Birthdays

In a little under 2 weeks, I will turn 23 years old.

23 is not a 'significant' birthday.  There are no special priviledges that come along with it.  My life will be the same on that day as it was today, and as it will be the following day.

But for me, it means two things.

The first, is that I am just a little bit closer to that age of 25 that is necessary for approval to adopt internationally in the United States.  Just two more years until I am eligible to start bringing precious treasures home.  Just two more years to prepare everything that must be done before I can go get them.  But oh, that day, April 6, will make me feel just ever closer to my babies to be!  It is for this, I give thanks.

The second... is an opportunity.  An opportunity that means the world to me.

You see... I live in America.  Right now I'm resting in a comfortable bed, on my laptop computer, sipping a Dr. Pepper and eating chocolate cremes.  Oh yes, I am comfy.  This is the life.  Last week, when I got sick and lost my voice, a simple phone call set up an appointment for me to see a doctor to make sure I could get healthy again.  I won't go to bed tonight with an empty stomach.  I'll never have to go a single day without a hug from someone who loves me.  I'll never lie in my bed all day long with no stimulation.  In fact - I live in a world in which we sometimes must actively limit stimulation - because so much is available to us, so many things... that we don't have to go without.

I'm sure you know at least part of where I'm going with this, but please keep reading.  This post is so very important to me.

Last week, some special children in Eastern Europe grew another year older with no cake, no candles, no shiny packages or birthday songs.  They grew another year older without even knowing it, because that day, just like the day before it, and the day after it, was spent lying alone in their crib, bellies hurting for lack of food, bodies weak and sick for want of proper medical treatment, hearts broken for need of the love of a family.  In the coming weeks, more children will experience their birthdays in the same way.  Some of these children have families working hard to bring them home, so that they might never spend another birthday this way.  Some of them continue to wait for a family.  All of them, at this very moment, are going without those comforts I mentioned that I am so blessed to have.

What kind of a birthday is that?

Now, I'm going to be 23 years old.  The days of gifts from every school friend, cards and money from every relative, blessings I didn't even understand raining down upon me, have drawn to a close.  And that's okay.  I don't need those things anymore, because I already have everything I need, and more.

But I'm going to ask you for a birthday gift anyways.

I don't need a new car or a new computer.  I don't need a new Transformer or a My Little Pony.  I don't need a check in the mail or a card with pretty colors.  I don't need a fancy cake from the best bakery in town.  No, the truth is, I don't need one single thing on this birthday... so why am I asking you for a gift?

My friends, I'm asking for every single one of those little ones whose birthdays pass with no gifts, no cake, no parties.  Every single one of those who cannot ask, even on their birthdays, for a full belly.

I've shared with many of you that there is a particular orphanage in which all the children are very small and weak - the orphanage that little Katie came from.  Right now, sixteen more children are waiting in that orphanage for their forever families, who want them home so badly, to come and get them.  A total of TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY children lie waiting in that orphanage, for the love of a family, for proper medical care, for a full belly, for a happy birthday.  And, thanks be to God, an amazing group of people are working together to get them the care they need.  For these children, the very very least of these, a medical fund has been set up to finance their care in their home country until they can be adopted by forever families.  To date, nearly $30,000 has been raised.

That is AMAZING!


But my friends, it is not enough.  Upon the medical team's first visit to the orphanage, thirty children in desperate need of hospitalization were identified.  It was further noted that many of the children had broken bones which had been allowed to heal improperly and needed to be reset.  Lastly, I want you to remember that all of these children, even the ones who 'look' healthy, are suffering from malnutrition - some of them from diseases about which we don't have to worry - rickets, scurvy, osteoporosis, parasites... they ALL need proper nutrition and care.

Do you know where I'm going with this yet?

I would never, in a million years, ask any one of you to bless ME with some material item or financial contribution simply because I happen to be one year older.  But I WILL unabashedly beg you to bless me, on my birthday, by donating to these precious children - truly the least of these.

You see, lucky though I am to have the comforts afforded to me, I have little financial resources to spare at this point.  And further, the gifts of one person go only so far.  But when we multiply them, when we combine the gifts of many, the work they do is great.  If I could, I would give much more financially to the Pleven Orphans Medical Fund myself - I would give to each of the Mulligan Stew families - I would give to the precious children who still await a committed Forever Family.  But I am one person.  My resources are limited.  So I reach out to you, to bless me by blessing these children.

We are all, each of us, one person.  None of us have hundreds of extra dollars lying around to donate.  But most of us, at some point in our lives, purchase something that maybe we could do without.  Last week, as I was giving just $5 to the Pleven Orphans Medical Care Fund, I thought - this is no big deal.  I can afford to send $5.  I wouldn't bat an eye at spending that at McDonalds.  How much more am I doing with that same $5 by giving it to these needy children?

So no, I don't ask any of you to give of more than your means - but if you can sacrifice even a little - $5, $10... give up a night out or a morning coffee... so that we might add our gifts to be multiplied for the sake of these children... it would mean the world to me.


Your small (or large, or any amount in between) donation to the Pleven Orphans Medical Care Fund, would be the best birthday gift I have ever received.  Please, won't you consider blessing me by blessing them?  If I were Katya, lying in that crib over in Eastern Europe, wouldn't you try to help me?  My friends, I may not be lying in that crib... but my heart is there, with those precious little ones.  My only desire, my only wish on this insignificant 23rd anniversary of my birth... is to offer something to the precious angels who hold my heart.

It is so very easy to do.  I did it myself just last week.  Go to this address, the first blog post about the Pleven Orphans Medical Care Fund:  http://www.only1mom.com/2012/02/help-provide-medical-care-to-orphans.html.  If you are moved to do so, read about the conditions which prompted the creation of this fund.  Find out where your money is going.  Near the bottom of the post is a bar graph with a button labeled "Chip In!"  All you have to do is click that Chip In button and you will be taken to a page where you can enter an amount, any amount of money that you are willing to donate to these children.  You can pay using paypal, using a debit or credit card, however you choose.  It's simpler than placing an order on Amazon.  And with that simple action, not only do you bless the precious children who benefit from the fund, you give me the greatest gift I have ever been given... for I truly need nothing else.

If you know me, I am not one to ask for money and gifts, I am not one to ask you to sacrifice one single thing on my behalf... but for these sweet children...

Keith (5 years old on April 1) and Kolina (9 years old)

 Lilianna (11 years old) and Makayla (11 years old on March 23)

And so many others like them...

Yes, I will beg for your help.

If even one of you gives - whether you tell me about it or not - my 23rd birthday will be the happiest I have ever had.