Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Yes...we're alive... just barely... :-)  

It's been a LONG time since I've blogged, tweeted, facebooked...  our lives have been SO crazy that I have not taken the time to do it.  Also...we have been dealing with so many health issues, and we've had so little information to share that was certain that it's been easier just to walk the road alone as a family.  We sometimes wonder if people get tired of hearing the latest medical issues!


Since I last blogged...

Matthew has had his 11 root canals and 16 crowns (was to be 14 but turned into 16).  Of course, right now, it's 15 because one fell off and will be put back on in January (we found it!)  He did great with this and never missed a beat.  He seems happier now (not that he was unhappy before).  Probably his teeth were in constant pain before so he should feel great!  We also got him in to an ENT because of the constant sinus infection and horrible smell that constantly emanates from him.  The doctor thought for sure that something was stuck up there in his nose, but when he scoped him, it turned out that he had a tumor in his sinus cavity.  So an MRI was ordered and he had that on November 8.  He went to the ENT today for us to find out what the MIR showed.  Well...it showed nothing. No tumor, no blockage...  So we are thanking God.  We have the picture of the tumor that is now non-existent.  So...no surgery needed.  No nothing.  The doc did suggest we test him for allergies (since he still has a runny nose and is not sick).  So we'll do that soon.

Eli...
Suffered a stomach flu week before last that kept him out of school for the whole week.  That was no fun.  BUT...none of the rest of us got it and that is a miracle!  He is becoming a bit more verbal these days.  He does say EAT now.  It was cute at first...now that's what he says anytime he gets near the kitchen or his high chair.  The cute factor is gone.  :-)  He's still thriving and we hope he will get into a growth cycle.  It's hard to believe he's a five-year-old since he is the size of a 3 year old at most.  

Micah...
continues to improve in his behavior.  He's had a few slip ups in the last couple of weeks but all in all he has done so well.  Last week, he spit in his teacher's face because she wanted him to do something that he didn't want to do.  Needless to say, he was in trouble when he got home.  Since that day he's been a little ANGEL!  He was obviously testing the boundaries to see if they were still there.  Guess what, buddy... THEY ARE!

Blake...
Has completed marching band and is glad it's over but really enjoyed it this year.  He made "A" band as a rotating member (for some reason only 2 in his section are permanent members...the other 4 will rotate in and out).  He's glad to be included, but of course wishes he was one of the permanent members.  He continues to play the piano (not taking lessons this fall, but doing very well on his own).  He is really growing in his relationship with God for which we are very grateful and very happy about.

Hannah...
is growing up into a very beautiful young woman, inside and out.  She is daily striving to have a stronger relationship with the Lord and really strives to please Him.  She is such a huge help with the little boys and just jumps in to help without being asked.

Bethany & Seth...
are both doing well in their lives.  They are in love with the newest Malones and enjoy being around them and playing with them and teaching them things.  Some good...some questionable.  :-)  They are both excelling in school and are both active in things at church.  They both play in the children's handbell ensemble, both sing in children's choir...


Mary is doing well.  Tired a lot, but that's the new normal so I guess we are getting used to it.  She's the best mom around and the most beautiful wife on the planet.  

As I write this, I'm laying in bed with pneumonia but hope to be better quickly.  I started a high powered antibiotic today...


Logo-Web-Header.jpg

ELI PROJECT...
continues to move forward.  We've been doing a lot of local ground work before we go "online" in a big way.  We have several new people on board to help and have 2 major opportunities this weekend to fundraise for our christmas project and get off the ground by getting our name out.  January 1, we will begin actively searching for families to host children this summer and of course for families to give forever families to children in need.  Also...we have a trip planned for this spring to do some "service projects" at a few of the orphanages we are working with.  We are taking slightly different path to launch the ministry that we originally planned, but we are following God and taking it a step at a time.  Thanks for your continued prayers and support.  We currently have a donor who is MATCHING GIFTS up to $5,000 so NOW is the time give if you can.  Contact me about how you can donate.

We thank you for your interest in our lives and your consistent prayers for us!

Blessed be the Name of the LORD!

www.tips-fb.com by Chris and Mary Malone | 3 comments

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Fall Is Almost Over!  









I cannot believe fall is just about gone. Our days have been more than full with school, 2 science fair projects(Yuck, but out of 7 kids I guess I should be grateful it was only 2!), marching band(and all the contests), multiple Dr.'s appointments, oral surgery and an MRI for Mr. Matthew(more on the MRI later.) Not to mention all of our church activties! The good news is no one has been sick except Eli, who missed 4 days of school with a stomach virus. Thankfully no one else has gotten it!


I managed to get a few pics of the kids a few days ago, while we still had leaves on the tree.As you can see it is really hard to get that many kids to look at the camera. I am convinced that Matthew, Micah and Eli were conspiring against me and the camera! :)
I gave up on the hope that I might get one picture with all of the kids looking at me at the same time. But I was determined to still get what I could. Maybe we should have a prayer service before trying group pictures next time. ;)

Blessed be the name of the Lord.

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Monday, October 12, 2009

A Very Exciting Email from Ukraine  

My friend George (he was our regional facilitator for our adoption and has become our dear friend) sent me a message today. A month or so ago, I sent a letter and some pictures to the orphan services director in Romaniv (Alla - she helped us SO much get Micah). (I used google translator to translate the letter into Russian before I sent it). I never heard anything from them so didn't know for sure they had gotten it and when I had dinner with George a couple of weeks ago when I was in Kiev, he said he'd check on it for me. He did and here's the result...


Not only did they get it, but they printed a spread in the newspaper in Romaniv (that's where the institution is that Micah was in...hidden away from the world).

We were the first people to EVER adopt from Romaniv and we were adopting from the mental institution to boot! People did NOT understand no matter how much we explained. So now, they see that we didn't bring the boys back and sell their organs and in fact they are reading how well the boys are doing and the medical care that they have recieved. Praise God! It's amazing how the ripples continue to spread from all the God has done! Pray that as people have read the article and will continue to read it that they understand the great value these children have in the sight of the the Father to the fatherless!


Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

www.tips-fb.com by Chris and Mary Malone | 6 comments

Saturday, October 10, 2009

The weekend is almost over...  

Where has the time gone?  The weekend is almost over (for me anyway...since I "work" on Sunday).

Getting ready to play and sing at a wedding that doesn't start until 7:00 p.m.  So it'll be a late night...then up early to get to church and make sure all is ready to roll here (I'm here now :-)  ).

Just got an email from a family who needs help with an adoption.  They need a miracle.  Will you pray for this family and for the young orphan they feel called to adopt?  God knows all the names already so I don't need to say them here.  WE experienced God's miracles time and time again so we know He is able!!

You can visit the new Eli Project Blog at http://blog.eliproject.org
The ministry website is ALMOST complete.  I'm waiting on a couple of answers from a couple of people and then I'll be uploading the final site and will announce it's opening via twitter and facebook and of course our family blog.  Stay tuned.  God's gonna do things only HE can do!

Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

www.tips-fb.com by Chris and Mary Malone | 1 comments

Monday, October 5, 2009

The announcement... ELI PROJECT  

Several years ago, after a trip to visit some orphan homes in Ukraine where children with Down syndrome were living, we felt God calling us to ministry in that area. We assumed at that time that God wanted us to move there as missionaries and we began to prepare for that major life change. We put our YES on the table even though we really didn't know what God was calling us to.

Fast forward about 3 years to summer 2008 and we felt the unmistakable prompting of God to begin the adoption process. For the last couple of years, we began to get frustrated that God hadn't "called" us yet. He had asked for our answer, but hadn't told us what we were doing. In 2008 suddenly we were on the fast track to obedience and it was almost a blur it all happened so quickly!

We returned home March 24, 2009 and felt that we had accomplished that which God had called us to do. But in our hearts we knew that was not the case. We knew that He was still calling us to bring justice to the fatherless, the devalued, the forgotten.

What God had begun in our hearts so many years ago was becoming a reality. We were scared, we were unsure what to do to begin, but we trusted God.

Two other families expressed an active interest in being part of any venture we felt God calling us to in this area.



Eli Project was born in our hearts the first time we held the little boys and girls like our son Eli. They were the same in many ways as Eli. Except one BIG difference was that they had no hope of a future. No one to hold them and tell them how valuable they were. No one to whisper into their ear, "I love you."

What is Eli Project?
Eli Project is a Biblically-based, not for profit, Christian ministry organization that is dedicated to the rescue of children with Down syndrome and other special needs from orphanages and mental institutions and children who are near aging-out of orphanages specifically in Ukraine. Eli Project is committed to helping families throughout the process of international adoption from beginning through post-adoption requirements including selecting a child, preparing paperwork (dossier), in-country assistance and post-adoption reporting.

Mission Statement:
  • The mission of Eli Project is to provide loving families for the unwanted, special needs and older children of Ukraine and other countries, and to assist families through the difficult process of international adoption. Eli Project is committed to adding value to the lives of these children and to make a positive impact on their home country to make a better life for the children yet to be born.

Goals:
  • Raise awareness regarding the unwanted children with Down syndrome, other special needs and those in danger of aging-out of the "system" with nowhere to go and no skills to survive.
  • Provide loving families with opportunities to give these children forever homes through adoption.
  • Assist families throughout the international adoption process by
    • providing hands-on assistance with paperwork preparation
    • providing in-country contacts and assistance
    • seek corporate and private sponsorship to lessen the overall cost of international adoption for families willing to provide a home
    • assist families in need of financial assistance in coordinating personal fundraising opportunities
    • providing post-adoption assistance (support, annual reporting)
  • Make a positive impact on the country of Ukraine and other countries to show the value of these special children so those yet to be born will be cherished and loved instead of hidden away to await an early death.
  • Provide opportunities to minister to children living in orphanages through camps, events and by hosting children in families in United States during the summer months.
  • As we go, we will share the love of God that has been freely shared with us through our Savior, Jesus Christ

  • Many of our readers are familiar with Reeces Rainbow, another ministry dedicated to finding homes for children in Down Syndrome over 20 countries worldwide. We will be working in cooperation with them when our ministries overlap and we are certainly working on the same "team." Andrea (the founder of RR) and I have been in communication a lot over the last weeks and both of our ministries are passionate about bring justice to the fatherless. We are excited about more Followers of Christ becoming passionate too!

  • In the next couple of days, the ministry website will come online and more information will go out by email, facebook and twitter. In addition, if you are local to us (OKC area) there will be seminars to bring awareness to the plight of the orphans of Ukraine and explain opportunities for helping the orphans find homes.

  • We need your prayers as we step out in faith and surrender our lives even more to the work of the Father.

God has a heart for the fatherless. He's passionate about their care...

it simply must be our passion too.


With much love and thankfulness,

Chris & Mary Malone


Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

www.tips-fb.com by Chris and Mary Malone | 10 comments

:-)  

I've been reading some interesting comments on the Reece's Rainbow Yahoo Group today.  I'm putting the finishing touches on something and then we will share what God has laid on our hearts.  Hopefully sometime this evening.


But alas, we aren't moving to Ukraine (yet) and we don't own a house there (although we have looked).

God calls us all to action.

www.tips-fb.com by Chris and Mary Malone | 0 comments

Friday, October 2, 2009

Exciting Times  

Be watching for an exciting announcement at www.themalonefamily.us in the next few days!

www.tips-fb.com by Chris and Mary Malone | 0 comments

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