though we got the 'poor' end of that trade, we are most certainly NOT COMPLAINING because we no longer have to yell at each other to be heard!    Happy Days!

About Aaron's spoon - A lot of people wanted to know where we got Aaron's spoon.  From our utensil drawer.  The spoon is actually a measuring spoon.  It is not ideal and we have since replaced it.  Designing a good eating utensil for Aaron is still a work in progress.

Gavin's thermometer is going up!!  Praise the Lord!  Lots of things happening in the 'raising funds for Gavin' department.  More on that in another post.  God is good!

Aaron's FAVORITE PASTIME... Note - the traintrack is on the floor in this picture.  Today it is back on the table.  He likes to change things up.  When it is on the floor, he can do it with his feet.  When it is on the table, he uses his hands.  Elijah is the number one track designer in the family.  I confess - I like designing them too!

AND NOW FOR THE HANG ON PART OF THIS POST...

     God is moving.  This morning I had chills going up and down my spine.  God is moving. In more than one direction at the same.  Our Lost Boys have hope. 

     You need to ramp up the prayers.  HARD.   This CONCERTO is one you don't want to miss.

Prayer One - We have been in contact with a number of different organizations and ministries about our Lost Boys and we have been contacted by several.  The interest is high.  Praise God!  Pray that the doors would be flung wide open!

Prayer Two - I can't share much and I have to be discreet so read between my lines....

     In the same village as our Lost Boys, there is an internat for older children.  For those who don't understand the Eastern European system - Children are in baby house orphanages until they reach the age of 4, 5 or 6.  Then they are transferred.  The 'normal' children are transferred to boarding school type orphanages (internats) where they receive an education.  The special needs children are transferred to special needs institutes.

      The special needs institutes are the places of no return.  Those kids stay in the system until they die.  Unless they are adopted - they live the rest of their lives locked away forever.

      But, lest you think that the 'normal' children have it easy, think again.  The children in the internats are just as needy.  The boarding school internats tend to be underfunded (most of the money that is donated is poured into the baby house orphanages) and often neglected.  It is a harsh world for those kids.  Many of our HIV Reece's Rainbow children are in these places.  When the children at these internats turn anywhere from 15-18, they age out.  Though they have been given an education, they have little prospects.  They are sent out into the world too young and without support.  Sadly, many of these children shipwreck, ending up in jail or in prostitution rings.  There have been efforts made to change the system and in some areas this is changing but the reality is, much more needs to be done.  The need is huge.  It is why we are praying that the door does NOT close on both the special needs adoptions AND the older children adoptions. 

     So here is where prayer matters.  There is an internat in Aaron's former village.  It is filled with needy children.  Only a few have ever been adopted from that internat.  Just a few.  Those boys and girls are about as Lost as our Lost Boys.  We have no idea if anyone ministers to those children.  Our contact with them went only as far as being shown the drab looking building where they lived.  Each time we passed that building I would whisper prayers for those lonely kids inside.  Other than that we were cut off.  Until this morning.


     This morning I sit in awe of the God I serve.  He sees the bigger picture.  He has a grander plan in place that goes beyond our wildest dreams.   Pray Church.  We serve a living God who hears and answers the cries of our hearts.