It's NOT nothing!

Last Weekend, I was watching an episode of one of my favorite shows: 7th Heaven.

Eric {Main character and Minister} was talking with this woman whose ex-husband was harassing her. He wouldn't leave her alone and so Eric booked a room at a hotel for her.

She was so distressed over the situation. She didn't know what to do or where to go next. She told Eric,

"The past few days I've done nothing but pray."

And he replied with,

"Well that's NOT nothing."

Seriously. Who knew t.v. shows could have such profound moments?

I thought this was so important. That lady was as lost as could be. She did not know where to turn to, what her next step would be, NOTHING. All she knew was that God was there.

So she prayed.

Some people think that there is no purpose to prayer... but there is!!! God is always listening and He ALWAYS answers. Even if it isn't in the way we wanted or expected.

We have to trust that God will work everything out just the way we it should be. He doesn't make mistakes.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9

When we are lost and have no idea which way to turn, we should pray. We are not in control; that's God.

 "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." - 2 Peter 3:9

"The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." - Psalms 145:18

Just know... prayer IS something. It is fruitful. Whether it be on your favorite show or in your real life, see the power of prayer! I'm always saying that. :)

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." - Philippians 4:6

"Pray without ceasing," - 1 Thessalonians 5:7

God can move mountains. And if we ask Him, He will!

Right now I'm praying for Ethiopian adoption. It's been cut by 90% since yesterday. This means that there are 3,500 parents out there who won't be able to get their babies home!

This sweet lady posted it all on BlogFrog, and I left this huge reply for her. I am praying. Because even though only 500 adoptions are going to happen now, that doesn't mean she and her husband can't get their child.

You can check it out here . Keep praying!

"And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” - Matthew 21:22

Blessings!

NO WAY!

I just barely mention beautiful Alexander to everyone, and what do you know...

ALEXANDER HAS A FAMILY!!!

I guess that's just the awesome way God works!!! I'm so excited!!! I've expressed special interest in daveing two little boys (Max and Alexander) and like 2 seconds after I mention them here they get families!!! I don't understand that, at all, but I guess I'm catchingthem right when it's their time to be adopted? Again, I know I really didn't get the chance to do anything at all for either boy.

If this keeps happening, if every little angel I pick out of the mix get a family committed to them within a week of me posting about them, I'd be extatic. Bring it on! But I really do want to HELP an orphan.

I've picked 2 little girls from Reece's Rainbow for my next adventure. (They were both a part of my Wordless Wednesday, Reece's Rainbow edition, in mid- January and I totally fell in love. They are just too cute for words!)

TaylahDate of Birth : February 2008
Gender: Female
Eyes: Blue
Hair: blond
Character: calm , affectionate, friendly   

FULL MEDICAL RECORDS AND MORE PHOTOS AVAILABLE    The girl is active, affectionate, easily bonding to adults. She can exhibit inadequately aggressive reactions to some stimuli. She is not picky at table. She eats well, but not very tidily. She falls asleep slowly and easily gets up in the morning.   Her hearing is good, her vision concentration is a bit lower (weak convergence, nistagmus).  The attention span is poor. She does not like to look through books or pictures.  Her motor skills: she walks, sits, walks over barriers, goes up and down the stairs, but her movements are not very well coordinated. She can build a tower of 3 cubes, collect a pyramid out of rings not observing the sequence of sizes. She does not scribble. She does not know even the concepts of color, shape and size. She performs tasks learning from her mistakes.  She understands what is said to her. She knows her name and turns to it. She knows the names of familiar adults. She reacts to different speech tones.  She repeats syllables, does not repeat words.

PhoebeDate of Birth: April 2009
Gender: Female
Eyes: Gray
Hair: light brown
Nature: Calm    Oh, look at the glow on this munchkin!  Too cute!  Wispy blonde hair and blue eyes, this one has a smile that can light up a room.  She is so young and at a perfect age for early intervention!   From her medical records:  Congenital heart defect: secondary atrial septal defect, additional chord in the left ventricle.  Phoebe is described as a delightful little girl.  She is active and engaging.  She rolls over, follows an object with her eyes, fixes her stare, grabs toys, manipulates them (bangs, waves, etc.).  She smiles, coos, starts to babble, smiles when somebody talks to her.

FULL MEDICAL RECORDS AVAILABLE, MORE PHOTOS ALSO

So there you go! I'm pretty excited to figure out what I cab do for them. I would LOVE to host a giveaway if I could get the resources!

Taylah and Phoebe would be such a wonderful addition to a family out there. Taylah is turning 3 sometime this month! Happy Birthday, Taylah! Phoebe is still one until her birthday in April!!! I'm excited to advocate for these 2 because they are a little ways away from institutionalization (the average age is 5). If I can help them NOW, then that will be 2 less orphans fighting time to get a family in a few years.

I'll keep everyone posted, but for now I'm just thinking and asking for an oppurtunity to help them to come around.

I may not know much, but one thing I know for sure is... GOD ROCKS!

God Bless,

Sydney

P.S: They look kind of like sisters, don't they? Same haircut! They aren't though: Taylah is from the 25th region in Russia and Phoebe is from the 9th.

God is SO Good! A True Miracle Story...!

I just watched this wonderful video on Yahoo, and I had to share!

First off, if you haven't heard of Kelly Gerken of Sufficient Grace Ministries, check it out right now. (Click here to read my post about it.)

So, here's the story. Laura Ballard and her husband Todd, got pregnant with twins. They were overjoyed! Then, at 14 weeks, they discovered that the twins had twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (as did Kelly's babies, Faith and Grace, who are now living with God).

Anyway, Laura refused to just accept that. She searched high and low until she finally discovered a surgery that could save 1 of her twins. She looked at it like this: If they didn't do the surgery there was no chance of survival. If they DID do the surgery, 1 or, God willing, BOTH of the twins might survive. AS you might have guessed, the prayed hard and went through with the surgery.

Oh how glad they were that God had led them to do the surgery. Both babies lived! Kensley and Berkley Ballard totally defied all odds and and turned 6 months old yesterday. All I can say is... GOD IS AMAZING!!!

No doctors thought both babies would survive. No specialists did either. The Ballard's were hoping and praying, but they didn't know. You know who DID KNOW? God, of course! He has big plans for these babies. He drastically changed the lives of a wonderful family, for the better. How does He do this? Why does He do this? BECAUSE HE IS GOD!!!

I'm just really feeling His love right now. Miracles don't have to involve me for me to be encouraged by them. Basically, I get excited anytime I hear that God is working in another family. We serve a big God. Thank you, Father!

God Bless,

Sydney

"So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands." - Acts 14:3

Meet Alexander... The 5 year old who has captured my heart!

Isn't he precious? Alexander, like Max is already over 5 years old. NO ONE HAS EVER INQUIRED ABOUT HIM! I'm wondering how this could be true. His perfect Mommy just hasn't come across him yet...

Alexander is already in an institution. They shaved their heads this past summer, so that's why the bald head. I look at his face, and I wish I could just pick him up and hold him. He doesn't deserve to be lying in a crib, heavily medicated and underweight. Institutions are terrible, scary, heart wrenching places. I'm crying for him.

He doesn't have any serious complications. He is a healthy little boy. Here is what Reece's Rainbow says about him:

 Born April 13, 2005

HELP!  I HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED!!

OH, what a difference a new picture can make!!    Alexander has been listed with us for more than 2 years, and not a soul has ever inquired about him.  Up until now, the only photos we have had of him were laying down in a crib, never showing him up and mobile and active!     But look at him!!   What a great smile, and so much life in him! 

  

Alexander is a handsome little boy who really needs a loving family. He has light brown hair and blue eyes.    He is already 5!    He was born with a minor PDA, but does not have pulmonary hypertension. He also has flat feet. Please give Alexander the chance to grow up in a loving family

HEADS WERE SHAVED FOR THE SUMMER MONTHS.

I want so badly to help him. I feel for him like he is a part of my family. The thing is, I don't know what I can do.

I've donated to him, and he has $7626.00 so that's good. The thing is I'm just not sure how to spread the word. Not many people read this blog, but I don't care about that. I would host a giveaway, like Patti (check out the lovely Pure Love Giveaway), but I don't have the funds or the followers to do so.

I'm not going to let a few obstacles discourage me though. I am trying to get the word out about Alexander, as well as I can. Otherwise, I'm just praying for a miracle. I'm asking for God's direction, for his help. I cannot do this on my own. Please God, help me to save Alexander...

In the meantime, please spread the word. I don't know exactly what to do as of yet, but I'm hoping for some divine inspiration.

God Bless,

Sydney

The 5:00 Update 2/5/11! Halfway home...

Isn't he handsome?

Yay for new pictures! Today is exciting because it's Peter's halfway point! (Well, not quite but ALMOST and I like to think of the glass half full!) So...

Peter's 5:00 total is... $9,304.50!



The goal is that by next Friday at 12:00am Peter will have a full grant! It might seem like he is a little too far away from this goal to reach it, but think of it this way: Today was the fifth day of the giveaway and he is halfway, so by day 10 his grant should be full!

Keep up the good work guys!

God Bless,

Sydney

"And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us." - John 5:14

P.S: PLEASE DON'T FORGET that I'm starting my book club next Sunday with a review of Chapter 1 of Before You Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Mally! If you can get a hold of a copy of the book or have already read it I would love to discuss it with everyone! Please join in! This is going to be a really fun and insightful event, so please don't miss out! Spread the word!

The 5:00 Update 2/4/11! A Renewed Purpose... (and the results of Pennies on a Platter's fundraiser for The King Family!)

Hey Friends!

Last night, Patti updated the giveaway to include a few more prizes (Natural Charm Necklace by Lia Sophia, $150 Sears gift card, $25 gift credit to Etsy store Lilybuds, or $25 gift credit to 31 gifts, Anyone?)

More importantly, the giveaway has a renewed purpose. As you already knew, Kareen has had a family committed to her for a while, and it was just announced that Olga has a family. :) Kareen's family, The Cox's, are so grateful for the money  that has been pouring in to help her. The Cox's and Patti both feel that their goals for Kareen and Olga have been met.

For the 6 days that are left, the Pure Love Giveaway will be focused solely on getting Peter his full grant. I can tell how loved Peter is by all the money that has been coming in to him these past few days.

                                                         Olga's Final Total is... $13,154!!!

                                                      Kareen's Final Total is... $7,450!!!

 Beautiful Peter's ongoing 5:00 total is... $8,867.50!

Have a great weekend everyone. Please don't forget to help out this precious little boy!

God Bless,

Sydney

********************

P.S:

Remember way back when... when I posted about Veronica (Vee) King and her children Faith and Caleb? They recently lost their beloved Daddy/husband, Jeremy. In addition, Vee has scheduled a c-section for this upcoming Monday, February 8th, so Jeremy and Vee's new baby named Carter will be here very soon!

Anyway, I posted about how you could help the King family: by visiting the wonderful Pennies On A Platter once a day and/or donating to Vee through Paypal.

Let me just say, God was on our side with this one. Pennie's On A Platter got 441% more page visits than the norm! Without further adieu... 

Pennie's On A Platter raised $1,577.29 for Vee!

I am so amazed by people's generosity and willingness to help someone in need. Again, I know didn't really have any impact of the outcome of this fundraiser. I'm just a humbled blogger posting about those  issues that are close to my heart.

Thank you, God. You are so good!

God Bless,

Sydney

Patti's God's Pure Love Giveaway



Happy February Everyone!

What does February mean to you? Ground hog's Day, Valentines Day, Patti's big Pure Love giveaway, President's Day... wait a minute. Patti's big Pure Love giveaway? What's that all about? I'll tell you!

See those three adorable little faces above? They belong to Kareen, Olga, and Peter. Patti from A Perfect Lily is hosting a major giveaway to raise money for these three special children.

People have been donating items for the giveaway left and right. It's going to be really amazing. Patti's is aiming to get Peter a full grant. That's over 20,000 dollars!

Already, people are showing there love for these children. Yesterday, before the giveaway even began, a woman named Sara donated 1,000 dollars to Peter! Isn't that miraculous? It's merely the first day out of ten and already (as of 5:00 pm) Peter has $4,445 towards his adoption! That's roughly triple what he had the majority of last month!

In return for people generous donations (you only have to donate $10 to enter) Patti is giving away loads of wonderful prizes:

• A brand new iPad with accessories
• Nikon D90 digital Camera
• 14 carat diamond earrings
• Lia Sophia bracelet
• Lia Sophia necklace
• Happy Hooks Crochet Etsy shop designer baby hat
• $35 gift card to Etsy shop Lil' Sis Designs
• itty bitty icing Etsy shop designer baby headbands
• Tutu, onesie, and matching headband made by Elissa from Sound's Like Life To Me (see the Fabulous Blogs I Follow sidebar!)
• (3) $10 Starbucks gift card donated by Katy from Diary of a Zookeeper 
• A tote bag and mother daughter aprons donated by Cassie from The Crazy Eight

Patti is playing a huge loving part in this giveaway, but in the end, its God's Pure Love giveaway. Patti has had the compassion and diligence to follow through and never stop advocating, and it's God who has granted Patti her biggest hopes and dreams in saving these children. It's God who has gotten so many people involved in advocating (might as well make this the word of the day!) for Peter, Kareen, and Olga. Patti's purpose is clear: she is the wonderful messenger God is using to carry out some of His most important work with Reece's Rainbow. Without beautiful Patti and her beautiful Lily, where would Olga, Kareen, and Peter be right now? I'm starting to cry. I can't thank you enough Patti, for the true "surrogate" Mama you have been for these children. They are so blessed to have you on their side. Thank you. I have all the faith in the world that we can work together to get Kareen and Olga (SHE HAS A FAMILY!) home sooner, and Peter a full grant. It's a big order, that's for sure, but nothing is to big for God. 

Cast your cares upon the Lord, for He cares about you. - 1 Peter 5:7 

We've got to get these children home. It's been long enough. If God has previously raised $12,000 for Olga through Patti's advocating, I just know he has something even bigger in store for this giveaway.

"Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so..." (I know you all know what song this line is from... hint hint: its in bold!)

He loves Kareen. He loves Olga. He loves Peter. He will not let then die. He has big things in store for these three children, and nothing puts a stop to God's plans. Donate, pray, and  ask for a work to be done in Peter's future family's heart so that he can get adopted really soon, along with Olga and Kareen!

I'll keep you updated, but be sure to read Patti's heartfelt post about the giveaway, and check her blog frequently as well.

"But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish." - Psalms 9:18

God Bless,

Sydney

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." - Romans 12:12

FYI: Keep praying for Max (click here to read my post about him) as well. I want to get him out of the institiution so badly it hurts!

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!

(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday: Pray!

God Bless (Reece's Rainbow children and you!),

Sydney

P.S: Actual words about the precious children on Reece's Rainbow (and how you can help them out!) to come within week!

Reece's Rainbow

The Power of Prayer... A Realization!

Remember last week, when I posted about my grandmothers generosity to my family? Just to refresh your memory, she bough us a new laptop (among many other items). We felt so truly blessed that she would do something like that for us. I know that God was using my grandma as a messenger. We prayed about getting our computer fixed or getting a new computer and He answered our prayers through her! What a blessing. Once the new laptop got here, we officially has two laptops (I bought my own a few months ago). As I mentioned in my other post, our desktop computer had succumbed to a virus. Or so we thought.

 A few days ago, my uncle (He had been trying to fix our computer for a while, but he had basically said it was a lost cause.) called to tell my dad he got the computer working.


"What? No way! An answer to our prayers." He brought the computer over and what do you know? It was working like we just ran off to the store and bought it.

"Okay," your probably thinking," great. You already have 2 computers, why is this such a big deal?" I'll tell you what the big deal is. It's not really about the computer. That's just whats on the surface. Really, I just wanted to share with everyone the power of prayer. You ask, and God answers, in some way, shape, or form.

For a while, back in November, we had no computer at all in our household. Currently, we have 3. That means that 60% of my five person family can be on the computer all at once.

God provides. There are plenty of testimonies out their to prove my point. Stick to God's principles, and you will always be rewarded. God doesn't want us to go without. That is evident in my family's story, because we went from having none at all to being triply blessed.

Sometimes, when faith is low, you need some kind of sign to show that God is there, He does love you, and He will provide for you. Don't let that message escape you.

Not that I've been having any doubts (far, far from it!) but, for my family and even other people out there, this is a reassurance of God's existence. How else would a totally infected and messed up computer just suddenly start working again?

God has given me his Blessed Assurance. He does answer prayers and he does care deeply for each and everyone of His children. He loves us all so much, and we must love Him back.

This little episode demonstrating the Power of Prayer really reminds me of the story of Lazarus. Lazarus' sisters, Mary and Martha, informed Jesus that Lazarus was very sick. Jesus waited two days to go the Bethany, and by the time he reached his destination, Lazarus had been dead for 4 days. Martha told Jesus, " Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Jesus replied with, "Your brother will rise again."

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who
believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in
me will never die. Do you believe this?"

"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the
Son of God, who was to come into the world." - John 11:
25-27

Martha went to get her sister Mary after this. Mary was cry and grieving with many other Jews, and Jesus joined them in weeping. Then, everyone joined Jesus at the tomb. They removed the stone covering the burial place and Jesus prayed, "Lazarus, come out!"

Miraculously, Lazarus walked out the tomb. People were shocked, and they immediately put their faith in Him.

So you see, sometimes all it takes is a sign, big or small, to restore someone faith in Jesus. I've been given the gift of God's Blessed Assurance. I know He is there, because I have put my faith in him and prayed. You have not because you ask not. Never forget one of my favorite Bible verses: "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." -Luke 11:9.

Miracles, whether they be huge (like being raised form the dead), or minuscule (like your broken computer suddenly working again) are everywhere. You just have to open your eyes and see!



God Bless,



Sydney



"But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." - James 1:6



P.S: Tomorrow, as a live demonstration of the Power of Prayer, I am dedicating a Wordless Wednesday to some very special children. I've briefly posted about them before, but I won't tell you when. Any guesses? I'm hoping for this to be a really powerful Wordless
Wednesday that will get many, many people praying!