Hope & Serve

Have you wanted to work in orphanages overseas? I have! I just watched a video on The House of Rainbow Bridge in Cambodia. I happened to come across it today while doing research. I also came across this organization that has several places for you to volunteer your time. Check out this link http://www.ifrevolunteers.org/index.php. As you can tell I don't know a lot about this group and am in NO way saying this is the/a group for you to go with! I know only what I read about on their web site and thought that it might be something neat to post. Likewise, it might something to get you started looking into volunteer work in orphanages! There are a lot of groups and a lot of them have fundraising ideas for airfare, housing, etc.

Also, I received an email today and it went so well with my last post. I think it is neat that people are starting to realize how many children- esp. older children- are waiting for a home. I know that adoption has increased significantly in the past few years. My only hope is that people are choosing to adopt to help children. I hate when things get popular and people do things for that reason! Also I hope the country they adopt from is based on a true desire and love for the children there. I hate it when I hear people say that they are going to adopt from a place b/c it is the easiest and cheapest. I heard that recently and really felt like telling the people not to adopt that they are doing it for the wrong reason. Actually, I really wanted to slap them! Deep Breath... but I know that God can work through those families and that He might be the one leading them in the direction they are going. Plus these kids need families. It's a double sided coin and sometimes I think in certain situations everyone still comes out a winner and people learn and gain so much.

Back to the older children. It breaks my heart to hear the stories and what all these children go through. How they end up in an orphanage, etc. May of them have lost their parents due to medical reasons, b/c a father was trying to provide for them and got killed on the job, the simple fact that a child cannot be cared for due to finances, someone getting injured and loosing finances due to that, famine, malaria, the inability to find a job, etc... One of my sisters friends started this organization. If the link doesn't work for you here is the site: www.ordinaryhero.org. Gladney also has a list of waiting children. This link takes you to some of Ethiopia's waiting children, but if you look on the left of the screen you can look at several different places that have waiting children! You never know what God has in store for you. Never say never. Older children, any children are a Gift from God! If you have faith as small as a mustard seed... God can move mountains! My sister-in-law adopted an older child from Ethiopia. He is amazing kid and I know their lives have been blessed by him and vise versa. I know it hasn't always been the easiest road (like any raod with ANY child is...) but I know that she only says good things about it. I admire her so much for adopting him and her heart for older children.

My last thought. I HATE that these parents have to give these kids up! Several of the kids are listed due to disease or money issues. I esp. hate the money issues. It makes me sick to know that they HAVE to give their child/children up b/c they can no longer support them. I know while we were in Ethiopia we heard about how hard jobs are to get. It is so sad that a parent can't get a job or that they can't get proper medical treatment so that they might be able to take care of their children. From what I have read AIDS/HIV is pretty "treatable" now. While we were in Ethiopia we met a wonderful lady named Julie who told us all sorts of information on AIDS/HIV. She said it is the "easiest/best" (I can't remember her exact words) special need to adopt because the medicine is so good. Due to all of the technology and advances the medicine pretty much gives them a long, normal, and healthy lifestyle.