Musings from Graceland

MISSISSIPPI MOM ON A MISSION
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The Fumia family is a part of our homeschool group. This article was written back in the spring about their journey to adopt a Ukranian orphan. Because they are still in the process of trying to raise enough funds to adopt their son, and they surely could use prayer about this issue, I wanted to share it here at Graceland.

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FOREST, MS -- Forgive Ashley Fumia if she seems a bit preoccupied these days. The Scott County wife and mother recently returned from Odessa, Ukraine where she finally met the boy she hopes will soon become her third son. What makes this adoption highly unusual is that the boy she wants to bring home just turned 12 years old.

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“It is not an exaggeration to describe Ukraine’s booming orphan population as a humanitarian crisis,” says the 28 year old Fumia. “Older children have virtually no chance of being adopted, but when I saw his picture I knew instantly this was my son.” But while meeting and having a chance to bond with her son-to-be was a time of joy, Fumia was shaken by the pain and suffering she witnessed daily in a country that has been shattered by alcoholism, resulting in more than one hundred thousand orphans. “And that doesn’t even count the thousands who live on the street and statistically don’t even exist,” says Fumia. “This is not over for me when our adoption is complete. I will be spending the rest of my life spreading the word about these orphans and finding families for them.”

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The family that Grisha returns to in Forest is not your typical American family. The Fumias live off the land, growing their own vegetables and hunting for their meat. It was a deliberate lifestyle choice the young couple made after having begun their marriage in the hectic Northeast. “We didn’t really like living where we were and we started thinking about raising our children in the South. “ What seemed like a radical choice two years ago has been a challenge, but they wouldn’t have it any other way. “We are so much happier now than we used to be. God has given us this land - why not use it the way it was intended?” Home schooling allows the Fumias to make their farming and hunting lifestyle a family affair, but while the cupboard is full, they are relying almost completely on donations to finance Grisha’s adoption.

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Most fund raising has taken place over the internet where more than three
thousand visitors from 42 different countries have found their way to Ashley’s blogsite .

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Many small donations have arrived, but so far only $3, 000 has trickled in toward a goal of $28,000. “We are so grateful for all the help we can get, and ask that anyone whose heart is moved to consider donating to help bring our boy home.”

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Above is a video about Grisha. Would you please consider praying for the Fumias, posting this link at your blog, or donating financially to this effort to give a little boy a family of his very own? Thanks so much.

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