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Kathleen’s Voice

Can I show you someone really amazing?

 

Kathleen is described as broadminded and cheerful.  Look at her, isn’t she sweet?

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Someone visited Kathleen’s orphanage, and noticed that Kathleen was different from the rest.  In a sea of children, she stood out, in a big way–she kept something most other kids in orphanages tend to loose, I am going to share it with you now:

“Kathleen is a very loving and social little girl who loves getting attention from adults. Whenever I was in her group, she was always right beside me, participating in whatever I was doing and engaging me in her own favorite activities. Kathleen has kept that silly, playfulness that most institutionalized children seem to lose.”

But you see, Kathleen’s life isn’t like yours, or mine.  She, as a child, lives in an orphanage, with no parents to care for her.  But here’s the thing, she also has an unrepaired cleft palate.  What does that mean?  Well, if she were born here, as a little baby, her cleft palate would have a surgery and her life would be not much different than mine or yours.

But, since Kathleen is in an orphanage she never had that surgery.

At ten years old, Kathleen cannot talk, she has never been given the chance of a voice.

Kathleen is a happy little girl who would love to be able to communicate, but cannot because of an unrepaired cleft palate. She makes noises to communicate to the best of her ability. She is a very sweet little girl, and loves to play outside. Many missionaries who have met her loved her and spoke highly of her!”

She wishes to communicate.  Yet, she lives in a world where she is not someone’s baby girl, not high on anyone’s list, one of the most basic of needs, ignored, and denied.   For most of us, that would be something difficult to overcome, to cope with, it would get us down–to no be able to speak?

But not Kathleen.  She is filled with life, with joy that isn’t be broken, despite her circumstances, despite, she is cheerful, full of life.  Kathleen is an inspiration, she is a gift to our broken world, ‘A loving and social girl,’ with no voice, no home of her own.

The statistics of her life are grim, as children without families age out, a good percentage end up with an short life and no job options, it will be compounded for a person without the ability to speak.  Without intervention, upon leaving the orphanage, 60% of girls will end up in prostitution, 70% of boys will be on the streets or in jail, and 15% will commit suicide within the first two years on their own.   There just not a whole lot of options for them, with no support, no encouragement or hope.  They struggle until they can’t anymore.

Without intervention.  So I am wondering, if we could be an intervention?

I think each of us, on our own, feel like we can’t do much– but what if we banded together, and became intervention.  And while doing so, eased those terrible percentages for her, I mean, those statistics are truly awful.  In fact, what if while doing so, she became a daughter.  What if a family said, “Oh I wish, but the finances” and we were like, “Nah, that parts not a problem,” and she got adopted.  And what if, she got a family of her own, because a few of us who felt like we only had a little to share did anyways, and she not only brought her social, kind, loving, joyful spirit to be a gift to her family and inspiration to the world, but what if she finally got that surgery she has needed for so long?

I mean, really.  What if?

What if through all this, Kathleen got a voice?

***

So, I have a plan, a small one.  It would take a few of us to do some little things, but if we are all doing little things together, I think it could change this life, which will leave a permanent mark on our world.

So before I share it with you, I want to ask you to pray, to consider hoping in and saying for Kathleen, the one with the joyful spirit in that dark place,

“Not this one.  This one will have a life.  Have a chance.  A voice.”

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We have a matching grant for her Adoption Fund of $350.  Please donate, and every dollar will be matched, even small gifts that each add up to something big!

You can donate to her here: http://reecesrainbow.org/52247/kathleen  We just have one week to reach our matching goal.

 

 

***

Would you be willing to share about this opportunity for Kathleen?  She is a gift.  Someone who met her said this:

I truly believe she would thrive in a family where she was showered with all the attention she deserves and allowed to simply be the fun-loving, silly little girl God created her to be.”

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I believe it to.  Please, be her intervention, erase the statistics looming over her.  Until she gets her own, let’s be her voice, and write a new ending to her book.

#KathleensVoice

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Comments on this entry are closed.

  • Marjorie Leandro September 8, 2014, 2:38 pm

    This is wonderful. I will definitely share it.
    There are two things stopping us from adoption 1) the finances and 2) our troublesome toddler. Our 5 year plan is to start the international adoption process as we’ve already been turned down in our province.

  • Kate September 8, 2014, 3:02 pm

    We will donate tonight <3 Love this!

  • kimberly September 8, 2014, 4:22 pm

    Everyone deserves a voice. We donated. Thank you for being who you are and aspiring us to be better.

  • CathyC September 8, 2014, 5:20 pm

    We just donated, too.

  • Kate September 8, 2014, 7:21 pm

    Just wanted to update that we did donate (i didn’t forget ;-)) – I think this is awesome, praying the $400 is met & exceeded!

  • RiverOwl September 9, 2014, 12:19 pm

    Yes!! We did it for Iris, we can do it again!!!

  • Alayne Vokurka September 9, 2014, 12:53 pm

    I love reading your blog. You are such an inspiration and I love that you advocate for these precious children. I just donated to sweet Kathleen. Hope she finds a home soon!

    • tinyteam September 26, 2014, 11:08 am

      Hi Alayne! You won the necklace! Do you want to email me your mailing address? Would love to send it your way!

  • Sarah T September 13, 2014, 7:37 pm

    Just donated. I have been keeping an eye on Kathleen’s profile for a while. I couldn’t understand why it seemed like no one noticed her. Hopefully this will help find her parents.

  • Miriam September 14, 2014, 5:45 am

    Thanks for the encouragement & reminder to donate, and for the matching fund. I’ve donated & hope that her family will find her soon!

  • Katie September 15, 2014, 2:38 pm

    I just donated. This precious girl has been on my mind and heart and in my prayers since you first posted this. I pray that God makes clear so many things about her, including where her real home will be.