God heard our cry for Charlie!

Wow!!!! Ohhhhhh Wow!!!!

Little Charlie is so loved!

The orphanage is processing his paperwork

and we have a family who is 

working on their paper work,

while China works on Charlie's! 

Thank you Jesus!!!!

I can't wait to see this beautiful family 

finally together!

Please pray with us as everyone gets 

through the paperwork quickly!!!

still waiting...

You may have remembered this post 

from January about 

a sweet little girl in Guangzhou China.

She is from Jorja's orphanage 

and reminds me sooo much of our Jorja.

Susana will be 8 years old this month,

and she is STILL waiting...

Her report hurts my heart.

It portrays her as someone who is not worthy of love,

"She is slow to learn.

She craves attention and hugs.

She has not had opportunity for learning.

She does not attend the orphanage school.

The nannies report that they have not worked with her."

How could they give up on this face!

She just lights up when given attention!

This sweet girl needs a momma to love her.

I wonder how she got that cut on her head. 

It breaks my heart to know that she had no one 

to kiss her boo-boo and make her feel better.

What an incredible birthday present it would be
for her if we could find her
forever family this month! 

If you would be interested in learning more about Susana,

please let me know or 

feel free to contact Mallory at mallory.blackmon@LifelineChild.org

I know adoption is hard,

I know adoption is scary,

I know that there is soooo much unknown,

but if you were needing help -

wouldn't you want someone to come to you?

Temper Tantrum

While we enjoyed the picnic the other day,

I saw a boy that I had met 

2 years ago at the orphanage in Ethiopia.

This young man was hurt emotionally more then

I will ever experience.

His response to situations was out of pain.

But, the other day,

I saw a new boy.

I saw a son,

I saw a brother,

I saw a boy who knows love.


This child looked 4 years younger then the young man
I had met 2 years ago.
He doesn't carry the weigh of the world on his shoulders anymore.
he didn't have to fight to protect himself,
he trusts his momma will care for him.

And on came the 'ugly' cry! 

As I talked to a friend of mine I just couldn't hold it in anymore.

I looked around at all the beautiful kiddos 

who have their families finally. 

And the tears continued.

It's not fair!

It's not fair that these babies had to endure all that they did!

It's not fair that they hurt so terribly bad!

It's not fair that there are so many children 

who are still hurting,

alone,

just trying to survive on their own. 

IT'S NOT FAIR!!!!!!

"Unknown"

 I hate this word "unknown"
I hate writing it on medical forms,
school forms,
insurance forms...
I hate that my children will never know
answers to so many of their questions.

Recently we received new information on 

Donovan and Elijah's past. 

A few questions were answered,

more new questions opened. 

Questions that we'll never have 

answers to.

Information in these papers were hard to read,

but one of the saddest was that Elijah 

was continually listed as 

female.

Really, he is ALL boy!

Nothing female about him -

okay - he is a pretty boy - 

but that is it!

These papers reminded me of how no one really cared for my boy.

He was just another face,

in a crowded room.

My son loves hugs and kisses -

but for so long no one even cared

if he was a boy or a girl. 

My son who would rather stay home 

while the other kids go to friends homes -

because he finally feels safe and loved.

 Home where he can be a boy,

and do boy things,

and get time-out for doing crazy boy things! :) 

But is still loved more then 

he probably ever dreamed possible.

No wonder why it has taken almost 2 years for 

him to trust us.

To let his guard down.

2 years for him to let us into his personal space.

I love you my son!

You are an amazing little boy!

With tears rolling down my cheeks 

I pray that you know how precious you truly are to me.

Sweet Ramona

Remember this sweet, sweet girl!

She captured our hearts!

We prayed for her 

and for her family.

And guess what?

God, in HIS faithfulness,

spoke to her family and they are working 

diligently to bring her home! 

Her name will be Johanna "gift of God"

You can follow their blog here.

And join their online FB auction here.

Please help bring sweet Johanna home!!!

Deafly silent

Remember this sweet face?

I met him in Zhengzhou China,

at Hagan and Griggs' orphanage.

I was blessed to spend a little bit of time with him,

singing to him,

and soaking his sweet face into my memory.

Ohhh how I wished I could have held him.

The room was deafly silent.

If I hadn't of looked closely into the cribs I would have gone

on believing that the room was empty

besides him. 

But no,

the cribs were full.

Full of silent babies.

Babies who have learned that it just doesn't matter

 if they cry out.

No one will hear them.

Babies who have learned that is just doesn't matter

if they are hungry.

There is no food right now.

Babies who have learned that it just doesn't matter

that they are scared and lonely.

There is no one there to comfort them.

Babies who have learned... it just doesn't matter

they just don't matter. 

My eyes filled with tears as I think of these precious babies
who are left behind.

I just don't know what to do.

THEY MATTER!

THEY MATTER!

and we need to let them know 

THEY MATTER!

I can't get enough

I can't get enough of these precious faces!

One of the reason

is because I think of what could have been.

And where my children would be 

had God not brought them home,

You see, reality struck hard yesterday morning.

My dear friend Kat messaged me.

Her precious boy, whom they ached to hold,

whom they loved from afar,

whom they worked so hard to bring home -

is now in the arms of Jesus.

He never knew a family,

he never experienced his momma cuddling with him,

he never knew his silly daddy 

who's face lit up with the mere mention of his son's name.

Jonathan never knew the joy of brothers and sisters

who make you giggle and giggle. 

Rest in our Heavenly Father's arms sweet Jonathan.

You are dearly loved!

look in their eyes...

I just received word on some international adoption agency closures.

This breaks my heart! 

I am sad for these employees who find themselves out of work,

but even more my heart breaks because of the children

that could have found homes through these agencies.

The adoption rate is falling.

See the stats here:

• 2004: 22,990 children adopted
• 2005: 22,734 children adopted
• 2006: 20,680 children adopted
• 2007: 19,609 children adopted
• 2008: 17,475 children adopted
• 2009: 12,753 children adopted
• 2010: 11,059 children adopted 
• 2011:  9,320 children adopted

Since we adopted Jailyn in 2007 -

international adoption has dropped more then 50%!

Why?

Is it because there are fewer agencies to work with?

Is it because there are fewer children?

ummm - N.O.T.!

Why?

Because adoption is expensive.

I can't tell you how many times this past week people told me 

that they would adopt but it's too expensive.

Seriously people -

have you not watched my thermometer on the side of my blog

this past year. 

We began with nothing - and look what God has done!

The paperwork is insane!

Yes, the paperwork is hard and long.

But, really, I dare you to go hold an orphan,

learn his/her name,

see the scars on their bodies,

see the indentation of their skull from laying in a crib for years,

look in their longing eyes and say,

"Sorry - the paperwork is just too hard."

I couldn't do that.

Really?  How do you know you couldn't do it?

I never thought I would be a momma of 9 kids!

And some days I still don't think I can do it - 

but then there are the other moments,

and days that make life beautiful -

and make my heart sing! 

And I wouldn't trade where God has me for anything!

Adoption is not finding the perfect child for your family -

it's being the perfect family for a child!

I cry out to y'all,

especially if you are follower of Christ,

(because if you call yourself a follower of Christ 

then God has called you to care for

the orphan!)

ask God -

where do you want me?

Take a leap of faith -

HE will not let you fall. 

HE will guide and protect you.

HE will never fail you!

Why do I go there?

Some days are just so hard -

hard to get out of bed,

to get breakfast and lunches prepared for 

my kiddos,

to get the kiddos up and going 

for the day!

Gotta be upbeat to start their day on a good note.
Gotta take hubby to the car mechanic -
so they can fix it, again.

Just so hard,

cause I would rather stay in bed and grieve

for the kiddos who's beds are the only thing 

that they can say,

"that's mine".

It's kinda strange but I feel closer to these kids in my bed,
knowing that some of them will be in their beds
A.L.L. D.A.Y. long!!
They will lay in wet clothing,
they will not be fed,
or barely fed.
And they may not have any physical contact today.

Days like today that I just want to cry,

and cry,

and cry 

for those who suffer.

Thank you Jesus for holding these dear children
in your loving arms!

Cuteness!

and only 7 more days 

before his file has to go back to China!

and here are some new photos of 

Sweet Gus!!!

Those sad eyes are piercing!

Those sweet lips and cheeks were made for kissing and squeezing!

The Dr I spoke to about Gus,

was concerned about his spine -

 but from this photo 

he is definitely sitting up by himself!

And Lifeline has new videos of him walking while holding his foster parents hands.

He is able to feed himself finger food

and understand instruction.

He can say several words and imitates people's talking!

His foster mother says that he i s

"a very mentally well child".

Ohhh sweet Gus!!!

We gotta find your family!!!

Can't get enough

I've decided to post this precious face again!

Cause I just can't get enough of him!

I just want to kiss those sweet cheeks!

Please pray with me that his mommy and daddy will

contact Lisa today to inquire more about him!

Lisa @ Lifeline Children Services

205-967-0811

lisa.kelley@lifelineadoption.org

Here is some more information on little Gus!

What a little cutie! Due to Gus being diagnosed with Pygmyism, it is reported that he has shorter legs and arms than other children of his age. Gus is "fat and fair, strong and lovely". Gus has similar motion development of his limbs as other children. He can crawl. He can sit alone sometimes. He can stand with hands on the caretaker or on the wall. He is "deft" in the motion of hands and feet. He can grasp or hold things. He can play with toys and move in the walker. He has good coordination. At the time of this report, Gus could cry and smile, but could not speak. It is reported he could utter sounds like "gu-gu" when the caretakers speak to him. He can also babble when he plays by himself to express his emotions. Compared with other children, he has normal development. He can understand the facial expressions of adults and can imitate sounds, laugh aloud, and have reaction when called. It is reported that Gus has normal hearing and sight development and is sensitive to sounds. He is curious about the sounds in the room and can seek the person according to the sounds he hears. He can see things 5-6 meters away and can see the pictures on the wall. He has reactions to moving objects and can seek toys when dropped. He has not had a severe disease since admission.  

Don't be fooled...

by the pink shirt!

This little one is ALL boy!

His precious smile keeps me awake at night!

I'm just smitten by his sweetness!

Ohhh, isn't just precious?!

I bet to hear his little giggle is heavenly!

~~~

Please pray with me as he needs a special family 

to be his forever family!

NOW!

(Our agency has to return his file back to China in a few weeks.)

His file is a bit confusing but 

after having an international Dr. look it over -

it looks like he has 

Achondroplasia Dwarfism.

Please spread news of this sweet little guy!

I'm sure Lisa Kelley at 

Lifeline would love to chat with you about him.

lisa.kelly@lifelineadoption.org

One less!

I just love when I can post this information

remember this little guy, Ben?

Ohhh sooo cute!

Well, I just heard that his family 

found him and they are traveling 

soon to bring him home!

This never gets old!

I just loving watching God place the lonely in families!
Infact, all the kiddo's whose photos
were on our refrigerator -
they all have been adopted or their parents
are working to get them home!

Goosebumps I tell you!!!

Time to make a new poster for my refrigerator with
more photos of God's precious kids!

God is so good!

Remember this post 

REALITY

from just a few days ago.

Well, I was wrong! 

The reality for this special little boy

is that God is so good!

And 

God is in control!

And,

ya know what?

God loves him sooooo much!!

And so does his new family!

Oh yeah!

You heard me right!

A child that was placed in foster care,

because he had no earthly hope 

of being adopted -

God has a different plan for him!

This just makes me giddy!

Reality

I saw a beautiful face the other day. 

The description of this precious child
on http://asiahope.blogspot.com/

in China is:
~~

Jason is the boy who made our hearts melt the moment we met him. He is a sweet boy who is in desperate need of a family who can get him the surgery he needs, which no one will do in China. His adoption must be expedited and his only hope is if we find him a family. But Jason is more than just a special need:

 Look at this playful little tike:-) Even though he has very low energy, he is still a tease in his own right! Jason has been moved from the orphanage to foster care because they think that he is unadoptable, but I know different! I've witnesses families doing amazing things for these kids before and I just know there is a family that would love to have Jason as a part of it!

Don't his eyes captivate you? He is a beautiful baby! He is only 1 year old and now is the time to get him the surgery he needs. He is a happy boy, despite his condition and there is no doubt that he would bring his happy smile, cuddles and love to the right family. Jason loves to be cuddled by his nannies and entertains both himself and his nannies with his attempts at blowing raspberries. Could you be the family that is the recipient of his good humor and sweet cuddles? Please contact me: marcisk@asiadopt.org

~~~

When I spoke to Marci today about this sweetie,
she had spent 5 days with him.

I could tell by the cracking in her voice,
he had touched her heart,
and she was happy to share his story and
sweet self with me.

He has been moved to foster care
because he is being labeled "unadoptable".

The surgery he needs is not available in China,
he needs to come to the states.

This is the reality of the orphan.
They have given up on him -
he has been sent to foster care to die.

Please,
Little Jason needs help immediately!

Please pray with me for little Jason. 

"Adoption Pending"

"Adoption Pending"

and
"Matched"

Beautiful words! 

Psalms 68: 4-6a

"Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,

extol him who rides on the clouds:

rejoice before him -

his name is the LORD.

A father to the fatherless,  

a defender of widows,

is God in his holy dwelling.

God sets the lonely in families..."

And through turmoil 

God's plans have been made 

the world beautiful again -

Z has a family!

He will be loved forever and ever!

He will be a brother,

and son.

He will learn to trust,

and know what unconditional love really means.

We are sooo excited for this entire family! 

Please pray for them as they

finish their paperwork 

and rush to him ASAP!

And please remember our auction for
T,L and Z!
To see these three beautiful families blessed by
this auction just brings tears to my eyes! 

In common

What do these children have in common?

They have beautiful smiles.

They have brown eyes.

They love to laugh.

They are all lonely,

and their Christmas wish is to 

have a family who loves them 

unconditionally.

If you are interested in learning more 

about these children 

go here.

Lifeline Children Services would love to chat with you!

Thankful Thankful Thankful!

You may remember me talking about this sweet baby girl,

here 

and 

here

Sweet Elin was on a few different 

agency lists,

(some referred to her as Elin, some as Bella)

after searching for a family,

with no luck,

her file was tucked away

and she was placed on the shared list 

for China.

Well, yesterday, I received the most 

awesome,

incredible news!!!

She has a family!

YAHOO!!!!

Feel free to do the happy dance

with me!!!!!

"Look at me"

One of the first full phrases that Donovan 

and Elijah learned in English

and said on their own -

was, 

"Hey Mom, look at me!"

It made me giggle!

We were at the pool -

and all four little kiddo's were

showing me their skills!

It was loud and everyone yelling for my attention,

and all I could do was giggle!

These four didn't have anyone to show off for,

for way too long!

When we walked into the boys orphanage 

on April 24th the kids were eating lunch -

but as soon as they were done -

all the kids were ready to be loved on.

They knew that we would watch them as they showed off for us.

If only more could show off for their mommies and daddies!

Figuring things out!

I have had bloggy friends and real life friends 

inquire on my absence from bloggy land,

and social activities lately-

well, I suppose it is time to come clean.

 

As I haven't been able to earlier, 

because I hadn't figured it out -

not that I have "it" figured out now,

but thought I would share anyway. 

****

I remember welcoming Brady and Kenze home from their first missionary trip 

to Guatemala a few years ago. 

They were so excited to share about their adventures,

the people they met,

the things they did. 

I loved hearing their stories,

but a few days later,

when pictures had been shared and stories had been told,

Brady started to pull away. 

He wasn't his happy go lucky self anymore. 

He missed longed for Guatemala,

he missed his new friends,

he missed the simplicity of life and 

how people were thankful for the little things 

that they had received. 

It took a while for Brady to work through these emotions

and to let God use them for His will in his life.

********

I am also going through a bit of this I believe.

I am so thankful that our boys are home and doing so wonderfully well.

But, when Donovan cries because he misses his friends,

I cry too. 

I miss his friends.

I miss sitting on the steps of the orphanage

with a bottle of lotion and have the 

children cheer for me as they put out their arms and legs 

for me to massage lotion on them.

I miss singing with them.

 

I miss playing frisbee with them

 

and how I wish I could do more.

So after talking with a friend today,

I don't think I am suffering from PADS (post adoption depression syndrome)

but is there a post mission trip depression syndrome?