Meet Lera

I have spoken about other families going through their own "journeys" to reach and save their little ones. What makes our community so close is that while we advocate for our own children and needs we also advocate the needs of other families and other children. Joshua is not the only orphan with a family trying to reach him. There are so many many more. We all have to pay a ransom for our children. While we are in need of raising an additional 9800.00 in a couple of months, there are families trying to raise that in a matter of days or weeks.

Meet Lera

Isn't she a beauty? From her page on RR:

Lera is a gorgeous little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She is 4 years old. She is quite high functioning, and doing very well. She has flat feet and a systolic heart murmur, but no major heart conditions. She is able to walk and climb, she eats by herself, dances, and understands and follows directions. She has also been transferred to the regular class, so she living and learning with her typical peers.

Sounds great for Lera doesn't it? Well what you do not know is that Lera was committed to by 3 families and for various reasons those families could not continue their adoption. See in Lera's country it cost significantly more than in Joshua's. To the tune of $10,000 more. The extra cost is in part because in that country you need to use an adoption agency and in our case it is an independent adoption. So after losing 3 families, another family took a leap of faith and committed to her. That family, The Higbies worked very hard to get all their paperwork in order and completed their dossier. In the meantime, this high functioning little girl who WAS living and learning with typical peers was transferred to an adult institution. An institution that sees younger children die within the first year of transfer. It is survival of the fittest and this little girl stands little chance against the adults suffering from more serious illnesses. An institution environment that sees our children regress and withdraw from their beautiful personalities to escape the horrors of their new environment. Plucked from the only home she knew with other children and toys to a facility that only can be compared to a hell on earth. So you probably are saying.. it is so wonderful the Higbies' are coming to save Lera!

Here is the kicker... the Higbies needed 7,000 to travel for their first meeting in Lera's country. In the last 36 hours the community banded together to raise over 3,000 to make that happen only to find that the agency they are working with wants them to show the entire 35,000 needed before they can move forward. Let me say this again--- they have their dossier completed and were just ready to fly out for their first trip to save Lera. They have been guided by their faith in God and thought they would have time to get the rest of the finances together after the first trip. Now they are told without an additional $18,000 shown to them they can no longer save Lera. They have until the end of THIS month to show the agency that the funds are completely in place for them. 

Their need is urgent. There is no time to waste. Lera needs to be rescued yesterday!

What I beg of you- continue to pray for Joshua and our journey but please head over to Lera's family blog they have a super duper fundraiser going on for a chance at Ipad2 and other super prizes as well. This girl has run out of time and does not deserve to lose another family over something so meaningless like money. God bless you and God bless this family and Lera. Let's make this happen!!