Goal Met!!!!!

I've got to start this blog with a big THANKS to Carol from Virginia that sent in the remaining $310!!!!   The well is paid for!!!!    Actually with a payment that was sent in directly to Life2Orphans by Shelly we are over a little bit!!!!!!  So anything extra goes to Life2Orphans goal of $3000 for food/diapers etc....   L2O is only about $160 from completing their goal.  Since August 26, we have been working to raise the $2000 for the well and the $3000 for the food/diapers and are less than $200 from it all being raised.  Megan (the director of L2O) and I talked today and we are so very grateful for everyone's generosity!!!   Thank you for being a part of something that means so much to these kids.  I'm praying that that well will be there to bless the orphans for as long as it is needed.  I believe it will help many.  Water is so important.  My heart is overjoyed tonight!!!!  

You can still give by sending a check to
Grace Church'
7060 Berry Road
Zephyrhills Fl 33540
mark it Orphan Fund

 

or directly to L2O

 http://life2orphans.net/make-a-monetary-donation.html please write in Druzhkovka (Druz Orphange   fund)

 

https://www.facebook.com/Life2Orphans

 

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This morning started with me walking....since the end of July I have walked 75 miles on the cardiac track at our hospital.  I was so happy to reach that goal this morning:)  Believe me I was telling all my walking buddies about it as I passed them.  We have a "club" of sorts.  There are about 10 of us who walk around the same time.  I walk one way and most everyone walks the track the other way LOL.  I think the way I walk it is more challenging as there are longer uphill parts.  Anyhow we all speak but no one really knows each other by name.  It's a good friendly group.  One of my besties used to walk with me till she started teaching now I walk alone but I still walk!!!!

 

Then I got home and we had one of Sarah's teachers, then Steve left for college.  Sam decided he wanted to be with me alllllllllll day long.  And if he wasn't with me, he was getting into trouble.  UNFORTUNATELY he has learned to open and close doors.  So he opened my bedroom door, got my deodorant and some perfume out...ATE some of the deodorant  & spilled my favorite perfume, Red Door, while I was feeding Sarah...   Thankful I use an organic deodorant the Tom's brand (we also use that toothpaste) so when I called, there was no cause for alarm. 

 

Steve also went to a college Christian club after classes and then picked up Shad for me.  By the time they got home, I was spent!  Plus I had woken up with a pounding PMS headache.  I've had it since yesterday and just was not up to coping with Sam getting into everything. 

 

Yesterday we met with a behavioral therapist, to learn some strategies to help Sam cope with things.   She advised me to "catch him in the act" doing good and to praise him.  She admitted when he is fired up, like he was yesterday with her, it is hard.  Her idea is to give 4 positives  for every negative..... So I really tried today LOL    Sam is very scheduled oriented and there are things he will behave for like sitting in church, he behaves great 99% of the time.  On the FRONT row.....where everyone can see ....he still acts good most of the time.  But there are other times when he just can't handle things.  We have strategies that help him cope but they are things that inconveniences us.....like taking him outside to swing.  He needs/craves that kind of movement, but it is not always something I can do for him.  Like late yesterday he would have been very happy to go out but I was by myself, cooking supper and Sarah was in the living room and it was HOT outside!  So we need to work on helping him calm himself down with smaller treats, even just a word of praise.  I don't' know if it will be possible but I hope so!

 

He has not been self injuring his pointer fingers by biting as much nor has he been pushing at his forehead with his knuckles.  We actually changed his meds to the same anxiety pill I was given that is only taken when needed.  I actually gave him a dose on Monday, it had been a couple of months since he'd had one but this week, he has been "on a tear"! 

 

Sarah also wanted Mommy today.  I can't sit down in the living room, no matter how quiet I am, if she notices me she comes with her little hop/crawl over to sit on my lap and there she will remain as long as I'm sitting down LOL   She did not like sharing lap time with Sam and vice/versa!   Don't know if you can see these pictures the nurse snapped for me but they are cute, they are not showing for me but may after I publish this blog. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope all is well with all of you!

Thanks again for all the help!!!!!!!!!!!!    

Urgent!! Please read! The plight of the orphans in pictures

Been running a lot yesterday and today.  Jumped on FB to catch up with my friends and I see these pictures from Druz.  My heart literally aches....Oh God my girls would be there now had we not gotten them....Children I personally know are there, and its so hard.   This man is working to help out there too. 

Please pray for these servants of God!

This is the translation of the post...
Sergey Kosyak, a pastor from Donetsk who, literally, holds a prayer marathon in Donetsk for more than 6 months by now, who's been organizing evacuation of people from Torez, Shakhtersk, Gorlovka, Donetsk, etc. in most stressful hours, whose team, facing daily dangers of living in a war zone, walk 10 km on foot, daily, just to deliver medicines to people in Gorlovka, who, for various reasons, couldn't leave the town (the major reason - people are elderly, sick, trapped in their homes without food, gas, electricity, water, no access to healthcare). It's his team that evacuated 210(!) orphans to Druzhkovka. 14 team members have already been in captivity, beaten, humiliated. I trust him absolutely, and his reports, first-hand, about what's going on in the war zone. An abstract about Druzhkovka: "We continue our patronage over Druzhkovka orphanage, to which we evacuated 210 children. The need there is just huge, we've bought yet another batch of diapers and a food processor (kitchen machine). Unfortunately, we still lack funds to buy folding beds, and children still sleep on mattrеsses on the flow in the overcrowded building. While now, in warm weather, it's more or less bearable, I have no idea how we will manage later.."


These pictures are from last week......

 

 

 

this group brought in mixers so the kids who can't chew (like my Sarah) can have their food pureed.   This picture makes me want to cry, I guess because it makes me think that if Sarah was there, someone did something that would have helped her. 

 

my heart just goes out to them

 

 

Oh God help them!

 

 

what will they do?

 

 

I think this is the girl we sponsor...its hard to tell

 

 

 

 

 

thank God for these men!  See the water bottles brought in???   Soon they will have a well!

 

 

I know the little girl standing

At first I didn't know why these next three pictures were taken.  I wondered if they'd done some work on the windows....THEN I looked closer....bullet holes.....Oh God.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After seeing these pictures if you want to help.....

 

You can give by sending a check to

Grace Church'

7060 Berry Road
Zephyrhills Fl 33540
mark it Orphan Fund

 

or directly to L2O

 http://life2orphans.net/make-a-monetary-donation.html please write in Druzhkovka (Druz WELL  fund)just let me know so I can know when we reach our goal!  Please mark that you'd like for it to go to the WELL project!

 

https://www.facebook.com/Life2Orphans

 

 

As of right now we need $335.   A friend just emailed me to tell me she's sending a check for $25, so once we get that we need only

$310!

 

Let's help to ease a small amount of the suffering!!!!!!

Catch up on the Clantons

So much has been going on over here!

First let me tell you that $1305 has come in directly either by checks from you all or folks in our church!!!   AND at least $365 has gone directly to Life2Orphans from you guys!!!!!  So all together we have raised $1665!  Only need $335 to meet our $2000 goal!   I'm so grateful to everyone who has participated.  This will make a huge difference in the orphans and caregivers lives no matter what happens politically in Ukraine!  Thank you!

if you would like to give here's how


 Grace Church'
7060 Berry Road
Zephyrhills Fl 33540
mark it Orphan Fund or Well fund

 or directly to L2O

http://life2orphans.net/make-a-monetary-donation.html please write in Druzhkovka (Druz fund)just let me know so I can know when we reach our goal! Please mark that you'd like for it to go to the WELL project!


https://www.facebook.com/Life2Orphans

Friday I got a call from school.  They thought Shad had pink eye.  Thursday was NOT a good day for him as he had " scoring violations" and "failed" two books.  First the scoring violations means when he checked his daily work, he did not correct his mistakes.  This is a big deal at his school based on the curriculum they use.  It's almost like cheating by default.  He wants to rush through and get done instead of going back and correcting his work.  The failure to score correctly caused him to score an "80" on math and an "85" on English.  I know those are passing marks BUT since he is a full year ahead in his books (he is in 5th grade but almost in 6th grade work in all areas) he is required to make a "94" or above to ensure he is understanding FULLY his work before he moves on.  Before school started, I warned him NOT to do this again as he got in trouble for it last year over & over again.  The consequences would be prolong recess & lunch detention and not being allowed to go on the numerous field trips.  That was only TWO weeks ago......  So Thursday night he cried and cried about all of this.  I thought maybe his eye was red from all the drama and crying but I took him to the doctor to be safe.  Come to find out, he has cellulitis around the eye!  This is the 5th time he has had that in 2 years!  He usually gets it on his legs.  Anyhow thanks to the meds and eye drops, his eye is back to normal.  He is still on restriction with me!  No TV at home either.......

Saturday Steve did a speech at a golf fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity.  He was incredibly nervous.   Jon and I do not have a shy bone in our bodies and love to be on stage, it's very natural for us.  For me, I grew up "performing" in church.  Almost every Wednesday night, I was called on to sing, read/recite  a poem, or do something.  I was in plays.  Jon grew up with lots of confidence, I can't remember him saying he was ever nervous about speaking or being in front of people.  He loves being on tv (more than me LOL)  Well Steve is NOT like us.  We never pushed him to overcome his shyness because we do think some people just do not want to be up front.  The fact he actually agreed to doing a speech shocked me.  But he loves the people he works with at HH, not just for what they are doing for us but just how accepted he is there with the workers. 

So he had dreaded this speech ever since he agreed to it.  I helped to write the speech but he really worked on it.  He has a lovely deep voice.  A friend of ours keeps saying he should go into radio and listening to him (at least 100 times LOL) I agree, he has a smooth voice.  We were not planning on going with him because I thought it might make him MORE nervous for us to be there.  But Friday he asked me to go and Shad wanted to go too. 

So yesterday morning we went to beautiful Lake Jolivet's Golf  & Country Club.  The parking lot was FILLED, I had to reassure him not everyone was there for the fund raiser.  First there was a breakfast, I've never seen him eat so little. I was so nervous for him I couldn't eat much either.  However Shad had no sympathy for his brother and piled his plateS HIGH!  

Then to make things worse there was a long auction.  One good thing it did get people laughing and interacting so the audience was warmed up for Steve.  But he wanted to get the speech over with. 

Steve did a fantastic job!  People responded, as I looked around, many were wiping their eyes as I was too.  He shared from his heart what Habitat for Humanity means for our family & it was so sweet.  Steve told our family story in a concise manner with enough detail so the listener could get the picture.  He did so good, they've asked him to speak at their yearly banquet in March!   He is now worrying about that speaking engagement LOL!



                                                                                 





                                                                     there were probably 120 people there all together....    

 

 

He's smiling now that it is over!

 

 

 Last night I got to go out with one of my besties:)  Friends for 29 years since we roomed together in college.  What a blessing to have a friendship like that....and the fact we still love each other!!!  

 

Today was church and that is always busy...afterwards we met Jon's brother and his family for lunch in Lakeland and ran into two friends at Olive Garden:)   I LOVE going to Lakeland, you'll always run into someone you know. 

BTW, except for Sundays our family has gone without eating out for TWO full weeks!!!!!!!!!!  I did go out Saturday night and Steve went out a couple of times with friends but I don't' count that:)  I've been working hard to cook big suppers so there are leftovers for lunch the next day.  Once I'm in the groove, it works!

I've kept up my walking, at least two miles a day (except for this weekend)  I'm near 75 miles walked on the course in the past 6 weeks!!!!!   I like keeping track of my miles walked, it gives me a goal. 

So that is our last few days in a nutshell....Hope you had a good weekend!!!!

$645 to go!!!!!

So far I have $930 in hand with more that I know is coming in and readers have given directly to Life2Orphans, Inc. a total of $225 =$1155 so far!!!!!! I'm sure of another $200 so including that is $1355 ONLY $645 to go to reach the $2000 goal to help build a well in Druz Orphanage in Ukraine!!! Thank you to all who have helped. This means so much to me. My girls would be there right now if we had not adopted them. There are almost 500 mainly special needs orphans there with their caregivers and little water or food. Many children we

know personally.....if you would like to give here's how


 Grace Church'
7060 Berry Road
Zephyrhills Fl 33540
mark it Orphan Fund or Well fund

 or directly to L2O

http://life2orphans.net/make-a-monetary-donation.html please write in Druzhkovka (Druz fund)just let me know so I can know when we reach our goal! Please mark that you'd like for it to go to the WELL project!


https://www.facebook.com/Life2Orphans

This makes me HAPPY!!!!!!!

=======================================================================


Has strange computer issues yesterday.  Steve had to redo our whole computer/internet system, glad he knows what to do.  It's beyond me-mainly cuz I get too annoyed with it!

Well I had all kinds of blogs written in my head yesterday LOL but this morning I'm just focused on how happy I am that the money is coming in for the Well!  I'm very thankful!  It just thrills my heart to be able to do something for them that is LONG lasting.  The well if done correctly will be there for years to come.  We don't know what will happen in Ukraine but the well will be there to bless the orphans and the caregivers and maybe people in the area in the months and years to come.  That makes me happy.

Thank you all again from the bottom of my heart!!!!!!!!!

Jesus is Coming SOON!

Got great news today!  A friend was able to sell an old car and is donating $300 to the WELL Challenge!!!  So including what has gone directly to Life2Orphans, we have raised $ 1055 and only have $945 to go to hit our goal of $2000!  I'm so thankful to all my friends for helping us out on this!  It will be a blessing to the orphanage now and in the future!

You can be a part also

You can give by sending a check to

Grace Church'
7060 Berry Road
Zephyrhills Fl 33540
mark it Orphan Fund

 

or directly to L2O

 http://life2orphans.net/make-a-monetary-donation.html please write in Druzhkovka (Druz WELL  fund)just let me know so I can know when we reach our goal!  Please mark that you'd like for it to go to the WELL project!

 

https://www.facebook.com/Life2Orphans

 

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Lately I feel like this world is in the most chaos since WWII, certainly things have never been like this in my lifetime before.  Daily, almost hourly, the news is just awful!  One awful thing will replace another thing on the news.  Do we even remember there is a missing jet with hundreds on it?  Now there are 11 missing jets from Libya and September 11 th is in days. 

 

Nothing but bad news from overseas.  We have ISIS and Putin.....plus all the other countries that hate us.  We have major border issues, scandals in government. gay marriage, legalization of marijuana, abortions ...... the list could go on and on.....    I think the majority of us are expecting something bad to happen in the United States or in one of our Allied nations.

 

BUT God is still on His throne.  He is not affected by the worlds' events.  He still holds our futures. 

 

I feel that it is a strong likelihood that we are living in the last days.  Jesus's return maybe very soon. I know we are not to try and force current events to line up with scriptures but it doesn't seem to be hard to look at this world and think that scripture has been fulfilled, the signs point to His soon return. 

 

As uncertain as life is anyhow and even more so now...take the time to ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins.    He will hear you and answer you.  Then you will know peace in spite of any storm around you. 

 

When I was a kid growing up, there was a lot of emphasis on the Return of Christ.  The preachers would preach about it, the singers would sing about it, the Sunday School teachers would teach about it.  Then the focus changed in the 80's.....you didn't hear so much about the Rapture.  And even still there is not so much talk about it....  But it is in the Bible.  That is why I believe it.

 

There is purely a personal experience, I had a dream about the rapture.  It was an amazing dream and very real to me then and now as I remember it.  The eastern sky actually pulled back like someone opening a curtain on a play.  And then I saw Jesus and felt myself lift off the ground.  I had that dream probably 30 years ago and it is still vivid to me.  

 

The Rapture may not happen in my life time, I don't know but I know I want to live my life so I'm ready to stand before God whether whenever I go there.  I encourage you to do the same. 

Gifts

Wow!  I got a beautiful message today from Lisa in Texas, who sent in $125 directly to Life 2 Orphans!  And I got TWO cards today!  One from Sherri in Florida for $20 and one from Nancy in Rochester ( the sweetest town) for $25!   So thus far we have raised $755!  We only have $1245 to go to have the $2000 for the well for the Druz Orphanage!!!!

You can give by sending a check to

Grace Church'
7060 Berry Road
Zephyrhills Fl 33540
mark it Orphan Fund

 

or directly to L2O

 http://life2orphans.net/make-a-monetary-donation.html please write in Druzhkovka (Druz WELL  fund)just let me know so I can know when we reach our goal!  Please mark that you'd like for it to go to the WELL project!

 

https://www.facebook.com/Life2Orphans

 

 

 

I'm so happy to be helping out by raising money for this great cause.  I guess I should rename it the Clean Water Bucket Challenge.....

 

Thank you for all your giving! 

 

I think of how life is and how God orders our steps.  Had we not said YES to God when He brought Sarah across our paths, then we would have missed out on Selah and all the wonderful people we met in Ukraine.  Obviously we never knew what was ahead for Ukraine, but God knit us together with others and now we can help those ones while they are going through hard times.  We are so glad to be able to do something for the people we care about in Ukraine.  The orphans have our hearts.  I can not think too deeply about the dangers facing these children that we know and care for or I find I can not hardly stand it.  All we can do is pray and do what we can from afar. 

 

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Today was a better day for me.  Grief is like a riptide.  Riptides happen in Florida all the time and we're taught to not fight it, go along with it and evidently you can get pass it and make it to shore.   The waves of grief do pass, and get smaller so they are bearable, thank God.  Thank you for your prayers and thoughts.

 

===========================================================

 

Do any of you have any contacts that could help out a little girl in the Philippines?   She is 5 years old and has Ewings Sarcoma.  It is in her arm and she is in much pain.  I'm in a group trying to get her medical help.  Do you have any contacts in the US that could operate and give her cancer treatment?????  Or do you have any contacts that could help her get to the US?  she has a family, she is not an orphan but a ministry called Maya's Hope is the ones who found out about her desperate situation.  Please contact me if you can help in any way! 

theclanton5@aol.com

 

 

Hope you are having a good week.  We are back to school/work/walking.....I like a schedule, I find we all function so much better with one:)

 

 

 

 

 

Waves of Grief

This morning I woke up missing Selah.  Missing the funny little girl who loved to eat, play with toys, follow Sam around, look in the mirror at all her new clothes.  The little girl we only learned about 6 weeks before we left for Ukraine.  The surprise for a mama who was used to having 3 boys....and who ended up with 2 girls....  We live in limbo....we still have Selah here, but in so many ways she is not here.  I feel I've missed out on the past two years, the time we would have been bonding and I know Selah has missed out. 

If you would have told me that I'd have to deal with a near drowning of one of my kids and live like this, in this limbo world, I would have never thought I could have stood it.  There are times when the waves of grief sweep over me in such a way I just want to go and cry, I feel like I can't breath or even stand.  Today, I don't know anything that triggered it.  It's a holiday long weekend, I slept in instead of going walking because I got to bed too late last night.  Steve was out with some friends and I can't sleep till he gets home.  Nothing bad is going on.....but the wave came as I opened my eyes this morning.  Maybe I had a half remembered dream.....but I woke up remembering the accident.   I just laid there and prayed that God would heal her.  That He'd bring her all the way back to us.  Then I worried if God healed her, she'd have a leg that is shorter than the other due to the hip surgery.  Then I though if God heals her mind, He can take care of the leg too. 

You may wonder how or why I am not angry with God about the accident or that she hasn't been healed but I really am not.  Don't know why but the Grace of God....

Funny thing, I dream about Selah more than any of the other kids.  She is always in my dreams, whole and back to her normal little self.  Sometimes there are just glimpses of her that I remember of the dream, sometimes the whole thing focuses on her....

She was our surprise child, we were going to add a little boy to our adoption of Sarah and then he got adopted before we left for Ukraine and Selah's info was given to us.  Jon fell for her immediately.  I was a tiny bit hesitant because she wasn't blind and I didn't know how to deal with a delayed child who wasn't blind.  Ok I know that sounds crazy but.....   It only took me a couple of days for the joy to set in of having two little girls.  Me, who'd been the only girl ever in the family!  After three boys, having girls was like a dream! 

Then getting them and everything being so wonderful....then the accident....

It's always seemed like a fairytale gone wrong.... and I've said over and over that "this can not be the ending"  I'm waiting for the fairytale ending, the little princess waking up......

We as a family go on, we live, we love, we do life....but there is an empty spot there.  Even tho she is home with us, it's nowhere near the same.  There is like a dark cloud hanging over us.  Oh we cope, because of the grace of God but it's there.  Having nurses in our home 24 hours a day is a blessing and at times hard.  We've never had the luxury of being alone since the day of the accident.  Then we were staying at Ronald McD House....it's not like I could just have an emotional breakdown and go screaming down the halls.

I said in the beginning, that I never would be truly happy again on this earth and it's true.  I have joy and love but happiness, a feeling that all is perfect, will never be mine again. 

Today must have been a hard day for several families, I noticed on FB that one of my friends who has a daughter who was in a near drowning had a hard day as well as a friend who lost his son to a rare disease both made comments about their situations. 

Life can be so hard.

God's hand still holds me tightly and I cling to the hope of eternity.  I really cling, that's my hope.  There is something beyond this life, there is a day coming when every tear will be wiped away and there will be no more death.  Everything will be made right. 

I'm not the best apologist (a person who offers an argument in defense of something controversial.  or a Christian theology which attempts to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defending the faith against objections.)   Which means I don't have all the answers but I KNOW in my heart that God is REAL and that His word is true.  And I'm so very thankful for that knowing.....

I still ask you to pray for Selah.  Pray that God will restore her to us.....  thank you....