Blessings Poured from His Hands - "My" Little Man

One year ago on May 5th I was on a vacation with my family.  We had taken a trip to Myrtle Beach, SC.
I was away from internet access for a good bit of the week, which I didn't mind because I enjoyed escaping the usual activities of life while on vacation.  But there was something that kept checking in to my email.  A few weeks earlier (if that) a precious boy, Vytas (now known as Noah) that I had been a prayer warrior for had found his forever family.   I had waited a couple days before searching for another child to begin advocating for, but it didn't take me very long at all to find the one that tugged at my heart. This child was extremely special to me for some unknown reason, when I saw their picture I had no words for how I felt for him. 

Needless to say, I had signed up to become his prayer and orphan warrior through Reece's Rainbow.  I anxiously awaited for a couple of days, checking in on my email every chance I got in the hotel room.  And finally on May 5 2013 I received the email confirming that I was officially the handsome little boy known as Mick('s) official warrior!

I remember how excited I was for this new journey and chance that I had to bless this little one.  I was slightly disappointed that I only had one picture of him, but I was also very grateful for the one picture I did have of him.  Because it showed how incredibly precious he was.

 

Little did I know that this would be the only photo I would ever see of him in my whole time advocating for him.   I never expected that would be advocating for him from May 2013- February 2014. 

I have honestly never grown so close to a child in all my years of advocating.  He was my special little buddy.  I longed to see another picture.  One where he was smiling and happy.  I hoped and prayed everyday that I would see him listed on the My Family Found Me page.  

I grew so close to a child that didn't even know I existed.   A child that I had never met, had little information of and only one photo.  

I was truly in love with this little life and desired to be his mama.  With being 17-18 in my time advocating for him, I knew that simply just wasn't possible.  There was never a doubt that there was a very special mommy out there for him though. 

The most unforgettable experience I had with Mick was Angel Tree 2013. 

 I had never raised money for a child on my own, only with my best friend, Alyssa.

I signed up literally the moment Angel Tree sign ups opened, to become Mick's Angel Tree Warrior. 

And within a day or two it was confirmed that I was officially his AT warrior and the goal was to raise $1,000 for his adoption grant. 

It seemed and felt like a most impossible goal to reach on my own, but with the help of my supportive family God pulled through with an incredible miracle and blessed Mick with a stunning $1,050!  I was in awe of this for weeks.

Through out my time advocating for him I collected a few things to store in what I call a "keepsake box".

His keepsake box theme was penguin.  No specific reason.  I just saw the little blue stuffed penguin and instantly thought of his little face.  :) 


Shortly into the year of 2014 I received information informing me that there was a family interested in adopting him and that it wouldn't be an extremely long process if it went through well because they were already in country.

Oh heavens.  When I heard this news literally stopped breathing for moments.  My mouth probably close to hitting the floor, I was in complete shock.   My heart skipped a few beats before I began breathing rapidly trying to find words to describe what I had just read.  It almost seemed to wonderful to be real!  This moment I had prayed nearly a year for and here it was.   A day I had only dreamed and prayed for was actually real life at last.    When I imagined how I would one day react to Mick finding a family I always thought I would scream at the top of my lungs, but that actually isn't what I did.  I just kept breathing heavily and saying "Oh my word...Oh my word...Oh my word!!!  This is real!"  I repeated the same sentences well over ten times in my room alone.  I was brought back down to earth when my ten year old entered the room and stared at me as if I were an alien (Ha-ha!).  As I continued repeating the same thing, only a different sentence she repeatedly yelled "What?!" several times ay me.  I looked at her and pointed to the picture of Mick hanging above my bed and managed to say "That boy we've been praying for for months, He might have a family!".  She smiled brightly and cheered, with that I bolted down the stairs to tell my mom and sisters who had played such a huge role in supporting and helping me advocate for him.  My mom was in awe and instantly her eyes filled with tears of happiness.  My sisters were ecstatic over the whole situation as well.  
And you may be thinking that I really was over dramatizing this, but I kid you not.  I was ten times happier than I child on Christmas morning.   This little life had been on my mind in my prayers for almost a year and now all my dreams and hopes for him were suddenly becoming a reality.  When you wait for so long for something you're still so unsure of you are completely stunned when it actually happens.
 And I'm not a bit ashamed to share my excitement with you and the whole world that reads this.

The adoption process was basically private to me the entire time and it tended to feel a lot longer than it ever really was.  I got a couple of updates from the person that knew information.  I only knew this much because I was his faithful warrior through RR and when he was taken off randomly I suspect they didn't want me to freak out, so they told me what was going on. 

Oh for about the two - three months of the adoption process seemed like forever, because I was just dying to know who was adopting "my" little man, but I was told that I couldn't know or contact them until they were back in country.  So I waited and waited, then finally one of my friends told me that they thought they knew who was adopting him and then they the person's information.   It took me weeks to finally decide to friend who they said may be his mama, simply because I was afraid of the response I may get.  I've learned with advocating for orphans that you never know just how the family will respond to their child having an advocate.   Some adore it, some think it's alright and some never want anything to do with you.  It's hard to build yourself up for a relationship that may never happen or not turn out the way you've always hoped it would.
After a couple weeks of messaging her, she responded!   She was everything I had prayed so hard for!  She is sweet, kind, loving and just overall a wonderful woman.  She has a husband and they have one big gorgeous family. 

After almost one year of being in love and advocating for little man Mick I requested a photograph of him, and you know what?  She sent me not one, but TWO! 


I would like you all to see precious little Lincoln Joel...(aka Mick ;) )....

 

Can you believe how he has grown?!  Oh the Lord provides my friends!  He's blessed Mick...I mean Lincoln..(still trying to get use to his new handsome and beautiful name) beyond measures!  This child is so loved and adored and growing happy now!  And from the way his mama's talks, it sounds like they are quiet blessed to have them in their lives. :) <3

She tells me that he's very intelligent and very funny.  :)   I cannot tell you just how wonderful it is to know what kind of personality he has.  It's incredibly comforting to know that he has someone giving him kisses, hugs, proper care and endless love given to him every day.  The Lord is faithful always.  He hears our cries and prayers and answers them in His own timing.   I am forever grateful that Lincoln was brought into my life.  Through everything I gave and did I wouldn't trade a moment of it for the world!  I believe that he was brought into my life for a special purpose and I will never take it for granted.  He is precious in every way and I feel blessed that I had such an opportunity to play a small part in his life. :)

Thank you for every single person who ever prayed, donated, shared, etc for Lincoln (aka Mick)!   You helped me and him both more than I could ever describe!  You were a blessing even if you helped in the tiniest way.  I am grateful for you!  :) <3

I hope that you found pleasure in reading this post and please share it to anyone who has ever helped him in the past!  I want everyone to see what God has done!  This is a story overflowing with blessings poured out from the Lord's hands.  :) <3

5 Ways to Make a Connection with an Orphan

I've been thinking of ways to reach out to people that have an interest in becoming a warrior for an orphan with Down syndrome and other special needs.   As I was telling my best friend earlier, I tend to assume everyone already knows all the tips and tricks when it comes to advocating, mostly because the people I talk to on a daily bases advocate for orphans.  But I forget that so many people are uneducated and don't even know where to begin when it comes down to advocating/being a prayer warrior for a child.  And maybe there are some advocates out there that would really like to get a closer connection with their orphan.   So I thought that this might be a nice post to share some of the ways I've made connections with my orphan(s) in the past. :)


1.  Write Letters to them.

This one with either sound completely crazy to you or something you've done or heard about a hundred time before, but it's SO true!  Especially if you have a blog for the child you advocate for.  You'll find out quickly that you run out of things to post about on that one child you get little to no new information about.  And that's not a bad thing, in fact it's completely normal.  Trust me, I'm friends with lots of advocates and we've all discussed having this issue before, you're not alone! 
Writing letters will give your readers an insight on how you love and care for the child you're advocating for.  But the main reason I recommend doing this is because you will truly build a strong bond with this child when writing out your love and feelings for them!  They can't hear or read it in the moment, but when their forever family finds them you will have those letters to send them one day.  It shows just how loved and thought about they were when they thought no one was there for them. 

2. Print their Picture(s)!

My best friend, Alyssa and I have always printed out our child's photograph(s) and put them all over the house!  Why not?  Every single time you see their photo you automatically think of them and where they're at right now in life, which leads me to pray for them a lot more often than I would without the photographs.   This is a HUGE way for me to make a connection with a child!  I love seeing their photos everywhere.  And as Alyssa said, it makes everything seem so real.  They aren't just a virtual photo anymore, they're actually something you can hold and hang in different places!

 

This photo above is Alyssa's kiddos.  She has them hanging above her desk <3

 

When I advocated for Mick (who is officially home) I hung his photo in a shadow box frame above my bed. I woke up to his precious face every day.   This is a wonderful thing to do!  You just HAVE to! :)


3.  Give a Nickname

I naturally give the kids I advocate for nicknames.  I don't usually even have to think about giving the child a nickname in most cases, I just start calling them something and it sticks.   To me it makes them feel more personable.  Since you can't get to know them physically, all you have is that one photo and maybe even JUST a description of them to go on, take advantage and count it as a blessing to have whatever you have about them!  Study it in detail and then something will pop up that you will just know is "the" name. ;)   This really helps build that connection you're looking for! 

4. Create a Theme

Just like a mama makes a theme for her child's nursery or room, you should create a theme for your orphan advocating process!  Especially if you have a blog!  Make a fun theme that you think fits the child you're advocating for!  Whether it be Hello Kitty, Winnie the Pooh,  jungle theme, ocean theme or whatever just give it a try!  It also makes everything feel a little more personable I feel. :)  


5. Make a Keepsake Box

Our human nature usually tends to lean more to the doubtful side of things, but I encourage you to step outside of that comfort zone!  Don't think that the child you are advocating for *may* never find their family.  Don't doubt!  Doubt will be your enemy in advocating, always think positive and pray hard! Trust that the Lord will provide that precious little one with their perfect forever family!  Don't doubt.  Instead go buy a special box and little by little fill it with little special things that you feel fits the child.  Their mama and daddy may not have found them yet, but this is your time to prove one day to the orphan that YOU CARED and that YOU LOVED them before they were "found".  
You can don't have to buy everything, in fact you can make it all!  It's your keepsake box to make!

Get a little stuffed animal (make it go along with the theme you have for their advocating process like suggested in step 4) fill it with books that remind you of the child.  Write letters and stick them in the box too.  I even get the kids birthday cards and put them in the keepsake box.  They're going to get ALL of these things one day because when their family finds them you will send this keepsake box to the family. 
This is is a lovely and valuable way to make that connection stronger. <3 :)

And there you have it!  My 5 ways of building a special connection with a child (orphan) you advocate and pray for.  This isn't by any means the way you *have* to do it, but simply the ways I recommend trying.  If you don't have "that" connection it's harder to do anything for that child.  Trust me, I know.  I'm hoping that these suggestions and ideas will help you like they've helped me. :)


Thank you for reading feel free to follow or subscribe so you can keep up to date with my journey in advocating for "my" three cuties, Joe, Talia and Fern. <3

 

#WheresMyMom?

Tomorrow is the day you hug your mama, tell her how much you love her and appreciate all the many things she's done for you.  It's another day where you take some time to really think about how big you're blessed.  And you do know, you are *really* blessed if you have a mom.  No matter how many times she gets on your nerves, makes you angry, tells you things you don't want to hear or think you already know, she is a huge blessing that I personally take for granted too often. 

Today I had to opportunity to give my mom some special treatment for her special day (which isn't until tomorrow, but one of my brother's turn 9 that day as well and she'd much rather celebrate him)
It wasn't the grandest thing you'd ever seen, but she was so grateful and excited.   It made me so happy to see her so happy about something so small.

I forget how much God has blessed me with.   I have the world's best mom.  She would do or give anything for one of her kids.  She's always looking for ways to make us happy and to give us all she can,  I am so much more blessed than I deserve.  She is so wonderful and I can't imagine my life without her.  She's my best friend, there isn't a thing that she doesn't know about me.  I tell her everything.

On this day when I count my blessings a little more than usual my heart breaks for the 147 million children in this world today without a mom to call their own.

No mom to kiss your booboos when you've fallen, no mom to tell you how much you are loved, to hug and comfort you.  No getting rocked to sleep while she sings a sweet song in your little toddler ears.  No laughter together, no shoulder to cry on when life hits you hard.   None of anything.   Nothing.

365 days alone inside the orphanage walls just waiting and wondering, "Where is she..where's the sweet lady they call "mom"?...you know, that one that comes in and takes you outside of this everyday of striving to survive and clinging to what little life I have.  The one that rescues me."

These precious children don't know what love is.   Some of them as old as 16 and have never felt one ounce of it.  Not a mother's love.  Which is something entirely unique and overwhelming.  Someone that is always there for you no matter what.   

This Mother's Day I want to encourage you to consider making a donation of amount to any of the waiting children listed on Reece's Rainbow.  Or ANY adoption connection you have.  Chose at least one to pray for today and share on your social media and hey, why not church?  It is on Mother's Day! ;) 
Spread that child's name and photo EVERYWHERE.  Help them find a mom this Mother's Day.  Tell your mom what you're doing, I bet she'll think it's fabulous!  

 Here are the three I will be shouting for all day! :)



                      My gorgeous sweet Talia: Click here to donate, share and read more about her.:)

 

My little soft Fern: Click here to donate, share and read more about her.

 

My oh so loveable Joe: Click here to donate, share and read more about him.

You might have noticed the hashtag theme going on here, I'm hoping that everyone that reads this will go share a photo on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #WheresMyMom in the description box.    Let's see how many people we can get to spread this hashtag everywhere!

This is an easy free way to help someone today!  You could be response able for one orphan (or more, you never know..) finding their mama!  YES.  I'm talking to you!  

Please don't ignore this, do it!  Help someone, like I said before, get your mom involved!  She'll love this!  

And maybe, just maybe, you might be one of these beautiful babies mama? Aye? ;) 

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, sorry it's a little bit of a rambling mess. Please comment and tell me which child you chose to share on our #WheresMyMom day!  I'd love to know! 

Visit ReecesRainbow.org to chose a child to share on #WheresMyMom day May 11 2014!