Waiting Child- Amanda

I wrote about meeting "Amanda" here.  I was so touched by meeting her and her foster father that I wrote that post on a brief lunch break, because I knew that hers is a story that has to be told.  There is a measure of responsibility that comes with being allowed to meet children like Amanda.  It is a privileged afforded to few.

So here you go, this is Amanda.

She  will be 13 in December.  This means that we have 15 months until she turns 14 and is no longer eligible for adoption.

She is intelligent and her favorite subject is math.  She has such a delicate beauty and seems very mature and graceful.

Amanda has had recent spinal surgery and we believe she had Spina Bifida but in her file they call this post operative straightening of bulging lumbar backbone.  She uses a wheelchair to get around but can take some steps.  She is independent in all her self care activities.

This sweet girl wants a family who will be patient and love her.  She also hopes for siblings. 

Amanda's relationship with her foster father was so close and sweet!  We just heard that she has been returned to the orphanage due to her foster mother's deteriorating health.  I just can't imagine how lonely Amanda must feel!  She was loved and cherished by this wonderful family for 9 years!  My heart just hurts to think of her back in the orphanage, I only assume her longing for a family is very great!

You can view a video of her here.


Amanda is designated to Gladney through a partnership program with her orphanage.  For more information about her please contact Lindsay Miller at lindsay.miller@gladney.org and cc Wendy Stanley at wendy.stanley@gladney.org on the email.  You can also contact me at erinmrtn@yahoo.com.


Please help me find this exceptional young lady a family!  Share this with anyone you can!  Pray for her and her foster family as they must all be grieving!  Together we can make a difference for this beautiful young lady!

Introducing...

Waiting for Blessings

The new advocacy site my friend and fellow adoptive mother Suzanne Meledeo from over at Surpassing Greatness are launching together.

We are going to be posting about waiting children, our personal experiences as adoptive parents, and sharing other families' stories as well.  We have so many precious children that we will be introducing you to over the next little while!  Starting with this post tonight.

Hope to see you all over there!

And if you have adopted an older child and would like to share your experience over at Waiting for Blessings we would love to hear from you!

Wordless Wednesday { Superkids Trip Flashback }

Chelsea and Zhen Zhen

Superkids Webinar { Jiangxi Province }

Tomorrow, August 22, at 7:00 PM  (Eastern Time) it is webinar time again!! And, oh my, do we have some adorable children to introduce to you!! 

I'm going to list all of the kiddos we will be talking about here.

I wish I could put all of their photos in this post.

  There are just too many.  They are all so precious! 

Just rush over here and register, I assure you, this is a webinar you don't want to miss!

One Month

One month from today, Lord willing, I will be boarding an airplane bound for China. I am really getting excited! It seems surreal in a way, to think of going back, to think of spending time with the children I have spent so much time thinking about and praying for in the 17 months since we were there to adopt Eliana. That trip changed our perspective on so many levels. You just can't go into an orphanage, no matter how nice it looks, and see the children and not be changed. You cannot walk out of those doors with a treasured daughter in your arms knowing that there are so many left who do not have families to cherish them without it changing the way you view life. Or at least we couldn't! And now I'm going back. Back to that same building that was home to our sweet daughter for the first 3 1/2 years of her life. And I'm so excited and scared all at the same time! I experience so many emotions when I think of Shanghai! I feel gratitude. The nannies there took care of my baby! The staff prepared her file so that she could be adopted! I also feel fear. I don't know what her life was like there. She doesn't talk about it much. She obviously doesn't want to. Will I find out more than I really want to know? But mostly I feel humbled and honored to be able to go back, to be able to help other children find families who will love them and cherish them as they deserve.

So right now I'm preparing on many levels. I'm making sure I have what I need. I'm getting my visa so that I can enter the country. I'm thinking about ways to break the ice with children who are nervous because of all of the unfamiliar people. And I'm also preparing my heart. I know it will be hard. I know it will be taxing physically and emotionally. I know I'm going to struggle seeing so many children in need of families. But I also know it will be worth every moment of it to be able to love on those children and to be able to provide more complete information to families considering bringing them home, not to mention the joy of being able to give families who are matched with a child the treasured gift of updates, photos, information, etc. about the child they are longing for.

Friends, can you join me in praying for the children we will meet? And for the team members who are going? If you have a child in any of the orphanages we will be visiting why don't you leave their name and which orphanage in the comments and, while I can't promise to meet them, I can promise to pray for them while we are there. It is going to be a wonderful trip!

Important Announcements

#1.  Kayley has a family! There are few things that make me as happy as checking Gladney's photo list and seeing "MATCHED!!" as a child's status! 

So... Congratulations to her family, I hope all goes quickly and smoothly for you!

#2.  Gladney has a webinar tonight at 7 EST to advocate for waiting children in China.  Pat Marcus will be speaking and Juliette Howard, a Gladney adoptive mom, will be telling their story.  These webinars are a wonderful way to find out more about adopting from China and about specific children who are available for adoption.  You can register here to join.

*URGENT* Waiting Child- Desi **AGING OUT!!!**

Today I want to tell you about Desi.  She is a lovely, healthy 13 year old girl.  She needs a family urgently!  Desi will turn 14 in May and will no longer be eligible for adoption.  If a family does not step forward very, very soon Desi's chance to have a family will be over!

Here is what is said about her. "Desi is a beautiful girl who needs to find a family fast! As per China regulations, once she reaches the age of 14 years she will no longer be eligible for international adoption. She is described as a talkative, outgoing and happy girl. She loves to sing and dance! Everyday after school she will watch TV with her friends and imitate the performers – learning their dances and songs! She is well-behaved and polite in school and is helpful to the teachers."

Desi is on the CCCWA shared list, so she can be adopted through any agency!  Since her birthday is so soon she needs a family that already has a Log In Date (LID).

If you are interested in learning more about Desi please contact April Uduhiri at april.uduhiri@gladney.org or 212-868-4565.

Waiting Child- Kayley

Sweet, beautiful little Kayley is 5 1/2 years old.  She is waiting for  family to step forward and claim her for their own!

Kayley likes to play with other children.  She enjoys being tickled and her favorite toys are building blocks that are shaped like snowflakes.  Sho loves candy and snacks and knows to say 'thank you' for her snacks.

When asked to by caregivers Kayley can point out which other children are her friends.

She is receiving language training twice a week to help with her development and it does seem she has made great strides in the last year!

Here is what a Superkids volunteer said after meeting Kayley: "We really enjoyed our visit with Kayley! She is very outgoing and full of joy. Her caregivers report that she has made great strides in the past year and is very talkative and eager to learn. She was very friendly with the other kids and the adults and loved playing with the toys that we brought. She counted easily and was talking in full sentences. She identified all of the objects on our picture cards and imitated the English words. She loved playing the piano and listening to music. She also likes to sing and put on a little show for us! Kayley appears to be a happy, active and friendly little girl!"

Doesn't she sound precious?  She is very close to Annika's age and I can certainly assure you that it is a wonderful, darling age!  Can't you just imagine her twirling into her family's life and adding so much sparkle and joy?

Kayley is from a large orphanage in Asia.  She is a part of Gladney's partnership program with the orphanage in charge of her care.  To learn more about Kayley please contact April at april.uduhiri@gladney.org.  Or you can email me at erinmrtn@yahoo.com if you have questions about working with Gladney.  They helped us bring both of our daughters home so I'll be glad to answer any questions!

The Best Kind of News!

I just moved two more little pictures from the "Gladney's Waiting Children" page to the "My Family Found Me!" page.

I don't always mention it here, but I always love this little process.  Two more children with families!  It just makes me so happy!!

Congratulations to the families of:

Sadie & Pheobe!

I hope the process goes swiftly and smoothly and that these precious girls can be home soon!

Do We Care?

There has been bad news in the adoption world this week.  Russia is trying to pass a law banning adoptions to the US.  What does this mean?  Well, in the last year about 1,000 children came to the US from Russia, in the last twenty years around 60,000 Russian children have come to their families in the US.

It has become increasingly difficult to adopt from Russia.  The cost, the requirements, the number of trips required, the random paperwork required by judges, the time away from home, all of this has increased in recent years.  But there are still precious children coming home to loving families.  And if  President Vladimir Putin signs this law that will come to an end.

Friends, do we care?  Do we care that there are 2.5 million (possibly up to 4 million!) children without homes in Russia alone!?  (Reports are rather unreliable) And many, many of them are living in truly deplorable conditions.  Children with special needs especially often live in the worst conditions imaginable.  One author from Russia describes the asylums special needs children are placed in at the age of  about 4-6 as, "nightmarish concentration camps that most people in the Western World cannot even imagine".

I know, "What can we do?"  We can PRAY.  God cares about orphans.  We can pray that this bill does not get signed into law.  We can step out of our comfort zone to care for the 150,000,000+ orphans worldwide!  Have you asked God what He wants you to do? Have you asked God if He wants you to open your heart and home to a child without a home?  Can you give financial assistence?  Can you sponsor a child?  Can you tell others about the need?  Can you commit to praying specifically about these needs? 

We can all do something.

But do we truly care?  Do we care enough to step out and do what we can?  I know it seems like our tiny bit won't make a difference.  But I leave you with a quote from Mother Teresa,

"We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”

The Lotus Flower - Guest Post by Pat Marcus

Erin asked me to guest post on her blog and I wrote a lovely impersonal piece. It's been sitting on my computer and I have been looking at it and knowing its not good enough. What I want to say is working with waiting children and waiting parents has changed me in every way possible.

Just briefly, I am a pediatric physical therapist who travels to China, works with waiting children, trains caregivers, and helps connect waiting parents to waiting children. I can say although I worked in adoption for years, I have completely dedicated myself to supporting adoption since 2007 when I first went to China.

I am amazed by the depth and willingness to love and be loved by the kids and the prospective families. I have had to dig deep, knowing some children will never know the love of a mom and a dad. I have seen children bond with adoptive parents before they have even seen their picture. I have been given a little lecture by a waiting child about why it takes so long to be adopted. You think all of this would shake my faith? No,really I feel there is such a circle that envelops us all. The old red thread story. If anything, my experiences with adoption have brought me closer to faith and belief. I am more supportive of adoption and adoptive parents than ever. I love all the children I meet and hold them in my heart until the waiting adoptive parents can get them. Even after they are forever special to me.

I believe there is a home, parent and family waiting for every child I meet. It breaks my heart when this does not happen. These children so deserve a happy future. They are lotus buds, arising from muddy water, difficult circumstances. Waiting to bloom and be what was intended, beautiful perfect flowers. Sometimes it takes faith to know that the flower will come from the bud but now I can see the potential flower waiting in every child. The miracle waiting to happen.

This is how adoption has changed me. So I support adoption in any way I can and hope you all will too.

Pat

Adoption Related Miscellany

As I have mentioned,

November is National Adoption Month!!

I had intended to have new posts about adoption almost daily throughout November.  I wasn't counting on our internet being down for a couple of days though.  But anyway I am ba-a-a-a-ck!  So...

Don't forget about little Sadie!!
Please friends, let's try to pull together to make a difference for this precious girl!

And...

I'm still looking for people to guest post for me. 
I have some fun posts coming up, but I'm still open to more!  So if you would like to do a guest post this month please contact me at erinmrtn@yahoo.com. Other bloggers are welcome, but you do not need to have a blog to participate I would love to have some posts from adoptive parents, adoptees, birth parents, and adoption professionals. If adoption has touched your life please send me an email.
And...

Gladney's Taiwan program is hosting a two-part informational webinar on Friday .

This sounds like a webinar that would be well worth your time if you are interested in adopting from Taiwan or adopting an older child. There will be several professionals and wonderful adoption advocates speaking. You can register for the webinar here.

Be the Change- Guest Post by Pat Marcus

 Pat is a pediatric physical therapist who has traveled to China with Superkids Charity many times.  She is the therapist who met Eliana twice before we adopted her and now twice since we are home.  Thank you, Pat!  The Martin family loves you! 

Following my trip to JiangXi, I've had time to reflect on the children we saw there.  Many have medical needs but are cute as a button, many have very small needs. Some have large medical needs.

They are waiting for the opportunity to blossom in to what they truly are.  Daughters, sons, sisters, brothers, cousins, nieces, grandchildren.  Connected, joined and depended on, expanding families.  They are little miracles waiting for families to open their hearts to them.  When I go to China I have a short time to see these little wonders.  To get a sense of who they are.  What bits of them are so special that I can't wait to tell Waiting adoptive parents about them.  Even in orphanages, children have unique personalities, special likes, dislikes, interests in their limited scope that make them special.  I carry all their specialness in my heart until I can hand each and everyone over to their adoptive parents. These children are all perfect, all special, all amazing, all waiting.  Waiting for the Mom, Dad and family they so deserve.

So on national adoption day, in adoption awareness month, let's go out and help them find homes.  Everyone can do something to assist in this process.  Tell a friend, post to Facebook, write on your blog.  It's simple really, children need homes, we need to help.

For all the parents who have adopted, I celebrate you! The joy of raising a child is unending, and I am sure many of you feel as I do. You get back so much more than you give.  You have all followed the great Gandhi quote "be the change you want to see in the world".

Striving for a productive national adoption month.

Peace,
Pat

Thanks to Erin for posting this. Gladney and I were hit hard by the storm and power problems prevented me from posting.

Orphan Sunday 2012

Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names.
They are easier to ignore before you see their faces.
It is easier to pretend they're not real before you hold them in your arms.
But once you do, everything changes.-Radical by David Platt

Today is known as Orphan Sunday.  It is a day set aside to remember that there are millions of orphans around the world.  I believe the most recent count is around 165,000,000.  I can't even type that without my heart constricting.  And while the number is staggering, I never want to speak about children as statistics.

These are children.  Every one of them is an individual child with their own hurts and needs.  Each one has a unique personality.  Each one has valuable talents.  They each have longings and desires.  Each and every child needs to be treasured by someone who will always be there for them.  Each one is beautiful and of infinite value.  Each little life matters.

I need to present you with another statistic.  There are 2,000,000,000 people who profess Christianity in this world.  Is there something wrong with this picture?  If we Christians are not going to be moved by a cause so close to God's heart then who will?

We can all do something, and I know many of us are.  Ask God how He wants you to help.  And then do it, just do it. You will not be sorry. 

 

 



A Few Bible Verses Related to Adoption

God's makes His love and concern for orphans very clear in the Bible.  He repeatedly reveals His love of justice and mercy through His concern for orphans, widows, and strangers.

Our God is a:

Father to the fatherless, defender of widows — this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families.

Psalms 68:5-6

 

God defines pure religion very clearly for us:

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

James 1:27

 

God is praised and lifted up for these attributes:

You are the helper of the fatherless. LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more.

Psalms 10:14,17-18

 

God commands us to:

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.

Proverbs 31:8-9

 

God shows His love for children:

And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.

Matthew 18:5

 

God Himself chose to adopt us:

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."

Romans 8:14-16

 

And... do you really want to show your love for God? 

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Matthew 25:30

 

Remember...

 

November is National Adoption Month.

 

Ask God how He would have you care for one of His children today.

It Is November!!!

And I am so excited about it.

November is National Adoption Month!!

So...

I have a couple things to tell you about. 

I am sponsoring a child for the

Reece's Rainbow Christmas Angel Tree 2012.

The goal is to raise $1,000 for this little love by the end of the year.

I did a bit of figuring and discovered that if each of my sweet readers would give about $0.30 a day we would exceed this goal with ease.  So how about setting aside a coin jar for little Sadie and seeing how much you can collect in two months?

You can read more about Sadie and donate to her fund here.  I will be putting a clickable link on my sidebar as well.  Together we can make a difference to this child! It is not for lack of  willing families as much as for lack of funds that children like Sadie wait with little or no hope. 

In the words of Edward Everett Hale- "I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything; but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."

And now for the other thing I want to tell you about. 

November is National Adoption Month!!

So...

I am going post a lot about adoption this month.  I love telling our story, but I'd like you to tell yours too!  So if you would like to do a guest post this month please contact me at erinmrtn@yahoo.com.  Other bloggers are welcome, but you do not need to have a blog to participate I would love to have some posts from adoptive parents, adoptees, birth parents, and adoption professionals.  If adoption has touched your life please send me an email.

Happy News!

Wyatt has a family!!!

His picture can now be found on the "My Family Found Me" page!

Blessing on this sweet boy and his family!  May the time between now and when you are together move swiftly!

Waiting Child- "Tessa"

Today I want you to meet Tessa.  She is going to have a birthday soon.  She will turn 2.  How I wish she would receive the gift of a family for her birthday!

Tessa is from Asia.  She has a cleft lip and palate.  She also appears to possibly have a syndrome, her file states that she appears to have Down's Syndrome.

Tessa has been in the same foster home since she was very small.  She is very close to her nanny and cries when she sees her nanny carrying another child.  She understands what is being said to her and will smile when asked if she wants milk. 

And, wait for it, this is my favorite detail: she likes to look pretty and wear pretty clothes.  When you tell her how pretty she looks she smiles happily.

Pat Marcus, a pediatric physical therapist, met her in June.  She had just had surgery to repair her cleft lip and also had a cold.  She was not a happy camper (who can blame her?!)  but it was reported to Pat that she is normally a happy little girl.  Pat speaks about meeting her in this webinar.( INTRODUCING OUR JIANGXI REFERRALS – PART 2!!!).

This baby needs a family.  Her physical needs may seem large, but her greatest need is just the same basic need that all children have, she needs a family.

Tessa is also listed on Reece's Rainbow.  You can make a tax deductible donation toward her adoption costs here.  This is such a great opportunity for people who want to help but can't adopt her!  Remember, we can all do something.

If you would like more information about Tessa please contact April Uduhiri at april.uduhiri@gladney.org.

If you have questions about working with Gladney please don't hesitate to contact me at erinmrtn@yahoo.com. We adopted through Gladney twice and I am glad to share our experience!

Don't Miss the Webinars!!

April Uduhiri and Pat Marcus
 

Remember when I told you about the special place Pat Marcus holds in our hearts?  Well, here she is with April Uduhiri, another person who is very special to our family.  April is the Gladney Asia program caseworker that worked with our family through out Eliana's adoption.  She is the one who sent us emails like this one sent at almost 7:00 on a Thursday evening, long after I assumed we would not hear anything that day:

Subject:  :)

Erin – your CIS approval came back from the Consulate today and the dossier is complete! It will go out tomorrow to China.

Congratulations! We’re all excited to see you move forward another step towards bringing Xing Xing home.

Anyway, these are the ladies who spoke on the recent webinars about children available through Gladney's partnership program with various orphanages in China. You can see parts 1 & 2 here. They speak about all of the kiddos you see here.

And these are also the ladies that we plan to visit with in person on Sunday! YAY!!

New Kiddos!!

I listed five more children on the Gladney's Waiting Children page!  They are adorable!  These children seem to have really minor needs and range in age from 20 months to 10 years!

Please look, share, do what you can to help these children find a family!