Tonya

We have met our beautiful Anastasia and she is such a wonderful little child. Her orphanage is very special, different from what I thought it might be like. They have 53 children and lots of adults around taking care of them. These women love the children and care about them very much, it shows in the children too. They are confident and sweet tempered, and I have seen the workers play with the children. They smile and laugh with the children and in Ana's case they have worked with her in the areas she needed special attention. Two years ago she was very weak and wasn't capable of all the things she can do now. She is doing very well now and when we visit with her I don't even realize her diagnosis is there. It's as if we were playing with either of our children at home.


I want to share pictures with you, but right now I have more important matters on my mind. Ana has a friend in her orphanage that also has Down Syndrome. Her name is Tonya. Tonya is nearing 5 years old and they are going to have to send her to an institution. The orphanage director teared up a little as she let me take a couple photos of Tonya and told me that she needs a family, just as she teared up when she was telling us during our interview how special Ana is and all about her personality. She really loves these children and wants them to have families. They teach the kids that one day a mom and dad will come for them, so when we first met Ana she was not shy at all. She was quite the opposite, running through the door to greet us and jumping up into Handsome's arms.

The director is fearful of transfer for Tonya. She said Tonya will loose all the potential and current skills that she has if she were to be transferred. I asked her how long until they would have to transfer her...she didn't answer. She just looked over at Tonya and said, "I will do everything to keep her here if I can know she has a family coming for her." And she will. She loves this little girl just as she loves our Ana. We are the first family ever in this region to adopt a child with Down Syndrome. At this orphanage they do not do very many adoptions per year. Usually it is just a couple, but this year has been a full one. They have had 13 adoptions, both in country and international (I think that is what we were told). That is a lot for them.

I can tell you that adopting from this region is a blessing. The people are very charming and the city shares the same. It's a bigger city, the capital of it's region. The locals are very friendly and the buildings are old and colorful. As with most of the country, they walk everywhere. There are plenty of cars, but also many people walking to their destinations. Though it's a big city, it has the feel of a small town which is more like what I enjoy. Everything is more than affordable here, so our food, housing, and transportation has not been as expensive here. The officials and other people you work with for adoption are kind and interested as well. They have been very friendly and kind. I can't speak for all regions, but adopting from here is sure to be an enjoyable experience.


So friends, we need to find a family for Tonya. We have to find one and I know we can do it. We have been blessed with this amazing tool of communication called the internet and it makes spreading information so easy. Please spread the word about Tonya and help us find a family for her quickly. Pray that we can find one for her even this week. Share this information on your blog. Share it with friends. Share through Facebook or e-mail, whatever means you can so that this little girl can have a family coming for her as her Christmas gift this year.

Tonya is very high functioning. She walks and runs well, and has a large vocabulary. She is quite the healthy little girl, she just has a diagnosis that frightens people in her area because they don't know much about it. She sat on my lap in a bench swing today and snuggled in a little. She is sure to be a special addition to her forever family when they come for her. When our facilitator asked her if she wanted a Mom and Dad today, she said, "Da. Da." (Which means yes, yes.)

Are you Tonya's forever family? If you would like more information about Tonya or the process of adopting her, please contact Andrea from Reece's Rainbow. Click the link here and scroll down to Tonya. She is orphanage 24 (the only child there). You can click on Andrea's name which is highlighted to contact her. If you want to ask me any questions as well, feel free. I would love to do anything that would help Tonya find her family.