ON THURSDAY’S I POST FROM THE VAULT. THIS POST IS FROM NOVEMBER 2011.
Jeannett is no stranger to philanthropy through blogging, Her blog is a regular host of guest posts that are matched with giveaways benefits a charity of choice. Last Christmas, she set her sights on something that could change one person’s life forever – a pretty lofty goal. Many bloggers joined Jeannett in sharing Cliff’s story and last Christmas, $5 at a time, readers made a difference for Cliff and raised almost $9,500 for his adoption. Cliff is now Joshua and has a mama, a daddy, three brothers and a whole host of grandmas and aunts and uncles. He lives in a safe home with a loving mom and dad where he gets love and attention and the medical care he needs. He’s learning sign language and flourishing.
Jeannett wasn’t kidding when she talked about changing a life. This year, Jeannett is attempting to fund the adoption of a little boy named Xander. He has Down Syndrome and lives in a country where children with special needs who have been abandoned by their families are relegated to life in a mental institution upon turning three. She learned about Xander through Reece’s Rainbow – an organization that tries to help place special needs children into adoptive homes.
The following are Jeannett’s words about Xander and her desire to fund his adoption. I hope you will read and consider helping.
Hello my sweet friends.
I’d like for you to meet Xander. The squishiest, sweetest, most delicious little face you ever did see. Xander lives in an orphanage in Eastern Europe with no Mommy and no Daddy. Those almond eyes, a sign of Down Syndrome…and likely much needed medical care. Once when Henry was a bitty baby, I found myself in his nursery in the wee hours of the morning consoling his whimpering and kissing his
feverish little forehead. I remember thinking: of all the people in the entire world, I’m the only one who can make him feel even remotely happy. All he wants is his mama. No one else will do. And suddenly, out of the blue, in the glow of a new mom’s overwhelming love for her first baby, I was crushed at the thought of the orphan crisis. How, if my life were different…if one of millions of things weren’t exactly the same as they are now… I was devastated at the thought of a feverish and sick child whimpering in a crib alone. No mama to stay up and whisper sweet nothings and coo in his ear. No daddy to chase him around the house and throw him high into the air for no reason but to elicit squeals of delight. No cherry flavored Tylenol and cool washcloths for his head. In that moment, in the middle of the night, sitting in a gliding rocker, in a perfectly decorated nursery, I sobbed. And truth be told, I’ve never really stopped sobbing over it, you know? Something happened that night, or really the moment I became a mother, that made me look at the entire world differently. The world is a much smaller place the moment you have children. I think we all break in some way for the orphan crisis…but we have no idea where to start or what to do. After all, little Xander is only one of 143 million orphans. Read that number again. Roll it around in your brain. Horrific. And let’s not forget all of the other issues of our broken world. The cancer, the poverty, the dirty water, the child trafficking, the abuse, the wars, the AIDS pandemic, the….name it. I’m tempted to shut down in an overwhelmed panic. Because the truth is, we can’t save the world. We can give and give and advocate and try, and it still won’t be enough. Right? But you know what? It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. It doesn’t mean it’s a good reason to sit back and do nothing. We must try. We must do our part. We must. Do not buy into the lie that your portion does not matter. Do not allow yourself to believe that you cannot make a difference. Do not give yourself permission to throw up your hands in frustration and then cover your eyes with them. Because today my friends, we will do something. It may not be much, but we will do our part because it’s the right thing to do. Because God calls us to do it. After all, last Christmas, $5 at a time, we made a difference for Cliff and raised almost $9,500…Cliff who is now Joshua and has a mama, a daddy, three brothers and a whole host of grandmas and aunts and uncles. I know your heart breaks for orphans. I know it does. And I know that it may not be possible for you to adopt. But a family out there would love to. And you can help. Together we will combine our portions for Xander’s adoption fund. So that when a family steps forward to adopt him, a gift of funding will be awaiting them. International adoption is expensive. And is hands down the biggest deterrent to would-be adoptive families. Not desire. Not extra bedrooms. Not politics. Just stupid, awful money. So let’s bless a family today. Let’s bless Xander. Let’s make this Christmas be about more than wrapping paper and twinkling lights. Consider making a tax deductible donation to Xander’s adoption fund through Reece’s Rainbow. I know life is expensive and times are tough. I know. But ask yourself this: Can you afford not to? Read HERE to find out more about an incredible matching grant and some absolutely MASSIVE giveaways. You’ll love it.
