Our visit to the Institution

First of all I want to say a big THANK YOU to all of you that have already given to our blog fundraiser. We had a challenge from very generous donor that would donate $1,300 IF we could get our total to $1,800 in 5 days.

Funny story. When I went to bed at 11pm that last night we were only hundreds away from our goal. You all kept giving and giving and giving.
I woke up the next morning and saw that the total was $1830!

Then, I went and checked the Paypal which is where all the money is kept in an account for Maria and I.

THAT total read over $2,400!!!!!

The ChipIn wasn't keeping up with the actual amount.

Silly ChipIn

With other donations given outside of Paypal those 5 days, our total is now $4,000!!!

That is just $2,000 away from BOTH Maria and I being fully funded!

WOW

You all ROCK

Our Blog Fundraiser with all the amazing give-ways will be running until the end of this month. We will be drawing names for all the winners on July 1st.

So keep spreading the word and doing what you all are doing.

2 orphans are very close to coming HOME

With your help our sweet Kole will never have to know what it's like to be transferred to a mental institution. Typically if a special needs child is not adopted by the age of 5, they will be transferred.  Although the orphange is not ideal, the mental institutions are worse. Genesis and I had the blessing of visiting the institution that would be where Kole would be transferred to if we don't get to him in time. I talked to the director and said that I wanted to take photo's and get the children listed. He didn't understand why. He said no one has EVER adopted from his institution. After telling him about Gabe and Levi and their conditions, telling him that we were adopting them and I was sure more families would come for these kids too, his eyes filled with tears.

Over on Facebook I was posting pictures from each day last year that we took while adopting Gabe and Levi. When I got up to the day that was my visit to the institution I had a hard time posting. I haven't been able to post them for a year.

After going through them I decided to put them on video and let them speak for themselves.




I wanted to share a little about some of the photo's that were in the video. This boy is amazing! He is very mature and well mannered. He has no cognitive delays. He wants so badly to have a family. I can't even imagine having to live in a mental institution when the only thing wrong is that you can't walk. I would LOVE to see him with a family!

This guy cracked me up! There was a group of missionaries handing out food and treats. I sat there and watched as different ones would come and give him something. He would act like he had nothing, and then when the person would turn around he would stuff the food into his shirt! 

He had quite the stash when we left. I said he was the smartest one in the bunch!

 This is the room where the older men stayed. We were outside that day since the weather was warm, but in the cold winters they will spend all their days here

Their outside time would be spent here. It smelled terribly of human feces.

This little boy would chew all day on his flesh. It didn't matter if you were to wrap his arms in bandages, he would just chew past them.

This boy stole my heart! Isn't he the cutest?!?! So very sweet and gentle. 

I would love to see him get adopted.

This precious girl was 12 years old. She has a tumor that started out small growing on her head, it's why her parents abandon her. Yet her condition could have easily been treated here in the states. She loved getting attention and would hold your hand tight, all the while she would sing. SING. Here. 

In this place of abandonment she had something to sing about.

And here is little Sasha. Shortly after we got home he was listed for adoption. An amazing family ran to get him.

And THIS is Sasha after only FOUR months home!!!! LOVE is an amazing thing. Amazing.  

The world can no longer be left to mere diplomats, politicians, and business leaders. They have done the best they could, no doubt. But this is an age for spiritual heroes - a time for men and women to be heroic in their faith and in spiritual character and power. The greatest danger to the Christian church today is that of pitching its message too low. 

 -Dallas Willard

 Some of the children in the video are available for adoption. 

 Please go to Reece's Rainbow to find out more. 

 Many of the quotes were taken from "The Hole in our Gospel" by Richard Stearns