The Ultimate Mother

Mary.

Recently I have started saying the Rosary ALOT, because since Mary is the Mother of us all I knew that she could protect Julia while my parents are preparing to leave, (By the way, WE GOT OUR APPOINTMENT!  My parents are leaving the 19th of this month!)  Also The apparition of Mary shown above, Our Lady of Guadeloupe, is the protector of the unborn.  As I said in my last post, I am very involved in the Pro-life movement.

Recently whenever I am upset or not feeling well I can just pray a Hail Mary or decade of the rosary I feel like a weight has been lifted off of me.

I also just wanted to clear up a few things that might turn my Protestant brothers and sisters away.  As a Catholic person I don't worship Mary.  Mary is honored because she is the Mother of Jesus Christ.  In other words, I pray to Jesus through her intercession.  Since she is everyone's Mother she should have respect, right?

Listen to the Voices

Yesterday I got off the bus and was bombarded with smiles and excitement because our dossier was submitted on the fourteenth!!!!!  It was such good news to get after getting home from a long day at school.  Please pray that the Spitzs' will get the same news soon!!!

Also on Friday night I attended a Pro-life dinner at a fancy-smancy restaurant with my pastor.  I had a wonderful time! I spiritually adopted a little baby whose mother is thinking about abortion.  The name given to her is Meg.  The way it works is we got a prayer card which we pray for them every day and hopefully they will make it to birth.  In seven months the pro-life foundation will have a baby shower where we will hopefully be able to meet the mother who is carrying the child we are praying for.

There were three speakers.  The second two weren't as inspiring was the first but they were OK.  The first speaker spoke about the positive things that are going on in the pro-life movement.  So it started me thinking and gave me a post. (hahaha)

My eyes were opened to the fact that there are so many teens getting involved.  I have gone to the March for Life in Washington DC for 2 years now, and I always took it for granted that there were so many young people there.  Now that I look back on it, that's just so amazing!  In school I feel like the lone ranger.  It's like nobody cares about these poor babies who are slaughtered daily by the thousands!  But there are voices being raised for them.  It may be a silent revolution now, but it's starting.  The voices are getting stronger.  Little hints are being dropped, like wearing the 10 week in the womb baby feet pin.  I don't if you've seen them, but they are tiny little pins that show the exact size of a 10 week in the womb baby.  I wear my everyday now.

I heard on of the speakers mention a quote of Pope John Paul 2 from World Youth Day in Denver.  He said, "If you are what you should be, you'll set the world on fire."  I will never forget this quote.  This is the motto I choose to live by from now on.  I will listen to what God is trying to tell me and help the widowed, orphaned, aborted, and people with special needs.  I realized last night that I am called to help those with no voice.

This Process

  This morning when I woke up I couldn't get myself out of bed so I was looking out the window at the head of my bed.  I have an attic room so I am basically looking straight into a tree, but now that the trees are changing it's actually very pretty.  There was a slight breeze which was causing the leaves to fall and it was absolutely marvelous!
  Then I began to think, how could this fit into a new blog post, just kidding,  I was thinking about the adoption then because we just recieved word that our dossier reached Ukraine, YAY!!!!, and was comparing the two.  Falling leaves are just like this process.  The leaf is afraid to let go, but then a gust of wind comes and blows it off.  In the adoption process I didn't want to let go of my old life, but I knew it's what we were meant to do.  Once the leaf hits the ground it has hardships like being raked and through into a dump of some kind.  In adoption sometimes they lose your paperwork or something is wrong with it.  But once the leaf is in the dump it's left alone to fertilize that soil or what ever it's natural purpose is.  Once the child is home you adjust to new life with him/her and hopefully all's well.
  Both are beautiful processes.  Adoption is what some are called and some aren't, but through this awakening I realized that this is what family is meant to do, just like leaves are meant to fall off trees.  Adoption is a free fall, but it is so worth it in the end.

Sunday Sept. 19

St. Januarius

Today my dad taught how to sew on a sewing machine. It was SO nerve-racking! Eventually I got it and made myself a pencil case.  I'm so proud! Pictures will be posted tomorrow!

Also Mrs. Spitz family is ready to ship their dossier! Hopefully our last prayer, to her health, will also come true soon!

And lastly, this Saturday we are selling rubber bracelets at a local town celebration day.  Please pray that we can get at least some small amount of money to help bring my sister home!

Remember to pray for the Nalle's and Spitz's!

Long Time, Loads of News!

As you can probably tell I have been very busy.  So much has happened so quickly!  We have an officer with USCIS! What a blessing! Also, school has started.  Isn't that enough said?  Also a friend of my mom's, Summer Spitz, daughter in Ukraine was put in the hospital which caused alot of strife in both of our families, but with all of the prayers that have been going to heaven for her she is now in the Ukranian "rehab". You can read her blog on my links: Lucky to Love Lyla.

Also today is Catholic Underground!  I go to this event every month.  We have Eucharistic Adoration and a coffeehouse afterwards.  It's such a beautiful experience and I can see all of my friends from Camp Veritas!

Also I just wanted to mention a few of the families I'm praying for right now in hopes that you will to.

• To start off please pray for the Spitz that Lyla will be considered adoptable soon.
• Second, the Nalle family, Micah Six Eight, that they will come home with Aaron soon.
• And lastly our family, that Jenny will be home with us soon.

Hopefully I will be able to blog more once school starts running smoothly.

Finally Home

You know that feeling you have when you come home from being away a long time, and you're glad you're home, but upset at the same time?  I feel that so much right now!  I just got home from Camp Veritas which just like every year is AMAZING!  I miss sleeping on those terribly uncomfortable cots and waking up to the most obnoxious ring tone on earth.

Camp Veritas 2010

This was our talent show performance.  I was in the most amazing group of girls this year and I am so greatful that everyone enjoyed singing!

Rainy Day Haze

It hasn't begun raining yet but I can feel it hanging in the air.  It's one of those where you just have no idea what to do.  Sometimes I'll read for two hours, or draw some random doodle.  But today just feels "blah".

Then my mind starts racing with random thoughts like, "What's Jenny doing right now, When will this process by over, When will I be able to hold her in my arms tell her what a privilege it is to be her sister?"  Sometimes my thoughts are so deep it makes me want to cry.  It's like I'll never be able to see her.  But then I remember it's all in God's hands and I know everything will be solved.  Pray that she will be home soon!  We need her more than she needs us!

On a happier note, Addisu's birthday is coming!  I am so excited because even though he had a birthday last year with us I can't wait to give him his presents and make his cake.  This year he knew what he wanted so it's more personal when he finally sees what he's wanted!

School Suppiles and more......

Today was school supply shopping day.  I have always enjoyed picking out new things, but today it didn't feel right.  Being in a gigantic Walmart complex with a Blimpie, hair place, optomitrist, and so much more, I felt so spoiled.  Children in Africa are lucky if they can get any bit of education, yet I get that and all these amazing supplies to go with it.  I get three packs of looseleaf, yet they're lucky to find a piece of paper.

I felt guilty buying all of these things.  Knowing that my own little sister doesn't have anything to call her own is even worse.  But I know that once she gets home we can make her feel like she belongs somewhere.

A New Beginning

I am new to the blog world as of today, and I wanted share some things about myself and my family. I have two biological siblings. An older brother, Caleb, and a younger brother, Joshua,. Then comes my first adopted sibling, Gabriela. She is adopted from Guatemala. She came to us at the age of six months on July 24, 2002. Then is my soon to be sister Jenny. She is currently still in Eastern Europe while we hustle and bustle around to bring her home this fall. And last is my little Ethiopian brother, Addisu. He came home after a year and 3/4 of life in Ethiopia. My parents are Tom and Patty. The happy couple have been married for 16 years.

I love theatre and singing with a burning passion.  I do most my activities outside of school at our local theatre.
We are Roman Catholic, and very strong in our faith.  Every year I attend Camp Veritas which is coming upsoon. This camp is  a catholic camp in which we learn about our faith and do regular sleep away camp stuff.

My purpose for this blog is to help advocate for children with Down Syndrome in Eastern Europe. After they turn five years old they are placed in mental institutions and don't get taken care of very well. This is a known fact to the families involved in an adoption ministry called Reece's Rainbow. This is the ministry in which we found Jenny.

This is Jenny.

This is my family plus my older cousin Tom in the back, right.