The Big Move- an Update

I've been chattin' it up about Heath so much I figured I better give an update about where we are on our journey to Ukraine.  I haven't written much about our move in this space recently just because there is so much still up in the air.  I'm coming to realize that is pretty much our new reality though, so I better document it anyway. 

This past weekend we had a massive garage sale.  It was great!  We sold a ton of stuff.  Remember we'd already had one garage sale earlier in the summer, and now we had another massive one.  I look around my house and I still feel like we have too much stuff.  Seriously!!  Anyway, we made great headway in whittling away at all our things.  Like now the girls are sharing a dresser and Jed and I are sharing a dresser, so we sold the other 2 dressers.  We sold non"essential" kitchen items, more books, book shelves, paired down our stuffed animal collection a bit, tools...it felt good.  

The next step is to get out of our house so we can put our mortgage payment toward paying off student loans.  Good riddance Sallie Mae!!  We'd love to sell our house, but we're upside down in our loan, so we have to rent it out.  We're planning on moving out of our house in October and then getting it rental-ready.  We've had a very generous offer from a friend concerning our living situation that I can share when it's all finalized.  Let's just say, God is doing just what He said He'd do!  As we take steps forward He opens up the path before us.  It's been nothing short of miraculous.  

Right now the main focus is our living situation.  Once we get out of our house, get it rented and start putting money away we'll shift our focus to how God wants to finance this dream.  There's talk of mission support raising, non-profit starting, grant writing, business plan making...all stuff that is much more Jed's area of expertise!

We've contacted a few different organizations in Ukraine that do work similar to what God has put in our hearts to do and asked about partnering.  These are mostly people and organizations we visited while in Ukraine.  We aren't sure exactly how it will all look, but we just step forward in obedience and I'm confident God will work it out.  

To people who don't know the Lord this all sounds CRAZY.  Believe me, sometimes it feels crazy to be living it!  But, in the midst of the craziness we have peace.  We have peace that we are exactly where God wants us in this moment.  We have peace that He is paving the way and making paths straight. 

So that's a brief update about where we're at.  Thank you for your prayers and support!!

Could it Be You?

There is a little boy who sits across the ocean in desperate need of a family.

Could it be you?

He's 11-years old and has never known a mother's love.  He's never wrestled with his daddy.

Could you be his Mommy?  Could you be his Daddy?

Without the love of a family he is destined to a short life in a mental institute.

Could you help rescue him from that fate?

God so loved HEATH that He sent His Son.  I am confident God will also send Heath a family.

Could you be that special family?

Over this past summer and especially this month God moved mountains to provide for Heath's adoption.  It's no secret that international adoption is pretty expensive.  It costs about $25,000 to adopt from Heath's country.  Right now Heath has $21,000 in his adoption fund.  That means when a family steps out and says "Here we are God, send us!"  they will only have to pay up front costs of about $3,000-$5,000 (depending on where you live, and not due all at once).  Heath's grant will cover the rest.  Now how amazing is that?

If you have heard about Heath before and have never stopped and asked the Lord if he is supposed to be your son, please take a moment and ask.  Please don't dismiss this boy.  Heath will be an enormous blessing to his family!  I'm sure there will be hard times, but I know in my heart Heath will bring his family joy.  He must be a pretty special boy for God to move such mountains on his behalf! 

Heath needs a family so desperately.  

Could it be you?



PS: The family who commits to Heath already has a whole cheering section of Heath fans ready to dive in and do whatever we can to help.  Heath is loved by so many people!!!  You would not be alone in this mission of love.   :)



If you are interested at all or would like more information about adopting Heath please email sarah@reecesrainbow.org

Show-Off

 

 Saturday was Heath's Day and it was AMAZING.
As Alicia, a friend who came out to help us (and held signs on the curb for 2 hours straight!) put it,

"God is such a show-off!"  

Yes He is!  When God decides to show His stuff He goes all out.  Heath Day was a smashing success and all thanks goes to the God who loves the orphan more than we can begin to imagine.  

Our car wash alone raised $849.  WHAT?????  How is that even possible?

Well, with God all things are possible and I'm learning that more every day.

Friends came from far and wide to help raise money as a ransom for a rejected 11-year old boy across the world.   Oh Heath baby, you have no idea how many people love you...

Our guys washed cars non-stop for Heath.  NON-STOP.  It was crazy busy.  Crazy because there were like 3 other car washes happening on the same street as ours!  Somehow, our car wash was hoppin' the whole time.  Yep, God cares a lot for our little Heath.

Our dear friends Sam and Angie came to help (Of course!  They never miss a chance to serve. Seriously. Amazing.) and brought their two recently adopted Bulgarian blessings to wash cars for Heath.  Watching those two, orphans no more, cheering for an orphan to come home made me tear up more than once.  :)  It was pretty special. (And...I didn't get a picture. Darn!)

Thank you Ang!!!

The car wash was hoppin' with kids.  Lots of 'em.  They scrubbed, they cheered, they played. 

They made us smile.

Even babies came to love on Heath!

It was awesome to see little ones working hard for another little one so far away.

While the guys did the bulk of the washing (not all, mind you!) us ladies managed the loads of kids and cheered for our Heath.  It was like a cry-fest!  Every time a friend would show up to help we would all start crying again!  It's just so overwhelming to see what God has done since we first started talking about Heath in our backyard one July evening.  He is outrageously good.

Becki and Sara are both on their own adoption journey and of course they came to help!  Becki and her husband get to leave in just a few weeks to go meet their sweet baby Pasha who's waiting for them in Heath's country.  You can follow their journey here.  Sara and her husband Curtis are working hard to get to Porter, who is in Heath's institution.  I pray in a couple months when they arrive there for Porter they can look at Heath and know he has a Mommy and Daddy coming for him too!  You can follow their journey here.

 

Awesome Jessica came to help too with her little boys.  :)  I cut off Becki's face....oops.

 Our friends Chris and Sarah helped us tremendously.  I don't even want to think about what Heath Day would have been like without their help.  They picked up supplies, they encouraged, they invited people, they even fed us dinner after the car wash was over!  What a huge blessing.  Thank you friends!!!  Sarah wrote about Heath's Day at her blog here.
   

It was a beautiful day and God provided abundantly beyond what we had imagined.  To everyone who came and donated, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  Also, to all who volunteered their time to serve...you guys rock!

After all was said and done and the Heath Day numbers were crunched I'm happy to report that Heath's matching grant was met and exceeded.  WAHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!  His grant won't show that until all the checks arrive at Reece's Rainbow, but even now his grant continues to grow.  It's a miracle.

Now all that's left is to find that boy a family.  I am confident God has someone in mind because He has prepared the way for them to get to their boy as fast as possible.  So now we pray.  We share Heath's face and we pray.  Money is not an obstacle now.  God's plans for Heath must be great for Him to pull off something like this for a little boy who sits destitute and alone half a world away.

 Hold on sweet boy, God's got you covered. 

Happy Heath Day!!!!

Today is the day! 

Today is Heath's day.  

People all over the country are fundraising for one previously forgotten 11-year old boy who sits and waits in Eastern Europe. 

Today we are shouting out, "Heath is not forgotten!  This life matters!"

Will you join us?  

You can come get your car washed TODAY at Walgreens on South Commercial between 10 and 2.  All the proceeds will go into Heath's adoption fund.  

Maybe you live too far away to come to our car wash...bummer!  You can still help make Heath's Day a success.  You can drop a tax-deductible donation into his adoption account on Reece's Rainbow at this link riiiiiiiight here!  After you give you can head over to Julia's blog and let her know that you donated.  Julia will enter your name into the drawing for a big giveaway she is hosting.  You could even win an Ipad.  Sweet!

Most of all, you can pray.  You can pray for Heath that God's angels will comfort him as he waits for a Mommy and Daddy to rescue him.  You can pray that whoever his Mommy and Daddy are, that God would touch their hearts and they would be moved to act.  You can pray for the boys in Heath's institution , that God's light and life would flood that place like never before.

Look at all you can do to help!

THANK YOU FOR HELPING!  

THANK YOU FOR DONATING!

THANK YOU FOR LOVING!

And a very Happy Heath Day to you!

The Real Me

I'm about to let you in on a little known fact about me.  In doing this I know I risk losing your friendship and respect, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and do it anyway because I just can't help myself.  

Besides, if you been around this blog long enough and read any of my fundraising posts you might have guessed it anyway.

Ready for it?
I was a cheerleader in high school. 

Yes, it's true.  Even more surprising is the fact that I loved it.  I adored it.  (Okay, maybe you aren't that surprised...)  For 3 years I jumped, I tumbled, I clapped, I smiled, I wore a short little skirt and a bow in my hair.  It was great.  We were a competitive squad and each year we won the state cheer competition.  We even got to compete in Nationals and go to Disneyland!  I can't begin to fathom that I did that.  Ha!  It almost makes me blush just thinking about it. 

But...sometimes I feel the cheerleader in me begin to creep out and when that happens I just can't help myself.  I guess it's just part of who I am.  (The cheering, clapping, jumping and smiling part....not the short skirts and bows in my hair part.  Just in case you needed clarification.)

 

Now is one of those times.  I'm a cheerleader for Heath and I don't care who knows it!  :)  

Do you realize Heath's matching grant and giveaway was announced on Friday and since then almost $2,000 has been raised?  What in the world????  I am amazed!!!  I am excited!!!!  I am cheering!!!! 

We are only $3,020 away from meeting Heath's matching grant goal and then he will be considered fully funded.  That means a family can commit to adopting him and not be held back by finances at all. 

This Saturday, September 15th is Heath's day.  There are Heath-Lovers all over the country doing fundraisers for him on Saturday.  We are some of those people.  We're having a car wash!  

Do you think the $3,020 can be raised this weekend?  Do you??  

I do!!!  Get out the poms!  

GO TEAM GO!!!!! 

 I'll be cheering all the way with a big smile plastered on my face....cause I just can't help myself.



Yeah...I'd show you a picture of my cheering days, but I don't have a scanner.  Darn.  Ha.

Yup, More About Heath

What?  More talk about Heath?  Who me?

You better believe it!!  If you're tired of reading about Heath you better stop now because I'm on a roll.  Well, actually God's on a roll and I just can't stop talking about my boy till his Mommy and Daddy find him and bring him home where he belongs.  I hope that won't be too long from now...so stick with me and watch what God does!! 

Remember how we first we decided to do the car washes for Heath, then he got on the Angel Tree, then he got a $450 matching grant?  Remember all that goodness?  

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who have helped Heath so far.  Every dollar we raise goes straight to my boy's account so that when his adoptive family finds him NOTHING will hold them back from getting to him as quickly as possible.  Every prayer is working miracles in his life.

And things are about to get even better....

Now guess what God is up to?  

-My dear, sweet, wonderful, fun, amazing-blessing-that-God-surprised-me-with friend Sarah has joined me in taking up Heath's cause.  Sarah is an author and a blogger and she featured our boy on her blog!  That is a mega blessing because not only is it helping us fundraise for Heath, but it's introducing thousands of people to Heath who have never seen his sweet face before.  Yay!!!!  Thank you Sarah!  I can't wait to see how God uses that for His glory.  

Sarah's sweeties and mine...random dance party outside of a restaurant?  Why yes, yes it is.

-An anonymous donor has offered a $5,000 matching grant for Heath.  Yes, you read that right.  

$5,000

That means if we can raise $5,000 for Heath by September 30th, the donor will add another $5,000 and Heath will be considered fully-funded.  O.M.G.  It's almost too good to be true.  But, then again, isn't that just how God works?  I tell ya, I just can't get over how much He loves those Boys.  

So, what does this all mean for you?  How can you respond?  

- You can donate to Heath's adoption fund right here.  Your donation is tax deductible and 100% of it is used to get Heath home asap once a family commits to adopting him.  

-After you donate (since I know you will because you just won't be able to help yourself!) go tell my friend Julia at her blog here.  Julia is doing a pretty sweet giveaway to help meet that matching grant.  Donations given to Heath are your entry into the giveaway.  You could even win an Ipad!  Or my friend Sarah's cookbook!  Why not give it a whirl?

-Come get your car washed this Saturday and support Heath in person!  If you're local and you want to come leave a comment and I'll send you the details.  

Whew!  Thanks for sticking with me through all that!  I'm almost exhausted by all the good news!  :)  This truly is Heath's time in the spotlight.  His family must be nearly ready to find him because God sure is preparing the way.  I just love the way He works!

This is one wild ride!  Thanks for hopping aboard.  :)

My Kids are Posers

This morning we started back to school.  We were supposed to start yesterday, but then our friends invited us to an amusement park, so obviously we pushed our school plans out a day.   

Livin' up that last day of summer!

 Today, as I fought back the lingering nausea of the Tilt-A-Whirl and the lingering effects of Seth on little-to-no-nap, school officially resumed.  

YAY!  

Highlights of the first day...

1.  Cookies for breakfast. Yep.  It's true.  But, in my defense, they have the word "healthy" in the title.  That's got to qualify them as a breakfast food!...right?

2.  Desks to the rescue.  We just sold our dining room table.  Uhhh where are we going to do school?  Nice.  I guess I should have thought of that last week.  Luckily I remembered we had 4 little school desks in our garage that my aunt had given us.  I had planned on selling them since they won't really fit in our carry-ons, but I guess I'll keep 2 of them around just for good measure.  Sweet!

3.  Latte delivery.  My mom and dad love to occasionally surprise the kids with hot chocolate on school mornings.  Today it was Grams with Starbucks delivered to my door.  Cue Hallelujah Chorus.  Thanks Grams!

4.  Ezra rocks at math.  How is it that Ezra seems to have improved at math over the summer with no practice?  He is definitely his father's son.  Math is my nemesis; always has been, always will be.

5.  Addy the tutor.  Addy insisted Havalah should start preschool this year, so we picked up a little preschool workbook at Target for Hava to "study".  Addy could.not.wait. to help Havalah with her book.  It was hilarious!  

Addy: "Havalah, if you don't like the way I teach you, just tell me and I'll teach you differently.  Just make sure you don't scream at me."

 

6.  Seth the destroyer.  Seth took a 3 hour nap after thoroughly destroying the house while my attention was diverted to the big kids.  I'm choosing to think positive and call that a highlight.  :)

7.  My kids are posers.  We walked to the park after lunch and I told the kids I wanted to take a couple pictures of their first day of school.  OMG.  Hands on hips, heads tilted.  I've never seen my children like this.  It was as if they were channeling Olan Mills.  Immediately the poses broke out.  Unbelievable.

Here's the proof: 

Look at the foot back on the tree!  The hands! HA!

The hips!  The bowed legs!  The constipated smile?  Hilarious.

Again with the foot on the tree!  Pointed toe.  Seriously!

 

This one just kills me.  We never ever get smiles like this for pictures from our Seth.  LOVE.

8.  The biggest highlight of my day was seeing my kids excited to learn.  Havalah and Seth were so proud of their scribbles.  "This one's for you Mommy."  Seth put his on the fridge all by himself!  The Bigs and I snuggled on the couch and read while the Babies napped.  I was deliberately with my children.  Sigh.  It's great to be back in session.  

 Aren't they beautiful?  :)