More Pictures!!!

I'm so happy to be sharing these with you. When I got them I was SOOO excited!! I received more pictures of Tatiana!! She is adorable. I have to tell you when I got this I could not quit smiling! There is just something about this little girl that grabs me by my heart. She will be a blessing to her family, (when they come for her that is). I'm sure she wonders and prays daily for her family to come. Please share this blog with anybody who will listen and ask them to share it as well. I want Tatiana's face to touch as many people as possible!! Now for the payoff for reading my boring writing. lol.. Sweet pictures of Tatiana! 

Who is Tatiana?

See..... there is this little girl, thousands of miles away, that is tugging at my heart and needing help.

I'm not sure why I feel SO compelled to help her..... but I do. I can NOT get her sweet face out of my mind. I think of her often and my heart is breaking for her. I do know there are sad stories everywhere, everyday, but for some reason, she has stuck with me. I may not be able to do much, but I WILL do what I can. The sinking in my stomach and the aching of my heart after seeing her picture won't allow me to ignore her or forget about her. Her name is Tatiana. Sometime this month she turned 8 years old. Tatiana used to have a family, with a home and a mother to love her. Then Tatiana's mother died. No father was listed on her birth certificate..... and now she lives in an institution.

CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE?? She lost the only person she had, and now she's alone, without a family to call her own. I just keep thinking about MY sweet little gifts from God and how ANY child can be without a family. What if this were Randi or Grace. What if my babies were without me, their dad and all the amazing people they have in their lives. Nobody telling them how amazingly wonderful they are, how beautiful and special they are, nobody whispering in their ear as they get hugged how much they are loved. How different their lives would be, how sad, alone and broken they would feel.  It seriously makes me sick to my stomach to think about.

Tatiana needs a family. She, like every child needs to be held and hugged and kissed and told how amazing she is. Tatiana needs stories read to her, a family to tuck her in at night and to let her know that she is a gift, a blessing! Tatiana needs a chance. How different her life would be if she could get that.

You see. I HAVE to help her. I HAVE to. My heart is heavy and I can't live with that. I know with %100 certainty that there IS a family out there for her. A perfect family that was, from the beginning, meant for her. I do believe there is a divine plan for this little blessing, I just want to help.

This is what I know. Tatiana is in Eastern Europe, she is 8, This is her description on the waiting children's list

(Tatiana's birthmother has died. No father was indicated on her birth certificate. Additional photos are available - she makes the sweetest facial expressions and looks a bit shy in front of the camera. She is a good girl, active, assists others, not capricious and strong willed. She was a family girl before living in the institution.)

She is HIV+, before you come to any conclusions , I want you to watch this
http://www.projecthopeful.org/get-involved/truth-pandemic

Because adoption is expensive, because adoption can be stressful, and because Tatiana is an older child with HIV, she is getting passed over. I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS LITTLE GIRL TO BE FORGOTTEN! Please please please help her. Money is all to often the reason adoptable children NEVER find homes. I want to help raise funds for her adoption, basically raising her ransom. That way when the perfect family comes along MONEY is not standing in the way of Tatiana getting home. I've added a "button" (It's at the top right, it says donate, when you click it you will see Project Hopeful and Tatiana's name) to my blog. If your heart is touched at ALL by Tatiana, please considering giving what you can. $1.00, $5.00, $100.00, or whatever you can. Seriously every penny gives this girl some hope!! Right now her fund sits at $0.00 The money will go directly to her adoption fund. I want so badly for this little girl to have a wonderful home, a mom, a dad, brothers, sisters, or any one of those. I don't want her to get left behind or forgotten. I'm really hoping WE can make a difference, a difference for one sweet little miracle that is deserving and worthy of a family.
Please feel free to share and pass this along. I really want it to reach as MANY people as possible. You never know where it might end up and who might end up reading this. I know there is a family for her and they might not know it until they see her precious face and hear her story. So PLEASE forward, share and spread. :)

....once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know and holds us responsible to act. Proverbs 24:12

Who is Project Hopeful and What is a FIG Advocate??

Who is Project Hopeful??
Project HOPEFUL’s Mission is to educate, encourage, and enable families and individuals to advocate for and adopt children with HIV/AIDS. They really are a great organization speaking up for those who can't. You can read more about them here  http://www.projecthopeful.org/ You should go check out their page and look around, ESPECIALLY the waiting children. These kids have amazing stories...they have been through more, seen more and dealt with more than you and I could EVER imagine. I promise their sweet faces are worth the look! Also check out this video. WHO KNEW??? I didn't before watching this!

What is a FIG Advocate??
The Family in the Gap (FIG) program places the tools for helping unite a waiting orphan with their forever family. when you become Family in the Gap to a waiting orphan you share HOPE with them. Become inspired yourself that change CAN happen one child at a time.
Advocacy can be as simple as getting the word out that a waiting orphan needs a family. You can blog about their story and share their dreams with the world. Help raise funds to eliminate the financial barriers that keep them from being adopted. Share the truth about HIV and shatter social stigma which surrounds HIV/AIDS. Join with like-minded and passionate advocates all over the country to share tips and advice for helping your FIG child.
In your role as FIG advocate you can:

• commit to praying regularly for “your” child to find a forever family
• spread awareness about your child and be instrumental in helping locate a family for them
• raise money for your child’s adoption fund to help eliminate financial barriers presented by adoption

I'm so happy to report that Tatiana has a FIG Advocate!!! Who is this ordinary HERO that didn't turn away from her story but instead decided to step up to the plate to help her find her family?? None other than MY VERY OWN MOM! Thank goodness for mom's!! My mother is gifting $25.00/month and I am doing the leg work. We are great partners in crime :) I am so happy to be partnering with my mother to help Tatiana. It is MY pleasure to help this sweet young girl and be her advocate! I plan on having some fun fundraisers and getting a little creative in coming up with ways to raise Tatiana's ransom. I can't wait to see what God has in store for her!!

IF you are interested in stepping up to the plate to help one of these sweet children let me know!! I will be HAPPY to point you in the right direction.