An Amazing Opportunity

An anonymous donor has offered a $500 matching grant for Marla. This is an amazing opportunity to get her closer towards the sizable grants page on Reeces Rainbow. If she gets on there, then more people will see her and she has a better chance of getting adopted. The matching grant will start tomorrow and will go on for a week. This anonymous donor really cares about Marla and wants her to be adopted by a family. That makes me feel good.

This is what a matching grant is for those of you who don't know. For this week, every dollar that gets put into Marla's account will be doubled by the anonymous donor. If someone puts one dollar in, it gets doubled to two. If it's five dollars, it gets doubled to ten. (and so on...) It goes all the way up to $500. I'm so happy!
Click here to donate.

To tell you the truth, I never thought this would happen. I didn't think anyone cared about Marla until my family and I started talking about her. I'm really glad there are people who care deeply for her. I want to thank everyone for sharing her on your blogs and for advocating for her.

Please pray that the matching grant will turn out well. Also pray that Marla will be adopted by a loving family soon.

Making a Difference: Marla

Why?

                                          Marla

Why did my heart break when I saw her face?

Why is she always on my mind?

To be perfectly honest, I don't know how to answer those questions.

I stare at her profile pictures. My heart breaks every time I think about her. I imagine myself taking care of her. (By the way, this is all the time. 24/7)

I just love Marla.

I know there is a reason why I saw her profile the first time I looked through Reeces Rainbow. I know there is a reason why my heart melted the way it did that day. I just don't fully know what that reason is yet.

I't's moments like these when I wish I was older. I wish I was old enough to adopt Marla. I know I would adopt her (and Darina,) in a heartbeat.

I also wish it was that easy.

There is some good news about Marla. Yesterday I looked at her profile and her grant was at $88.00. This morning I looked at it again and it was at $98.00. Then, not long after that, my mom told me that she was at $103.00. Praise God! She's getting publicity and more people are seeing and advocating for her.

I looked at a blog post earlier today and the last sentence really hit me. It felt like a sign from God about Marla. I'm serious, the timing was perfect. Here was the sentence that I read.

It said: "You can make a difference to this one."

After I read it, I was thinking about the starfish poem. This is how it goes.

THE  STARFISH  POEM

Once upon a time there was a wise man

who used to go to the ocean

to do his writing.

He had a habit of walking

on the beach

before he began his work.

One day he was walking along

the shore.

As he looked down the beach,

he saw a human

figure moving like a dancer.

He smiled to himself to think

of someone who would

dance to the day.

So he began to walk faster

to catch up.

As he got closer, he saw

that it was a young man

and the young man wasn't dancing,

but instead he was reaching

down to the shore,

picking up something

and very gently throwing it

into the ocean.

As he got closer he called out,

"Good morning! What are you doing?"

The young man paused,

looked up and replied,

"Throwing starfish in the ocean."

"I guess I should have asked,

why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"

"The sun is up and the tide is going out.

And if I don't throw them in they'll die."

"But, young man, don't you realize that

there are miles and miles of beach

and starfish all along it.

You can't possibly make a difference!"

The young man listened politely.

Then bent down, picked up another starfish

and threw it into the sea,

past the breaking waves and said-

"It made a difference for that one."

Wow! Isn't God good? His timing couldn't have been better. I know that I need to keep on advocating and praying for Marla until she's on MFFM. I can imagine myself jumping up and down until I'm out of breath because of happiness that she has a family. Do I know if I'm supposed to take care of her? No, I don't. But, if God wanted me to, and my family is supposed to adopt her, I would take care of her like I was her mommy. 

So, I'll leave you with this. Pray and advocate for Marla. And, if God is calling you to, adopt her. She needs to be adopted before it's to late and she's sent to an institution.

It would make a difference for her.

What? What! WHAT!?

I never thought that this would happen. Simeon lost his family. At first, he was on the MFFM page. Now though, he's listed on the Newly Listed Children's page. He's also listed with the other children in his orphanage.

Here is his picture. You can click on his name to see his profile.

Simeon

Please pray for him and for the family that was going to adopt him.

Kramer

This is Kramer. He is 8 years old and he has CP. You can click on his name to see his profile. Now, here is where the big "what" in the title comes in. Even though he is 8 years old, he weighs 25 pounds. I know what you're thinking. What? Kramer needs to be loved on and cared for by his mommy and daddy. He does not need to be neglected like that. 

No one needs to be neglected like that.

Please pray that a loving family will adopt Kramer so he can be loved on and cared for.

Fundraiser for Marla

^{Matthew 6:19}

¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Marla

Today the Bible verse in Matthew kept on popping into my mind. What are the treasures in heaven that Jesus was talking about? Are they new cars, new clothes, new shoes, or new houses?

I don't think so.

If they aren't those things, then what are treasures in heaven? I mean, when you die are you going to take your car, house, or clothes with you? No. It's just going to be you. Are the new clothes, shoes, cars, etc going to be in heaven? Probably not. What's going to be in heaven then? People are going to be in heaven. People that were Christians on earth are going to be in heaven. Your mom, dad, aunts, uncles, friends, etc, if they are Christians, are going to be in heaven. Those are the treasures that Jesus was talking about. What about the children you have never seen, but you advocate for? I believe that they will be in heaven too.

All day yesterday I couldn't stop thinking about Marla. She was always on my mind and I was worried about her. Every time I look at her picture my heart keeps on breaking. I still have that feeling of wanting to jump into the computer monitor so I could take her home to love and care for her. Please someone adopt Marla before it's too late! She needs to get out of her orphanage NOW!

When my family and I first started looking at Reeces Rainbow, Marla was one of the first children I looked at. The first time I saw her my heart just broke. I cried and cried for what felt like hours. In reality, I believe I cried for ten minutes. I had my head on my computer desk and I just let the tears fall.

Right now my family and I are doing a fundraiser for Marla. It will go on until September 7th. It is a book auction. Every book has a starting bid and you can bid by writing a comment below the book that interests you. You can click here to see the facebook page. Hardbacks of Hope 4 Marla Her money is just about doubled right now. She had $20 earlier today. It's $38 right now. 

I'm going to be perfectly honest with everyone who reads this post. I love Marla. I don't want to hear or see that she has gone into an institution. I don't believe I will ever stop crying if that happened to her. I would love to see her on the MFFM page on Reeces Rainbow. I can already imagine myself jumping up and down until I'm out of breath because of happiness.

Please pray, blog, and advocate for Marla. She needs our help 

Zack and Hudson

I just looked at the Newly Listed Children page on Reeces Rainbow and I found a few more children that need families. Here are two of them. Please pray that these boys will be adopted by loving families.

                                     Zack
Meet Zack. He is 11 years old and he has CP. I don't know how long he's been waiting for his family, but I do know this. I know that he doesn't have to wait any longer if a family is willing to adopt him. He looks like he was having fun in that pool. Wouldn't therapy and the love of a mommy and daddy help Zack reach his full potential?


 I think whoever adopts Zack will always have fun days playing with him and taking care of him.

 Are you Zack's mommy and daddy?



                            Hudson                     





Look at this little sweetie pie! This little boy is Hudson. In October he will be 2 years old. He also has CP. Every time I've put a young child on here I've always said that the sooner they can get adopted the better. It's the same thing with Hudson. The sooner he can get adopted then the sooner he can get the therapy he needs and the love from his mommy and daddy.

Marla and Darina

Have you ever watched a movie that touched your heart so much that you felt like jumping into the tv? One day I was watching a movie called Christy. It's about a girl who was going to live in the Smoky Mountains. She was going to be a teacher at the school there. The movie I watched was basically the beginnings of her living there. My mom and I watched a few episodes that were done after the movie. I think it was a tv series and the first episode was the movie I watched. As I was watching it, I had the feeling of jumping into the tv. There was a shot where Christy was looking at a lot of children as she was standing in front of the school. As that shot was going, I wanted to pause the movie and jump into the tv with all my clothes in my hands. The children all had dirty clothes on and I don't think they had any shoes. Even though I had the feeling I knew the only thing that would happen was me bumping my head and possibly breaking the tv, but even for a movie, that shot still broke my heart.

Now, I have that feeling again. This time though I want to go into my computer monitor and I want to get a little girl out of an orphanage. Okay, I want to get two little girls out of the orphanages they are in. I'm thinking about Marla and Darina. I can't get Darina out of my head and I just can't stop thinking and worrying about Marla. They both need families and they both need to get out of the orphanages they are in ASAP. If they don't get adopted they can get worse, and yes, possibly die. Right now it doesn't look like Marla has a lot of time before she is sent to an institution. I really don't want that to happen to her. She looks so thin and fragile and I hate to think that she could get worse.

                          Marla                                                                           Darina             

I also don't want to see Darina in the same situation and condition that Marla is in. Please someone get these little girls and get them quickly! Please!!!!! They need our help and they can't wait much longer.

 Please pray for Marla and Darina. Pray that the right families will find them soon and they will get adopted. Also pray that the adoptions will go smoothly.

A Bible Study from July 3rd

This is a facebook status that I wrote on July 3rd. I felt like I sharing it with you. I studied the Bible for hours and I absolutely loved it! I can't wait to share the next thing God has in mind for me to study!


This is what I have been thinking about for the past few hours. (Correct me if I'm wrong in anything that I've typed.) God's Word is Amazing!

I was reading in 1st Peter in my Bible and I read a passage that talked about how Jesus is a precious cornerstone and how "we are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood." (1st Peter, chapter 2, verse 5) (I paraphrased a little bit there.

) Here is the passage that I read.

1st Peter 2:4-6 says this. NIV
4. As you come to him, the living Stone —rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5. you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6. For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”

Jesus is the cornerstone that this passage is talking about. We are the "holy priesthood." (1st Peter 2:5) In the Old Testement the priest (or was it the high priest?) was the only person allowed in the temple to do the sacrifices and offerings for the people. Now, everyone can be near the Lord if they believe and have a relationship with Him. And, because Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty of sin, we no longer need to sacrifice the animals that the Israelites sacrificed in the Old Testement.

The "spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God" is obedience to Him. (This sentence was in my Bible notes.)

1st Samuel 15:22
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

As you can see, God desires obedience rather than sacrifice. You may ask, Then why does it say "spiritual sacrifices" in 1st Peter? What I found is that spiritual sacrifice is laying down our own desires and following Him. (That was also in my Bible notes.)

In Romans the Bible says this: NIV
Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

In the Bible God tells us to live in a way pleasing to God. When we do this we are also worshiping Him. We also need to obey what God is telling us.
It also says this in verse 2.

Romans 12:2
2. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Since we are becoming more like Christ, we are told not to "conform to the pattern of this world." When we have a close relationship with God, we won't want what the world has.

What is the"spiritual house" in 1st Peter 2? The Bible talks about the "Body of Christ." So what is the "spiritual house?" We are called by God to be the Body of Christ. We all have our place in the Body of Christ too. For example, one person might be the hands of Christ as a missionary while another person might be the ears of Christ as a Christian Councilor. (Don't get me wrong though, many people are gifted to do many things.)

We are "being built into a spiritual house." (verse 5a) There need to be walls and a roof to make a house. (Duh!) If there isn't a certain wall or beam to hold the roof up, then the whole house will fall. Also, the whole house can't stand without a foundation. There has to be a start to the house, right?

Jesus talked about the house on a rock and a house on the sand in Matthew 7:24-27.

Matthew 7:24-27 NIV
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

When Jesus talked about houses in that passage, He was talking about our lives. Jesus talked about having a strong foundation in our lives. As Christians, our foundation is God's Word. We need to listen to what it says and obey it.

When you look at both houses, you can see a difference between the two. Let's talk about the one on the rock. The wind and rain are the struggles in our lives. When we listen to and obey God's Word and the struggles in our lives come, then we will stand firm on His Word and we won't crumble. On the other hand, when we don't listen to God's Word and we build our house on the sand, then we'll crumble when struggles come into our lives.

Let's go back to 1st Peter 2:6.

1st Peter 2:6
6. For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”

When I searched, I tried to find out what the word Zion meant. What I found was that Zion is used as a synonym for Jerusalem. (wikipedia) I don't know what the name means in this verse though.

The "stone" in this verse is not talking about an actual stone. The Bible uses different words to describe different things. In this case, the "stone" is Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 28:16
So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic.

Jesus is the perfect Son of God. He is the strong foundation of our faith.

On the Clouds of Heaven

Well, after I wrote the other post about Margaret and how she died I went to my room and cried. Actually, it wasn't crying, it was more like sobbing. I don't think I've cried like that in a long time.

But, after I cried, I closed my eyes and I saw Jesus, (the way I imagine him to be) and he had his arms around me. I was on his lap with my head on the left side of his chest, and he was telling me that everything was going to be okay and that Margaret was in Heaven.

But wait, it gets even better.

After that, I saw myself entering Heaven. Who do you think was the first person I saw? If you said Margaret, then you're right! She was in front of a group of people heading towards me. Among them were Simeon, Ivan, Haven, Presley, Darina, and Marla.

After they came and welcomed me into Heaven, we all held hands and walked into Heaven on the clouds. I was in the middle. It looked so real that I don't know if it was a dream or a vision. I'm kind of thinking that it was a vision because I wasn't asleep. If I was a good painter I would want to paint the part when we were all holding hands as we walked further into Heaven. It looked so beautiful.

That dream (or vision) is something I will always remember. I felt comfort after I opened my eyes and I stopped crying. Jesus is definitely our Comforter when we need comfort.

Sad News...

Right now my heart is breaking.

I'm writing this blog post with tears in my eyes. I could start crying any moment now.

I just heard some sad news. Right now the news hasn't sunk yet, but I know it will in a minute. There is a little girl in Ukraine that has just died. Her name was Margaret. My sister called her "mini me" because she said she looked like me. I put her in the CP video, but I never mentioned her on here.

Here is a picture of her.



I don't know what to say. I honestly don't know what to say. It breaks my heart. I'm upset because Margaret died without being adopted by her mommy and daddy. Not only that, but she died without knowing the love of a mommy and daddy.

I'm just heartbroken.

                        Marla



I hate to think about Marla dying so young and without a mommy and daddy. She needs our help and she needs it ASAP. I don't think I would be able to keep myself from crying for hours if I heard the news that she died. I mean, when I first saw her on Reece's Rainbow, I cried for ten minutes straight because I felt so sad for her. Now, after I saw her recent picture on her profile I feel even more sad.

What about Carolina? She's in an institution and probably in terrible conditions. And what about Reid? He's in another orphanage and no one can adopt him except the people from his country.

I guess I feel guilty for not mentioning these kids enough. But what else can I do? I can mention them more, but I can't go and adopt them all because I'm not old enough. I wish I could...

Please, please, please pray for these children on Reece's Rainbow. Pray for them, advocate for them, and, if God is calling you to do this, adopt them. They need our help, and they need it NOW. (The capital letters are supposed to signify urgency, not yelling.)