Some friends of mine, who live literally within walking distance, are in Eastern Europe right now completing their second adoption. They adopted their daughter Etta, who has down syndrome and autism, a little over a year ago - I only met her once so far but let me tell you, she is just a bundle of cuteness! They also have an eight year old son (who A proudly befriended at the playground) and their very own angel. They are a beautiful family and I have been so excited to see them through this adoption!
Knowing that older children stand less of a chance of being adopted, Faith and Evan chose Josiah to be their son (They will call him Cohen). He is eight years old and has Down Syndrome. They traveled to his country a little over a week ago to meet him, bond with him, and bring him home
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| Josiah/Cohen in his adoption file photo |
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| Faith, Josiah/Cohen, Morgan, Evan and Etta... such a beautiful forever family! |
From what I can tell, the Jobes family has been responsible for bringing joy to the residents of Josiah/Cohen's mental institution for the past week. The smiling faces of these men and boys of all ages tell me that this family's trek across the ocean is already benefiting more than just the child they went there to adopt.
And indeed, the Jobes family had love left over to give. Once in country, they asked for a blind referral of a baby girl with Down Syndrome. And they were given this:
Linden. A golden opportunity not only for the Jobes, but for this baby girl, no more than one year old, to escape the life of institutionalization that would await a child like her, a little girl with down syndrome, in her country. She could be home, with a family, in a matter of weeks! Instead of lying in a bed in an orphanage, like Josiah/Cohen did seven years ago, before his family found him.
It's well known that older children are not adopted as often as younger children. Their institutional behaviors, chronic medical issues, traumatic pasts, often scare families away. The words "Mental Institution" are usually enough to send a family running for the hills. But not the Jobes. No - they crossed the ocean for that dear boy who lives in the mental institution, with men and boys even older than himself who never found families. And you know what? Faith and Evan just adore him, no matter how old he is or where he lives. Look how precious:
And now they have the opportunity to bring Linden home BEFORE she has to spend years in an institution! But, as I'm sure you've all guessed, her redemption comes at a cost. Because Linden is in a different region than Josiah/Cohen, her adoption requires an additional facilitation cost of $9,000, with added travel possibly causing the total needed funds to reach $12,000. In the first days after Faith announced their intent to bring Linden home, $2,000 was raised. Amazing, right? But here we sit, it's 1:00 AM EST, which means the Jobes are probably just waking up and getting ready for their Tuesday. The $9,000 has to be raised by FRIDAY! That is only four days people!
And for a moment, I thought it might be impossible. For a moment, the adoption community seemed to falter in its steadfast support of all these families. But then it roared back to life with the news that the Jobes are being offered a MATCHING GRANT of $3,000! Do you know what that means? We don't need to raise $7,000 more by Friday... if we raise $3,000, it will become $6,000!
Just like Linden, her sunny little self in her yellow outfit... this is a golden opportunity. Home in weeks. Not in an orphanage. Never in a mental institution. A beloved daughter and sister. And all that stands between Linden and that opportunity is money. Since when have we let price tags scare us?
This is where I ask you for help. Truly, I tell you that NOTHING is too small. PLEASE, consider giving to the Jobes to help with Linden's adoption. I want to kiss those cheeks, people! Think about it. If you donate just $5, it becomes $10. What you would've spent at McDonald's for lunch instead of toughing it out with a PBJ one day. $5 isn't too much to give. It isn't too little. With the matching grant, it DOUBLES! And think, if you can spare $10? Skip pizza night? That's $20 toward Linden's adoption!
A few months ago, a fundraiser called Mulligan Stew on another blog (which I so enjoy reading) spanned a month and raised funds for several families adopting from a particularly brutal orphanage. I couldn't afford to give much. $5 here, $10 there. I think in total I wound up giving about $45 over the span of the month. Not enough to bring anybody home, right?
Except that everybody else chipped in $5 or $10 here or there too... and our gifts were multiplied... and the fundraiser concluded, having raised over $45,000! Can you believe it?! And that's not the only time I've seen this happen. Small groups of people, each chipping in whatever they can, raising huge amounts in days to bring kids home. A dear friend of mine went through her house over the weekend and collected all the change, totaling $35 to donate to the Jobes. Could you do that? Hunt down some change? Chip in a little bit to be multiplied - and have the reward of seeing Linden come home?
Donations can be made to the Jobes FSP account at Reece's Rainbow via paypal, credit or debit. It's easier than making a purchase on Amazon... and so much more meaningful! You can find their FSP at this link: http://reecesrainbow.org/26162/sponsorjobes-2. I believe that number needs to read $25,000 without the matching grant added, $28,000 with it. Just a little over $3,000. We can do this, people! Remember, whatever you give will DOUBLE! And even if you're completely financially tapped out... even if you can't spare a dime... you can lift Linden and the Jobes family up in prayer with us. This is in His capable hands, but we must be His ground troops.
Could anything be more important than giving this precious babe the gift of a family, a life, an opportunity... that she could never have without you? Linden... a golden opportunity. Don't miss it.
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