We Pray for Children

We pray for children who put chocolate fingers everywhere,
who like to be tickled,
who stomp in puddles and ruin their new pants,
who sneak popsicles before supper, who erase holds in math workbooks,
who never can find their shoes....

And we pray for those who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire,
who can't bounce down the street in a new pair of sneakers,
who never "counted potatoes,"
who are born in places we wouldn't be caught dead,
who never go to the circus,
who live in an X-rated world.

We pray for children who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions,
who sleep with the dog and bury goldfish,
who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money,
who cover themselves with Band-Aids and sing off key,
who squeeze toothpaste all over the sink,
who slurp their soup....

And we pray for those who never get dessert,
who have no safe blanket to drag behind them,
who watch their parents watch them die,
who can't find any bread to steal,
who don't have any rooms to clean up,
who pictures are not on anyone's dresser,
whose monsters are real...

We pray for children who spend all their allowance before Tuesday,
who throw tantrums in the grocery store and pick at their food,
who like ghost stories,
who shove dirty clothes under the bed and never rinse out the tub,
who love visits from the tooth fairy,
who don't like to be kissed in front of the school bus,
who squirm in church or temple and scream in the phone....

And we pray for those whose nightmares come in the daytime,
who will eat anything,
who have never seen a dentist,
who aren't spoiled by anybody,
who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep,
who live and move, but have no being.

We pray for children who want to be carried,
for those who must,
for those we never give up on,
for those who don't have a second chance
for those we smother
....and those who will grab the hand of anyone kind enough to offer it.

--- Ina J Hughes © 1985 & 1995

Still no word when Ukraine will re-open.  I hate the part about waiting and wondering and not knowing.  But, in the same instance I know it is all for a reason, and our time will come when our daughter is ready.  Last nite the boys had a blast trick or treating.  Vitaly was batman and Nikolai was a power ranger, they had a blast! 

Here are some stats on Ukrainian Orphans:

Orphan Statistics Ukraine

The following statistics are taken from The Gazetta of Music Missions Kiev May, 2005.

Orphan Statistics

• There are over 100,000 orphans in Ukraine.
• The older an orphan gets, the chances for his/her adoption drastically decrease.
• Each year many orphans between 15 to 18-years-old leave the orphanages.
• Most of these orphans have no one to turn to for help.
• About 10% of them will commit suicide after leaving the orphanage before their 18th birthday.
• 60% of the girls will end up in prostitution
• 70% of the boys will enter a life of crime
• Only 27% of these youth will find work

These youth live in a country that labels them as "useless" and gives no assistance to turn their lives around. It is a society that has created its own problem by placing thousands of children in orphanages, and then when they come of age, they give them no assistance to lead a successful life. It is almost as if the system places them in trade schools to fill the low-income jobs of unskilled labor and remain the under-trodden, 2nd-class citizens that the majority of the population of Ukraine believe that they are.

Other Statistics

• There are presently 6,000 adoptions a year (almost all foreigners adopting).
• Only 10% of orphans are in orphanages because of death of a parent, 90% are social orphans - due to alcoholism, abandonment, or imprisonment of parents.
• There are 450 orphanages or orphan homes in Ukraine.

What Do Orphans Need?

The unanimously agreed that the first was LOVE. And the second was TIME: come and play games, or teach the children in the orphanage. They said that money and things such as clothes, candy, toys, etc. were not so important. Visits and contact are important. CBN showed a video interviewing grad orphans, who are now out of the orphanage, as to what is important to them. Their answers were:

• Someone to trust
• A person who is committed to help them
• A flat - place to live
• "Someone to hold my hand"
• Moral support of friends
• God's help

Please go to our former blog to begin our journey!  We will continue our story on this site because I really wanted to upgrade and be able to post pictures.

 

 

 

Just a refresher This is our first entry from our blog-city site.  This is our story.

 

 

Today it is official we are going to Ukraine to find our daughter! Perhaps others may think we are out of our minds, but Larry and I know we have a daughter waiting for her family in Ukraine. We have crossed this journey two other times and are ecstatic that this will be the final leg of building our family. We never could have imagined, when we began the adoption process in January 2000, that we would not only do it once, but twice! Now we are adopting our third time and are amazed that this opportunity even is possible. We thank those that are making it a possibility- family, friends and most of all our beloved Masha. Today it is official because we met with the social worker and had our homestudy. I knew once I made that first step which was adoption related financially, that we were actually going. I love my boys so much they are the joy and excitment and fun and desire and laughter in our home! I could not imagine my life without them nor would I want too! Somewhere deep in my heart, as a woman, I longed for dresses and bows and dolls and girl giggles and pink and tea parties and talking girl talk. I just felt that something was missing, and the longing continued to grow and I would swat it away and think what am I doing am I insane! I guess maybe I am and Larry too and any of us that follow that small desire or dream in our lives that makes others wonder why. Life is short. Things that may seem more important to some is not the most important for others. New cars, a bigger house, new furniture and clothes, perhaps traveling the world these things are nice and goals that are often set. We have decided that perhaps our lives should be filled with the laughter of children. That cannot be replaced when the years wind down and one looks back at what you have accomplished. I will not look back and say gosh I wish I am so glad I had that new state of the art SUV. No I want to look back and say do you remember when the children.... Here is where I want to fill my lifebook and today begins a new chapter.