Julie

Julie.

This picture has been posted ever since I first saw your sweet face . . . over 3 years ago.

That means you were no more than 12 when it was taken -- maybe younger.

About all I know about you is what is written in your Reece's Rainbow profile:

Julie (That's a pseudonym, to protect your real identity)

Girl, Born April 1998 (I don't even know what day your birthday is -- April 1 . . . or April 30 . . . I hope April 30, as it gives you a few days longer for your family to find you.

That means that, in roughly 4 months (depending on when in April your birthday is), you will turn 16. In the US, kids look forward to turning 16 -- they can get a driver's license. In your country, "16" has a totally different connotation, especially for "orphans"! It means that you will be forever unavailable for a US family. I don't know if other countries allow young people over 16 to be adopted or not.

Here's what your Reece's Rainbow profile says:

Love this beautiful Pippi Longstocking!    Julie is a sweet, quiet, but energetic, redhead with big blue eyes and freckles.  When she was placed in an orphanage a few years ago, she did not want to speak.  Now she expresses herself reasonably well, with an occasional stutter.    She studies and recites well in her orphanage, but she is about 3 years behind her agemates.  She controls her actions well, is calm, likes to work, draw and play with toys.  She came to a 3-week summer camp in America and lived with a family, who thought she might have brain damage.  Julie was very patient in adult company, played nicely by herself or with other kids, showed determination and stamina in learning how to ice skate mostly by herself, and loved the water park, descending the steepest, scariest slide with gusto.  Julie has a sense of humor and a hearty laugh.  With a good ear for language, she should be able to learn English just fine, once a loving family gives her that opportunity.  She wants a family of her own.

I just committed to being your Reece's Rainbow ("RR") "Guardian Angel." That means I'm supposed to try to raise money for your grant fund, and I'm supposed to try to find an adoptive family for you. 

The only problem is -- RR doesn't seem to be accepting grant funds for you right now -- something about your paperwork? Does that mean you can't even be adopted if a family steps forward for you? I really don't know. I've e-mailed them to find out.

Since I don't have any "social media" accounts (no FB, no twitter, no . . . ), and this is a brand-new blog, which very few people read, where do I even start? On my knees, I guess. I've been praying for you off and on since the fall of 2010, and seriously (every morning and evening) for over a year. 

God knows all about you. He loves you, even though you probably feel like He's forgotten you, if you even know about Him.

I guess I can ask any of the few people who might read this if they would help me out . . . share where ever and however they can. Maybe do a feature post on their blog, which probably has a lot more readers than mine does? (And then leave a link to their blog post in the comments below, so I can thank them -- and read what they wrote?) Advocate for you on FB, twitter, and whatever other sites they're on? Whatever other creative ideas they have?

Maybe I can ask some of the bloggers I regularly follow (who don't know me, or anything about my little blog) if they would shout for you?

Ultimately, it only takes one family to really see you, and decide that you belong in their family.

Since it's my bedtime, I guess I'll have to put this problem in God's capable hands, and see what else I can do . . . tomorrow.

Good night, sweet Julie.

Additional note, added Thursday, January 16:
Families with even the slightest interest in adopting Julie should start at the Reece's Rainbow Adoption Process webpage -- and they should start IMMEDIATELY! Even though the adoption process doesn't need to be completed before Julie's birthday, there IS a certain amount of paperwork that needs to be in place before she turns 16.

I've never been down the adoption road personally, but I've read this in other blogs posts advocating for "about-to-age-out" children.

If you can't adopt her, but you could help spread the word, I would really appreciate it -- and, I'm sure, Julie would appreciate it too . . . if she only knew . . . !.

I've contacted RR about a donation button for her, and will post those details (in another blog post, so check back) as soon as I can. In the meantime, the more people who see her face, the better chance she has of a family finding her before it is forever too late.