Theo the Gentle

Everyone who has met Theo described him as a gentle, lovey, cuddly boy. He is very delayed, but would blossom in a family, if given the opportunity. He is a gentle delight to be around, and such a sweetie! 

He is stiff, due to having cerebral palsy, and not having the luxury of Physical Therapy to help him function better. He sits hour after hour in a wheel chair. As he gets older and bigger he will be moved to a bed and left there. He will be put in a diaper and left in bed – fed there and left – the diaper changed once or twice a day. He will no longer be taken outside he will just be left to lay there. Unless the workers take them to the pond or playground, they literally sit in a shed and do NOTHING all day.

He is truly a sweetheart with so much love to give. He is an incredibly loving little boy. He is so sweet and gentle and patient. He is appreciative of the smallest kindness. When someone visiting waved at him, his eyes came to life – he was noticed. Later when she returned he waved and smiled. She went and said hi to him and he lit up. The third day she went and gave him a balloon and you would have thought he won the lottery. If they were playing with balloons she would make sure he had one. He soon learned to pop the balloon. He thought it was hysterical. It also got him attention – everyone would look. He has a great smile and laughs easily. The balloon popping had him in hysterics. 

Theo is an absolute sweetheart. Gentle is what sums him up the best, his smile is ever ready and he loved being around people. He kind of melted into his joy every time they got close to him. 

Of all the kids there I think he has the most room for improvement. With a family that will stretch him and help him I think he has a ton of potential! He is speech delayed also but again has so much potential.

He speaks but not much, but he seems aware of his surroundings and delights in small pleasures. A missionary took him for a walk one day and they heard a cuckoo. She said "cuckoo!" and he repeated "cuckoo!" several times. The next day, when  she saw him, he said "Mama! Cuckoo!" He has the ability to remember people and events. He has the sweetest voice, and he actively seeks attention. He loves to sit on the swing and to listen to music or play with musical toys. He also was thrilled to be able to dip his hands and legs in the pond.

There have several pictures of him - none great cause every time someone goes to take it he is so excited with the attention he won't stop moving.

A missionary took the children to the playground, and she wrote all their names in English and gave them the papers. Theo was so excited to get his. He kept looking at it and saying his name again and again and showing her. Later, when they were back at the shed, she saw him looking at the paper and saying his name. Then he carefully put it in his pocket, which is hard for him because he has cerebral palsy. Then he sat with his hand covering his pocket so the paper would not fall out. After he was in bed, she rubbed his back and sang to him and he just smiled and smiled and patted her face. Theo would blossom in a family.

All Along

When I first found RR, I put together a list of kid that caught my attention. Along with Sullivan and Dmitriy, Theo was on that list. Then I went to the one or two kid sponsoring, and kind of forgot him. Then I added him to the five boys kids (along with Frank, Ulysses and Zack, who all have families). I've been trying to figure out who to sponsor next. I kind of wasn't sure if I would pick another kid.

But I was updating the blog, and knowing Danielle Vrtar (A Reece's Rainbow advocate) was at O50, so I went through and added the kids at O50 that caught my attention (Maya's Hope also shares about them), along with Brody and Auggie (can't abandon the brothers).

All day, Theo was on my mind. But I wasn't sure. So I said, "God, please give me a sign if he is the next one." So I sent my best friend (and blog partner) the pictures of the six boys, to see if she felt the same pull. And she did. Out of the six, she felt drawn to Theo too.

If We Are The Body

When we see bad stuff happening, we go "God, why are you letting this happen?" And you know what? He's looking at you and asking the same thing.
If we are the body of Christ, why does almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day? We're not doing everything we can. Because there's enough for everyone's need. Just not everyone's greed.
In 2005, about 72 million children of primary school age in the developing world were not in school. 72 million kids, who were at the age to be in school, weren't.
- Less than 1% of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen. Our focus is on defeating others, instead of educating our future. The money is out there, but we are too greedy.
- Some 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water, and 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation. 1.1 billion people. 1,100,000,000 people, don't have adequate access to water. And that water they do have access to, isn't that healthy. Twice that many lack basic sanitation. So people get sick. People are getting sick and dying from preventable things.
Here in America, you have access to water pretty much 24/7. Go walk into your kitchen, there's water. Water to drink, to cook, to flush toilets, to water our gardens. 1.8 billion people who have access to a water source within 1 kilometre, but not in their house or yard, consume around 20 litres per day. In the United Kingdom the average person uses more than 50 litres of water a day flushing toilets (where average daily water usage is about 150 liters a day. The highest average water use in the world is in the US, at 600 liters day.)
Can you believe that? We use more water to FLUSH A TOILET then 1.8 billion people have access to everyday. Doesn't that bother you? In the US, we use an average of 600 liters of water a day- per person. One person in the US uses the same amount as 30 people who don't have water in their house. We take long showers, not thinking about how much water we're using, because it's not going to run out. Doing laundry, doing dishes. Millions of women spending several hours a day collecting water. Yet in the US, we can get it in five seconds. You can probably see a water source from where you're sitting right now.
1 in every 2 children is living in poverty. Yet we have 7 year old beauty pagent participants with their own TV shows. We have shows where parents will spend hundreds and thousands of dollars to dress their children up and show them off.
There are 157 million orphans in the world. There are 2.18 billion people who call themselves Christians. There is no way this can be right.
157,000,000 orphans.
2,180,000,000 Christians.
James 1:27 is pretty clear. "Religion our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans in their distress." If you call yourself a Christian, look after orphans.
So where's the problem?
Our problem is that we aren't being the body. We need to become the body, and save these little ones. We're getting too comfortable in our faith, just taking the forgiveness, and not giving back. That's not what being a Christian is about! We serve because we are saved, not to be saved. When you realize that freedom, you can't help but share it with others! It's like having the cure for cancer. You're not sharing it because you want to save yourself, you're sharing it because you can't help share! Good works are the fruits of salvation, not the roots.
It's like an apple, it doesn't have to think about growing apples, it just does! It doesn't make apples so that it will be kept care of, it makes apples because it is taken care of.
We are the body of Christ. Every one of those things I mentioned can be fixed. There are multiple organizations that have made it their mission to eliminate one of those problems.
A body only works if everything works together, and does what it is supposed to do.
And as a church, we need to be welcoming. Church is not a museum for good people, it’s a hospital for the broken. We all need healing. So don't judge others. You know you do it. Put yourself in their shoes. Because people notice, when you won't make eye contact, or avoid passing them. They notice when you talk about them. And although the saying goes, "Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me", words do hurt. Sticks and stones hurt physically, but physical wounds can heal. Emotional wounds are so much worse.
We don't want to be excluded, so why do we exclude others?
We're all human, we're all messed up. We all have secrets, and things we are ashamed of. We've all sinned, we've all hurt others. No one is better then anyone else. So don't try to be.


It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in trying to fade into the faces
The girl's teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know

But if we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
There is a way

A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat and quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances
Tells him that his chances are better out on the road

But if we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
There is a way

Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the body of Christ

if we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
There is a way