I consider Ralph to be one of the best things that has ever happened to me and to my family. As surprised as I was that he was born with Down Syndrome, it never crossed my mind to do anything but love him and teach him and help him grow...like any other child.
This brings me to a little boy in Eastern Europe. His name is Ilya. He was given up at birth by his parents because he shares the diagnosis of Down syndrome. His parents did what they knew to do, they left him at the hospital, probably told family and friends that he had died. His birth would be considered a curse on the family and services for disabled children just don't exist there. This thinking baffles me as a mother.
I thank God for the organization Reece's Rainbow and the wonderful people who support it's mission. Take Meredith, for example. Check out her blog sometime...amazing story. Amazing family! She is hosting a chip-in fund raiser for Ilya over the next three weeks. The money raised will go straight into his adoption grant fund and will be available to his forever family to help with the cost of his adoption.
Right now, this handsome little boy's future doesn't look good. He's small, under-stimulated, under-nourished, and frankly he needs someone to put a smile on his face! Ilya was born in November of 2004 and just turned four years old. He's now just 10 months from being transferred to a mental institution.
This year, though we cannot go bring home a child ourselves, I will continue to advocate for those waiting for a family. I'll also have the chip-in widget on Ralph's page for the next three weeks...top right-hand side of the page. For much more information click HERE.
1 comments:
What a beautiful ministry these adoptions are!
I am close to a family who is in the process of adopting a child with cleft palate from Russia. This family already has 9 children, but none with special needs. They were called. God's work among us! Barbara
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