** What makes Global Orphan Outreach Organization so unique? It is because we believe all are called to be involved in one way or another. Everyone has a talent, ability, resource, a gift to contribute to the betterment of God's Kingdom. Has he asked us to become Christians and then wait till we're called home? Or has he called us to be involved! The Bible is full of stories of people getting off their "couch" and becoming active. These are real people and true life stories. Life changing times. Global Orphan Outreach exists to allow you that avenue to put your talents to use in ways that God has called you. No need to create a 501c3. No need to say I cant or I dont know where to start. No need to say- I would but... You can! We will show you how.Leslie was one such person just like you and I. Here is her story-
Hi, my name is Leslie Holt. I am here today to tell you about some very special children
in Liberia, Africa. On most days I feel that all children are very special. It may be
because I on most days still feel like I am one. And on many days still wish I could be
one!
I found my self a few months ago faced with the opportunity to go to Africa. Yes,Africa.
Well if you had told me that on any other day throughout my life I would have responded
with...”What?”...”Get out of here!”...”no, way.”...”yeah, right”. Iʼm sure you get what Iʼm
trying to say.
Several months ago a friend of mine from church stood up in front of the congregation
and said she was in need of a sponsorship coordinator for a program she is the director
of. The previous coordinator had to step down for family & personal reasons. When she
said this I immediately thought...”I could do that.” But prior experience with ministries
and countless other projects over the years had proven that I needed to pray, to think it
through and to pray some more before making a decision. Really talk it over with God to
see exactly if this is right for me & my family. I didnʼt want to be just responding with
emotion. So several weeks went by and I did pray about it, think about it & talk over with
God. Many of you are probably wondering what the difference is between praying about
it & talking it over with God. Well for me itʼs a lot like purposeful thoughts and then a lot
of fleeting random thoughts and mainly obsessing over it.
I did in fact commit to volunteering for the position of Sponsorship Coordinator for the
Forget-Me-Not Childrenʼs Homes program. It is a Christian non-profit organization that
employs, trains, & houses foster moms to care for disabled special needs children in
Monrovia, Liberia, Africa. You see in Africa children born with disabilities are considered
demons and at the very least may curse or “infect” if you will the village or family it was
born in to. Many families, mothers mainly are pressured into killing the child,
abandoning it in the “bush” or jungle or in rare cases humanely leaving it at a hospital
(which are few), a feeding station, a police station or roadside clinic. In our culture we
canʼt imagine it. The suffering of the child and mother, the lack of food, the lack of
medicine or therapies for a healthy child let alone a child with special needs. In the US
we are so fortunate and children with special needs here are fortunate. I know this first
hand not because I am a parent of a child with disabilities but because I was nurse who
cared for these children in their homes, accompanied them to school & some even their
work place.
A few years ago, I had gotten in to a funk, a depression about how I had worked so hard
over the years to become a nurses aid, then an LPN, them an EMT, then a Paramedic
and then even a Sheriffʼs Deputy. Yes, a jack of all trades yet a master of none is how I
felt. But unbeknownst to me God had a master plan for me. All of these career roads led
me right where God needed me to be, not just for Forget-Me-Not but in my own
personal life with my own mother becoming terminally ill & needing to be her advocate,
her voice with doctors, nurses, social workers & the like. But as you know children do
not have a voice of their own in a grown up world nor do children in a third world country
have a voice. I doubt you could even call their voice a whisper.
I had heard about Liberia from Christina, the director of FMN. I looked at pictures, I
asked many questions. I saw the commercials on TV for 3rd world countries with
starving neglected children. I even had a slight fascination with all the actors and
singers who could travel the world to be a voice for the underprivileged. But to say that I
could be that voice, I certainly didnʼt think so.
About 3 weeks prior to the fall trip for the team from FMN & Global Orphan Outreach
were scheduled to go Liberia in Oct of 2010, one sunday afternoon My husband insisted
I go on the trip with the team. I was shocked! Leave my husband at home with our three
boys, my ailing mother, the dog, the cat...The list went on and on. But God opened the
doors for me with unexpected finances to cover some of the cost, my husband
requesting & then getting approval for vacation and my visa arriving officially stamped
all in 3 weeks was nothing short of a miracle!
But what I saw, smelled, touched, heard, tasted and witnessed could never have given
me the understanding of the plight of the very special children from a pamphlet, a story
or a picture.
What I experienced first hand is exactly how this FMN & GOO programs work.I was
able to see how the children are cared for, who takes care of the children, who oversees
the caregivers and even who oversees, who oversees the caregivers. I was able to visit
hospitals & clinics to examine what capabilities they have. I got to see where the
children live and how are their standard of living compared to others in their community.
I found out that FMN is doing a remarkable job in a depraved, corrupt country. The US
director, Christina and the Liberian director & RN, Josephus maintain a high level of
standard & expectations of the foster Mothers which in turn creates an admirable quality
of life for the children in the program.
I assisted with exams & physicals of the children with a Family Nurse Practitioner from
our team. We were amazed at the good health of the children but also were able to
identify several mild illnesses and get them treatment. We saw old scars from past
surgeries or bed sores from neglect. But the team was able to assess and make
changes to the the diets of several children to increase their protein intake, treat for
things needed and finding the need for a few kiddos who are in need of immediate
medical visas.
Melvin, a deaf boy the age of 4 was found with an extremely enlarged spleen, possibly
from repeated malarial infections. We now knew he would need prompt evaluation from
a Liberian MD, then start of the paperwork for medical visa, and countless
communications with the Liberian Government to permit his visa & travel to the us for
treatment. Then the countless hours to obtain a hospital, MD, a host family willing to
treat and care for him in the us. Why leave Liberia for a rather simple surgery? Well in
lIberia, no surgery is a simple surgery. Many hospitals do not treat without cash
payment, then the chances for infection are high and mortality even higher. But in
Melvinʼs case he would probably live longer with a sick spleen than he would without
one. Malaria, west nile virus, flu or any other countless infection needs IV antibiotics and
rapid treatment that would only be possible for the very wealthy of a child without a
spleen.
Melvin and many other children are in need of medical care that cannot be obtained in
Liberia. Many surgeries and the after care needed simply do not exist there. Nye a child
in the GOO program has hydrocephalus, he needs a shunt placed in his brain to his
spinal column. He is waiting for approval of a medical visa. Many children have died
while waiting even some children who had all capabilities in place on the US side. Just
waiting for a response from the Liberian Government.
But even with the nutrition, clean drinking water, access to some medicines & therapies
for our FMN kiddos, they still get sick and some sadly have died.
Patience is one such child. She died on Jan. 4th 2011. She died from high fevers &
dehydration from Malaria.
Patience had a waiting family for her here in the US. They waited nearly a year for the
Liberian Government to once again open the doors to international adoptions. But her
waiting family could wait no longer and decided not to adopt Patience.
I met Patience on my trip. She was a vibrant, active, chattering, happy 4 year old girl
with Downʼs Syndrome. She loved to pretend to talk on the phone. She loved her foster
mom, she loved her friend Korpu. She had an amazing smile and was starting to stand.
We felt she had excellent potential to walk someday. You see the healthy, “normal”
children in Liberia are behind in development compared to our kids. They take longer to
walk and talk, to grow. Mainly due to poor nutrition during fetal development but also in
the crucial years from birth to school age. Now consider the fact that these children
have disabilities, some unable to feed themselves, some with food or tactile aversions,
some with malabsorption. But Patience was thriving, gaining weight every month, slowly
gaining strength & getting taller.
I get very angry when I think that her death could have been prevented. I think of the
family that had waited so long for her. I think of what a neglectful government she had
that would not allow her adoption process to even start!! I even get angry at the virus
that attacked her.
But what I do know is that even through all of it God was in control. He has the master
plan. I do not feel that her death will be in vain. I am praying that her death and the
countless other children who died while waiting to be adopted had a purpose. Are the
children in Liberia the only ones who are dying? No, certainly not. But the children who
have waiting families are trying to give “their” Liberian children a fighting chance. A
chance for a loving family, good healthcare, an excellent education, a chance for
laughter.
I think one of the most beautiful, wondrous sounds one can ever hear is the melodious,
infectious laughter of a child. Many neglected, abused, hungry children here & abroad
rarely hear the sound of laughter either from themselves or even others. I am hoping
that you will consider how you can help to bring health & hope &quite possibly even
laughter to a special needs child. Will you help me to be their voice?
Thank you and God bless you. Leslie
