Once our eyes have been opened we can't pretend that we don't know what to do; for God who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls knows that we know and holds us responsible to act. Proverbs 24:12

I had taken a break from posting.....

and advocating for a while due to things that occurred soon after we returned home from China with our sweet Opal. I lost two people that I love very much within 6 weeks of being home.Life will not be the same without them,I know that they are in a much better place. Today I received the wonderful news about Peter and I knew it was time to get back to advocating. Also I will post some pics soon of our precious Opal. She is truly our Sunshine!

ONE LESS ORPHAN!!!!

Today I have great news everyone...PETER HAS A FAMILY,PRAISE THE LORD!!!!! I was checking my email and Becca, the young girl that has been praying and trying so hard to connect Peter with his family, had sent me an email stating they had been praying about Peter being their son and as of Feb. they are moving forward to bring him home!!!!! So happy for Peter and his family!!!This family is trying to raise $10,000 to help with the adoption cost, so if you would like to support Peter's adoption you can visit here: https://adopttogether.org/peter/

Seeing Peter

Peter is an 11 year old boy with a heart looking for genuine love. Peter will quietly perform acts that show his desire for attention. He will give his last piece of candy, hold your hand all day, draw pictures of him being the prince and you the princess, and ensure that you are protected. He doesn't smile quickly or give hugs readily, but you can see in all the small actions that he is waiting for love. Peter was born with Myelomeningocele, and he wears a diaper (which he changes himself). This disorder must be minor because Peter can play soccer, swim, sing songs, read, write, and feed himself. Peter lives in the Jinan orphanage and is currently on the waiting child list. His paperwork is ready to be matched with a family. PLEASE CONTACT ME IF PETER IS YOUR SON!!!!

I am so Thankful for all the many blessings that the Lord has given me!

Here is our sweet, precious little girl Naommie Opal !!!!! We just arrived home yesterday. What a wonderful Thanksgiving,we have so much to be thankful for!!

I know it has been a while!! I was thinking by having several weeks before we left that we would be ready way before we actually would be leaving ,my house clean,laundry caught up(what is this???) everything just perfect in order.....NOT!! I think these thoughts are just a passing thought.First I tend to procrastinate....then there are these 5 other beautiful,wonderful blessings in my life that are soooooo much more important than being ready early. At this point we are so excited and can not wait to have our girl in our arms!!! Please pray for her heart that the Lord will give her a supernatural peace to know that she is instantly loved! Pray for Kimmie on the plane and while there. Yes, please pray for Steve and I!!!! I will be posting in China so feel free to follow along!!

Lots of Wonderful News!!!

Well since my last post alot has happened!We leave for China Nov 8th and we will have sweet Opal in our arms Nov 12th!!! Please pray for us all but especially our Opal. We have been waiting ,looking at her picture falling in love with her but for her we are total strangers that look and sound nothing like anything she knows.We will be coming home Thanksgiving night,so much to be thankful for!While we are there we hope if all goes well with our computer we wll be posting on this blog.Please follow along!

eyes open

Proverbs24:12 Once our eyes are open we can't pretend we don't know what to do.God weighs our heart and keeps our souls knows that we know and holds us responsible to Act.

This six year old boy was born with an undescended testicle that has resolved itself with age. He shows delayed development when compared with his peers but is otherwise healthy.

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This little girl is 4 years old. She has congenital heart disease. She is also developmentally delayed. She makes great bonds with her caregivers and peers.

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This little girl is 10 years old. She has been diagnosed with congenital deafness and muteness. However, her caregivers say they have observed her speaking with younger children in the orphanage. They believe she has experienced trauma in her birth family that causes her not to speak. With the right adoptive family this child may blossom.

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This little girl is 10 years old. She has severe scoliosis but appears physically normal since undergoing surgery. She will have another surgery soon. You can see her dancing on her video!

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This little girl is 3 years old. She has been diagnosed with aniridia of the left eye and strabismus of both eyes. She is NOT blind and can even pick up small objects!!

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This sweet little boy is around 2 years old. He has been diagnosed with genital malformations, hypocytic hypocronic anemia, and pectus excavatum, as well as a skull deformity. The latter two are not obvious. This little one can walk unassisted!

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This 8 year old little boy has a urogenital system deformity and is a Hepatitis B carrier. He has been living with a foster family since 2006. He adapts to new situations quickly.

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This little girl is about 8 years old. She formerly had a growth about the size of an egg on her chin, but that has completely healed. She is now a happy, healthy young lady who loves to play with dolls!

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This 4 year old boy goes by "big eyes" in his orphanage because of his beautiful big eyes! He has decreased muscle tension in his left arm, which is gradually improving with time. He is otherwise healthy.

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This little boy is about 8 years old. Because of his diagnosis of Hydrocephalus he is a bit unsteady on his feet. He enjoys reading and playing with toys. As you can see, this young man is quick to smile!

Updated info on Peter!!!

This is Peter I have posted about him earlier in my blog. He is a sweet smart boy that really wants a family. Please comment if you would like additional info I have an update from Aug 2012!

Beautiful Samantha....

Isn't she just beautiful?

Samantha is 11 years old, born in Feb 2001

Her SN: hearing loss; can hear loud noises

She waits on an agency individual list.

Her July 2012 update is:

Samantha’s current development is very good and she has normal physical development.

Due to hearing loss, she is delayed with language development but can call Ma Ma, Nai Nai, Ah Yi, Ge Ge, Jie Jie and some simple names.

She is self-sufficient in daily life with the guidance of the caregivers. She plays games, balls with other children every day. She has no problem communicating with others using sign language.

Please help spread the word about Samantha...

Lovely Leanne

LOVELY LEANNE

Found at the age of three in a mountain village of Southern China, "Leanne" was taken to a local orphanage in October of 2003, after a failed attempt to locate her birth parents. It was there that she remained in care until July 2007, when at age six and one half years of age, she joined a foster family.

If you follow this blog with any regularity, then you know that I have advocated for many children over the years. I have studied countless little faces and prayed over their precious photos. It is the well poised confidence in the eyes of Miss Leanne that first caught my attention.

This lovely 12 year old girl is best described by her caregivers as a sweet, polite and self assured young woman with strong artistic interests and abilities. She loves to express herself through several art mediums, including dance, song and drawing. She reportedly excels in language and is a strong reader and storyteller. She currently attends public school and is in the sixth grade where she has several close friends and gets along well with her peer group.

Leanne has a scar on the left side of her face from surgery to remove a facial tumor, however, it has been noted that she is not at all self-conscious about it. Although she is in good health, she will most likely need reconstructive surgery once home.

Leanne has expressed her desire to be a part of a family in the United States and is hoping to be adopted soon. She would benefit most from a family who has experience in older child adoption and who has access to any medical care that she may need. Since Leanne will no longer be eligible for international adoption when she turns 14 years of age, she will need a family who is ready to proceed quickly with her paperwork in order to expedite her adoption process.

For addition information about this deserving child, please contact Marissa Leuallen at marissal@holtinternational.org or Beth Smith at beths@holtinternational .org

When God calls

 Our little girl was shown to us by the Lord letting us know she was our daughter. We had been led 3 years ago to adopt and we did. We brought home our Kimmie she is 6 yrs. old and her special need was sight issues once in China we knew she had other things going on. We found comfort and peace in knowing that the Lord had entrusted this precious gift to us.It was quite a shock and we had no idea what to do but we knew who did,our Lord. Kimmie has been diagnosed with autism.Kimmie is doing Great and has come so far. Once home with Kimmie I began  to advocate for children with what we would say have more significant special needs. This precious little girl NAN Yun Zhi,whom everyone called Nancy instantly grabbed our hearts!( I immediately referred to her as Opal,a precious gem) I advocated for six months wrestling with the fear of having another child with autism and several other special needs,I was scared! I prayed,and prayed for a family for this beautiful child knowing deep inside she was ours.Finally one night at church a message about FEAR...I felt as if I was the only one in the room. I was comforted that night by the Holy Spirit and knew the reason no one had come forward for Opal is because she was our child and there was no reason to fear! I then spoke with my husband cautiously because I thought is he going to think I am crazy,( We already have 5 children 3 with diff. "special needs" already and we live on 1 income)his res ponce was I have known since you showed her picture to me 6 mnths ago she was our daughter. Our God is an AWESOME God!! He plans all,He goes before us,He makes the way! Would we have looked at Opal if the Lord had not given us our Kimmie? Probably not...autism is not something that we were comfortable with.Thank the Lord He takes us out of our comfort zone and shows us so much more of His love. Please know that the Lord never gives you what He cannot handle.