Celebrate Adoption-Waiting Children HCH

I know it's no longer November.  But I ran out of month and still have some waiting kids that I wanted to post.  (Not that the month really matters...)  Conleigh's orphanage, Haiti Children's Home, has 20 waiting kids right now.  3 special needs girls (Shanaika and Jenny who have neurological issues, possibly shaken baby type disorders, and Kettalaine who I would guess to be severely mentally handicapped with a low IQ) and a whole passel of boys (17!  Many of those little boys came in at the same time as Conleigh and are still waiting for families.  That just makes me terribly sad.  I don't know why but people often want girls, not boys.)  Anyway, here's some snapshots of some of those faces.  Please pass it on and share.

Carlos

Golson

James who has been waiting for a very long time

More of James

Who doesn't need a little guy to get all dressed up in a tie?  This is Jamesky.

Jenny

Levi

My Thankful Heart

This Thanksgiving, I know I have much to be thankful for. You know, the basics like a steady income, a lovely home, a car that runs... Just the month of November has a way of making us think about those blessings. But November also is special to me in another way. It makes me thankful in wide and deep way. We accepted Kenson's referral in November of 2006. And we began making inquiries about Conleigh in November 2007. So November is a month where our hearts are thankful for how God has worked to bring our kids into our lives. From a baby who shared a birthday with me which made him stick out in our minds to a little girl whose foster mom passionately wanted her to have a home, God has been at work.

November 2007 and November 2006 photos of my kiddos.

I am so thankful for His provision. And I also pray for His provision in life of another little boy, James. James is currently living at Haiti Children's Home and, as far as I know, is still in need of a family. He has been there for a long time, watching other kids leave to go home to their families. He desperately wants a family. His desperation practically oozes out of him. So here's my post for James. Please pray for a family for him. Please pass his info on; you never know who might be considering adoption. Take the time to help a little boy who wants a family of his own to be thankful for. Contact information for James would be Patti Vold at vvold@rttinc.com .

Helping James

When D and I went to Haiti in June, we met a little boy named James. He is living at Conleigh's orphanage. Part of him has come home with me. Thoughts of him remind me that children should not grow up in orphanages, that children need families and one on one attention. Don't get me wrong. Orphanages minister and serve and love but they are not homes for children. Every part of James' being is screaming "Pick me! Choose me! Love me!" And unfortunately, no one has. For five years. He has been at HCH for five years, watching other kids come and go, clinging stubbornly to a hope that some family will come and take him home. Again, he just reminds me how an orphanage while meeting basic physical and even emotional needs is not a family. No one is sitting down with James over supper asking him how his day went. No one is curled up with James at night, asking him what he wants to be when he grows up. No one is telling James every day how special he really is.

There is a part of me that wishes I could be that person who picks James up and with a touch of my magic wand, makes him a part of a family. But, it's not us. He's not our kid. My prayer is that if I'm not his momma, then by golly, I'm going to do what I can to try to find that person who is. So this post is all about James, a boy who needs a mama and papa desperately. I don't know much about James. I believe he is 7 and has been at HCH for five years. I know he is struggling with his behavior at the orphanage and one can't help but assume some of this would follow him home. But I also believe that, while love can't fix everything, a mom and dad who consistently love him and can accept the hard work that comes with loving him could change his life forever. So help me out here. Link to my blog. Tell your friends. Pray for James and his family who just haven't shown up yet. I've asked permission from the orphanage to advocate for James as best as I can and have their permission to do so. I believe that somebody somewhere is missing a little boy with a mischieveous grin, a boy who is desperate to finally come home. Contact information for James would be Patti Vold at vvold@rttinc.com or 403-783-6079.