Love Without Boundaries

UPDATE: LWB won today's $1000.00 challenge! Today is the cut-off to win the $50K. Thank you for donating, if you have already. If you haven't and want to, HURRY!

For those of you who may not know, Love Without Boundaries is a wonderful organization that helps children in China's orphanages. They help arrange and pay for surgeries, provide medical care, foster care, and nutritional and educational support. You can visit the website to read more about them here, just finish reading this first!

LWB is taking part in a Giving Challenge sponsored by Facebook. They are in the last 24 hrs. of the challenge and need as many people willing to donate $10 as possible! The charity with the most individual donors giving $10 or more by February 1st will win $50,000 for their charity. They are currently in first place but may not stay that way for long. If they win this money, LWB intends to use the funds to save the lives of orphaned children in China needing heart surgery. Since heart surgeries average $5000 in China, the prize money could help ten children have a second chance at life!

What's really cool about this is that the contest counts each individual donor, not just total dollars raised. So 20 people responding with a donation of only ten dollars will have a greater impact (towards winning the prize money) than one person giving $200. You know you will blow ten bucks on something stupid today anyway! Yes, you will. You'll buy a few mochas, or new lipstick, maybe some Odor-Eaters or new boxer shorts, or something really, really stupid, like bread and milk. But nothing that costs you ten bucks today will be life-changing. Wouldn't you rather use it to help a baby whose life can be changed? Come on... Help a kid!

Their website talks a little more about the challenge here if you need more information, BUT-I would rather you click here to go to their Facebook page. You can read about the contest there and donate. You will need to join Facebook to do it, but you can always delete your profile afterwards if you don't go for that kind of stuff.


LWB also has a blog at: http://lwbchinablog.blogspot.com/

I received this email this morning:
Amy Eldridge posted an announcement to the cause Love Without Boundaries Foundation.
Subject: Final 24 hours plea
My message is a bit long today but I hope you will read it to the end. We have just 24 hours left in the Giving Challenge contest on Facebook. 24 hours to try and stay in the lead. And we can’t do it without you. As I type this, I am staring at the photos of 12 babies who are hurting because they were born with heart disease. Their eyes truly haunt me, first because they are orphaned and as a mother it is hard to accept that any child has to be sick without a mom or dad to comfort them….but second because I know that without surgery, the pictures I have of these children might be their last. Do you know how small a baby’s heart is? And how fragile an orphan’s life is when that tiny heart has a defect? These pictures are of children who are blue, children who are tired, children who NEED OUR HELP. I also have on my desk the photos of children whose hearts we have healed. They stare out at me with pink cheeks and smiles, and in many…with their new adoptive families. THIS is what it is all about. Saving lives, giving a second chance, and allowing a child to find their family and know complete love. In the next 24 hours we have a chance to give the GIFT OF LIFE to 10 more children in need. The charity with the most unique $10 donors at 12 noon PST on February 1st will win $50,000. Heart surgery in China averages just $5000 per child, so with that prize….ten children can have a second chance at life. I am not going to ask you today to find 10 more donors, or even 5 more donors to help us. I am asking you to find just ONE person in your life that hasn’t donated and to ask that person to please help you save a life. For just $10. If all of us do this, we could have over a thousand new donors in just one day. How often do we spend $10 on things that last just a moment? $10 for two fancy coffees, $10 for a movie and popcorn, $10 for a dinner out. How about for today, for the next 24 hours, we all find $10 for something that will last a LIFETIME. $10 to save a baby’s life and allow a priceless child (who is orphaned and totally innocent) to get a second chance at finding a family to love them. Find just one friend in the next 24 hours, and encourage them to join our cause and donate. $10 for the life of a child. Of all the money you have spent this week….this might be the most important. Thank you EVERYONE for keeping LWB in the running for the top prize. We love our supporters and give thanks everyday for the amazing generosity, compassion, and kindness you show to those who live as orphans each and every day. We truly are a family, bound together by the belief that every child born on this earth matters. Here’s the link! http://apps.facebook.com/causes/view_cause/51591 Let’s do it for the kids.
Amy

Vietnam Program Update

For those of you involved in Vietnam adoptions, this is old news and you can skip this post. This one is more for friends and family who may wonder why I bite my bottom lip and blink away tears when they ask me how our adoption is going.

The news isn't exactly hopeful right now. Instead of talking about it, I'll just post the recent statement from the USDoS and let you read it for yourself:

Warning Concerning Adoptions in Vietnam
January 2008

The Department of State warns potential adoptive parents and adoption service providers of the risk of initiating new adoptions from Vietnam at this time. The 2005 Memorandum of Agreement, required by Vietnamese law to authorize adoptions between the United States and Vietnam, expires on September 1, 2008. The United States is strongly committed to continuing intercountry adoptions from Vietnam if possible. Our primary concern is to ensure that the children and families involved in the adoption process are protected from exploitation. The Government of Vietnam shares this concern. Both countries acknowledge that more needs to be done. Discussions about revision and renewal of the Agreement are a priority for both governments, but there is no certainty a new Agreement will be in place on September 1. In view of the processing time required in Vietnam from placement to the Giving and Receiving Ceremony, an adoption process begun now cannot be completed before the current Agreement expires. We do not know whether the Government of Vietnam will continue to process pending cases if the current Agreement expires before a new Agreement takes effect. Moreover, given concerns about the existing level of protection for children in Vietnam, it is unlikely that the Agreement can be renewed in its current form.
The United States Government stands ready to support Vietnam’s efforts to strengthen and improve accountability in its adoption system and to develop its capacity to regulate adoptions. In some cases, our background investigations have revealed evidence of irregularities, ranging from forged or altered documentation to cases where children have been offered for adoption without the apparent knowledge or consent of their birth parents. In response to these problems, in November 2007, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service and the Department of State instituted new procedures to verify that children identified for placement meet the requirements of Vietnamese and U.S. law, before the child has been adopted under Vietnamese law. The Embassy strongly advises prospective adoptive parents not to travel to Vietnam until they have received notification from the Embassy that their case is ready for final processing and travel is appropriate. Parents should contact the Embassy immediately if anyone, including their adoption service provider, encourages them to travel to Vietnam prior to receiving this notification. The Embassy can work together with adoption service providers, Vietnam’s Department of International Adoptions, and local authorities to resolve issues such as the scheduling of a Giving and Receiving Ceremony. We continue to urge Vietnam to comply with the terms of the 2005 Agreement and to establish a process that protects the interests of all parties involved in adoptions.

The above statement can be found here: http://www.travel.state.gov/family/adoption/intercountry/intercountry_3939.html

They followed that with this FAQ sheet:

VIETNAM INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION CONCERNS
1. Q: What are the problems with the present Agreement that warrant a renegotiation of the MOU between the two countries at this point in time?
GVN has not complied with specific terms of our 2005 bilateral Agreement on adoptions which both parties agreed were essential to a process that is transparent and protects the rights of infants and families.
2. Q: Does the USG want to end all intercountry adoptions from Vietnam?
The USG does not want to end adoptions from Vietnam.
Instead, we hope that this renegotiation process will result in concrete steps towards establishing a more transparent adoption process with the safeguards necessary to protect children, birth parents, and adoptive parents.
Field investigations by USG personnel have revealed evidence of fraud which undermine the reliability of the adoption process in Vietnam.
This evidence requires us to scrutinize individual cases carefully to verify whether the children involved are actually eligible for adoption under Vietnamese and U.S. law.
3. Q: Why is the U.S. Government issuing this warning?
Vietnamese law, not U.S. law, requires a Memorandum of Agreement. The current Agreement expires on September 1.
We hope that a new Agreement can be finalized before that date.
We cannot predict, however, whether this will be the case and want prospective parents to be aware of that risk.
4. Q: What steps has the USG undertaken to address concerns about fraud and baby-selling while it is negotiating a new MOA with the Vietnamese government?
The USG has instituted the Orphan First program, under which the USG conducts field investigations to verify the child is eligible for a U.S. visa before the adoption is finalized in Vietnam.
Orphan First allows us to address questions of fraud before the adoption is finalized and spare American parents the pain of learning that an adopted child is not eligible for an immigrant visa.
5. Q: What is the USG doing about the families whose cases have been issued Notices of Intent to Deny (NOIDs)?
The USG is doing everything in its power to complete these cases quickly.
We know that the period of review of adoption cases is difficult for families, but the U.S. government has a responsibility to ensure that any irregularities in these orphan adoption cases do not undermine the validity of the petition or visa application.
6. Q: What is the current status of the NOIDs?
Specific questions about NOIDs should be addressed to USCIS, which has responsibility for this process.
Further, out of respect for the privacy of individual families, we cannot discuss individual cases.
7. Q: What is the USG’s goal regarding intercountry adoptions from Vietnam?
Our goal for Vietnam and for all countires is an intercountry adoption process solidly based on the standards set by the Hague Adoption Convention.
We have strongly urged the GVN to accede to the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, to promptly draft Hague compliant adoption legislation and implementing regulations, and to develop a child welfare infrastructure that will bring Vietnam into conformity with Hague Standards.

That came from here: http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/intercountry/intercountry_3940.html

Also- another blogger, Tracy, has done the work of explaining all this and giving her take on it, as well as providing some additional links. You can read it here. She has saved me the time and trouble. Thanks, Tracy! I'm being a lazy blogger, I guess. Or a depressed one.

If you have a question about what the DoS statements mean- just leave me a comment or email me and I'll do my best to answer... But maybe not today- OK? I just don't want to think or talk about the whole mess right this second.

The fact that our agency has not received referrals yet for the first batch of dossiers that were submitted last May, just makes the whole thing seem scarier somehow, and the future of our adoption even more uncertain. We knew lots of uncertainty would be involved when we signed on with a pioneer program and we prepared ourselves for that, but we weren't expecting those uncertainties to include the possible shut-down of the country program we chose. As I've already told you guys, there aren't many other countries we qualify for, so we are really wondering what will happen next. I know you will naturally want to ask, "So, what are you guys gonna do?" Good question. Excellent question. We'll let you know when we have an answer to it. I don't think anyone really knows for sure how this whole thing will play out. I'm definitely down in the dumps about all this right now and I'm concerned, BUT I'm not losing faith or hope yet. Just because things don't look good, doesn't mean they can't still turn around. There's still time. It's not over til the fat lady sings, right? And you guys know I don't sing.




And thank you very much to those who left comments on yesterday's prayer request for my friend, and to those who prayed for her. Please keep those prayers coming! I appreciate it and I know she does, too.

Urgent Prayer Request

Dear family and friends,

Today is a departure from my typical stupidity to ask for your prayers. I have a friend who is going through something horrible and desperately needs to feel God's peace, comfort, guidance and direction TODAY. Unfortunately, the details are much too personal to discuss here, and I realize it's very difficult to sincerely, fervently, and effectively pray for someone when you have no details. But I'm asking you anyway. I'm calling upon those of you who are faithful prayer warriors to PLEASE set aside a few minutes each day to lift up my friend. Call her Jane Doe, if you want to, God doesn't care. He knows who she is and what she needs. God knows every detail. This person is going through trials that would break the heart of every mother out there. I'm even going to pray for YOU that God won't let you rest until you remember to pray for HER, so how do you like them apples?

Here's how I'm praying for her today...

That God will:
Let her feel His presence in her life and in her situation today.
Show her He's with her in the midst of these heartbreaking circumstances, and has not abandoned her to her suffering.
Give her comfort, and increase her faith to be able to persevere and trust Him.
Show her clearly what path He wants her to take and give her peace about that choice, and the endurance to follow that path.
Help her to remember He has a purpose in this. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jer. 29:11
Open the doors of blessing in her life, and give her the desires of her heart.
Remind her she is loved and is not alone.

Thank you, Everyone. I know God will lay this person on someone's heart and mind today, just as He has put her on mine. Let's get to work and lift her up!

Flower Power, Peter Fonda, Larry King, Leeza Gibbons

I'm up in the middle of the night tonight, and unfortunately I landed upon a channel showing one of those Time/Life infomercials that makes you keep thinking you'll change the channel right after this clip, then they show another one, and before you know it, you've just wasted an hour of your life. This one was for the Flower Power music collection. While riveted to this broadcast, I made a few observations that are significant enough to warrant a public discussion. If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that my observations are rarely significant to anyone but me, but it's MY blog, so... There you have it.

Some of you are much too young to know what I'm talking about in this post, so you will have to call your moms and ask her. Young people... Geez.

1. Peter Fonda. The original Joe Cool-Bad Boy. Mr. Easy Rider. Motorcycle Guy. Peter Fonda is now Mr. Time/Life Flower Power Infomercial Guy. It's time to call the agent, Pete. Things aren't looking good. Wearing a leather jacket does nothing to counteract the effects of hosting this show, you know. You are now in the same category as Barry What's-his-name (that old fart who was Greg from the Brady Bunch), and that little tiny creepy dude from The Monkees. Do you really want that, Pete? Do you? Seriously, not a good career move.
2. Joe Cocker. They showed some very old footage of him I'd never seen before- way before his Saturday Night Live/funny John Belushi imitation days (and if you're already lost with these references, maybe you should just sit this one out. Don't even bother calling your mom. Go watch "Saved By the Bell" reruns, then come back later). He was really young. And yet, he was every bit as spazzy and herky-jerky as I recall him being later on. I just always assumed years of drug use made him that way, but apparently he started out like that. Does he have some sort of condition that I am unaware of? Have I been making fun of someone all these years who couldn't help it? That's the type of thing the Lord frowns upon, is it not? Do I owe Joe an apology?
3. Tommy James... of Tommy James and the Shondells (Crimson and Clover, Mony Mony, I Think We're Alone Now) was seriously weird-looking and kind of creeped me out a little. I'd never seen him before and 3:00 in the morning, in the dark, was not the time for us to meet. He had Joan Jett hair, a girly outfit, and... I don't know. He just wasn't right. It will be hard to get back to sleep. I'll have to turn on my closet light. Tommy owes me an apology.
4. These kinds of commercials always have a host and a co-host. While one is talking, the other will stand there looking at his/her partner, nodding in agreement. He/she will then turn and look at you, still nodding, and begin to do the contemplative, I-totally-agree-with-what-this-idiot-is-saying "frown-smile." You know, where the person is smiling, but the corners of the mouth go down instead of up? This seems to be a standard infomercial maneuver. I hate that. Why do they always do that?
5. Whiter Shade of Pale. Who can explain the meaning of this song's lyrics to me, please? It's a pretty song, but I don't get it. "We skipped a light fandango, turned cartwheels cross the floor. I was feelin' kinda seasick. The crowd called out for more. The room was humming harder, as the ceiling flew away. When we called out for another drink, the waiter brought a tray. Blah, blah, blah..." Is it possible that I am not as deep and philosophical as I think I am?
   
6. Ladies who look like they could be, and probably are, called "Nana" by someone should not make statements like, "I was born to be wild." It makes people want to vomit. I cannot stress this point enough. All of America, and most likely Canada, agrees with me, Ma'am. You should be stopped.
   
7. Should I be embarrassed to admit that I kind of wanted to buy this collection after investing so much of my time into it?
   

After this one ended, I flipped to a different channel and... Cripes, there's Larry King. Is something wrong with Larry? Has he gone nuts and CNN forgot to tell us? He seems senile. He's 96 years old; it may be time for a gold watch, Dude- know what I'm sayin'? If he's such a great interviewer, shouldn't he let the people he's interviewing finish a sentence? Isn't he supposed to LISTEN to their answers? Am I not understanding the job of an interviewer? Moving on... Let's give Pam Dawber a chance to convince me I need EyeQ. She almost did, but Pam Dawber has always gotten on my nerves. Nice try, Pam. You almost had me, but... Leeza Gibbons is currently selling Sheer Cover on another channel and a paid (oops, I mean satisfied) user just tearfully admitted that this product not only healed her skin, it healed her spirit. How cool is that? See Pete, you should've auditioned for the Sheer Cover gig instead, buddy.