God Adopted Us

Hi guys!

I wanted to share something that I've been thinking about for the past few days.

Jesus cares about adoption.

     Did you know that Jesus paid the price for our adoption?  When Jesus died on the cross, he paid the price for our sins. Then, three days later, he rose from the dead. Jesus paid the price for our sins so we could be adopted into God's family. We can receive this free gift of salvation if we confess our sins and ask for God's forgiveness. Then we, as Christians, are his children, and he is our Heavenly Father.

     God cares about us like a father cares about his child. He wants to have a relationship with us just like a parent wants to have a relationship with their children. That is why God sent Jesus to save us. When we become a child of God, we can have that kind of relationship with God, and we can live forever with him in Heaven one day.

James 1:27 says,

     "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

     Jesus spent most of his ministry on earth teaching his disciples, healing people, and loving the unlovable. We are called to be like Jesus. We are called to show the love of Jesus in everything we do. When we do that, God uses us to draw people to himself. Part of being like Jesus is adopting children just like he adopted us.

Marla

     For those of you who have read my blog, you know I love Marla. When I first saw her picture, it broke my heart. I love this girl even though I have never met her. I care about her and I pray that a family will adopt her soon. She needs to get out of the institution. If she doesn't get out soon, she will die. Are you her forever family?

My Story

Hi guys! Happy new year! After taking a break for a while, I'm back to blog and advocate for orphans with CP.

     I wanted to tell you a little about my story. Most of you know that I have CP, but I've never really talked about my story and how God saved my life. So, here it is.

     When I was born, I had underdeveloped lungs, and I had breathing problems. I was so sick that I had to be taken to two different hospitals. I was taken to one hospital in an ambulance, and I was taken in a helicopter to Duke. While I was in the helicopter, I died, and the doctors had to revive me.

     I was a really sick baby and I couldn't breathe on my own.  I was so sick that the doctors put me on ECMO. ECMO is a machine that took my blood, put oxygen into it, and gave the oxygenated blood back to me. When I was a few weeks old, I was taken off of ECMO, and I had a stroke. The stroke affected the right side of my brain. Because of that, I have CP that affects the left side of my body.

     After the stroke, the doctors put me on life-support. The doctors said I had no chance of living. They said that if I did live, I would be in a wheelchair my whole life. They said I would need help with everything. They also asked if my parents wanted me to be unplugged from life-support.  Both of my parents decided to keep me on life-support.

     My parents prayed and prayed that I would get better. Then, one day, a doctor came to my mom and said that I was looking better than I did before. They couldn't explain why I was suddenly getting better. I was breathing one breath on my own between every few breaths from life-support. Slowly, I started breathing more and more breaths on my own. When I was well enough, I got to go home.

God saved my life. I know that without a doubt.

     After I got home, I started doing therapy. I've done Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and some Speech Therapy my whole life. I learned how to roll over, crawl, walk, and talk through those therapies. I also learned how to strengthen my muscles with specific exercises.

     When I was younger, I struggled emotionally when it came to my therapy. I can't tell you how many times I cried because I was frustrated with my therapy. I wished I didn't have to do it. I wished I was like everyone else who didn't have to go to therapy like I did. Now though, I'm glad I went to therapy to get my muscles stronger and my CP better.

     I've always done things a little slower than most people. When I was a baby, I started walking when I was over a year old. I also do things differently. Basically, I do everything with my right hand. For example, I type on the computer one-handed. Because I can't use my left hand to type, I figured out my own way to type on the computer.

I hope and pray that God can use my story to encourage people.

Marla

Darina

      I believe God let me have CP for a reason. If I never had CP, I would not have this blog, and I would not be advocating for orphans with CP. I know that therapy, and the love of a family can do a lot for a child with CP. That's why I pray for Marla and Darina so much. I love these girls, and I still pray that they will be adopted soon.