147 Million

When you hear that number...no matter what it is referring to...it's a big number.  147 million is the estimated number of orphans worldwide. 

Orphan: a child who has lost both parents.

Many of these children don't "lose" their parents (only about 10% actually have had both parents die), but instead are abandoned by them for various reasons.  Some cannot care for the children due to a financial, emotional, or physical inability.  Some don't want to care for their children.  Some reject their children because they are less than perfect.  Some reject their children because they have special needs and think they

are being "cursed" or think these children are "damaged."

Whatever the reason, there are 147 million orphans in the world today.  147 million children who may never know the love of a family....may never feel as if they belong anywhere in this world....may never be pushed to find and use their talents to better this world....may never hear "I love you,"....may never see the world outside the four white walls of their orphange.  As heartbreaking as this is, it is the truth.  As much as we'd like to turn a blind eye, it is still happening.

Many people have asked how we found Zoya.  Sometimes I would joke and say, "you too can have your own orphan!"  People simply don't realize how many children are in need of families.  We "found" Zoya through Reece's Rainbow.  Reece's Rainbow is an international down syndrome orphan ministry whose goal is to find homes for orphans with down syndrome (and other special needs).  Please take a moment and visit the website here:

 Reece's Rainbow

 Click on "waiting children" to see all the beautiful faces who are waiting for their forever families.  God doesn't call everyone to adopt, but he does call all of us to help orphans in need.  If you are not in a position to adopt one of these angels, maybe you are in a position to help find a home for one of them, or to assist a family financially in bringing one of the beautiful babes home, or to simply get the word out that these faces aren't just pictures--they are lives.  If these children aren't adopted by the time they are 4 years old, they are sent to mental institutions where the majority of them die within the first year due to lack of care, nutrition, medical attention, and love.

Looking at this dire situation, it would be easy to give up and say, "I, alone, can't make a difference...I can't change the world."  No--no one person can change the world, but for the children who find their forever families, their worlds will be forever changed!