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Sunday, November 2, 2014

Orphan Sunday - Meet James

My daughter is an orphan no more.  She has a mother and a family.  
She was an orphan, but has now been found.  
She is loved.  She is cared for. She is a daughter.


When I traveled to Colombia to meet and pick up my sweet girl, I was given the amazing opportunity to visit the orphanage where she had spent so many years.  It was such an emotional day.  Those children seemed so happy to see us and to see their friend back for a visit.  Their Friend.  They were all friends, family of sorts.  Most didn't know any different.  They had each other and that made them happy.  Yet, at the same time, they followed us around, clung to us, seeking any tiny amount of attention.  They asked repeatedly about "Majo's Mama".  They wanted to touch and be touched, they were aching for a family of their own.  The emotions so mixed, it was very hard to walk through and picture my girl there.  It was even harder to realize that these kids were her friends, they were who she had spent most of her life with.  They loved her and she loved them....and we left them behind.  We visited, we hugged and touched and smiled and then, we left.  I will NEVER forget the faces of those little ones as we walked through.  The looks in their eyes, happy to see their friend, happy to be getting a few minutes of love and attention and aching for the love of a family at the same time.


There were 150 kids living there.  3 had families coming for them.  That is just one orphanage, in one small town, in one country.  There are orphans in EVERY country of the world. There are most likely orphans in your town, right down the street.  A child who needs a family.  A family who needs support.  An organization that needs volunteers.  There is opportunity to help right around the corner.

 Today is a day set aside for people to acknowledge that there are kids out there without families.  
And to do something about it.
Here is a link to a great blog post of specific things you can do for Orphan Sunday.
Orphan Sunday 2014

On this Orphan Sunday I'd like to introduce you to one special little boy.  This boy is from the same country as Josie.  He has no family and is desperately in need of one.  I first read about him from an organization that helps raise awareness and advocates specifically for orphans from other countries who have Down syndrome.
Reece's Rainbow is the organization where I first saw Lizzy.  After the Russian ban, through another adoptive parent met via Reece's Rainbow social network, I found Josie.  One of the ways that Reece's Rainbow helps families is by fundraising.  Or rather offering a place where families can have funds donated into a grant for the child they are working to adopt.  They also have grants set up for orphans who don't have families committed to them yet. That way, when a family does commit to that specific child, there are a bit of grant funds that the family can use toward adoption expenses.

Every year, near Christmas, Reece's Rainbow hosts their Angel Tree.  Individuals chose a specific child in need of a family and work to raise funds to increase that child's grant.  And also raise awareness for the child they are 'sponsoring' with the greatest hope, that someone will see the child and feel led to bring them home.

This year, I am an Angel Tree Warrior for an adorable little boy called 'James'.
 ('James' is just a nickname to provide some privacy.)
James is three years old.  He has Down syndrome and is healthy. 
He is such a handsome boy, isn't he?
http://reecesrainbow.org/31691/james-la

For the next two months, I will be hosting a few different fundraisers, saving change and crafting A LOT to help increase James' grant amount by $1000.
Would you like to help?  You can donate to James' grant by clicking the link in the upper right corner. (or click on his picture above.) You can share this blog in hopes that maybe James' family will see him.  Maybe there is a Mama (or Papa) sitting out there right now, just wondering about adding this darling boy into their family.  If you share him, maybe they will see him.  (Or is that you!?!)  And you can pray for him.  Pray that he stays healthy while he's waiting for his family, pray that his family finds him,
pray that someday he knows he is loved.


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