An Opportunity

Figuring out where to pick up after 3 months of being gone from blogging is a tough thing to decide on. So many different stories to tell, Orphans to advocate for, amazing people doing amazing fundraisers......

where to start?

I'm going to start with the story that has taken up the last two months of my life. An amazing one, a crazy one, but a beautiful one.

So here goes.

A wise man once said that God closes some doors so He can open others. While we as humans on one side of the veil see things one way, God sees them in the master-plan, not the narrow view we perceive things from. My life changed forever when I went to Ukraine in December of 2010 to help my parents finish our 3^rd adoption journey. The trip not only gave me a deeper understanding of adoption, but opened my heart to outreach and advocacy for Special Needs, Orphan Care, and Missionary Work. I decided to start Speaking for the Silent shortly thereafter, as a way to advocate and share my passion for Orphans.

 This blog, the opportunities it has given me, and the people I have met through it, have changed my life forever for the better.

But for all of the good and amazing things God worked through me and this blog, I still wanted more. While it is only natural to want to go further and further into something once you've found God's love and your own heart in it, there was one major opportunity I had been hoping for that hadn't come yet: a chance to travel somewhere new to spread God's love and find a deeper understanding of where God might be calling me to work in the Missions field. I'd hear about a trip to one place or another, or a group that was doing something, but either schedule conflicts or money always got in the way of it. I felt like the Israelites in the desert at times, praying for a new call, a new sustaining message from above.


January 30^th, 2012, was a regular day in my life. I was wrapping up schoolwork and got a couple alerts that a lot of friends I had gained through Reece's Rainbow were in an active conversation on the RR Facebook group, and that my name had been mentioned. When I clicked on the conversation and read through it briefly, I came to understand that a mom from the Dallas/Fort Worth Area of Texas was looking for a teen advocate to speak on Orphan Care at her church. This talk, if someone stepped forward, would involve manning a “station” at a 24 hour prayer vigil anticipating the church's spring break mission trip. This mom felt that the message of orphan care and missionary work would tie in well with the trip since much of it would involve reaching out to Sudanese refugees (and their young children) who now lived in Dallas.


My first reaction to this trip was despair. How on earth could I get to Texas? Would my message affect anyone? Would I really do anything that would have a lasting affect? Nevertheless, I went out on a limb, half of me thinking it would fail, the other half of me praying it would work, and asked the mom some questions about the trip and some other details. The mom, whose name was Marj Ochs, said that they could both pay for my plane ticket and host me in their own home. Right there, even though I had been a “doubting Thomas,” God had already moved two of the biggest mountains- the expense of traveling and lodgings. Marj told me she needed to talk more in-depth with her youth pastors, Shawn and C.M., about making this a reality, but once they had cleared the idea and it had been cleared by the other Youth Pastors on staff at the Compass Church Campuses, we could begin planning flights and other important events.

I was extremely blessed in the fact that both of my parents supported me 100% and were willing to pray with me, help me plan, and even have one of them come down with me. I kept the matter among my family and a few confidants before Marj told me it was looking more and more like a reality, and then I began to quietly spread the word about a missionary opportunity I had in the works.


Finally, the week arrived when, on a Tuesday afternoon, Marj told me all the Youth Pastors would meet to finally set things in stone, a definite “Yes” or “No” answer. I prayed, thought hard on it, prayed more, and then waited. When I finally got the courage to ask, it was a “YES!” God had blessed me with both an amazing opportunity and a great group of people working with me in Texas.


The next few weeks flew by with phone interviews, travel plans, and getting hand-out materials and a video presentation together to show at my Prayer Station. On top of that, 3 adoptive families I knew in Texas (besides the Ochs family, who were adopting from Eastern Europe) wanted to meet up with me, either at some middle-point or at their own homes, so we could finally meet in person. With all of these plans and conversations being made, it didn't seem like too long before I was packing my bags and getting ready to go.

.......To Be Continued......

Still Here!

Hey Everybody! Sorry It's been another 3 months since we last posted- alas, life has been crazy, but still FILLED with Orphan Care! Over the next week, I'll be plugging giveaways, sharing what I've been up to, and continuing to SPEAK FOR THE SILENT! I also ask you to continue to pray for our last Silent One of our "Three Musketeers," Ilya P. IF we band together, we CAN find this little dude a family!!!

Talk soon!

Overwhelming Positivity

Since getting back into the blogging groove a little under 2 weeks ago, things have been on the up-and-up here at S4TS. A huge thank-you to 4Girls4Christ over at Rainbow of Hope (formerly John 14:18) for helping us get word about ourselves circulating again so when can move back into what we love doing most: Speaking for the Silent!

First and foremost in the news, BRIGITA HAS A FAMILY!!!!!!! YAY Brigita! Thank you for all who were praying, spreading the word, etc. And thank you Sarah B. for making sure I knew ;)

Now the three S4TS musketeers are down to one- sweet little Ilya P! Plenty of posts about/for this guy coming in the future.

Speaking for the Silent has crossed so many landmarks in just the last two weeks! The Spitz family is
finally home with their precious Gavin! woo hoo! Congrats Spitzes- I am SO looking forward to playing with Gavin and all of his brothers and sisters this summer!

If one family home isn't awesome enough, the Eubanks family passed court! They are so close to being home with our precious Shawna and Lindsay! They have remained so positive and energetic throughout their entire month-long stay, and I give them SO much credit for it. Please pray for them in the coming week. Gotcha Day will be some time mid week, and they desperately hope they can get the girls' passport process complete so they don't have to take their two lovely new daughters out into the freezing cold weather expected the week after this one. Regardless, we could not be more excited for the end of a very long journey to two precious little girls and for the Eubanks' new life as a family of 7 to begin!

In an attempt to fulfill a promise I made almost a month ago, head on over to the Guardian Angel group blog to support their T-shirt fundraiser to help bring home little Rush Gustafson, formerly Mary on RR! The project ends January 31st! So if you read this post before then, PLEASE hop on over and help out!

While the full story is a post for another time, I am beyond happy to say I got to reunite with The Hinz family down in Washington D.C. a week ago this monday. So great to see all of them, and beyond surreal to think that this time last year, two of the little lovies that brought my family and theirs together were sitting in an orphanage.

Well, while there's still PLENTY of page updates to do, followers to gain, and orphans to advocate for, we're finally getting back into the swing of things here at Speaking for the Silent! And all the while, we being surrounded by Overwhelming Positivity.

The Change of a Year

A year ago today, January 17th, a little blog was started.

For a couple little kids on the hearts of one teen and a couple friends of his.

In answer to what that teen thought was a call from God to answer Proverbs 3:18 to the fullest.

A year ago.....

It feels like the last time I wrote was about a year ago as well. I had NO intention of letting 3 months go by with nothing said. November, NATIONAL ADOPTION AWARENESS MONTH. December, the month when Baby Jesus was born! And January, the first month of a New Year: 2012. Oh well. I'm a human with a crazy schedule. I've also been blessed to know most of the families I advocate for here personally, giving my support in other places.

In my wildest dreams, I never imagined I'd experience all the things I have in the past year when I started this blog. Starting it, for one. Advocating constantly. Sonya and Dusty getting a family. Shawna and Lindsay getting a family. That I would start and successfully complete a campaign to up the likes on our Facebook page, but, more importantly, spread the word about the Plight of the Orphan. That I'd get to reunite with Sonya and Dusty, PLUS their fantastic new family. And for all that, I NEVER thought I'd have the courage to give a talk in front of 300 people.

And I NEVER would have believed the amount of adoptive families I've had the privilege of watching, walking with, and praying for.

The Eubanks Family is facing court in HOURS. I'll update the post once verdict is reached.

The Gibsons have been home with their precious Carter for two months. You can read their latest (and awesome!) post to see how they're doing.

The Rogers Family has been home for  almost 3 months! Amazing!

The Spitz Family is on their way back to pick up their precious Gavin. woohooo!

The Whiteakers got to go meet Danny!

The Lindquists got to meet their precious Ethan!  

And, drumroll......

LILIANNA HAS A FAMILY!!!!!!!

1 down, two to go on the S4TS Picture of children we're praying for!

I feel incredibly blessed to have been able to work with all the people I have, meet all the people I've met, go all the places I've been able to travel, accomplish all the achievements I listed. But none of it is to say that I'm an amazing person or that "I've" accomplished so much. God, and God alone. He gave me the opportunity to travel to Ukraine. To meet Sonya, and help my dad bring home Julia. He gave me the call to start this blog, and to have the level of success I have.

Thank You, God.

Of course, the BIGGEST blessing besides seeing so many Orphans come home is the support that you, my readers give me. Without you, there would be no 270 likes on Facebook. No encouraging comments. For those and so many more things, I am forever indebted to you.

WOW. Amazed by what one year has brought us, cannot WAIT for the new one!

A Very Special Day

"Six Years Ago"

Six Years ago this morning, 

God gave the world a gift.

it was wrapped in a little 

pink blanket, in an orphanage 

she'd sit.

For Five long years, that baby girl, 

was stuck in that place there,

in an orphanage, where life was

tough, a place filled with despair. 

But God's plan for this little girl, 

was hardly over yet. Her deep blue eyes, 

and joyful smile, God would not just forget. 

God knows what thoughts

that baby had. All that time she sat and spent

in a few small rooms in an Orphanage, 

but her story wasn't over yet. 

One cold winter, not too long ago

two families came and went

to that tiny little orphanage,

that little girl, they met. 

She changed the lives of all of them, 

with whom she laughed and played. They prayed 

a family would bring her home,

and rescue her one day.

And then one day, it WAS her turn!

The nannies came and scooped

a little boy, and that little girl, out of their cribs, 

and LOOK!

A family waiting 

down the hall

to love and hold them close.

Two orphans less, forever more, 

O Praise the God of all! 

And now they live so happily, 

in their new family life.

New brother, sister, mom, and dad, 

and not for temps, for LIFE! 

So on this day 6 years from then, God gave 

the gift of you, 

and one thing I can say for sure, 

A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, 

TO A VERY SPECIAL YOU! 

Happy Birthday little miss Sonya! Your winning smile captured my heart and put me on fire for the least of these. Because of the miracles that have happened through and around our chance meeting on Christmas Day 2010, I am changed forever! God Bless you, Dusty, and your new family I LOVE!

Of Happy Dances and Plugging Causes

My blogging of late has been weakest of weak sauce. I promise I'm not going to post about every two weeks on a regular basis. This month has been consumed with prepping for PSAT's (which went well) and then transitioning into "normal" school life.But just because my little part of the Orphan World has frozen, doesn't mean the rest of it has. Indeed, I have had plenty of reasons to do a little happy dance in the last few weeks, and plenty of causes and families needing prayer.

In the world of exciting news, blessings abound in every which way. Two families I've prayed and longed to see home have been home- one for almost a week, one for almost 3.

More recently, I had the joy of seeing a family who labored for two long years to bring their little girl home, finally get to see their hard work come to fruition. The Moreno's, who adopted little Baby J from the same region as Tori's little sister Evan, got to bring their baby girl home. Congrats Moreno Family. You were one of the first families we put on our "praying home" page, and now you're home. God Bless you :)

Shortly before, at the beginning of this month, the fantastic Maddex Family  brought home their precious Zeke, formerly Danil on RR. This family was a joy to experience the journey with. Despite the fact that their trip went longer than planned, they remained so joyful and energetic throughout. And the fact that little Zeke is from the same region as my little sister Julia makes it even better. God Bless you, Maddex's, you guys amaze me.

In the mean time, however, we also have two families ALMOST home! The Gibson's, adopting PRECIOUS Carter, have met and loved on their boy, have passed court, and are waiting out their 10 day waiting period as I type. If you've followed me for a while and HAVEN;T checked out their blog yet, I highly recommend you do. The posts are funny and realistic at the same time, the photos and videos are gorgeous, and they're a gorgeous family! And just to ice that cake, they have a comrade of mine in the Orphan World, Rachel, along for the ride. We can't wait for them to wrap 'er up and bring their boy home.

Also in that post-court-almost-home slot, the Rogers family are wrapping up their process in-country! Insanely happy for them, AND for the two adorable little kiddos they're bringing home! Praying for you Rogers fam!

And in other news, it seems to be a giveaway season of late! You can check out our buddies the Guardian Angels doing one here for the Morriss family, who we happen to have on our "Children We're Praying Home Page!" But go enter QUICK! You've only got 5 or 6 days!

You can also check out our buddy's the 4Girls4Christ doing one for the Dellevoet Family bringing home a little sweety named Angela! There's still a month to enter, but hey, the sooner the better! :)

Finally, I ask you to pray for a large portion of RR's families whose wait for a travel date has been lengthened. One of the main countries RR facilitates adoptions through is in the middle of a power transfer that has halted everything for a long bit. Pray for these families AND for the children they long so passionately for, that they may be kept safe in the Father's arms until that fateful day in the near future when they get to meet. In particular, I ask you keep the Eubanks and Spitz families in your prayers. And finally, continue to keep our special three Orphans in your prayers. We pray deep down in our hearts that their families may come soon.

They Deserve Happiness

So firstly, foremost, and above all, my deepest apologies for not writing for 2 1/2 weeks. Life's been NUTS, and unfortunately, blogging has gotten sidelined as I prep for PSAT's, try and keep up with school, and just life in general. I was hoping to launch a big campaign/movement this month, but I guess it was God's plan for it to wait a month. So here I am, typing away again after a LONG time of no blogging.

While my life may be dominated by school and schedules of late, Orphans, Orphan Ministry, and Adoption are never far away from my heart, mind, or life. So many of the families I've had the privilege of meeting as they sign papers, complete their homestudies, and mail their dossiers, are now in country or getting close to travel. It ROCKS. Right now, the Gibson and Rogers families are IN country, loving on their sweeties. The Eubanks family, Whiteakers, Spitzes, and Lindquists are getting close. I'm pumped for all of them. I'm also insanely pumped for the Maddex family, who just got home with their precious Danil (now Zeke) from the same region that my family adopted Julia from. And finally, I'm REALLY excited for the Moreno family, who, after two long years of trusting God, are finally getting to bring their baby home.

I've mentioned before how much I love working on the ground amongst fellow Special Needs Advocates and people with Special Needs too. This weekend I got to experience my first buddy walk, a blast of a fun time for sure.

 

I love events like the buddy walk and the Reece's Rainbow get-together earlier this summer. A time for people with special needs and their families to get together and celebrate each other. A time and place where we can be ourselves and not be afraid we'll be judged for our differences. I wish I could say all places in the world were like that for everyone.

When I got to meet the Hinz family earlier this summer, all of us older kids took the little ones in the pool. At one point, my friend Molly got out to take pictures of Mr. Dusty's laughter when I would raise him up into the air. Needless to say, the turned out adorable.

 As me and Molly scrolled through the pictures (after the rain had forced us inside) Molly looked at me and said "every child deserves to be this happy. Every child should have that smile on their face at some point in their life."

At that moment, it dawned on me what besides feeling Called drives those of us in nonprofit work on a daily basis: the happiness. The happiness it brings us, and the happiness we pray it brings to others, that it forever changes their lives. And so I ask you to continue to pray for our 3 lovies we're praying for here at S4TS. Illya, Liliana, and Brigita.

I want to see them laugh with joy as they jump around in the water. I want to see somebody wrap their arms around them and never let go. All 3 of them are in or close to the red zone of soon-to-be-transferred. When I started S4TS back in January (almost a year ago!?!?!?) I was honestly afraid I'd watch Sonya, Shawna, and Lindsay all be transferred in one foul swoop. Yet by God's grace, Sonya's been home since May, and Shawna and Lindsay have a mommy and daddy eagerly awaiting their chance to travel. I honestly believe in my heart of hearts that if we all band together, we can see these three rescued before that fateful car ride as well. Because they deserve happiness.