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- Extremely Important Announcement Concerning Haitian Orphans!
- Emergency Help Needed!
- What is going on there...
- Great News
- Since I've Been Home...
- More Recent Articles
- Search My Journey to Ethiopia & Uganda
This was an email sent by Greg Buzek. He is the head of the orphan ministry at my church.
The situation in Haiti continues to be fluid, specifically surrounding orphans. Before the earthquake there were 50,000 orphans in Haiti. Undoubtedly that number has increased, perhaps doubled or tripled.
I received this note below and then a few minutes ago Fox News announced the US is allowing orphaned Haitian Children into the US and it appears that a number of those children wil lbe coordinated through a charity that my friend Irene started 11 years ago in South Florida which has now evolved into 4Kids of South Florida.
This situation remains fluid. If you know of families who were planning to adopt or interested in learning more, please pass this information along. Here is the original announcement. You can see the latest announcement atwww.foxnews.com, but here is some more detail on what has been considered here. If you know of someone who has been in the process of adopting from Haiti and they are wondering how their kids are, they can contact the Department of Homeland Security at hatianadoptions@dhs.gov.
Thanks,
Greg
Haitian Orphans as Refugees to US.
The U.S. government is giving serious consideration (now it is policy according to Fox News Report) to allowing a large number of Haitian orphans to enter the U.S.-essentially as refugees under special humanitarian provisions. Whether these children could enter permanent families through adoption in the short term is unclear. However, it appears likely that the primary entry point for them to the U.S. would be South Florida. Alliance member organization 4KIDS of South Florida (http://www.4kidsofsfl.org/) has been contacted by Florida's Department of Children & Families (DCF) with questions about 4KIDS' capacity to aid with both direct care and connections to additional care options nationwide. 4KIDS informed DCF that they stood ready not only with their own network of churches in South Florida, but also to activate a vast network of churches committed to caring for orphans nationwide through the Alliance. If the Federal and state governments decide to move forward with this plan, we'll be asking you to join this work in every way possible.
Friends...
I need to tell you about an immediate need. While I was in Africa we worked with orphans at the
Canaan Children's Home. This place is amazing! I just got word that there was a terrible fire there that completely devastated the junior girls dormitory and damaged the senior girls dormitory.
There is an emergency fundraising campaign underway to pay to rebuild the dorms and replace the damaged items. I strongly encourage you to prayerfully considering donating.
It's not like these kids can just go stay at their friends house or the nearest hotel. They can't run to the mall to buy new school uniforms that were ruined. They need me, and you, and others to help. Canaan Children's Home is truly an extraordinary place living out the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Y
ou can read all the info about the fire HERE. And send your donations in 1 of 2 ways:
- YOU CAN DONATE ON-LINE USING CHRISTIAN AID’S SECURE FORM – BE SURE TO SPECIFY “568 CCTC Fire” IN THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THE FORM.http://www.christianaid.org
- OR, YOU CAN SEND YOUR CHECK TO:
Christian Aid Mission
“568 CCTC Fire”
P.O. Box 9037
Charlottesville, VA 22906
434-977-5650
I haven't posted for a while. Been processing much and busy with much.
I wanted to share with you the blog of Katie Davis. You can go HERE to see it. Katie is 20 year old girl from Brentwood who lives in Uganda. I had the great privilege of meeting her before I went to Africa and then we worked with her ministry while there. She is truly one of the most extraordinary people I have ever met. She is now the mom to 13 little Ugandan girls all of which I had the pleasure of meeting. She just posted a great post that shows what is truly going on on the other side of the world. As I read it last night, I sat there weeping, asking God to show me how to be involved on a continual basis. What Africa did to me was make everything I had seen and heard a reality. When I looked at the starving and orphaned children, I saw my own children in their eyes. What if that was my child lonely and hungry? Those children are every bit as real as my sweet Ellie & Libby. They are not just a face or a name. Each one is a real human being who needs to loved and fed and cared for. I’ve tried to imagine my kids out there with distended bellies, no one to treat their illnesses, worms in the bodies, and sadness in their eyes. It’s almost too much. My heart can’t bear the thought of it. I don’t even really know why I’m writing this post exactly. I guess I feel a sense of responsibility for these children. Whether or not you are involved in taking care of orphans or those whom the Bible calls “the least of these”, I challenge you to read this and pass it along to others.
Early in my trip, I posted a blog about a little girl I met at the America World Transition Home. You can see it here.
This little girl absolutely stole my heart. A day has not gone by since I've been home that I haven't thought about her. Every day I wonder if she's gone to be with her Forever Family yet. So guess what? I found her parents' blog today and they are in Ethiopia RIGHT NOW picking her up! I am so excited for her! She is about to feel the love of a Mom and a Dad, HER mom and dad. Check out her blog,
Anxiously Hopeful and say a little prayer that she adjusts well. God is good!
It seems like I was in Africa just yesterday, yet at the same time it seems like a distant past.
Since I have been home, life has been incredibly busy. In a perfect world I would have like to come home and just chill for a few weeks to recuperate and process everything I saw and did while I was in Africa. This is not a perfect world however. I have been going non-stop. For those of you who know me, you know I typically have a lot going on, but this week has been particularly busy. Thankfully I've been working with kind, laid back clients though which is definitely a blessing. In addition to real estate, I've also been working on my upcoming consignment sale and working on advertising for my dad's blog. Honestly, I am exhausted. I never in a million years imagined my first week back would look like this. I've decided that next week am going to not work during day, unless I absolutely have to. I'm going to try to do most everything I have to do at night once the kids have gone to bed.
My kids need me. I must confess that I feel like a very bad mother right now. I was gone for two weeks and then come home and have basically been gone this entire week. I'm so thankful that I have the opportunity to work a bit here and there, but it's just been hard after being gone for so long. I'm definitely taking it easy next week and hanging with my kids. Maybe we'll go to the zoo. I love my zoo membership. I bet the kids at the orphanages would love the zoo. Wish I could take them with me!
Every now and then I've thought about my journey to Africa. I can't even tell how what an incredible experience it was. I've having a hard time reconciling what I do with my life here knowing that there are millions of kids on the other side of the world lonely and parentless and millions more hungry and scared. My life seems so pointless sometimes. Once you've seen the need of those children in Africa, it's hard to forget it. I've got to find someway to help with that need while here in America. The problems in Africa are so large, but quite simple. Kids need parents, families need food, orphanages need training, people need clean water, kids need love, people need God. I don't mean the problem is simple as in easy. But simple as in straightforward. We can ALL do something. At the moment, I'm doing nothing. I feel terrible about that. Those kids need me. They need you. As Christians, God commands us to take care of them. He doesn't say "if you feel like it." Just look up all the verses about taking care of the poor, the orphans, and the widows. It's shocking!
Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by it all. There is so much to be done. How do I decide what I can help with? If I support one organization, then I feel guilty for not supporting the others. I think that is totally Satan's way of getting to not do anything. I think I'll start by sponsoring a child through World Vision. That is so easy, yet at the same time life changing.
Still so much to process. So much to consider.
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