naylee

Beautiful girl, six years old, huge smile, loves to be outside, does not like to wear shoes, rambunctious, never ending personality, always moving, likes to play in the grass, loves peek a boo, learning, learning to talk, learning to play monkey see monkey do, growing.

Growing.  Her biggest gift and worst nightmare all in one word.  For this little one, growing is exciting, but it's also going to bring with it sadness.

We have all seen people with Down Syndrom, they can be normal people if their given the right resources.  Depending on the severity, they can do pretty much everything we do.  They can work, make friends, live, eat, go to the bathroom, learn.  Growing is exciting, they are moving on to bigger and better things.

Naylee is moving on to being strapped down half of her life.  The last time I saw her, the moms had just started tying her into a wheelchair because she tried to go outside all of the time.  I hadn't seen her again until today, but I had gotten reports from other volunteers that she was still being tied to a chair.  Today as I walked in the baby room, she was the first person I saw.  She can sure light up a room with that personality. I sat down beside her and couldn't figure out why she wasn't moving from her spot on the floor.  As I investigated, I saw she was tied down.  Instead of tying her into a chair, they have started tying her to a chair turned sideways, and then it is tied to something else.  When she was tied into the chair, she would end up tipping over all the time because she wanted out so much.

I got to take Naylee outsideto play today for about three hours.  It amazes me how much he has grown in seven months.  She loves to play games, and is starting to learn how to wave and say "hola."

As Naylee gets older, she gets closer to moving up to the older children room.  This is the room where there are a ton of kids, almost all in wheel chairs.  The moms ge them ready in the morning, tied to their chairs, and then set them in front of the tv.  They are fed at lunch, and then set in front of the tv.  That is not how we are supposed to live.  If Naylee is good, she may not be forced into a wheelchair, but if she stays as vivacious as she is now, she will be.

And yet, as bad as it sounds, I have to thank God she is in this orphanage.  Most are not this good.

Many orphanage systems in Europe keep children with downs syndrom in fairly good orphanages until they are five.  Then, they get transfered to a mental asylum.  Here, 95% of babies with Down Syndrom die.  95% of babies with Down Syndrom die.  Here, they are strapped into cribs and left to die. Here is one of these precious little girls.  The first picture is before she was transferred.  The second is a few weeks after she was transferred.

Naylee would be in one of those places, where she would most likely die.  I am thankful for where she is.  But that still is no reason for this bright young thing to be treated like she is.  Not when the bible says this:

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.
Proverbs 31:8-9

And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.
Matthew 18:5

I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!
Matthew 25:40

If you want to read about some families that have taken on the burden of the orphans around the world, and what they are doing, or want to read  about adoption, go to the link at the top of my blog titled "some really great stuff..."