Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Half Time (Almost) Update



We're 15 days into Lent now.

I've been fairly good.  I did have some fruit punch with a bit of orange soda mixed in.  Twice.

Otherwise, I've been completely off of soda for 15 days now.

On the physical side of things, I've been having far fewer headaches than I used to.  My mom once suggested that my frequent headaches might have been related to the massive amounts of caffeine I consume.  I'm not sure if my sister mentioned it to (though she definitely told me to lay off the sauce).

Anyhow, I knew that the headaches I got when I wasn't drinking soda were from caffeine withdrawal, but I was not convinced that the headaches I was having even while generously imbibing were also caffeine related.  It might just be coincidence, but, I haven't had a bad headache since cutting off soda.  Not a bad side effect of this particular effort, if I do say so myself.

As for the kids, two of them (Tyler and Alexis) now have families.


The other two (Jack and Monique) are still waiting for their families to find them.


Jack is the darling of a lot of people on Reece's Rainbow.  This kid seriously has a lot of people advocating for him.  Many of them would go scoop him up if they could, but, the region he's in is has very strict requirements.

  • Married couples only
  • No more than 3 children in your home
  • Parents must be younger than 50
Perhaps you know a family that fits that description...?  If so, see if they will set an extra plate at dinner tonight, just to see if they have room for one more special boy that desperately wants a family.

The total cost of adopting Jack will be ~$33k (including all travel expenses).  He already has a grant of $4,000 available and there is an army of his fans that will help you raise the money necessary to fulfill Jack's wish for a family.

Monique is not as well known since she's listed directly with an agency and there are fewer advocates for agencies than for Reece's Rainbow.  However, even though she doesn't have an army of devoted followers, she is still a precious child of God and He will provide a way for you to go get her.

When I checked to see if she had found a family yet, I noticed that another girl at her orphanage had a family.  The girl is the same age, in the same grade, in the same country and has been listed for less time.  What is the difference between her and Monique?  This little girl had a clear, close-up photo with a huge grin on her face as she stared confidently at the camera.  Please don't let the fact that Monique was shy around the camera keep you from finding her a place in your family!  The lady that was taking the photo that day said she was only shy around the camera but smiled big when she was playing with the kids.

The rules for adopting from Monique's country are a bit more lax than those of Jack's country:
  • Married couples only (marriage must be at least 5 years)
  • Be at least 30 years old
  • Smaller families preferred (but they are flexible on this for older children)
 Finally, I have one more child to add.

I hesitated to do this because I already felt like praying for 4 kids was already pushing my luck.  I'm not sure why I felt that way.  God is big and He can do this, but, it seemed, ungrateful (maybe) to choose so many.

Or, if I'm being more honest, I didn't want to aim too high.  If you fly low, it hurts less when you fall back to the earth.

So I haven't added kids as other kids found families.  Until now.

His name (on Reece's Rainbow) is Alexander.

He is turning 10 in April.

He is described as being outgoing, friendly, and very concerned about the feelings of others.

He also has a brain tumor that has now grown so big that it is affecting his vision.

Alexander has received some treatment in his country, but, their prognosis for his type of tumor is not good.  If he stays there, he is expected to die.

The survival rate for his type of tumor in the U.S. is much higher.  Of course, there are no guarantees but he would have a chance.

More importantly, he would have a family.  Whether he survived into old age or died one month after coming home to his family he would no longer be an orphan.

If you feel a pull toward one of these kids, please pray about them.  See if God is guiding you to adopt.  If you are not being called to adoption, please spread the word about these kids so their families can find them more quickly.  If you have some spare cash (even 'just' $5) please consider donating to one of the adoption grant funds on Reece's Rainbow so that money won't get in the way of someone else's call to adopt.

There are 25 days until Easter and what I'm asking God for is big, but it is not impossible for Him.

Spread the word far and wide and be a part of the miracle!




1 comment:

  1. Thank you, Jessica, for praying for these kids! It is really great about Vlad and I knew he was really on your heart too. And thanks for posting about Alexander--I'm going to be praying hard for him.

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