This is 'Lilly'.
From www.reecesrainbow.org.
Lilly is four years old. The photo is a little older as well, she's probably not quite as young-looking as she is here, but undoubtedly still significantly behind. Lilly has Down Syndrome along with a significant heart defect that needs surgery. She lives in an orphanage in Eastern Europe. At four years old, Lilly is at risk of being transferred to an adult mental institution soon, where she will surely die.
Do you know what Lilly did today? She ate from a grated bottle (this is a bottle with the nipple cut off, so that thicker liquids can flow through), she lay alone in her crib, bored, doing repetitive behaviors in a feeble attempt to entertain herself, she listened to her peers cry, and then she went to sleep with no mommy or daddy to tuck her in.
This is 'Katelyn'.
From www.reecesrainbow.org.
Katelyn is already five years old and has been transferred to an adult mental institution. This picture is about two years old. She is being supported so she was likely not walking then, at three, and likely is not now, at five. Katelyn has Down Syndrome, but her heart is healthy. By all accounts she should be able to live a very normal life - but that her days have been lived out in an orphanage. IF little Katelyn is still alive (90% of children with Down Syndrome die within the first year after transfer to these institutions), she spent today crying out for someone to care for her, wondering when, or if, she would be fed again, and having never known the love of a family.
This is 'Calvin'.
From www.reecesrainbow.org.
Calvin is a joyful 3-year-old whose language skills are flourishing despite living in a bilingual orphanage. He loves to play and learn and gets along wonderfully with other children. Calvin's only crime is that he was born HIV+. AIDS may have taken his mother, or she may have died of another cause or left him because she couldn't raise him, but now Calvin lives out his days in an orphanage. Ask Calvin what he did today. I bet he didn't drive down the street, mesmerized by the twinkling Christmas lights. I'll bet he didn't reach over his mama's shoulder grabbing for a candy cane at the store. I'll bet he didn't hear his mommy tell him she loves him.
This is 'Margit'.
From www.reecesrainbow.org.
Precious Margit. She reminds me of my beloved 'borrowed' girl, A, in this photo... with those bangs, silly grin and pink coat. Margit is 10 years old. At her age, she is significantly less likely than some of the younger children to be adopted. Her diagnosis is Down Syndrome. But Margit is very much still a child, who would like nothing more this Christmas than a mommy or daddy. Margit does not have a mommy or daddy to rush out just days before Christmas to get her one last gift. She has little if any possessions to her name, and she'll spend this Christmas, just like all her other ones, without a family to love her. Oh, dear Margit, how you remind me of my little princess. I'd bring you home right now if I could.
This is 'Dale'.
From www.reecesrainbow.org.
Dale is two. Look here, how he's almost reaching for you from halfway across the world. Dale has vision problems and is likely partially if not fully blind. Dale spent today with not even the sight of the bars of his crib around him for stimulation. He heard the familiar sounds of other children crying, rocking, banging. I'll bet he didn't hear "I love you". I'll bet he didn't get tucked into bed with a Christmas story, a cup of milk and a kiss on the nose. No, Dale fell asleep tonight just like he does every other night; completely and utterly alone.
Take these children in. View their beautiful faces. Know that these are only a fraction of the children waiting on Reece's Rainbow. Remember them, as you go about your last minute shopping, as you hustle and bustle with preparations for the holidays... and remember that it's not going to be a Merry Christmas for everyone... not yet.
But then...
Finally, meet 'Veronika'.
'Veronika' is 9 years old. But you might know her as Katie.
Photos from www.theblessingofverity.com with permission.
Katie has a family.
Because someone answered that call in their lives to go get her, because someone looked at the 'cost' of saving her life, and said "This is nothing God can't handle". Because someone said YES, to Veronika, that same little girl, now known as Katie, will have a Merry Christmas this year. She'll be surrounded by her loving mommy and daddy and ten siblings who absolutely adore her. She'll hear the singing, see the twinkling lights, watch the first snow fall, and go to sleep tonight with a full belly in a warm bed with a family who loves her.
Remember the faces of those five children; Lilly, Katelyn, Calvin, Margit, Dale. As you go about the hustle and bustle of your holiday, remember how they're spending theirs. Remember the face of Veronika, the little girl who was all alone at the orphanage. Then remember the face of little Katie, the same girl, but redeemed through the love of a family and the love of God... and maybe, as you fall asleep tonight... think of the world just a little differently.
How could you not fall in love with these sweet little faces?
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