We Cannot Afford To Fail.

My friends, I will not mince words here.  Not when every moment is of such importance that I need to spread this message far and wide.

Months ago when little Katie came home from an orphanage in Eastern Europe where the children were being mistreated, starved, abused, and neglected to the point that on her "Gotcha Day", Katie, nine years old, weighed ten pounds.  Ten.  Ten pounds.

Months later, at least thirty children in desperate need of nutrition and hospitalization were identified out of 240 total children who lived in that place.  Other children who had old broken bones which had healed improperly were noted.  A government investigation of that place revealed that corruption was rampant and the children were desperate.

We made it a goal to reach out to the government of that country and let them know that these children whose lives had been essentially thrown away, who had been warehoused in this place like animals for years, to find them Forever Families, to bring them HOME.

Dozens of people cried out that if only more children from Katie's orphanage were available for adoption, they would step out in faith and bring them home.  Probably hundreds were inspired to consider adopting from one of these institutions someday, to strive for it, as I do.  We were sure that as soon as these children were listed, they would be snapped up by the waiting families.

Our prayers were answered and more children from Katie's orphanage were listed on Reece's Rainbow.  You can see them all here.  Look for the #11 next to their names.  Some of them found families.  Some of them haven't yet.

So many people have been working hard to prove the worth of these children to their country, to those who have left them in such destitute conditions.  And yet, one little girl has been sitting on the 'available children' list for over a month.  In fact, while the rest of us celebrated our Easters and our Passovers and prepared for spring, little Sarah sat in wait for a family to commit to her for nearly six weeks.  Forty days.  Forty days of lying in a too-small crib, filthy from having only one diaper change a day, on a good day, belly aching from inadequate nutrition, no one to hug her or hold her.

Don't let the clean outfit and nice-looking room and play mat fool you.  This place knows all too well how to hide what's really going on there.  Sarah suffers just as much as the rest of the children.  And after all this time, after other children who have been waiting have committed families, Sarah waits.

WHY?????


I have to admit, I didn't fall in love with her photo right away like I have with some children's.  She 'looks' healthy enough, right?  Except that she's five.  Look at those hands.  Look back at the thin length of her body.  Does that look like a healthy five year old to you?  Because to me, it looks like a very sick five year old dressed in baggy clothing.  And in the past six weeks, I have fallen in love with little Sarah.  Because she is the least of these.  Because she is SOMEONE.  Because she lives the same reality the rest of these children do every day.  Because with a loving family, she could come so far.  Because she deserves that chance.

Here is Sarah's profile on Reece's Rainbow.  Her stated diagnoses are:  Congenital cataract (blind), Cerebral Palsy, Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Do those sound scary?  Is that why she doesn't have a family yet?  Let's take those big words apart.

"Congenital cataract".  Blind.  Okay, so Sarah is blind.  She can't see.  She needs a good eye doctor and an occupational therapist to help her cope with this need.  But come on.  Even McDonald's has a braille menu.  We do not live in a society where blindness is a disability that is 'too much' to take on.

Cerebral Palsy.  Many, many of the children on Reece's Rainbow who have been adopted and will be adopted have Cerebral Palsy.  Here's what the CDC has to say about CP.  Let me pull out a few bits for you.  "...an average of 1 in 103 children in the US has CP" (CDC, 2011).  1 in 103.  How many people do you know?  Probably more than 103.  Most people have more facebook friends than that.  "CP is the most common motor disability in childhood".  The most common.  And it's a physical disability!  Sarah needs some good medical treatment, therapy, and probably a wheelchair.  1 in 103.  If that many families are raising children with CP, it can't be the reason people would leave a child like Sarah to live out the rest of her (probably short, given where she is) days in an institution.

Guillan-Barre Syndrome.  This one, I was less familiar with, but a little research brought up some good information that tells me that GBS has occurred in enough patients that effective treatments have been developed.  Click here to read more about GBS.  From what I understand, GBS is caused by a virus, and the 'initial attack' which causes paralysis and/or weakness among patients, is at its worst two weeks after onset.  Sarah has been on Reece's Rainbow for six weeks.  The website states that the effects of GBS can last weeks or years.  Sarah's Reece's Rainbow profile states that she has already begun to recover from its effects.  With proper medical care, who knows how far she could come?

In fact, for a child whose only listed disabilities are physical, look what Sarah can already do:  "She can sit up unassisted, pull up to a crouched position and pick up toys to play with them. She prefers musical toys."  Sarah likes music.  What a gift.  She's blind, she's physically impaired, but she still finds joy in something that she can experience.

After typing all this out, it saddens me that I can't be Sarah's Mommy!  Sigh - two more years until I'm eligible per USCIS requirements.

After reading this... are you feeling anything?  A little tug?  A tap on the shoulder?  Curiosity to find out more?  Love, for a little girl across the ocean?

Just in case anyone is feeling moved to consider Sarah, but thinks they 'just can't' become an adoptive family, here is a link to the Reece's Rainbow page for new prospective families.  USCIS requirements are discussed there.  These are the requirements that our American government sets for families adopting internationally.  If you see one which you don't meet, don't immediately give up hope.  I've seen God work miracles for families to obtain USCIS approval.  After that, you should read about adopting from Sarah's country.  This, I will copy and paste.


2 trips, 5 days each
Approx cost only $19k!
NO UPPER AGE LIMIT
Single mothers may apply
Easy dossier, very few restrictions
Only one parent has to travel, CANADIAN FAMILIES WELCOME!

This Eastern European country has become very popular for adoptions because of its few restrictions and easy travel.  So many of the reasons people think they just cannot adopt have already been stripped away.  That pricetag that holds so many back is so achievable, especially for families adopting from this institution, because the hearts of so many have already been drawn there.  Show me something God cannot do, and only then will I let the 'cost' of saving a child's life hold me back.


Friends, this is one of the most important parts of this post.  The government in Sarah's country often lists children's files for only a short time, and if families do not commit to them, the files are retracted and the children labeled 'unadoptable'.  Their chance at a future is gone.  We have failed Sarah, we have failed the children of her orphanage, we have failed to convince their government of each child's value.  I do not know if this is the case with Sarah, but it very well may be, and that is a risk we cannot afford to take.  We, who are convinced of the worth of each life, cannot afford to fail.  I would not say, if I did not truly believe, that Sarah will be a wonderful daughter to someone... but only if someone first steps out in faith.  Only if someone takes that leap, answers YES to God's calling, while there is still time.

As Katie's Mom, Susanna, posted on her blog today, "Please make absolutely sure that if someone closes the door, it is God and not you." (The Blessing of Verity, 2012)

Is someone in your community Sarah's Forever Family?  A friend of yours?  A neighbor?  A member of your congregation?  How will they know if they never see her face?  She is crying out for someone to love her.  Share this precious child with the world, so that her Mama may come and get her.

And don't forget to consider... are you her Mama?