Saturday, December 11, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Nothing, from a Mom who has seen it.
I stole this post from Julia. Her son Aaron was transferred from the baby house to a mental institution. Aaron came home from the institution, so Julia was able to witness the conditions there first hand. (Julia's original post has photos, so you might want to go here and look at it.)
If you read this, it will give you an idea of why we need to work so hard to bring Martin home as quickly as possible. We need to keep this from happening to him. It breaks my heart to think of Martin, or any child, living in such a place.
Aaron's Nothing
We live a harried life. Running here, there and everywhere. We work, take our kids to this activity, then that activity, rush to meetings, juggle schedules and cook, clean and work side-jobs in our spare time. We rarely have time to do Nothing.
We love doing Nothing. A day where we have no appointments, no meetings and no places where our children have to be. An evening where we can stay at home, curl up as a family with a bowl of popcorn and watch a movie. An afternoon where we can take a walk or play in the yard. Nothing. Nothing so that we can do what we find pleasurable. Reading a book, building a puzzle, playing a game. Nothing has warm connotations, happy thoughts. Nothing is what we live for as a family.
For us, in America, Nothing means Everything.
For the Lost Boys and Girls, Nothing means NOTHING.
This is what NOTHING looks like for the Lost Boys at Aaron's former institute. This was Aaron's Nothing. A shed with Nothing in it but carpets and benches. Nothing.
On warm days, 20 plus boys will be led to this shed. 20 plus boys will go inside this shed. A bench will be placed across the door so that they will not be allowed to leave. Then, those 20 plus boys will do nothing. They will sit inside that shed. They will sit. They will rock. They will cry out. They will moan. They will stare at the walls. They will hit each other. They will hit themselves. They will sit. They will sit. They will wait. After hours of sitting they will get to leave for another shed, to eat. They will be forced to eat quickly so that they can be led back to this shed. To do Nothing. In the afternoon they will be led to their rooms. They will be made to lay down on their beds. For hours they will lay on those beds. Some will sleep to escape. Others will lay and do Nothing. Staring at the walls, ceiling - staring at Nothing. When it is time to get up, they will go back to their shed. Again, to do Nothing.
On rainy days, or cold days, they will stay in their buildings. They will not leave those buildings. They will not venture downstairs or get to visit the other boys in the other buildings or even in the other part of their building. No. They will stay in their section. They will sit in the sitting room. It is as empty as the shed. Benches and carpets. They will sit. They will sit and they will do Nothing. They will rock. They will moan. They will hit each other. They will hit themselves. They will sit. They will wait. They will stare at the four walls. They will do Nothing.
Once in a while, on weekends, they will get to hear music. The bigger boys will get to do jobs. Some jobs that are heart-breaking. The best behaved boys will get to kick a deflated ball sometimes. Sometimes a stick can be found for drawing in the dirt. Sometimes they will even let a child or two play in the sand pile that is often used as a toilet. Sometimes. On really rare days, when visitors come, they may even get out a hidden toy or two. Rarely. Most of the time, they do Nothing.
Nothing for the Lost Boys and Girls in Eastern Europe means Nothing.
Two worlds. Our Nothing. Their Nothing. Can we just sit by and do Nothing?
If you read this, it will give you an idea of why we need to work so hard to bring Martin home as quickly as possible. We need to keep this from happening to him. It breaks my heart to think of Martin, or any child, living in such a place.
Aaron's Nothing
We live a harried life. Running here, there and everywhere. We work, take our kids to this activity, then that activity, rush to meetings, juggle schedules and cook, clean and work side-jobs in our spare time. We rarely have time to do Nothing.
We love doing Nothing. A day where we have no appointments, no meetings and no places where our children have to be. An evening where we can stay at home, curl up as a family with a bowl of popcorn and watch a movie. An afternoon where we can take a walk or play in the yard. Nothing. Nothing so that we can do what we find pleasurable. Reading a book, building a puzzle, playing a game. Nothing has warm connotations, happy thoughts. Nothing is what we live for as a family.
For us, in America, Nothing means Everything.
For the Lost Boys and Girls, Nothing means NOTHING.
This is what NOTHING looks like for the Lost Boys at Aaron's former institute. This was Aaron's Nothing. A shed with Nothing in it but carpets and benches. Nothing.
On warm days, 20 plus boys will be led to this shed. 20 plus boys will go inside this shed. A bench will be placed across the door so that they will not be allowed to leave. Then, those 20 plus boys will do nothing. They will sit inside that shed. They will sit. They will rock. They will cry out. They will moan. They will stare at the walls. They will hit each other. They will hit themselves. They will sit. They will sit. They will wait. After hours of sitting they will get to leave for another shed, to eat. They will be forced to eat quickly so that they can be led back to this shed. To do Nothing. In the afternoon they will be led to their rooms. They will be made to lay down on their beds. For hours they will lay on those beds. Some will sleep to escape. Others will lay and do Nothing. Staring at the walls, ceiling - staring at Nothing. When it is time to get up, they will go back to their shed. Again, to do Nothing.
On rainy days, or cold days, they will stay in their buildings. They will not leave those buildings. They will not venture downstairs or get to visit the other boys in the other buildings or even in the other part of their building. No. They will stay in their section. They will sit in the sitting room. It is as empty as the shed. Benches and carpets. They will sit. They will sit and they will do Nothing. They will rock. They will moan. They will hit each other. They will hit themselves. They will sit. They will wait. They will stare at the four walls. They will do Nothing.
Once in a while, on weekends, they will get to hear music. The bigger boys will get to do jobs. Some jobs that are heart-breaking. The best behaved boys will get to kick a deflated ball sometimes. Sometimes a stick can be found for drawing in the dirt. Sometimes they will even let a child or two play in the sand pile that is often used as a toilet. Sometimes. On really rare days, when visitors come, they may even get out a hidden toy or two. Rarely. Most of the time, they do Nothing.
Nothing for the Lost Boys and Girls in Eastern Europe means Nothing.
Two worlds. Our Nothing. Their Nothing. Can we just sit by and do Nothing?
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Half-way through the Angel Tree Project
Well, we are officially more than halfway through the RR Angel Tree Project which ends on December 31.
You remember, where Martin's Christmas Warriors commit to raise $1,000 for the his adoption grant?
The one where, for a $35 donation you get a cool Christmas ornament with Martin's picture on it?
The good news is that we have reached that $1,000 goal. The bad news is that it is not nearly enough to bring Martin home.
Let's try to double that between now and the end of the year!
Just click
here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, under the "My Family Found Me" section.Look for Martin's adorable face. ;-)
Click on the "add" button just beneath it.
Then "check out" using the "Angel Tree Shopping Cart" near the top of the page.
Or you could send your donation, clearly marked as being for Martin, to:
Reece’s Rainbow
PO Box 4024
Gaithersburg, MD 20885
Nothing could be easier, or more important.
To get an ornament, your donation needs to be received by December 14. (I think) So what are you waiting for?
Monday, December 6, 2010
Why "reckless abandon" is needed
Hmm, if you want to see why reckless abandon in the care of orphans is needed, look no further than Julia's post about her experience at an insitution for disabled boys and men, orphans, in Eastern Europe. It makes for some very hard reading.
We need to all work together with reckless abandon to make sure that Martin gets home to his family. Please remember to keep Martin and the House Family in your prayers, and to make those little sacrifices that can go a long way to bringing Martin home.
We need to all work together with reckless abandon to make sure that Martin gets home to his family. Please remember to keep Martin and the House Family in your prayers, and to make those little sacrifices that can go a long way to bringing Martin home.
Friday, December 3, 2010
A Little Sacrifice
Okay, all you Martin fans out there probably know this already from reading the House Family's Blog, but Martin's family is blowing through their paperwork at a record pace.
That is great news! The little man cannot get home soon enough for his family (or for us). But, it also means that there is not much time for Martin's family to raise the money needed to ransom him.
Now, a lot of blogs and fundraisers are selling things or doing give aways. Today I want to take a different approach. I don't want to talk about getting today. Today, I want to talk about giving. I want to talk about sacrifice.
Now don't get nervous, I am not going to talk about big sacrifices...today. ;-) Today I want to talk about a lot of people making little sacrifices that can all add up.
Okay, how many of you run your lives on caffeine? Come on, be honest. How many cups of coffee (or tea, or coke, or diet pepsi) do you have a week? Is it 5 or 6 or 27? Now, how many of those do you buy to drink. How many times a week do you drop $1.69 on a cup of coffee at the Dunkin Donuts instead of making it at home?
Are you willing to make a little sacrifice to help bring Martin home? How about giving up just 5 cups of your on-the-go purchased caffeinated beverage of choice for a week and donating the money you save to help bring Martin home?
If someone were to give up 5 medium cups of coffee at $1.69, that would be a savings of $8.45. If 100 people were to do that, it would raise $845. If 200 of us did it, Martin's family would be $1,690 closer to bringing him home. If 500 people make that small sacrifice, then in one week we could raise $4,225 to bring Martin home.
By banding together and making a lot of little sacrifices, we can make a big difference. Will you do it? Will you sacrifice the cost of your caffeinated beverages for one week to help save a little boy from life in an institution?
Link to this post, post this to facebook, tell your friends, tell your families. Let's spread the word and get a jump start on this fund raising thing, after all, we need to catch up with the House Family and their paperwork finishing tornado.
Go here to donate your little sacrifice to Martin.
That is great news! The little man cannot get home soon enough for his family (or for us). But, it also means that there is not much time for Martin's family to raise the money needed to ransom him.
Now, a lot of blogs and fundraisers are selling things or doing give aways. Today I want to take a different approach. I don't want to talk about getting today. Today, I want to talk about giving. I want to talk about sacrifice.
Now don't get nervous, I am not going to talk about big sacrifices...today. ;-) Today I want to talk about a lot of people making little sacrifices that can all add up.
Okay, how many of you run your lives on caffeine? Come on, be honest. How many cups of coffee (or tea, or coke, or diet pepsi) do you have a week? Is it 5 or 6 or 27? Now, how many of those do you buy to drink. How many times a week do you drop $1.69 on a cup of coffee at the Dunkin Donuts instead of making it at home?
Are you willing to make a little sacrifice to help bring Martin home? How about giving up just 5 cups of your on-the-go purchased caffeinated beverage of choice for a week and donating the money you save to help bring Martin home?
If someone were to give up 5 medium cups of coffee at $1.69, that would be a savings of $8.45. If 100 people were to do that, it would raise $845. If 200 of us did it, Martin's family would be $1,690 closer to bringing him home. If 500 people make that small sacrifice, then in one week we could raise $4,225 to bring Martin home.
By banding together and making a lot of little sacrifices, we can make a big difference. Will you do it? Will you sacrifice the cost of your caffeinated beverages for one week to help save a little boy from life in an institution?
Link to this post, post this to facebook, tell your friends, tell your families. Let's spread the word and get a jump start on this fund raising thing, after all, we need to catch up with the House Family and their paperwork finishing tornado.
Go here to donate your little sacrifice to Martin.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Expanded Mission
Martin's family has started their own blog, and in the generosity of their hearts have not limited it to be about just Martin and their family. The are also going to use their blog "to promote the need to find homes for those children that have disabilities and don't have families."
Wow! Can I say (again) how grateful I am that this family is bringing Martin home?
I will continue to try to raise financial and prayer support to bring Martin home to his family, but, following their example, I am also going to expand the mission of this blog to help find families for other children with disabilities.
After all, if the internet can bring the face of a little boy in an Eastern European orphange to the facebook page of a man in America, who just got off a plane from Afghanistan, mabe it can help other children find their families too. (Note, I am definitely not saying this blog had anything to do with getting Martin's picture there (I can't imagine it did), but his father did see him for the first time on facebook).
Thank you for your generous hearts and your good example, House Family.
For the rest of you, if you want to see some of the faces of those children who need homes, watch the RR Christmas Video on the sidebar of this blog.
Wow! Can I say (again) how grateful I am that this family is bringing Martin home?
I will continue to try to raise financial and prayer support to bring Martin home to his family, but, following their example, I am also going to expand the mission of this blog to help find families for other children with disabilities.
After all, if the internet can bring the face of a little boy in an Eastern European orphange to the facebook page of a man in America, who just got off a plane from Afghanistan, mabe it can help other children find their families too. (Note, I am definitely not saying this blog had anything to do with getting Martin's picture there (I can't imagine it did), but his father did see him for the first time on facebook).
Thank you for your generous hearts and your good example, House Family.
For the rest of you, if you want to see some of the faces of those children who need homes, watch the RR Christmas Video on the sidebar of this blog.
Elizabeth
Remember we talked about some of the places that childen with disabilities are sent to when they "age out" of the baby house in the EE orphanage system?
Remember that most of these places are not good places for children...or anyone?
This beautiful girl has been transferred to such a place.
I don't know whether it is one of the "bad" places or one of the "not so bad" places.
I do know that it is not as good as going home to a family.
Is there someone missing from your family?
Does someone you know have someone missing from their family?
Maybe they need a 7 year old girl with DS and just don't know it yet.
Full medical records are available, and she is eligible for an Older Child Adoption Grant from Reece's Rainbow.
Let's plaster this beautiful face all over the internet. Blog about it, put it on your facebook page, just get it out there. Sarah at Rainbows Come from Above did, and she has more really great pictures of Elizabeth that show her gently caring for her baby dolls.
This princess has been hidden away long enough, let's bring her out into the light so her family can find her. And please, keep Elizabeth and her family in your prayers.
If you think you might be Elizabeth's family follow the links to learn more about her, and get in touch with Andrea at Reece's Rainbow. She can help you with the rest.
Remember that most of these places are not good places for children...or anyone?
This beautiful girl has been transferred to such a place.
I don't know whether it is one of the "bad" places or one of the "not so bad" places.
I do know that it is not as good as going home to a family.
Is there someone missing from your family?
Does someone you know have someone missing from their family?
Maybe they need a 7 year old girl with DS and just don't know it yet.
Full medical records are available, and she is eligible for an Older Child Adoption Grant from Reece's Rainbow.
Let's plaster this beautiful face all over the internet. Blog about it, put it on your facebook page, just get it out there. Sarah at Rainbows Come from Above did, and she has more really great pictures of Elizabeth that show her gently caring for her baby dolls.
This princess has been hidden away long enough, let's bring her out into the light so her family can find her. And please, keep Elizabeth and her family in your prayers.
If you think you might be Elizabeth's family follow the links to learn more about her, and get in touch with Andrea at Reece's Rainbow. She can help you with the rest.
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