Thursday, April 20, 2017

Joseph

Friends, 
I've come to you with so many needs lately. 

Honestly, I need to be better about posting family updates as well as sweet waiting faces.  

And I will. 

But today, there's a very special family and a precious little boy that need our help. 

In my Valentine's Day post, Hearts, maybe you saw the face of sweet "Montgomery".  



It makes me so, so happy to tell you that "Montgomery", soon to be Joseph, has an amazing forever family racing to him! 

They will probably have him in their arms next month! 

But. 

They need support - especially, right now, prayrer.  

Expedited adoptions automatically have extra costs. Plane tickets have to be booked on short notice, paperwork has to be overnighted, and so many more factors. On top of that, raising the funds to complete any adoption is so much more difficult when you only have 3 months to do it! 

If that's not enough, Joseph's family just returned from Ch*na with their beautiful newest daughter. 

So today, friends, I'm coming to you and asking what you could do to help get Joseph home. 

Pray? Prayer is always the most important way to help. 

Donate? Could you give up your next meal at a restaurant and help Joseph's family get to him? 

Share their fundraising page, Journey to Joseph? Maybe you're the one who will show this story to someone who never would have seen it otherwise? 

What can you do? 

What is your part in Joseph's story? 

UPDATE: Joseph's family has a t-shirt fundraiser going on! Visit this link: https://www.bonfire.com/maikes-campaign/
and grab a shirt - or 2 or 3! 

Monday, April 10, 2017

Introducing Kaleb!

Today I'd like you to meet Kaleb. 

I've shown you so many, many equally precious and equally deserving kiddos lately - in fact, this blog has been pretty much taken over by their sweet faces! I have Cogan-family posts soon, but for now....

Please let me introduce you to Kaleb. He was our Kai's best friend in China.

Since Kai came home, 3 years ago, we've been trying to follow up on this precious boy. However, the orphanage where he currently lives is not a place where any child should be in many, many ways, and they are not forthcoming with updates. 

When we first found his file, after Kai told us his name, this was the newest picture of then 11 year-old Kaleb. That has remained one of two pictures that we had of him for three years. 

We received a written update at one point, but all that it told us was that Kaleb had broken his leg and was in the hospital. We had no idea what had happened to him. 

A few weeks ago, we tried again for an update - 10 questions long - and, almost unbelievably, we received answers! No pictures were included, but we weren't really surprised. 

And then.... 

This arrived in the inbox!! 



Doesn't he have an amazing smile? 

Now, please let me tell you the details about handsome Kaleb! 

First, you need to know that he is running out of time for his family to find him! Kaleb is 13 years old and will age out on his 14th birthday. His family will need to be in China by mid-August. If you think that you might be his family, please email us as soon as possible at theworldwillchangeblog@gmail.com - we are happy to talk to you about the process, his special need, and what we know about him and his orphanage from Kai. 

"He is extroverted, bright, active and has a ready smile. He is not afraid of strangers but will not voluntarily talk to them. He will say hello to you and talk happily when he gets familiar with you.  Because of his physical situation, he cannot jump and run like other kids, but he will not cry or shout but cheer up others sitting beside them. He is very bright and can grasp the knowledge taught by teachers very quickly." 

Kaleb was born with Arthrogryposis, the joint condition that is also a part of Karwen and Kade. 

Here's the update from March: 

1. At his last update he was recovering from a broken leg. Did he recover well after his therapy? He recovered well after his therapy.

2. Has he had any further injuries, procedures or surgeries? He hasn’t had any further injuries, procedures or surgeries.

3. Is he receiving any therapy at this time? He isn’t receiving any therapy at this time.

4. Is he still using a walker to walk or something else? He isn’t using a walker to walk or anything else.

5. Does he have difficulty getting around? He has some difficulties in walking; he cannot run, jump or kneel down.

6. Is he able to take care of his own bathing, feeding and bathroom needs? He is able to take care of his own bathing, feeding and bathroom needs.

7. Is he still receiving schooling at the orphanage and, if so, how is it going? He is receiving schooling at the orphanage and he gets good grades.

8. How does he compare to his peers developmentally? He is normal compared to his peers developmentally.

9. Updated measurements? Updated measurements: height 140cm, weight 28kg, vision 4.9 L &R, head circumference 69cm, waist 60cm foot length 23.5cm


We also received 2 videos of sweet Kaleb! I can share these privately with an interested family. 

For Kaleb, just like our Kassi last year, time is of the essence! He doesn't have much longer before it will be too late. Please, please pray about whether you might be this amazing boy's family, and email us at theworldwillchangeblog@gmail.com for more information! 

Also, feel free to share this post and direct interested families to us. We can connect them with the right people but we need to get Kaleb seen!!