How often do you get a chance to save a life?

Tori is a little girl in Eastern Europe*, nearly five years old, with cerebral palsy and clearly a smile that lights up the room.

From her spot at Reece's Rainbow:

This little angel can just light up a room with her smile and her giggle. She is constantly happy, very alert and playful, and is an orphanage favorite. We are waiting for some new photos of her, but she is registered and available to be adopted now! She has had surgery for her spinal hernia (not spina bifida), but it was unsuccessful in her country. She is not able to pull up or stand/walk on her own. We hope she would have much better chances of correction here in the US, but we will not have any x-rays or other records available prior to your trip to share with a doctor for review. She has decompensated hydrocephaly as well.

Children from this orphanage are sent to the institution promptly on their birth date, so we are working hard to prevent that for this little sunshine. She will be bedridden for her short life if she is transferred. Please consider rescuing Miss Tori!

UPDATE: Tori has already been transferred to the institution. It is imperative she be rescued right away.

For the month of October, together we will fundraise adoption costs for Tori in hope of getting her OUT OF THERE and with a family as soon as possible.

For those of you not familiar with the conditions of abandoned children with special needs in Eastern Europe and Russia, the situation for these children after they turn 4 or 5 is quite dire. It is not easy reading, but it is important--here is a report from Human Rights Watch. Although this report is from 1998, the conditions have NOT improved in most areas. Children with special needs--such as cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, and others--are sent to mental institutions for adults at the age of 4 or 5, receive little to no attention, and tragically, die young.

It's easy to turn away, and it's tempting to say "well, they should change that abominable system" but it is just as easy to DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. As Christians who believe that God brought every human person into existence, we know that every child is a wanted child. The primary problem here is money--the cost of international adoption is steep. But this is a solvable problem. We will be collecting money to put directly in the Reece's Rainbow account set up for adopting Tori. If she has a fully funded adoption, her chances of getting adopted very soon go up astronomically. Reece's Rainbow is a 501(c)3 organization, so if you wanted to donate there directly and get a tax credit, you could...just ask that the money be applied to the "Tori (9)" account in PayPal's special instructions. If for some reason Tori is not adopted, the money would go to another special needs adoption fund--it would be used for a very good cause. $1, $20, $50, $100, more--she can use it all!

The other piece, of course, is to encourage Tori's future parents to step forward and apply to adopt this little child of God. We need to look into our own hearts and see if we have room for her ourselves. If that's not possible, we need you to spread the word--you never know if it will be your suggestion, your blog post, your facebook status, your tweet that nudges a person into considering this blessing. If you know a couple who has adopted--or is considering adopting--that would be ideal in this case, because that couple has likely already had a home study done and is cleared for adoption. Time is truly of the essence here. But if you are considering this adoption and do not have a home study done, contact Reece's Rainbow right away anyway. Who knows how God works? What we do know is that God does not want this little girl to be rejected by society and hidden away with any significant human contact. God does not want her to die. Which brings me to the next point...

Prayer. I'm going to say something audaciously bold here: If we pray, the parents will come. I will post a prayer every day on this site for the month of October. I invite you to pray with me, and encourage others to pray for this child and her future parents. Prayer changes things, including this. We are praying in concert with God's will for this little girl and her future family. They will be blessed by each other's existence.

It is good to work for the culture of life. It is good to be Christ's hands and feet. It is good to have an opportunity to love some of the most vulnerable in our world. And it is good to have a great God who can do all things! Please help us help Tori. Thank you!

*The laws of her nation do not permit us to name her home country online. If you are interested, ask me or contact Reece's Rainbow for the name of the country.