Becoming Aware: J&B, and One Less

Do you ever get those emails telling you that you've a computer, or a vacation, an iPad?

Well, you might get a legitimate message like that by entering THIS FUNDRAISER.

What is the fundraiser about? It's about ONE LESS.

One less orphan in the world. One less girl without a Dad & Mom. One less girl whose future would otherwise statistically lean towards prostitution or homelessness. One less girl doubting her worth.

It's about a couple, J&B, whose eyes were opened when they hosted an 8-year-old girl in 2009. During her visit, J&B quickly fell in love with her spunk, her attitude, her enthusiasm, and her charm.

It's about that girl becoming their daughter in late 2010.

And now, it's about the journey to bring home one more. A sister for their precious girl. One more girl who will know the meaning of family, the value that she holds within, and the love of God.

Only 3 days remain in their fundraiser. So don't miss out on your chance to win an iPad. Visit their fundraiser today! (HERE)

"After hosting an 8 year old girl from a Ukrainian orphanage during the 2009 holiday season, our hearts have been opened to international adoption. We adopted our daughter in December of 2010, and while we were there we knew we weren't done. We are now working to raise funds to travel back to Ukraine this Summer! Please consider supporting us either through a donated item, or by purchasing a donated item. Thank you so much! Blessings, J&B"

So, how can you help?

• Pray - pray for this family of three as they prayerfully journey to become a family of four
• Give - make a donation and you could win an iPad - that's a huge win/win in my book!
• Go - host a child! Hosting is not meant to be adoption place. Some children are not available for adoption, and some do not wish to be adopted. But there are plenty of stories of families united through hosting. There are several great organizations out there. J&B hosted through Frontier Horizon (visit them HERE). You can also check out New Horizons for Children (visit them HERE).

Becoming Aware: the Stewart Family

As I mentioned last week, I'm starting a series of posts to make you aware.

But as I mentioned then, if you're not ready to become aware, don't read these posts. I mentioned this verse last week, and here it is in another translation:
"Rescue the perishing; don't hesitate to step in and help. If you say, "Hey, that's none of my business," will that get you off the hook? Someone is watching you closely, you know - Someone not impressed with weak excuses." Proverbs 24:11-12 (The Message)

The first story I'd like to share is the story of the Stewart family.

Craig, Gretchen, and their son Ari (Ari's in the blue shirt in the picture) live just a few minutes from us. And although we haven't met in person (and I really hope to change that!), they are often in my thoughts and prayers.

You see, this family now knows. They are no longer unaware. While surfing the internet in May of 2010, Gretchen's eyes were opened, specifically to the plight of special needs children in orphanages all over the world. And shortly after that, she saw a face that forever changed her life.

It was a little boy, almost 4 years old at the time. Now known as Ian, this little guy was living a half a world away. He had been placed in an orphanage. Why? He was born with Down Syndrome.

The Stewart family is now on a quest to bring Ian home.

International adoption is not easy, and it's not cheap. But God is bigger than monetary obstacles and paperwork and everything else that comes with adoption.

The Stewarts recently traveled to Ian's birth country for their first trip (this particular country requires 2 - 3 trips to complete an adoption). They've spent time with him and are head-over-heels in love with him. They've also become aware that he's in need of surgery, so they're seeking to get back to him as soon as possible.

In the meantime, they are in the U.S., waiting for the go-ahead for the second trip (which should include court). And as they wait, they're also working to raise the remaining funds for the adoption.

In this series, I will challenge you to help in one of three ways: Pray, Give or Go. It's between you and God how you respond, but everyone can respond in at least one of these ways.

Now you know a little of the Stewart family's story.

So how will you help this family?

• Pray. Gretchen often shares what's going on and how you can pray for them, via this site: http://www.bring-hope-home.blogspot.com/ While you're there, let them know you're praying!
• Give. You can give through the Stewart family's site: http://www.bring-hope-home.blogspot.com/ (they're doing a raffle right now for all donations) or directly through Reece's Rainbow: http://reecesrainbow.org/sponsorstewart
• Go. If you're interested in adoption, there are many organizations that can help you get started, and many individuals (like me - contact me HERE) who would be more than happy to answer your questions and talk about your concerns. And if you're interested in special needs adoption, I encourage you to visit http://www.reecesrainbow.org/.

Sunday's Comin'

Blissfully Unaware

Just a little more than four years ago, that was me. I was longing to be a mother, yet I was unaware of what was in store.

Some days the stories of orphans that have been abandoned, abused, and neglected is almost more than I can handle. Some days I wish I didn't know the stories. Ignorance would be a lot easier.

And yet, I'm reminded of Proverbs 24:12...

"Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows what we know, and holds us responsible to act."

In the coming days and weeks, I'd like to share some stories with you. Stories of people that have become aware. People that are seeking to make a difference in the lives of orphans.

I pray that these stories will open YOUR eyes. And then I pray that you will find a way to act. Adoption. Foster Care. A donation to a family that needs financial support. A mission trip. Knitting for orphans.

Whatever God leads you to do, I pray that you will do it.

If you're not ready for your eyes to be opened - if you would rather remain blissfully unaware - I encourage you to NOT read this blog for a few weeks.

Links to the 'Becoming Aware' blog posts so far...
The Stewart Family
J&B, and One Less
Knitting for Orphans
Witness the Process
Ethiopia
Kirill's Story, and our Mighty God
Literal Eyes Being Opened

Spring Break: Saturday & the long road home

Tim & Lisa live really close to the Arlington County Fire Department. So before we left Saturday, we walked over to visit. When we got there things were really quiet. I'd heard the sirens a couple of times during the night, so we figured the crew was probably getting some much-needed sleep. So instead of bothering them, we just looked around and took some pictures.

A piece of one of World Trade Center towers

A piece of one of World Trade Center towers

A piece of the Pentagon - ACFD was the first fire department on the scene at the Pentagon on September 11

After that, we hit the road, around 10:45. It was a fairly pleasant trip home. Stopped at Friendly's for lunch (because we don't have those at home). I told Zack I'd drive for a while so he could rest. And wouldn't you know it? It hadn't really rained much at all in all of our driving. But put me behind the wheel, and we get into a huge storm, complete with black-as-night skies, earth-shaking thunder, lighting and hail! Thankfully, no damage was done. We stopped later for dinner, and then were home by around 9:15 that night.

It was a great trip, full of fascinating sites, lots of history, tons of good food, and lots of fun! While I think Daniel would be much better suited for a lazy beach vacation, I also think everyone had a great time!

Spring Break: Friday, finishing up in DC

We had a great night's sleep at Tim & Lisa's. The weather forecast called for rain pretty much all day, and we heard it when we woke up.

We walked to the train station in not much more than a drizzle. We took the Metro back to the Smithsonian station. First stop, the Air & Space Museum.

Besides seeing some really cool stuff, the boys were thrilled to buy astronaut ice cream!

Soviet Missile

While the weather was somewhat cooperative, we decided to walk to the capitol and the White House.
The walk to the capitol was very pleasant...

 But just as we got to the White House, the rain began falling... harder & harder.

So we grabbed some lunch and headed to the American History museum.

Apparently, everyone else in DC had the same idea. I've never seen one of those museums so packed. Probably partly because of the rain, partly because it was a lot of school groups hitting the museums one last time before traveling home, partly becaues people knew if the government shut-down happened later that night, the Smithsonians would be closed the next day.

So our visit to the American History museum was brief, but we got to see some cool things. Most of these are pop culture pics.

After the museum, we got to do something that was the highlight of our entire trip. Lisa took us on a private tour of the Pentagon! We were there for probably 2 hours and it was fascinating. Unfortunately, no pictures allowed, but trust me - it was awesome!

We went back to Tim & Lisa's and waited for Lisa to get home from work. Then we all hopped on the Metro and headed to Ben's Chili Bowl for dinner - a restaurant made famous by Bill Cosby, it's also been visited by tons of other celebrities. Even President Obama stopped in to eat just a couple of weeks before his inauguration. A greasy spoon joint for sure, but it was yummy junk food!

Tim & Daniel on the Metro

If you ever go, be sure to order a Chili Half Smoke

Spring Break: Thursday in Philly & DC

Thursday morning, we left New York City around 4:45 in the morning. Yes, we're crazy like that. But we were driving, and we wanted to avoid the craziness of NYC rush hour traffic! It was a great decision, as the streets were empty - which really helped when the GPS wasn't being especially helpful and we had to loop around a couple of streets a few extra times to find the correct turn!

The boys slept for a while. Once the sun started coming up, we stopped for breakfast. And before long, we were in Philadelphia.

We stopped to see the Rocky statue, and run the famous steps (http://youtu.be/NubH5BDOaD8)...

Then we drove to see the Liberty Bell and visit Independence Hall.

The bell, while large, was smaller than I had envisioned in my mind. But still impressive to see a bit of American history right before our eyes!

We really enjoyed the tour of Independence Hall.



George Washington once sat in the big chair in the center/back



Then it was on to Washington, D.C. We were going to be staying with one of Zack's childhood friends & his wife. They live in Arlington. So we parked at the Metro station closest to their home, and rode in to the Smithsonian station.

We walked. A LOT. The weather was beautiful and we wanted to take advantage of it. We probably walked 5 miles that afternoon. Everyone seemed to have fun. The cherry blossoms were fading but we still saw some. And we enjoyed visiting the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, WWII Memorial, FDR Memorial, and Jefferson Memorial.


Washington Monument



Lincoln Memorial

Outside the Lincoln Memorial

A waterfall at the FDR Memorial

Cherry Blossoms & Washington Monument



Jefferson Memorial

After a long day of riding and walking, we met Zack's friend Tim for dinner back at the metro station (which is also right at the mall & lots of great restaurants). We went back to his house and got the boys ready for bed. We were looking forward to seeing his wife Lisa that night. But Lisa works at the Pentagon, and with the possibility of a government shut-down the following evening, she was a bit busy!

Spring Break: Wednesday, last day in NYC



Hard Rock Cafe

 These first few pictures were taken at some point during the trip, although I can't remember which day. They all started running together at some point!


William at the Lego Store

 

M&M World

On Wednesday, we made our way to Ground Zero. It was super windy and pretty chilly that morning when we got off the subway. The freedom tower is going up and is supposed be ready by September 11 - but I'm guessing they're going to be working their hineys off to make that a reality! There is a preview center to see what everything is going to look like. But we got there fairly early and it wasn't open yet.

This is the church that sits right across from Ground Zero - I'm amazed at the fact that it withstood all the destruction.

We hopped back on the subway and went to Battery Park. We intended to catch the ferry to see the statue of Liberty. But the ferry station was jam packed and we figured it was in Daniel's best interest (and everyone else's maybe!) to not try and cram on with all those people. We checked out buying tickets to do one of the charter boats, but would've been standing in line for probably 4 or 5 hours to just get on a boat.

The boys were happy seeing the statue from the park, and it kept little man from having to deal with a lot of standing around and/or excessive crowds.

Here are our little immigrants at the immigrant statue.

After Battery Park, we went back to Canal Street/Chinatown. We grabbed some lunch at a great little hole-in-the-wall restaurant (excellent fried rice, curry chicken, & pork egg fu yung). Just before we left, I read some reviews online saying this place was known for its pork buns. Never heard of it, but we bought one to take with us. They come steamed or baked - the waiter suggested trying the baked.

We walked around Canal Street a little more. Daniel & I bought sunglasses, and William bought a fedora. Then we decided to take the train to Central Park, for a quieter walk. We figured we could find a bench & relax a while and do some people watching. The boys were able to run a little of their energy off, and chill a little - a much needed break for both of them.

While we sat, we tried the pork bun. Zack didn't like it at all. I thought it was okay. The boys devoured it :)

Walking back to the train station, we saw the Ukrainian Institute of America. The boys were so excited, but unfortunately it was closed to the public that day for a private event.

After that it was back to the hotel to rest a little while. That evening, the rain returned. We let the boys pick dinner - McDonalds. Not what we really wanted, but we obliged and they were thrilled:) Then we went to Magnolia Bakery for cake & coffee. A few more pictures, and we were back fairly early.

The boys watched a movie, while we got everything packed.

Overall, we had a great time in New York City. Not the best trip for Daniel, but Zack and I fell in love with the city, the people, everything. It was a great experience. 

Spring Break: Tuesday in NYC

Daniel is a huge fan of the NYPD

On Tuesday, we started the day by hopping the subway to Canal Street. Soon after we arrived, William was the proud owner of a "Guess" watch (as in, my Guess is it's fake!) and the boys were excited to have a bottle of Justice League cologne.

Pretty much as soon as we got there, the skies grew dark, and it started sprinkling We stopped at a cafe in Little Italy for breakfast - and one of the best banana muffins I've ever had!

Next on the agenda was the American Museum of Natural History. We quickly saw that Daniel was having a tough time with things (the museum was huge, loud, & packed with people) but we'd already bought the tickets so we pressed on.

There were some great exhibits that we enjoyed. Zack and I found the museum to be poorly laid out, and with about a zillion students touring the place, it was chaotic. Daniel had several meltdowns, and even asked to go back to the hotel and take a nap.

If this child asks to take a nap, you know something's up.

He was DONE. We'd pushed him way too hard, and to say he was overstimulated would be an understatement. While Daniel and I went on back to the hotel, Zack & William picked up some (yummy!!!) wraps from the deli across the street for lunch.

We ate lunch in the room - and for the rest of the afternoon and most of the evening, we chilled at the hotel. Naps, rest, and general calm time. It was good for everyone, but especially for the little man.

To end the day, we walked over to FAO Schwarz. The boys enjoyed looking around. We saw this cool globe puzzle there - and Zack discovered that the boys' town, Mariupol, is on it! (I love that it's on most world maps!)