What is Ian doing right now?

From the orphanage director:

For summer time the orphanage is closed and children go to the country to a summer "datcha" - kind of a summer camp but with better facilities (heating, running water, toilets), which is located in the woods on the Bay of Finland shore. So, they have a wonderful opportunity to spend summer months in the fresh air and be exposed to the nature.

This year they are going there on June 9 and will come back at the very end of August.

Bay of Finland

He's on his way back from summer "camp." Camp, however, is not at all like we think of camp. It is not for fun. It is not something children can choose to do. It is not summer camp like we see in the movies here in the US or that we send our own children off to. It is moving orphaned children from one spot to another. Ian still has no mom or dad or brother to go home to after "camp," and there was no glorious send off. I just remember, the word "camp" has meant a lot of very different things to millions of people in our worlds history.

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On a lighter note, Ian's little brother Ari, went to what we think of as a camp for kids, although not on the Bay of Finland - he went to our hometown Racine Zoo adventure camp for 3 year olds! He got to spend time with the wild zoo animals and make arts and crafts. He had a blast, the zoo is right along the shores of Lake Michigan, which was a beautiful and truly godly sight to see each morning when I dropped him off.

The Racine shoreline, where Ian will spend parts of his summers.

Ari's sporting the red Nike hat
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I went to summer camp too (the good kind of camp, where you choose to go and your family sends you off and mails you stuff and gives you cash to buy candy and junk food, and then comes back for you when camp is over), every year for many years when I was old enough to "sleep away."

Gretchen at Camp Anokijig circa 1979

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Finally, I was in my hometown of Racine, WI visiting family on the day I received news that I was qualified to adopt Ian. That same week, I sent my goddaughter Morgan off to the same sleep away camp that I attended as a kid, Camp Anokijig. It was cool to be there to bid her farewell.I can totally see Ari and Ian going off to Camp Anokijig together in about 5 years!

5,10,15,20,25,30....700!

So, we recently pulled out the Schoolhouse Rock DVD to play in the truck for Ari on the rides to and from school. Ari generally ignores most television and movies but for some reason, he is GLUED to this old school grammar rock stuff! We sing the songs too, which probably helps. We're geeks I know, we both love Schoolhouse Rock.

Anyway, the song about counting by 5's is a family favorite and since Ari has begun to count, it's way appropriate.

Today, I'm amazed to report, our adoption fund has grown by 10, 15, 700!...all in the space of a few hours because of one person and her action of an email. It comes now to me as simply no surprise that the connection to this person and my family is crazy! shall I? Yes, I think I shall:

First, her name is ROSE: The origin of the name ROSE has several meanings but generally, it symbolizes the Rose shrub. Roses are a universal symbol of LOVE. We LOVED my great Aunt Rose, and we LOVE what a new ROSE is doing for Ian (see next);


Second, she lives in Tarpon Springs, Florida: My great aunt ROSE, lived in New Port Richey Florida, which is why I have been to TARPON SPRINGS, many, many times (as evidenced by the annual family picture taken in front of Hella's Greek restaurant where we all scream "OPA" as the saganaki is lit a flame!. My great Aunt ROSE wished to live to see Ari, but she didn't make it, she died in New Port Richey after having lived more than 90 years (see next);


Third, we are at 2%: Because of ROSE's email to people we don't know and will likely never even meet, and because of ROSE's single largest donation we have received for Ian to date, today we moved from 1 percent to 2 percent on our $25K goal to save Ian!!!!


We have no words for ROSE (uh, well, except those ones above and the ones from our thank you letter), we just know that God moves and works in very mysterious and wonderful ways to connect people who were always meant to be connected, in one or two or three ways!

Oh happy day.

Pay it Forward...from Ransom to Recompense

On Ian's awareness and fund raising website, located HERE, I have been talking about a family that I am just in utter awe of. The Nalle's are bringing home Aaron, and I featured them on my new awareness site, called A LIFE OF TRUTH.

Most days, I feel like I have a nagging spouse that refuses to zip the lip! God just nags me, constantly! He nags me to do more, nags me to be more, and nags me to work harder, at lots of things that are in his image. Most people see nagging as an annoying thing that is just a sad fact of married life. I see it, in this case, as God saving my life by always reminding me, through emotional, spiritual, and meaningful mental connection, as to what my earthly legacy is supposed to be. With God as my life coach, and the word as my handbook, LOL - I'm set! Bonus: Godly personal training is free!

The Nalle's are traveling again soon, to finally bring Aaron home. Their adoption has cost almost $30,000.00. I need more than that for Ian. It's ransom for children, straight up. Yet, if someone had my Ari, my birth son, behind some dreadful concrete wall, where he could die from starvation and likely would, where he had no mental stimulation, no emotional connections, no fun, no warmth, no hugs, no understanding, nothing really...I would sell every possession I had, beg strangers, and remain upon my knees night and day until I freed him. This is what the Nalle's have done. This is proof of life, as it were. Aaron is no different than Julia and Rob's two birth sons, and he has never been, not since God laid nothing but his faithful servants eyes upon Araon's photograph. (PS - they didn't have to sell everything because he made a way:).

Nag, Nag, Nag....I gave Julia $10 bucks from Ian's fund. I know our donor's would support me on this, all you have to do is FEEL, and you would give more that that to secure Aaron in their arms forever. God says if we do our best, he will do the rest. $10 bucks was truly my best right now, in terms of cold hard cash. However, I have more to give. In something that can never be gotten by money, I am covering The Nalle's (and the Fillmore's, and the Sharp's, and the Crew's family traveling NOW) in constant prayer too. Prayer changes things, it is actually scientifically proven if you want to get technical:)

My recompense for that measly ten bucks is priceless...I'm like a soap opera addict, waiting for notification of a new post, confirmation that Aaron is on the plane, one way, to Virginia (of all places, read HERE and HERE to realize that connection), waiting for the first evidence of home - a boy in his own bed, a boy's face and body filling out because he is being fed and nurtured and loved, waiting for the first video post to hear him laughing. Man, this is good stuff. The joy I get from all of that cannot be bought for 10 bucks.

This is what Julia wrote to me after receiving my pay it forward donation, in which I also told her that I wished it could have been ten thousand dollars:

YOUR 10.00 IS WORTH 10,000.00 - God has multiplied the loaves and fishes a thousand times over for this adoption. Thank you for your donation. It put us over the 28,000.00 mark!! How cool is that??? We have been in awe at His faithful provision day by day. He gets all the glory...

Yes, he certainly does.

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PS - this is "funny." When I started this blog I knew it was going to be about Ian's adoption (even though Ian was not yet confirmed for me), and about my lovely boy Ari, and about my faith walk. As a neo blogger, it is hard to write to yourself (i.e., you have no followers, no one reads your blog). I started to think of it more like an on-line journal that was just for me. Still, we all want followers, come on admit it!! Then, like a figging lightning bolt, as soon as God moved me to the edge of my faith and then nag, nag, nagged me (well, actually literally pushed me), out beyond what I thought I could do and be - BAM, I got followers! Lesson: The way to all things is through him.