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.

I Want to Be There

It's been almost 9 months to the day I picked up my little sister from the Orphanage she had called "home" for the first four years of her life. The day I met a room full of Orphans that inspired me. In a lot of ways, I guess you could call it Speaking for the Silent's birthday. And hey, if you share a birthday with the savior of the world,  you're on a pretty good starting point!

Ever since returning, I've stayed in my home state of NY. And while that may sound boring, it's hardly been that way. I traveled up to Jellystone Park Campgrounds and Pathfinder Village and partied with some seriously awesome adoptive families and individuals with Down Syndrome. I met the family that adopted two of my little inspirations. It's been the summer of the orphan-no-more, to say the least.

And yet there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about Ukraine.

I admit that my "Mission Work" there wasn't very extensive. Besides taking pictures of two of my little lovies, and visiting Julia every day, I didn't do much to further the love of God in that orphanage.

Yet the foretaste was enough.

It only got worse after the Reece's Rainbow get-together. Here I was helping families and loving on Special Needs people who know love and have love and it makes their day, imagine what it would mean to work with the least of these, showing love they might have never experienced. I've yearned for a mission trip, to say the least.

I'll often talk with other friends in the orphan ministry about the things I feel and go through. Because fact is, most of us know the same joys, hurts, happy's sad's, and everything in between. One close friend of mine has a HUGE heart for Peru. She's been there three times, she's done so many things to help and change lives there, it really is the place where she feels God the most. For me, I can feel God wherever the least of these, wherever or whoever they may be, are. I see Heaven in the eyes of people with Down Syndrome and other special needs, whose innocence is channeled the most in beautiful, selfless love. I see God in countries that need Him most, a large part of the reason Ukraine will always hold a place in my heart.

There's a scene at the end of the final Lord of the Rings movie, the Return of the King, after all has been won for good and the nations are restored to their normal lives. We see Frodo, the small, good-hearted Hobbit who carried the accursed One Ring across the world, pacing his small Hobbit House. The quote the narrates the scene is a stunner for sure.

"How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on, when in your heart you begin to understand, there is no going back? There are some things time cannot mend, some hurts that go to deep, that have taken hold."

While Frodo's journey might have been far more perilous than 16 hours stuck in an airport, and my greatest wound was falling flat on my back on the icey sidewalk, there is no way to accurately describe the change of a journey made for adoption. Experiencing a culture so you can tell your son/daughter/sister/brother about it, and falling in love with it yourself. Saving one orphan, but realizing this won't be the last orphan you raise the shout for. Knowing the hurt an orphan feels will change you. And just like Frodo, you know there is no going back.

In so many ways, I would do anything to journey back to Ukraine. Endure 15+ hours of travelling, just to see the country that introduced me to international travel. To a different culture.

To the plight of the orphan.

I have no idea the next time I'll be able to go to Ukraine. I don't know the next time I'll travel internationally to follow God's call. It could be 6 months from now. It could be 6 years.

But if mission trips are the roaring wind of discipleship, we must also hear it in the still small voice. Carry that same vigor and closeness to God wherever we go.

I.E., the here and now.

 A friend once told me, "Honestly, "missionary work at its fullest" is wherever you go. We just refuse to see it. Germany or Ukraine or China need missionaries just as much or more than Haiti or Africa or Peru."

We live in a society today that's in need of God. Anywhere between Albany, NY, and Albania, someone needs the good news of the Gospel. That their sins have forgiven. That a second chance is right there waiting, and all they have to do is embrace it. And it's our Job to be missionaries not only where the need is most visible, but everywhere. That man on the street in NYC may be in just as much need as a Leper in Ghana. Your baby sister with Down Syndrome needs just as much love, care, and attention as that little lovie across the sea who's captured your heart.

So with all these thoughts in my mind, I offer a simple prayer: "God, you know my heart lies in the Words you inspired and the Work that comes with it. Help me to see the need for You just as much here as there, so I not only say, 'I want to be there,' but 'I'm glad to be here.'"

Help Me Speak

Shortly before going back to school, I got to see the big cinematic phenomenon of late, The Help. A story of a couple ordinary people with an extraordinary passion for telling a true story, no matter the cost. Of what it meant to stand against segregation in the mid-60's, in one of the most segregated areas of the U.S. Well acted, well written, just a fantastic film.

In the movie, there are a couple scenes that center around the sheer amount of courage and bravery it will take the three main women- Skeeter, Abilene, and Minnie- to write these stories of what it was like to be hired help in the houses of wealthy white families. To violate some unjust laws that were in favor of segregation in order to preserve the amazing yet heart-wrenching stories they're putting in ink. Through thick and thin, however, their goal remains clear: to do everything in their power to raise a voice not yet heard.

As I watched, I couldn't help but think of our own mission. Raising a voice few heard. But in stead of those violated for their race, for those who are underestimated because of their limitations in the world's eyes, which usually add up to qualities that far exceed whatever "handicaps" or  "Special Needs" they may have. Unconditional love. Beautiful Innocence. The ability to bring out the best in people, if people are willing to see the best in them. In the same way, the women who help Skeeter write her book in the movie are women of extravagant beauty, inside and out.

When I met the orphans at Julia's baby house almost 9 months ago, I saw kids with potential. Kids who could change hearts, lives, even the world if they were given the chance. Those aren't qualities signature to just that baby house, however. It's something you see in all people that never got the chance they deserved, to shine and have the light of Christ, through them, shining on others.

For the rest of this month (and most likely onward) we will be lifting these three beautiful Children in prayer, in hopes they can find families.

Illya P, Lilianna, and Brigita. Brigita has been a long-time love of ours- she has been waiting SO long. Little Illya is probably the most asked-about child in our promo video. I love him to bits- look at that little face. And last but certainly not least, Lilianna. We posted about this precious sweetheart and our story with her here, and we fully intend to keep our promise to go on a full-blast campaign for her here. In a much larger, up-scale project come next month, these three will be joined by many fellow orphans, causes, and advocators as they are lifted up in prayer. But more on that in the near future. For now, look at these faces, pray for them. Hear them begging you, "Help me speak."