Giving in the Season of Buying

Today is "Giving Tuesday." Ever heard of that?

After a series of days focused on shameless and conspicuous consumption, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, we have a day to switch gears and do some giving!!

Please consider Project TLC on this Giving Tuesday! 

Our caregivers are volunteers from the perspective of the orphanage, BUT we must pay them a salary...and it's the only job that these ladies have to support their families. Food prices have gone up dramatically so we felt compelled to give them a raise. Otherwise, the ladies would have to find employment elsewhere, and the children would suffer.

We need more sponsors!!

Our current monthly heroes only cover about 50% of our caregiver budget and that can't go on for much longer.

However, it's not only about money! Some of the most precious gifts are of yourself...your time, your talents, your precious prayers. Project TLC has other needs that you could help with! Prayer coordinators, graphic design, writing letters, and creating content for our new website are just a few examples.

We are convinced that God has a plan to meet every need...from every small project to every lonely, fatherless child. Has God planned for you to be a part of meeting someone's needs? As we navigate through this advent season, anticipating the greatest gift of all time, ask yourself:

How best can I give of myself?

You can arrange to make a one-time gift, or become a sponsor through our Paypal links to the left. If you have time or other talents to offer, please contact us at ProjectTLC@cox.net.

Merry Christmas!!

I'm so pleased to share with you our most recent reports from our caregivers. Please remember, this is a "closed" facility, so the fact that we are able to minister there at all is a true miracle!

Sveta writes: 

"Praise God for strength and patience. These days we were without weekends 

because there was a lack of workers these vacation time. So we were asked to 

help. Children are so happy to meet us. Every day we walk them outside, jump on 

a trampoline, rock on a swing, having really good time. Kids look good. We've 

noticed less aggression from them. Almost no fits. We see things improving 

little by little. Thank you for your prayers. Be blessed." 

Natasha writes: 

"Each day we have our daily duties with kids. When you see happy eyes of the 

kids you understand how great is God's love that comes to them from us. The Lord 

fills our hearts with love for them. A short story. Today (Aug.30) I was able to 

visit group #7 which is kids from 14-18 yo. They were so happy like it was a 

celebration. We fellowshipped, walked outside, talked with them. They understand 

us and we understand them. Thank you for prayers. Amen." 

As the Project TLC ladies have worked to become accepted and trusted by the teachers and caregivers of the institution, they are able to visit additional groups of children. Eventually, we would like them working with the children in the laying room, but that is not yet possible. Baby steps. 

Please pray for these ladies as they provide a Christian presence to a facility smack dab in the middle of a Muslim village. They experience spiritual attacks, jealousies, and difficulties that we cannot imagine. Pray for the children that they would come to know and trust Jesus, even in the midst of 

their suffering.

And please, if you are not already supporting Project TLC, consider a modest monthly gift to our care giving ministry. We are not yet fully funded. I'm still holding on to these little ladies! When we reach the $500 mark I'll be drawing a name to receive this pretty little matryoshka doll set.

Standard Sponsorship Levels

TLC Advocate : $25.00 USD - monthly TLC Hero : $50.00 USD - monthly TLC Champion : $100.00 USD - monthly

Help Wanted

Project TLC was started after our adoption experiences taught us that some very simple and inexpensive things could change a institutionalized child's life for the better. Each of us had adopted from the same orphanage...a place with a reputation for being "rough" on kids.

Children there were picked up like packages, always facing away from the caregiver. No eye contact for the little ones. No smiles. They sat for hours on end in empty playpens in the heavy silence. Some were left slumped over in high chairs, or walkers which were tethered to radiators with old pantyhose. Disposable diapers hung out to dry and reused as often as possible. Cribs and play equipment in dangerous disrepair. Children hungry for human connection were often rewarded with beatings and verbal abuse. We witnessed these things firsthand.

In the course of our adoptions, we donated huge sums of cash to this baby house. We were new. We were naive. And we were forced to do it. Upon our return visit the next year, we found that nothing had changed for the better for the children we left behind. We found them dirty, wet, and forgotten in cribs. Some of our favorite children were missing, presumably transferred, and the workers couldn't even remember their names. They might as well have not existed.

When we found an institution that was willing to let us provide additional, dedicated full time caregivers, we knew that we could really help change the kids' lives for the better! They get eye contact, positive physical contact, and patient attention. They are prayed over, sung to, and valued. In short, they are treated with human dignity for the first time in their lives. 

The results have been even better than we imagined! Yes, the children are benefitting, but we didn't fully grasp the contagious nature of TLC until we learned that the regular orphanage workers' hearts were softening, too. They were starting to treat the children with more care, less harshness. Beatings occured less frequently. (Beatings? Yes...the sad reality of institutional existence.) Even some local Christians have started to visit occasionally and bring fruit for the children. God is at work here. 

However, our caregiving fund is running dry and we need your help. We can't fail these kids. If we can find 20 people to commit to a gift of $25 per month, our caregivers will be funded and we can explore opportunites to expand in new facilities. 

Will you partner with us to bring TLC to children in mental institutions? 

It's too hot now for a chocolate giveaway...but we have this little lady! Isn't she darling? 

When we hit our monthly $500 sponsorship goal, I will randomly draw the name of one of our newly committed supporters to receive this sweet little matryoshka doll. She's about 4 inches tall and fresh off the plane from Ukraine.

You may set up your sponsorship via Paypal below, or contact us at ProjectTLC@cox.net for additional options. One time and smaller gifts are always welcome. We will keep you posted on our progress!

Thanks for helping us care for the kids we left behind...the least of these.

Standard Sponsorship Levels

TLC Advocate : $25.00 USD - monthly TLC Hero : $50.00 USD - monthly TLC Champion : $100.00 USD - monthly

Program Update

It finally feels like summer, so let's have a program update!

Supporting adopting families is new for us, but something to which we couldn't say no! It's extremely painful to watch families in urgent funding situations. When a child's life is on the line, failure is not an option.

We will be taking t-shirt orders for the next 11 days to benefit two families. If this effort is well received, we will consider a quarterly t-shirt drive to benefit families. Please, help us make this a success!! The more shirts we sell, the larger the cut that our families will receive. We hope to contribute up to $17 per shirt. Order yours HERE. 

Little Dmitry is still waiting for his surgery. His region has been plagued by violence and unrest for months. There is no end in sight. Other options are possible and being pursued, however. The funds raised for his surgery will be held in trust until he is helped, or until we learn that it is no longer possible to help him. 

Our caregivers are doing great! The ministry to the children continues with great success. The ladies are being given more stable working hours and conditions. The children are progressing and love the additional care. It is a privilege to shine the light of Jesus on their needs. This is an ongoing work to save lives and souls.

We raised nearly $500 for our care-giving program with our recent Ukrainian chocolate fundraiser. With a monthly budgeted need of $440 though, we need to find regular monthly sponsors to keep the program afloat. Failure here is not an option. Contact us at ProjectTLC@cox.net if you could commit to a small monthly gift for our care-giving program.

Opportunities for expanding our care-giver program into new facilities have been presented to us. As funding stabilizes, we hope to share these opportunities with you.

Thank you for following and praying for the work of Project TLC. 

Matching Grant for the McDonalds!

Our T's for Orphans fundraiser is off to a great start! The Adoption/Redemption shirts have broad appeal and invite conversations that might never have taken place. Just a few weeks ago, the owner of a Dairy Queen struck up a conversation with me...said his family recently adopted from Uganda. Another customer behind me jumped in and shared his own foster/adopt story. What a blessing!


You can reserve your shirt until June 30 but remember, the Kunkle family travels in just NINE DAYS!! Order form HERE.


In other great news, an anonymous donor has offered a $500 matching grant for the McDonald family! You can read a little bit about the twists and turns in their adoption story http://stepoutoftheboat.blog.com/2014/06/10/starting-over/.


This is a great opportunity to support them if you don't need or want a shirt, or if you would like to make a smaller donation. They need $1500 urgently, so your gifts large and small are deeply appreciated! Use the donation button below to give online. Email us ProjectTLC@cox.net if you wish to make other arrangements. Thank you!

T's for Orphans

In our effort to care for orphans, we have been presented with an opportunity to support families that are preparing to adopt. For the next three weeks, we will be offering our Adoption/Redemption shirt to benefit two families in URGENT need of funding. Oh, and want to win a $50 iTunes gift card? Read ALL the way to the bottom!

The McDonald Family

The McDonald family adopted their son, Toby Jr., from Ukraine in the summer of 2010. Toby and Suzanne originally set out to adopt domestically this time, but God had other plans for them. After many heartbreaking months looking for the child that would thrive in their family, and through an an encounter surely orchestrated by God, they became aware of a little boy with Down Syndrome in Bulgaria. The pieces started to fall into place...quickly! Several thousand dollars of their total remaining need is due very soon. Be a part of the miracle that in in store for this amazing family!!

Total remaining need: $20,000

The Kunkle Family

The Kunkle family is heading to Ukraine very, very soon for their adoption appointment. Originally, Dale and Buffey committed to adopt a pretty little girl with dark hair and eyes. The girl was mysteriously transferred to a different region and adopted by another family soon after. In the midst of their heartbreak, they decided to put their full faith in God to choose a child for them and will be traveling to accept a blind referral. Since they no longer have a face or photos to share, fundraising has been difficult. With only two weeks left to raise the remaining funds, this family URGENTLY needs our prayers and financial gifts!!

Total remaining need: $7,000

NOW, the shirts....

We are offering our Adoption/Redemption shirts in FOUR colors! $25 each includes shipping. You may choose from:

Royal Redemption Blue

Take Me Home Tangerine (adult sizes)

Pick Me! Pink (same graphic as above)

Gotcha Day Gray (also with Adoption/Redemption graphic)

To order, please fill out our online form. If you have any difficulty, please email us at ProjectTLC@cox.net.

Wanna win a $50 iTunes gift card?

Please, we ask you to share about these families and their URGENT need on your blog, on Facebook, on Twitter and wherever else you have a voice.

1. Share this post on FB provide the link to your post in the comment section below.

2. Blog about and link to this fundraiser...provide your blog post link in the comments section below.

For each FB share and blog link confirmed below we will enter your name in the drawing to take place on June 30. Thank you, friends!

Awareness

Today is World Autism Awareness Day

I'm not an expert and I can't back this up with hard statistics, but I suspect at least 25% of the children in Ukrainian mental institutions are there because they have autism. They are there because their parents, doctors, schools and communities were not equipped to care for them or even understand them.

Add to that the number of children with institutional autism. Children in institutional care do not develop properly and many of the damaging effects of this type of care mimic autism. Awareness is desperately needed. It's a start.

I met a really handsome young boy in February. Pretty face, winning smile, but totally unreachable. He is locked away from the world inside an institution...and also locked away in his mind. It is all that his loving caregiver can do to keep him safe and keep him from eating grass. 

There is no therapy for him. No one is trying to reach him.  Seclusion and forced naps are commonly prescribed for children who may get very excited and show the need for sensory input. Awareness and education are needed around the world.