Gladney Blog

Time. It moves slowly but passes quickly. It is a thief. It heals all wounds. It has a way of really showing us what matters. It waits for no one. I could go on and on with quotes about time. The point is that it passes whether we like it or not. For Maleah, a hopeful teen in Thailand, it is passing far too quickly. Maleah turned 15 in October, giving her less than a year to find a family. Time is running out to adopt Maleah and give her the loving family she deserves.

In early November 2024, Misty Lucas and Adriana Chaves traveled to Ecuador as part of Gladney’s ongoing efforts to advocate for children and strengthen our international adoption program. Their time in Ecuador was filled with impactful meetings, collaborative planning, and cultural exchange. These trips are essential in supporting our mission to find loving families for children in need.

I see my friends going. New mommies and daddies, sisters and brothers . . . showing up, crying, hugging, welcoming—new families starting—my friends getting a forever. 

Maleah has been waiting for a family to call her own for far too long.  Our staff spent time with her last February, and we have been working hard to find the perfect family for her since.

The day we met her, she walked in with her head held high, displaying the perfect ‘this is lame’ teen strut.  She was trying her best to let us know this meeting was boring, and she’d rather be doing a million other things.  But she slipped up when she briefly made eye contact with both of us, letting down her tough teen façade just for a moment, and giving us our first glimpse into the amazing young woman that she is.  She knew why we were there, and it wasn’t hard to see her vulnerability behind the valiant attempt of only giving off teen ‘tude.