Saturday, June 13, 2009

The Orphan Crisis

These eye-opening facts are hard to read, but reality in our world.  I will admit for the longest time I was oblivious to the orphan crisis.  Now that my eyes are opened, they can never close again. 
  • Fact: Nearly 144 million children across the world are orphans.
  • Fact: Every 2 seconds, another orphan dies from malnutrition.
  • Fact: 87.6 million orphans live in Asia. 43.4 million Orphans live in Sub-Saharan Africa. 12.4 million orphans live in Latin America and the Caribbean.
  • Fact: 6,000 children are orphaned by AIDS every day. That is newly orphaned child every 14 seconds.
  • Fact: Around the globe, 15,200,000 children have been orphaned by the AIDS crisis. If all these children held hands, they would stretch across the United States. By 2011, this virtual chain will reach around the world.
  • Fact: Malnutrition plays a part in more than half of all child deaths worldwide. Every year, malnutrition is associated with the deaths of five million children under the age of five.
  • Fact: Even more often, malnutrition cripples children's growth, renders them susceptible to disease, dulls their intellects, and diminishes their motivation and their productivity.
  • Fact: India has more orphans than any other nation, totaling 35,000,000 in 2003; nearly 1 out of 10 of India's children are orphans.
  • Fact: In India, one out of two children under the age of 5 is underweight.
  • Fact: Millions of children suffer from micronutrient malnutrition, when the body lacks essential minerals and vitamins. These deficiencies can lead to severe mental or physical impairment, life-threatening anemia, lowered productivity, blindness, a weakened immune system.
  • Fact: 854 million people do not have enough to eat - more than the populations of USA, Canada and the European Union.
  • Fact: By 2020, southern Africa will lose one out of every five agricultural workers to AIDS. With a shrinking labor force, food is harder and harder to come by in areas that need it most.
  • Fact: In like sub-Saharan Africa, where up to 20% of the adult population has been impacted by AIDS, orphaned children not only lose their parents but also teachers, health workers and civil servants who die of the disease.
  • Fact: Sub-Saharan Africa has the greatest portion of children living as orphans. In 2003, there were 43,400,000 children with no living parent. This number represents 12% of the region's children.
  • Fact: It is estimated that by the year 2010 in sub-Saharan Africa alone, more than 18 million children – more than all the children in the United Kingdom, will have lost at least one parent to AIDS.
  • Fact: Every week, AIDS claims as many lives as American fatalities in the Vietnam War.
  • Fact: By 2010, the total number of orphans, from all causes, in Sub-Saharan Africa will increase to 50,000,000.

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.  James 1:27


Monday, June 8, 2009

Our blue eyed girl





             So happy her team scored a goal.  Cutest soccer player I know....

 Olivia and her best buddy had fun playing soccer together.  Even on the field (during the games) they stuck close together! Their coach referred to them as "Peas and Carrots".

Olivia is also very excited about becoming a BIG sister.  She will finally know what it feels like!  I asked her what she would like to teach her little sister and these are her top three.  (1) teach her how to brush her teeth (2) teach her how to do her ABC's and 123's (3) teach her how to color in the lines.   Olivia actually had an long illustrated list of things and it was difficult to pick her top three!  

We are so thankful for our blue eyed girl and the VERY sweet spirit God gave her!

Friday, June 5, 2009

Our brown eyed girl


                                          Boosterthon school fundraiser

She scored her first goal at the very last game of the season!  Her best buddy ran over to congratulate her.  Too cute!


Bailey is very excited about becoming a big sister again.  One more sibling to "boss"around! :-) She has a big heart for the people of the Dominican Republic and is very excited to travel there with us. 
 
There are so many things that I know she will teach her little sister.  I asked her to name three and here they are. (1) teach her how to paint and color (2) teach her how to swim (3) teach her about animals. All of her favorites...

Bailey is such a sunshine, always ready to go and have some fun!  We are so thankful for our brown eyed girl and the BIG heart God gave her.

The Nursery


The room is almost ready.  I have just a few things left to do.  The most important on the list is to bring our sweet girl HOME!

This rocking horse was given to us when Bailey was born 9 years ago. It was passed down to Olivia and now to "little treasure".   It is very special to us!  

(It was made by Mr. Hawley.  He is the father of JT's longtime friend, Mark. The two have been friends since Kindergarten!) 


           I plan to spend a lot of time in this chair getting to know our little one.




                                       Every little girl needs a baby doll.  

                                      Her sisters are ready for a tea party.


The color is off in some of these pictures because of the time of day they were taken.  Trust me though....it is PINK!