Even in Darkness, There is Light.

I'm sure most of you know about my complete and utter obsession and passion for Reece's Rainbow orphans. If you don't, read on. Even if you do, read on. We have big things to do for a tiny little girl!

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Have you ever been completely moved?

Has your heart ever melted into a complete puddle at the sight of something?

Have you lungs ever been completely void of oxygen, out of pure shock and sadness?

Have you ever been motivated enough to want to drop everything and just DO SOMETHING?

I feel your pain.

No, I feel Carrington's pain.

Beloved Friends, meet Carrington:

Carrington's mommy brought her home on St. Patricks day, and not a moment too soon either.

Can you guess how much  Carrington weighed last Thursday?

Never in a million years.

11 Pounds!

And she is 3 years old.

Do you know how wrong that is? I'll show you. But be aware, it's shocking. It's horrible. It was a little 3 year olds fate before last Thursday.

OH. MY. GOSH.

I don't know what else to say.

A thought just occurred to me: Carrington has Down Syndrome. I've been pouring over her story for hours, and it never even crossed my mind.

Who cares? What I mean is, who could love a child any less, who could do THAT to a child...

Just because of an extra chromosome?

Now that, I will never understand.

I feel so strongly for all these orphans. Abandoned, kicked into a crib to literally disappear, never even given a chance...

I'm just SO THANKFUL that Carrington was given a chance.

Carrington's mommy, Shelly, has a sweet friend who has started blogging about Carrington's journey. You can get the latest updates on Carrington there!

Please keep Carrington in your prayers as she still has a long way to go before she is out of the hospital and home with her family.

The thing is, that through all of this sadness, neglect, shock, horror, and helplessness, there is hope.

It's in the eyes of this little girl who God decided deserved a lot more time on Earth than just 3 years.

Thank you, God!

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Another thing that happened last Thursday, was the proposal of my 'exciting idea'.

Remember that?

Well, I just want you guys to know that because of your sweet encouragement it's going great!

We are raising money for Olga, and also another little girl named Kameron.

Kameron's family is coming to get her on Sunday!

Thankfully, she is in a much better condition than Carrington, but she never got all the money she needed in her adoption fund.

So, over at Forever After, we are raising "emergency" money for Kameron.

Aren't orphans just the sweetest?

Pray, ladies.

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"Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me." (Matthew 18:5)

 "Remember those…who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." (Hebrews 13:3)



Hope for Two Teens

Most of you know that I am BIG on advocating for orphans. I’m here every week posting about different orphans, family news, ways to help, etc.

Usually, I’m advocating for the younger ones. The 5 year olds who have just been transferred to mental institutions. The 2 & 3 year old blonde girlies on my sidebar. I love them all!

However, some orphans aren’t as lucky as all those on my Rescued Angels page. They don’t get rescued by age 5. They have to wait.

Christy, over at Hope for the Forgotten, has been doing some serious advocating for 2 little boys named Maxim and Emmitt. Only they really aren’t that little. They are both thirteen.

Yes, 13! An age when boys should be going to the movies, or hanging out with friends. NOT lying in cribs in foreign countries.

“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” – Isaiah 40:31

Their situations are so desperate. Both boys are bedridden. They are hopeless. We must give them hope.

Emmit is listed on Reece’s Rainbow. This is what they have to say about him:

“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. J ”

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.”

That is so, unbelievably sweet! It makes me want to cry. Emmitt is no different than any other boy here in America. He loves people. He draws pictures! All he needs is a forever family to save his life.

Maxim is listed through Life2Orphans.

Maxim is 13 years old and bedridden. He is being sponsored to receive medical care, but he needs more than that. He needs a family. Everyone who meets him is touched by his beautiful spirit.

In just 3 years, Maxim is going to turn 16. He will not be eligible for adoption any longer. After he turns 16, he will be left to spend the rest of his life in a bed.

What gets me the most about Maxim and Emmitt is that they are teenagers! They aren’t toddlers anymore. They’re 13 years old!!!

Help breath hope into the lives of 2 teens in need. Keep them in your prayers! J

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. – Romans 12:12

Blessings!

Mission Max... Please Help Save Him!

My heart goes out to this precious little boy. As you all know, I did a big "(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday" post this week featuring 16 beautiful faces from Reece's Rainbow. I'm praying for all of them. However, one little boy in particular caught my eye, or rather... my heart: Max. On his Reece's Rainbow page, in big red letters in says, " HELP! I HAVE ALREADY BEEN TRANSFERRED!!" Oh no. Max is already five and a half, so he was taken from his baby orphanage and put into a mental institution.

On Wednesday night, after my post, I was praying for God to provide me with a way to help someone. I didn't want just anything. I needed divine inspiration. Suddenly, it just came to me. MAX. I had this sudden epiphany. I knew that that was what I had to do. I couldn't shake the feeling. It was like God talking straight to me, telling me what I already new deep down inside: that I can't pass by knowing of Max's troubles and not do anything at all. That is no longer an option for me.  I know this is the direction God wants me to go in. Max, beautiful Max, is truly suffering. We have to do something for him.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is tha good men do nothing." - Edmund Burke
Max was born with a heart condition and he also has strabismus (when the eyes don't line up to the same direction they are focusing on. It is commonly known as cross-eyed.) However, he is such an adorable little blond haired, gray eyed boy. He is of a quiet nature, but the reason for this is the way his life has been.

On Patti's blog, A Perfect Lily, she posted an interview with Adeye Salem. Adeye has adopted 4 children, 2 of them from Reece's Rainbow. One of her daughters, Hailee, was living in the laying room at an orphange. A room where  cribs are jam packed into a small area, where children NEVER get out of their cribs, and  the only attention they get is when they are fed.

And in institutions, oh I don't even want to think about the horrors. Children are CHAINED to their cribs and they are heavily sedated so as not to "burden" the employee's. Adeye's baby, Hailee, weighed only 15 pound on her 5th birthday. Babies should weigh 15 pounds at a few months old!Ann Curry from thetoday Show went to Serbia to see hands on what these instititutions are like. There is a 5 minute video clip, but I was so higly disturbed and sickened that I couldn't finish it. To think of Max, sleeping the  numbered years he has away in a dark, dirty, horrible place, so severely underweight and underdeveloped, so deprived of love and nurturing, its HEARTBREAKING. This is why I know that I have to do SOMETHING.

I obviously cannot adopt Max. I'm  just not in that stage of life yet. I'm not even out of my teen years yet (but soon!).  However, if I could, I'd be their in a heartbeat. I know that there is someone out there that IS in the right stage of life. Someone who will love and cherish Max. Someone who will show Max the light he has never seen. I am so fearful for what will happen to Max if he is not adopted soon, but then again, I'm not. I know the Lord is watching over Max and I trust that Max will get a chance at life. I'm praying so hard for him, and I hope you will do the same. I DO have hope.

Please, God, watch over Max. Help him to find his perfect family VERY soon. He could use his guardian angels right about now. Please, save him!

Pray if you will, donate if you can, and spread the word!

God Bless,

Sydney

P.S: Please, please, please don't forget about Olga, Kareen, Peter, etc. They need a place in your prayers just as much as Max!

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." John 14:18 

Some of my very favorite Bible Verses!