Saturday, June 30, 2012

One Special Waiting Child and a Huge Bonus Prize

I always do waiting children on the weekends.  Today, there is a little girl who is weighing very heavily on my   heart.  Sweet Marsha has untreated hydrocephalus.  She needs a family to bring her home quickly and get her treatment.  She is in the same place as one of my little ones and has been horribly neglected.  Her ONLY HOPE is for a family to adopt her and get her hydrocephalus treated.  Our Cody has hydrocephalus and if she'd had a shunt to begin with, then it would not have been a big deal at all.  Unfortunately she did not.  Now the pressure in her head is continuing to build.  I can't even imagine how much her head must heart.  I spent much of yesterday sobbing over her.  My heart is broken.  I can't stand that she is laying there waiting to die over something that was so simple to solve, had her medical needs not been so severely neglected.  PLEASE HELP HER!  I am BEGGING for someone to be God's hands and feet for this sweet and suffering child!!!!!

Click here to go and read about her on Reece's Rainbow or email Shelley shelle337@gmail.com

  


The Bonus Prize I mentioned and other info can all be found at THIS LINK FOR THE BABY SHOWER A FRIEND IS HAVING FOR US.


By helping to "buy a gift" at the baby shower you will be entered to win a "party favor" prize and when all the boxes are filled someone will win their choice of a $150 gift card OR $150 donated to the child or family of their choice on Reece's Rainbow!!!  


Go check it out.  I leave in 13 days to go and get my 5 Bulgarian Blessings!!!

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Another Sign They Are Unroes!

Well there was is another sure tell sign that my Bulgarian Blessings are Unroes!  They have appointments with our medical provider set and on the calendar.

We all see a wonderful lady named Anita.  She is so good with my kids and has already started getting even the specialist appointments set up.  She has helped us through more things than I can count.  If she wasn't the one taking care of my kids then I would be fretting much more, but I always know that she takes care of them just as she would if they were her kids.

Anyone wonder where our Anita Faith got her name???  Yes, my calendar now has an appointment for Anita to go see Anita!  lol


Yes, my tiny Anita Faith will not be just looking at pictures of her family for much longer!

This close feels so good and I am thrilled to have their names on the calendar
 for THEIR appointments!




Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Keith and Aleshia - A little of the Schedule!

Ok, so the Baby Shower is still focusing on Keith and Aleshia right now and there is so much more about them to tell.

They are the first two kids that will be picked up.  I will leave on July 13th and arrive in Bulgaria on July 14th.  On July 15th, we will travel to Aleshia's region and spend the night.

First thing on July 16th, we will pick up Aleshia!

Then we will drive to where Keith is and pick him up!!

Then we will take them both back to the capital city with us!!!!

I am so excited to hold them!!!

No more of being so unstimulated that he has to occupy his time this way!


Mommy's lap is where she will be sitting!!!

I think this will work well for strengthening those legs and stimulation!

Soothing is much better in one of these than what Keith is use to!

A walker to work with should be good for them both!

Best if all though:
When they need comforted Mommy's arms will be FOREVER available.
When they need to learn, Mommy will be so excited to teach.
When they need anything, there will be a whole BIG FAMILY ready to love them and take care of them!


To say I'm excited is the understatement of the world!  I've longed for that moment since I first laid eyes on them!!!  







Monday, June 25, 2012

Keith and Aleshia!

Today the lady throwing our online baby shower is focusing on Keith and Aleshia.  They will be the first two to be picked up and they will share a "Gotcha Day"!  Her post focusing the baby shower on them is HERE.

So I thought I'd focus on them today on the blog too!

Keith is 5 years old and Aleshia is 6 years old.  Neither of them can even sit up without support yet.  Aleshia was transferred to a mental institution when she was only 3 years old.  Keith has been in his tiny crib in that same orphanage since he left the hospital after he was born.  He's been in a "sick room" for over 2 1/2 years at this point, even though he was initially moved there because of a respiratory infection.  :(

Both of them have a long way to go developmentally.  Keith has a lot of growing that he needs to do.  Right now he will still be riding in an infant carseat, because he was only 12 pounds when Brent was there. We've got a lot to do in order for him to begin to grow in size and develop the skills to sit, crawl, stand, and eventually walk.   Aleshia is bigger, but seems to have something going on with her hips.  We will be working to see what is going on with them, as well as see if she can gain the ability to sit up and to bear weight on her legs.

Here is my favorite video of Keith I think:


Here is my favorite of Aleshia:




So very soon I will hold them.  
Their forever will begin and the days in an orphanage and a mental institution will be over.

Here is the stroller that will take them through the airports:

Here is Aleshia's bed waiting for her:

Here is Keith's bed waiting for him:

The swing, bouncer, and walker are put together.

It is almost time to go and get them!!!!






Sunday, June 24, 2012

Baby Shower!

Yes, since our 5 Bulgarian Blessings will be home soon our friend put together a wonderful online baby shower.  :)  Another wonderful friend put together a beautiful online invitation with the kids pictures and names.  More wonderful friends have already started the gifts.  :)  There are even party gifts when each box is complete!

Here is a link to go and see:  Click Here for the Baby Shower

This is also your chance to have a part in their homecoming!  Such a great idea and we appreciate it so much!

We've not had a shower since we were pregnant with our one bio child in 2001, so it really did make me all teary!

So close!  I am leaving in just a few weeks!  I can't wait to hold them!!!


Saturday, June 23, 2012

We will hold our blessings soon, what about Yours!?!

I will be leaving to go get our blessings on July 13th.  There are many more blessings waiting.  No one has claimed them as their blessings yet.  Until you step forward and claim them, they are lonely orphans in the eyes of this world.  We as Christians have to claim them as blessings made by God and worthy of love.  They aren't just a face on a computer screen!  These are REAL flesh and blood children who are hurting, alone, hungry, in need of hugs, and forgotten.

So here are some of the blessings waiting to be claimed and their worth declared!


Micah is a gorgeous 2 year old little boy who has Down Syndrome!!!!


Payton is an almost 8 year old VERY tiny little boy.  He is only 17 pounds, even at almost 8 years old!  Oh how he needs to be claimed as a blessing!!!


Gemma is an almost 5 year old TINY little girl.  She is only 18 pounds!  She needs a Mama to love her and claim her as the blessed daughter she was put on this earth to be!


Penny is 11 years old and only weighs 21 pounds.  She needs a family to claim her as the blessing she is and get her out of that crib!


Carmen is either 10 or almost 10 years old.  She is delayed in her development.  She needs a family to show her what a treasure God made her as!


Now, there are 5 blessings, who don't even know it yet.  They need YOU to help them find their place in God's family and maybe even in yours.

Don't pass up this chance!


TRAVEL DATES!!!!

This won't be long because my head is spinning and tears are still running down my face periodically.

I will leave here on July 13th!  Praising God so much that I can't even describe it!!!  I thought it was going to be another long weekend of waiting.  Then in the middle of the night, just before 4am my time, I got the email!!!!!

I still have to work out the details, but I can tell you that with them saying I can come - I am going!

Praise God extra today, because HE IS SO WORTHY!

Orphans no more and the orphanages, institutions, and group home will no longer hold them, because they will be in MY ARMS!

HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

The Excruciating Wait

The wait is excruciating.  I don't even think I can put it into words.  I so badly want to go and hold my babies - to go and bring them home.  I ache each day for word of a travel date.  My bags are pretty much packed.  All of their clothes are packed into gallon size ziploc bags and labeled.  I figure that way they will be easy to locate and will be clean even if the bags are messed with in security.  Baby food and formula are packed for the children who need that.  I still need to put some orphanage donations and their activities for the trip home into the luggage.

I have been putting off assembling the two strollers.  I will start on that now in an effort to keep myself busy.  This waiting. . . . .   Oh how I hate this waiting.

Soon.  We will get them home soon and I will spoil them with the love they should have had all along.  Soon.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Quest Post from Brent (Dad) this Father's Day

   This Father's Day, I am celebrating as a Daddy of 18 kids. What's scary is that I could have missed out on all these blessings, had I not been willing to step out years ago and go against the grain of what our culture typically believes about families, about adoption, and about fatherhood. 
   Growing up and as a young adult, I never gave much thought to adoption and certainly never considered that it would be a part of the fabric of my life and my family. When I met my wife-to-be, Amanda, I was a rather immature man-child who loved the Lord and wanted to serve Him, yet was almost completely ignorant of what it really meant to be a servant of Christ while I was wrapped up in my own little world -- which was about to miraculously expand. Amanda and I discussed family during our 6 month courtship, of course, and it was somewhat of the "American Dream" type of philosophy, something like 3 or 4 kids...but, unbeknownst to me at the time, Amanda had a greater plan. But first she had to hook me, and after the wedding, it wasn't long before the plan began to unfold. Or maybe, it was like the plans that I thought I had began to unravel. 
   There came a time when Amanda mentioned the idea of foster care and adoption to me. At that time, I was like so many others in the world -- that was something for someone else to do. I wanted "our kids", not someone else's. My heart was cold and closed to the idea. It wasn't my idea of a family. But, Amanda being the persistent soul that she is, didn't give up on me. Or, maybe it's that she refused to let me give up. She always has said she gets what she wants. She first met me at church when she was 13 and I was 21 -- I do not remember that day, but she prayed about me for the next 5 years, and when we met again when she was 18, I was instantly drawn to her and she was still 18 when we wed. And it was prayer that she impressed upon me as a cold-hearted soul in our early marriage. She asked me "Have you ever just told God you would do whatever He wanted you to do?" Well, no, not really, I hadn't -- maybe I was afraid to, maybe I didn't trust Him enough, maybe I didn't want to give up my so-called plans. But, through the work of the Holy Spirit and the love of a godly woman, one day I did pray that prayer and I did tell God that. It was like everything within me began to shift, and my heart began to open up to the many possibilities that God had out there for my life, for our life, that I had been keeping closed out. When I said yes to God, to His plan, and yes to adoption, and yes to letting Him build our family, then the adventure...and the blessings, began.
   Our first child was Precious, an 8 year old African-American girl with special needs from Cincinnati. There were many comments from mine and Amanda's families concerning the inter-racial aspect, questionings of if that is really what is best for the child, and so forth. But I am so thankful that God is the God of all peoples and ethnic groups, and that color is certainly no barrier in building a family. And what is best for a child is certainly not languishing in the foster care system and eventually becoming an adult without a family. Six weeks after Precious was placed with us, our biological son Dayton was born. His birth was miraculous in many ways, and I truly believe we may never have experienced him being our son had we not been obedient to God's desire for us. But yet the statements from our families continued -- now we had a biological child and surely we would not feel the need to continue to adopt. What they didn't understand, what many still don't understand, is that adoption was in our hearts.  And once it's there, it really never leaves. You see, I came to realize that adoption is at the very heart of God. I don't know how I could have been so blind to this before, but it's all throughout Scripture -- adoption is how God is building His family, the greatest family of all. When He saves us, He adopts us. He becomes our Heavenly Father. We have all the rights of Sonship. We're His children. The doctrine of adoption, which I had always overlooked, has become my favorite doctrine. When we adopt children it is a glimpse into how God feels about us, how He loves us, unconditionally. Don't overlook it. I invite you to immerse yourself in it. It will change you.
   The children kept coming, a brother and sister from Columbus, African-American -- Unique with special needs, Denzell a "typical" child.  The school system our children were in at the time took great offense to our enrolling of our African American children. I was teaching in that system at the time -- a bogus charge was leveled against me, I ultimately lost my job, we lost our house, our children and family endured much mistreatment in that community, and we eventually moved to my wife's family's farm. There is much more to this story, but the fact is that there is a cost to following Jesus, there is a cost to adoption...but when I think about the price that God paid to adopt me (just look at the Cross), it sure makes any price we may need to pay woefully pale in comparison. This battle ultimately ended in a federal courtroom, with charges of discrimination and slander, among other things. With God directing the fight, we victoriously won. A bold and loud statement was made that attitudes and actions of prejudice are completely unacceptable, and that children and the truth are worth fighting for. During that great time of trial and testing, while I was without a job and my name was marred, God amazingly blessed and we added two more children that we fostered and then adopted, with finalization occurring not long after the trial as we were moving into our new house. A new job would soon come as a manager of a care facility for adults with special needs, and the adoptions would explode, mostly involving children with special needs. A sibling group of three from California, giving us 9, followed by two brothers from Texas, gave us 11 children. Our family was rapidly growing, and I was loving adoption and fatherhood, and loving the big family life. A little darling girl with Down Syndrome, Julianne, came next from Texas, followed a couple years later by Cody, from the same foster home as Julianne, to give us 13. That is the number of children in our home right now, a beautiful mixture of Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, and Hispanic-Asian children. The diagnoses include such things as developmental delays, MR, autism, fetal-alcohol syndrome, cerebral palsy, reactive attachment disorder, and  Down Syndrome. And some children are considered "typical." The world of adoption involves children of all ethnicities, backgrounds, diagnoses, and ability levels. I invite you to open your heart and eyes to children with special needs -- they too are at the heart of God...whatever we do unto the least of these, we do unto Him. There are blessings for families with special needs children that the general society just doesn't realize or experience. 
   It is largely because of Julianne and her adorable extra chromosome that we are now adopting 5 children from Bulgaria. Yes, God is the God of all nations and He has decided to add a European flavor to our family. I spent nearly a month in Bulgaria earlier this year meeting and spending time with each child, none of which are biologically related and who live in 5 separate orphanages or institutions. Each of the 5 children, like Julianne, has Down Syndrome. My eyes were opened in a new way as I became aware first-hand of the largely deplorable conditions of children with special needs in that nation. Thankfully, we are near the end of this 18-month-long international process -- the adoptions were finalized in Bulgaria earlier this week...they're ours!...and Amanda should be travelling in July to bring them finally home. I'm so excited for them to get here -- I promise you, once you have a child with Down Syndrome, you just want more!
   Yes, I could have missed out on all this--but the tender mercies of our Heavenly Father have a way of penetrating hearts like mine with the needs, challenges, and multitude of blessings outside my own little world. On this Father's Day, I encourage you to take a close and prayerful look at the heart of our Heavenly Father -- how He builds families, how He cares for the little ones, how He desires for us to be His hands and feet. We are commanded to care for the orphans, but our action should be motivated out of love, not simply duty. Adoption will change your life, not just the kids' lives. You will understand the love of our Heavenly Father in a deeper way. If He has saved you, you are adopted. I assure you God doesn't regret the process or the price that was paid...for you. If you allow adoption to be a part of the fabric of your family, you will never regret it either. And you'll reap the blessings for all eternity.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Waiting Children 6-16-12

Siblings are so much fun!  My kids love each other so incredibly much!  Today, I thought I'd take the opportunity to share with you some sibling groups who are waiting to be adopted.



These two adorable boys above are TWINS!  They need a family!  Because they both have some special needs, they are willing to split the boys and that is heart breaking.  Help them so that they can stay together!


These beautiful children are waiting for a family to adopt them together.  They lived with their birth family until  2005.  Now they are waiting for their forever family!


These two little cuties are waiting for a family too!  Could they be yours???



These two sisters are waiting for a family as well!  They need someone to love them and help them learn to be the princesses that they are!  Could that be you?



These two wonderful sisters are waiting too!  They need  a family!  Can you help them?


Look at those beautiful children.  They all need a mom and dad!  Would you be willing to be double or triple blessed?  Here's your chance!!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Court!!!

Court went wonderfully!  This is a short post just for that.  I haven't had much sleep (wonder why) and will post more after I get my hand on a little straighter.  lol  I just wanted to give you a quick update to let you know that we passed through court.

PRAISING GOD THAT ALL 5 OF OUR BULGARIAN BLESSINGS ARE ORPHANS NO MORE!!!

Yes we are still Awake!

It is 3:39am here at the Unroe abode.  Brent and I are still awake.  Court is in about 20 minutes!!!!  We will pray as court is beginning and then wait for news.  I have no idea how quickly we will hear something.  I guess after a little while I will try to sleep and wake periodically to check my email.  lol

Soon.  Very Soon.  They will be "ORPHANS NO MORE"!

Monday, June 11, 2012

Almost Court Time!!!!!!!

If you are on my Facebook, then you know the countdown for how many hours left until court has been going for a few days.  As of 9pm Eastern Time, we only have 7 more hours until court!!!!!!!


YES, YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY -  7 HOURS!!!!

In 7 hours
Keith Isaac
Aleshia Noelle
Anita Faith
Nicholas Cole
and
Ahnja Joy

will be

ORPHANS NO MORE!!!!

Please pray for court to go smoothly, but we are fully expecting God to pull this off without a hitch.

He is AWESOME like that!

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Waiting Children 6-10-12 JUST LIKE OUR KIDS!!!!

Ok, "Waiting Children" post now and then stay tuned because this week should be a great blog week with our court date upcoming!

Each of the children today is the exact same month and year of birth as our children on the way.  These kids don't have a family though.  Please help us change that!!!

This little boy is the same age as KEITH.

Curtis is 5 years old just like our Keith.  He was born in the same month and the same year as our little boy.  He is still waiting for a family!!  He needs someone to choose him and love him forever!  This could be your blessing!!

This little girl is the same age as ALESHIA!!

Suzanne is 6 years old, just like Aleshia.  She has the same birth month and year!  What she doesn't have is a family.  She needs one and you could be the blessed family!!!

This little girl is the same age as ANITA!!

Mabel is the 7, just like our Anita.  She was born in the same month and year.  She is still waiting for a family.  She needs someone to choose to love her and let her hair grow out for pigtails!  This could be your beautiful little princess?????

This little boy is the same age as NICHOLAS!

Ruslan is 9, just like our Nicholas.  He shares the some month and year of birth as Nicholas.  He has already been transferred to an institution just like Nicholas as well.  He needs to come out just like Nicholas, but first he needs a family like Nicholas.  Please think about what a blessing this little boy would be to you!!  (He has a large grant to help with his adoption too!)

This little girl is the same age as AHNJA!!!

Kylie is 10, just like our Ahnja.  She has the exact same birth month and year as Ahnja.  She is doing very well like Ahnja too!  She just needs a family, like Ahnja has.  She needs a Mama to let her hair grow longer and help her fix it pretty.  She needs a shirt with her family's picture on it maybe too.  :)  This beautiful girl could be your daughter!!!!

Can you help these 5 kids be even more like our 5????  Can you give them what our kids have and they don't??  They need a family to commit to them and be "on the way"!!!  The blessings will be yours I can guarantee, but their lives are never going to be full and happy unless a family chooses to do that for them.

Please!!!!!!!

Friday, June 8, 2012

Waiting Children 6-9-12


Landon is waiting.


Elias is waiting too.


Annabeth is gorgeous, has Down Syndrome, and is waiting.


Ellison is a cutie with Down Syndrome who is also waiting.


Brenna is also waiting.


Paisley is also a beautiful waiting child.

All of these children are waiting.  They did nothing wrong.  They are just like any my kids and just like your kids.  They were put on this earth by the same God that sent every other child here.  They were put here to be loved, taken care of, spoiled, and a part of a family.  Yet, they lay alone in a crib without a Mommy.  They don't know that life is suppose to be happy for children and bellies are suppose to be full.  They don't know about bubble baths, candy in the checkout line, playing in the grass, movie nights, bedtime stories, or love.  Please change that for them.  Show them what God would want their life to be like and, in the meantime, learn what God wants your life to be like.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Waiting Children 6-2-12 and 6-3-12

This post is late.  I usually have it up first thing in the wee hours of the morning, but we've been in VBS all week and I've been so busy that I kept putting it off to do another load of laundry.


Donald is only 2 years old.  He has SOTOS Syndrome.  He needs a Mama and you don't even have to know what that stand for yet.  lol  He's just a little boy needing a Mama!


Taelyn was born in 2003.  She was raised by her birthparents until she was 5 years old.  She lives in a group home setting now and needs a forever family.  Her delays are mild!


Beacan is in that horrible place and is need of a family.  He is a very tiny little guy!  Could you please be his family???


Kamdyn is only 2 years old.  She is developmentally on target and has only minor medical needs.  I have NO CLUE why no one has scooped her up yet, but maybe it is because YOU are her MOMMY!


Amelia is such a cutie!  She is 10 years old and is unfortunately living in an institution.  :(  She has a "granny" that spends one on one time with her through a program, but she needs a MAMA!  Could this be your beautiful daughter?


Dawn is 11 years old now.  This picture is from when she was 3 years old!!  Please inquire about her and see if they can get you a new picture to see what this beautiful girl now looks like!  Could you be the Mama that brings her back from being forgotten???


Here is another little girl who has been forgotten for far too long!  Lynette has Down Syndrome and is also 11 years old.  Please someone chose to love her!!!


Denny is Reece's Rainbow's child of the month!!!  He is waiting for a forever family.  There are more pictures and a video available too!  What a blessing!  Please give this sweet 6 year old a family!


Mikale is 8 years old and needs a family to love him!  He is such a handsome little man!  Is this your adorable son????


Kaleb is still waiting for a family!  His eyes make me sad, because you can see the longing for more!!  Please couldn't you show him that life has so much more to offer!!

Ok, I'm going to stop there.  I want you to really think about the kids that I've shown you today.  Share them extra, because they are the kids for the whole weekend!  They are all in need of a family to love them, read them stories, and tuck them in at night.  Think of all the things that you do with love for your kids.  These kids don't have ANYONE to do that for them.  They need YOU!