Today is $5 Friday for Harlen. Can you spare just $5 measly dollars for a boy who has no one? Maybe you think, "$5 is just a drop in the bucket. It's really nothing compared to the need." You're right. It's not. But a bucket is simply filled with lots of drops. If enough people just take the time and a little bit of cash, soon the bucket will be full.
So, go ahead. Be a drop in the bucket for Harlen! This little guy will soon be transferred to a mental institution. There, he will likely face abuse and neglect that will kill him.
Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don't stand back and let them die. Don't try to avoid responsibility by saying you didn't know about it. For God knows all hearts, and he sees you. He keeps watch over your soul, and he knows you knew! And he will judge all people according to what they have done. Proverbs 24:11-12 (NLT)
Sorry, but now you know. There is a little boy in a far off land who is headed for death. He is innocent and there is something you can do to save him. God knows you know.
$5 is not much, but it can be everything for this child!
Please give here, today, right now, before you forget!
(And share this on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, wherever you can think to.)
You are a little boy with an extra chromosome. Because of it, you have neither a mom or dad, siblings, grandparents, or a church family. You have no toys, clothes, or even shoes that are yours alone. You have blond hair and blue eyes. You are five-years-old.
That is the sum total of what I know about you.
I don't know what makes you smile or if you ever laugh so hard your belly shakes. I don't know what comforts you when you're sick. I don't know if you dance when music plays or if you wave your hands like your directing the choir. I don't know what your favorite food is or if you like the color red.
I do know that I have failed you. My heart aches over my failure and I've lived in a haze of guilt for several months because of it. I do know that my guilt in no way compares to the misery of what's in store for you as you transfer (or have already transferred) to the mental institute.
I agreed to be a 5-5-5 Warrior for you, to advocate for you, and raise money for your adoption, to tell the world about your fate and maybe even find you a family.
I am a coward.
I wish I could say that I got busy or forgot. Even those lame excuses would be better than the truth.
The truth, dear boy, is that I am a coward. I was afraid of so many things. I was afraid that people were sick of hearing me go on and on about orphans. I was afraid that people would think I was only friends with them because I wanted their help. I was afraid people wouldn't care.
But mostly I was afraid I would care too much. It hurts to love an orphan. It hurts to allow my heart to be broken over things I can't control. It's hard to have one part of my heart in an unknown land and still deal with the here and now.
The reality that I can't protect you is hard for me to take. The harshness of your world is hard to reconcile with the ease of my own.
Added to that is my own foolish pride which knows that I'm not creative enough, persistent enough, or eloquent enough to move others to give with their hearts, to feel your plight, and to tell their friends. I couldn't do it perfectly, so I settled for not at all.
I am so sorry. I am weeping as I write this. The middle-aged mom of many from the rich country of America, ashamed to confess her failings to the poor orphan of Eastern Europe.
It is my hope that one day you will hear these words. I hope that you will sit on the lap of a woman who smells like lavender soap and calls herself "mom" and she will whisper these words to let you know that someone, in her own warped way, really cared about you when you were all alone.
I also hope that others who read these words will care and give and act to get you here.
I am not afraid, anymore, sweet boy. I know that you are not really alone. The same Jesus who is here with me is there with you. He will not give either of us more than we can bear with His help. He will give me the strength to fight for you and you the strength to hold on until someone comes for you. He will hold me as I love you from afar, and hold you as you wait.
Be strong, little one.
Love,
Tara
(If you would like to donate for Harlen, in spite of my failings, I would be so very grateful. Every little bit helps. Please go here to give.)
A few nights ago, Eon fussed in the middle of the night and would not settle down. After trying a cup and a diaper change, I finally just hauled him into bed with us. I rubbed his back and let him lay on me for awhile. He ended up lying between us sideways (why do kids always end up that way?) with his feet basically in my face.
I couldn't sleep. I just laid there thinking how blessed he is to be born in this country, into our family. I couldn't help but think about all the other toddlers who will never be comforted in the middle of the night and who will never know the soft touch of a mother's hand.
I've read before that institutionalized babies don't cry. They learn quickly that it does them no good. There is no one to soothe them or meet their needs. A researcher from Harvard Medical School studying Romanian orphans recently divulged that the institutions were "eerily quiet".
Some of the adoptive moms have mentioned that they had to teach their children how to be comforted. It was a foreign concept to them.
We have to stop thinking that this is someone else's problem, that someone else will meet the need. Because someone isn't. An estimated 147 million orphans do not have anyone to smooth the hair off their foreheads, or rub their backs, or kiss their noses....acts we, as mothers, perform countless times a day.
My friend, Patti, though she is unable to adopt at this time, is working to change that for a few kids. Please visit her blog to join her "Pure Love Giveaway". She has lots of great prizes so you can help an orphan and maybe win something. I should know...I read about it on my iPod Touch that I won in her first giveaway! :)
I decided to write a different kind of letter this year. It seemed trivial to write about our achievements when none of them matter for eternity (with the exception of our newest addition, Keturah Joy:) and someone's life hangs in the balance. This is the letter I sent, instead:
Dear Family & Friends,
Merry Christmas! Instead of a traditional Christmas letter, we want to share with you what God has placed on our hearts in hopes that you will partner with us in changing lives.
Earlier this year, I prayed that God would break our hearts with what breaks His. Turns out, there is much that breaks His heart and the pain is almost overwhelming at times.
Most of you have heard us talk of Reece's Rainbow, an adoption ministry focused on finding homes for children with Down syndrome (and other disabilities) in other countries. Here in the US, there is a waiting list of families looking to adopt a child with Down syndrome. (There is also a termination rate of 90% for Down syndrome pregnancies, but that's another topic.) In other countries, when a baby is born with Ds, that child is left at the hospital and then sent to an orphanage, or "baby house", where they are available for international adoption. Once the child reaches the age of 4-5, they are sent to a mental institution (Please, please click on the link and watch. It's difficult to watch, but necessary to fully grasp what we are trying to communicate.) This particular institution is in Serbia, but very similar to those in Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Russia.
Elizabeth is a little girl who enjoyed an early childhood in one of the better orphanages (they actually have toys to play with). She was recently transferred. Please see some cute pics of her and read her story here.
Can you imagine? Can you imagine the fear and confusion she felt when she was transferred? Can you imagine the fear and hunger she feels right now as you are reading this? Can you imagine one of your children experiencing that? We can, and it's breaking our hearts.
"Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows what we know, and holds us responsible to act." Prov. 24:12
Patti, a fellow mom of a child with Ds, is determined to see that another little girl, Olga, does not have to experience a similar fate. Olga in nearing transfer. Patti's family doesn't meet the income requirements to adopt, themselves, but she is working to see a Christmas miracle of a fully funded adoption account for Olga. So many families are willing to adopt, but the cost (around $20,000) is prohibitive. If Olga's account is funded, a family will step up to adopt her, to save her from life in a mental institution. When Patti started her efforts to spread the word only 10 days ago, Olga had less than a hundred dollars in her fund. Now, she has over $10,000! We are halfway there!
Visit Patti's blog to learn what the current count is and to find out how to donate. Pray and ask God what He would have you do for the "least of these". Ask Him how He would have you save a life. Be part of a Christmas miracle this year!!!
Please, visit the links I've provided and learn more. Feel free to pepper us with questions, as well! There are currently 147 million orphans in the world today. We cannot save all of them; but, we can save this one!
And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' Matthew 25:40
We challenge you to pray, as we did, that God will break your heart with what breaks His this year. Be prepared for Him to rock your world. :)
With much love and gratitude,
Shawn, Tara, Michaela, Elliana, Atalia, Benaiah, Zakkai, Simeon, & Keturah Lakes
