I’m taking a break from my usual snarky, goofy self (or at least, that is my fervent intention as I begin typing). I know I’ve made a committment to not get to serious on this blog, and to provide nothing more than an opportunity for you to laugh at someone besides yourself for a few minutes of your day.

I hope you’ll forgive me for waxing more serious today. And I hope you’ll keep reading, despite the fact that I’m typing with a wicked head cold, so my thoughts aren’t as organized as usual (I can’t believe I just said “as organized as usual” in reference to myself). But I made the mistake of taking a couple of Sudafed–the REAL ones that they keep behind the pharmacy counter, the ones that they make you show ID and sign a sworn statement that you don’t run a meth lab (because of course the guys out there running meth labs would totally go, “oh, wait–I can’t sign this because, you see, I actually AM a meth dealer. Darn.”) but which actually work, unlike the decongestants that they stock on the shelves which now contain a substitute ingredient which has shown to be completely ineffective in lab tests.

Was I going somewhere when I started this rant?

 ….Sudafed—got it. I took 2 Sudafed last night before bed, even though I know Sudafed makes me jittery and keeps me up all night. At the time, I was thinking that I’d rather be awake and able to breath than trying to sleep with a stuffy nose. About 3am, I was seriously questioning that logic. But anyway, it means that my thoughts are decidedly more rambling today, and that I don’t have the brainpower or the energy to rectify the situation before I hit the “publish” button and go take a nap. You love me anyway, right?  Hang on, here we go….

My family is in the process of adopting a little Russian girl with Down syndrome. If you aren’t familiar with our journey so far and you’re interested in the details, I have a tab at the top of this page that will take you to our Adoption Journey.

We are embarking on this journey with the wonderful community over at Reece’s Rainbow , a group of people who truly have hearts for those I believe Jesus was speaking about when He charged us to care for the least of these–the orphans. Specifically, Reece’s Rainbow advocates for orphans around the world with Down syndrome, but they also help find families for children with other special needs.

Throughout most of the world, children with Down syndrome are routinely abandoned at birth, consigned to life in an orphanage. In Russia and other Eastern European countries with few resources, these children face an ominous reality as they approach their 4th birthday. It is at that point that they are transferred to the mental institution.

I’m going to wait a moment and let that sink in.

Mental institution. In a former soviet block country. Think about that for a minute. Do you even want to imagine what a Russian asylum is like? Now, put yourselves in the shoes of a 4 year old with Down syndrome, ripped from the only poor semblance of home they’ve ever known and thrown into an environment of sheer bedlam. Most of these children die within a year—ONE YEAR—from neglect. I assure you, whatever horrors are running through your mind right now, you haven’t even cracked the shell.

Reece’s Rainbow does a PHENOMENAL job of getting the word out and helping families on their adoption journeys so that these precious children can be saved from such a tragic fate. But there are so many orphans. So many…. And when the message goes out that another child has been transferred to the institution, there is much grieving.

Right now, a sweet little boy named Dennis is facing the institution in a matter of weeks. By the time our children are slipping Valentine’s Day cards into their classmates’ boxes, little Dennis could be lost. Forever. He’s so little. He’s so helpless.

Ohmygosh—look at those little ears! Couldn’t you just nibble on them? And that beautiful little face—I think I’d spend all my time kissing him. The funny blue spots on his tummy are iodine—like the “monkey’s blood” they used to put on us when we had owies as children. And the fact that he’s hiking his leg up at a 90 degree angle? That’s the hypotonia I told you about in “Life With Mason.”  It means he’ll be an awesome dancer and climber.

Dennis needs someone who already has a completed international homestudy. He needs a miracle. He has over $3,000 available in his grant fund toward his adoption. Please pray with me that God will bring forward a family for Dennis.

There are so many more children waiting for forever families. Children who, like Dennis, will face institutionalization soon if someone doesn’t save them.

God moved my family from “we can’t afford adoption” to “we’re adopting!” in less than 8 hours. We don’t have the money—but what I’ve learned is that most adoptive families don’t. They pursue fundraising opportunities and grants to raise it. And that’s what we’re doing.

Truthfully, our biggest obstacle—way bigger than finances—was the day-to-day commitment of bringing home another child. Face it, you ain’t reading the “Competence Diaries,” or the  ”I Have it Totally Together Diaries.” When I tell you that I am a basket case, what I mean by that is that by the end of any given day, I am wishing for a basket big enough to either hide in, or else big enough to fit all the children in so they’ll be safe while I go sing Kumbaya in my closet. I’m stretched thin. I’m tired. I’d like a little more free time, a little less laundry.

And it gets back to finances, too. Not the up-front costs of adoption, but the costs of the proverbial extra mouth to feed. God has provided and He covers all of our needs, but we don’t end up with much left over at the end of the month. I don’t get manicures or have a gym membership. The Hubby’s been driving the same vehicle for 13 years, and frankly it’s been putting in its bid for retirement for about the last 4.

But for us, it boiled down to this: am I going to say that my comfort is worth protecting at the cost of a child’s life? Am I going to make the conscious decision that I’m not willing to scrimp a little more, to cut back here and there, to maybe give up satellite tv and bottled water, in order to save a child’s life? Can I look at those helpless little faces and say, “Sorry, kid, but I’m really attached to my Starbucks in the morning.”

A friend of mine through Reece’s Rainbow–who has adopted 5 children herself—said it something like this: your comforts don’t seem so comfortable when you think of what’s at stake. And she’s right. I can’t cling so tightly to my “lifestyle” when these children are fighting for life.  I live in the richest country on earth. I have more than 90% of the world’s population. And while maybe I can’t change the world, I can change the world for one child. Or two. Or….

Please visit the Reece’s Rainbow website and look at the beautiful faces of the children who need you. Not everyone is called to adopt. But there are many ways you can help. You can donate. You can spread the word. You can sign up to be a prayer warrior for a child. You can just scroll down the list of sweet children and pray as you go.

Thanks, friends. We now return you to your regularly scheduled chaos….

Tags: Adoption, Down syndrome, hypotonia, Reece's Rainbow, Reece's Rainbow Down syndrome Adoption Ministry, Sudafed