A Week Full of Hope!

What a week!  

This week has been so amazing that my face almost hurts from all the smiling.  :)

What a change from my last post, right? 

When I wrote that last post things seemed a little hopeless, the need seemed a little a lot, too big.

But this week has been different.  This week God has reminded us that He is in control and nothing, absolutely nothing is too big for Him.

Want the good news first?  You do?  Well, lucky you, because it's all good news!  YAY!!!

#1 On Thursday we celebrated one year since Seth became our legal son.  What a milestone!  We watched the adoption ceremony video that day and remembered all that God did to keep Seth in our family.  Ours is a crazy roller-coaster-of-a-story that only could have ended the way it did because God intervened.  We remembered how man doesn't have the final word.  God has the final word.  Isn't that good news?  Seth thinks so.  :)

 We celebrated "Adoption Day" by taking the kids to frozen yogurt and giving Seth lots of extra kisses and hugs.  I emailed Seth's case worker who fought tooth and nail for him and thanked her again for all that she did for our family.  We love her and will never ever forget her tenacity and persistence.  It made a difference to this one!

#2 On Friday we found out that Sasha's family is bravely moving forward with their adoption.  Of course our support is with them no matter what, and we told them that.  But I'm not gonna lie.  My heart absolutely jumped for joy (and my body too!) when I found out that they had chosen another one of our Lost Boys to take home as their son.  Sweet Alexei will now be called Benjamin.  Sweet Alexei, who was transferred t to the Lost Boys from the same orphanage as Sasha will now be called treasured son and brother. 

Still mourning the passing of Sasha, yet bravely trusting and stepping forward in faith.  Now that is awesome. Now that is worth celebrating.  Thank you dear family!  We stand behind you in love and prayers. 

#3 Anddddddddd last but not least!!!  

Oh my word.  Today has been amazing.  It started off with Jed and I having the opportunity to share about Ukraine with our church.  The support we felt in that room was amazing.  Our pastor brought it home that this is something our whole church is doing.  This mission is something God has called our Body to participate in all together.  It was like music to my ears.  We have known the support was there, but hearing it today was such a blessing to our hearts. Thank you Lanny!

After church we headed to some friends' house for a thanksgiving dinner.  Yum.  We were eating and enjoying each other, when all of a sudden my phone started to blow up with texts.  I knew something either really good had happened, or something really bad.  Ha!  The first text was from my friend Sarah and it just had one word "HEATH"!  Then the texts began to pour in from other Reece's Rainbow friends far and wide.  

HEATH HAS A FAMILY!!!!!

Our dearly loved Heath is found!  He has a family working right now to rescue him.  Soon he will be an orphan no longer.  

 

We knew it would happen, I mean God did too many miracles in the fundraising for Heath not to be found, but I can't believe it actually happened.  I came home to at least 17 tags on facebook letting me know it is real.  Heath baby, hold on tight because your world's about to be rocked!

You can follow Heath's adoptive family at their blog here.  I've already let his mom know that I'll try very hard not to stalk her.  :)

I'm so filled with faith and hope right now.  Nothing is impossible for our God.  Nothing.  

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21 

If you would like to help Alexei's family with the expenses of their adoption I know they would really appreciate the help.  They are working hard to raise the money and every little bit helps!  You can give your tax-deductible donation here.  Thank you!!!

Readying the Troops

 

Preparing to move overseas is quite the task.  It's such a big task that we really have no idea how to tackle it.  Day by day, we just do the next thing that is in front of us- praying that when moving day comes along we'll be as ready as can be.  I'm not necessarily talking about packing and all that (although I have no idea what I'm doing in that area either), more about preparing our hearts and minds for how our lives are going to change. 

When we very first started this process some very wise missionaries told us to do whatever we could to prepare our hearts and lives while we are still here in the US.  "Get your marriage right, work on those selfish areas in your heart, help prepare your kids' hearts".  Basically we were encouraged to do whatever we can do NOW while we are in a familiar situation and we have a great church and tons of friends and family around who love us.  Because although we will still have loads of rough edges to smooth off when we get to Ukraine, it's in our best interest to allow the Lord to do some of the smoothing ahead of time.  Lord knows things will get a lot rougher in some areas once we get there!  Ha! 

Lately I've been thinking more about how to prepare our kids for this major life change.  I want to be intentional about preparations with them, because otherwise I know it simply won't happen.  I know myself.  :)  Like back in February when we first spoke at a church to share the vision, we were on our way to the church and I finally thought to look back at the kids and ask them if they understood what we were doing that day.  Addy understood, but Havalah and Ezra were unsure (Seth was just along for the snacks- as usual).  It was in that moment that I realized that although they are absorbing a lot just by living in the same house and hearing conversations, we must intentionally talk with them all through this process so their little hearts aren't left behind.

Here are some things we have started doing to help our kiddos along this journey.  I'm writing them down partially to keep myself accountable, and partially to encourage other parents to be intentional with your kiddos.  We can't assume our kids will learn what we want them to know about faith and their walk with Jesus by osmosis.  We have to have intentional conversations.  I am sure a work in progress in this area, so I don't claim to be an expert of any kind!  But, you never know who needs to be reminded of that truth.  So here ya go!

Language Study
I started including Addy, Ezra, and Havalah in my language study.  Duh.  That should have been a no-brainer, but I honestly was waiting to find the perfect "kid" language curriculum for them.  Instead I finally realized that I started at square one and they can just join me where I'm at!  Some knowledge of the language is better than none at all.  We study Monday-Friday for maybe 25 minutes or so, and then I let them go play while I do a bit more.  THEY LOVE IT. They are such smarties too!  Addy has an awesome memory and Ezra has a great ear for the language.  It's funny the words that stick out to them.  I'm not sure how helpful it will be to know "cockroach" and "frog" in Russian, but they've got those ones down perfectly!  :)

We use Transparent Russian for our language study.  We bought it many months ago and chose Russian over Ukrainian because the part of the country we ultimately would love to end up in is mostly Russian-speaking, and our tutor we had hired was a native Russian speaker.  Now I wonder if we made the right decision, but ah well.  I think either one is a great start.  The complete program isn't available in Ukrainian anyway, so it is what it is.  :)

Transparent has grammar study, audio helps, and an awesome vocab-building tool called "Byki".  Byki is the only part I use with the kids.  We study our computer flashcards and play little games with the words we've learned.  They are seeing the words, hearing the words, and saying the words.  It seems like the language study has given them more ownership in this process and I love that more than anything. 


Sharing
We've been lining up speaking engagements at different churches and small groups and have been wondering how to involve our kids more in that process.  Yesterday we had a great answer to prayer in that area!  The kids and I were invited to share about Ukraine at chapel for a local Christian school where my mom is a teacher.  It is missions week for the school, so every day they are learning about different countries and the work being done there.  We opened up the week by sharing about Ukraine.  Addy and Ez helped me prepare the lesson and even shared part of it with the kids!  I was so very proud of them!!! 

Ezra and Havalah...ha!

 Addy talked about where Ukraine is located, what kind of foods are popular there, what the homes are like, and showed pictures of the capital and important monuments. 

Ezra talked about language learning, showed a picture of the Cyrillic alphabet and talked about the sound differences and shared some words he's learned.

 Havalah had planned to show her nesting doll, but got nervous...I pretty much knew that would happen!  Ha! I could see how proud they were to share about Ukraine and it made my heart glad.  I think this was a big leap toward them taking ownership of this mission.  We were very thankful for the opportunity to share with other children!

Prayer and Discussion
Ever since we first learned about the need in Ukraine we have included the kids in prayer for the people of Ukraine. 

Our sweetie, Heath.  Still waiting!  Hint hint

And Hanson, where is your Mommy?

And Porter, we love you sweet baby boy.  Praying every day!!

  There have been seasons when we have been more faithful in that than others, but over all it's been a constant in our family prayers.  The kids have certain orphans they pray for super faithfully, and most of those children have been, or are being adopted!  

My sweet Aiden has a family!

Our love Sasha has a family!

SAMUEL!!!!!  Has a family!!

 That has been a great faith-builder for them!  Now I'm seeing we need to start expanding our prayer time with them to include the caregivers, other believers in Ukraine, and the people we're going to meet and grow to love there.  I want to start praying with them that God will provide them with friends they can love and enjoy life with.  Addy and Ez are particularly nervous that they "won't have any friends".  I know it's not God's heart for them- so it's time to start praying and believing that He will provide friends.


Sometimes I get nervous and think "What are we doing? Are we ruining our kids' lives by taking them away from friends and family??"  But then I think back to all the words God has spoken to our family along this process.  This move is something He has called our whole family to- not just Jed and me.  Life in Ukraine is something He is preparing for our whole family.  When our loving Father created Adelina, Ezra, Havalah, and Seth He knew what life He was creating them for.  He knows how this will grow them and make them into the men and women He has designed them to be.  When I was pregnant with Addy a word was spoken that "This baby will be a bridge to people who don't know Jesus".  I am so excited to watch God fulfill that through Addy.  I can't wait to watch each of our kids blossom and come even more alive as we walk into the destiny God has created for every.single.one. of us. 

  

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.  :)

Faithful

God is so faithful.  Really, really blowin-my-mind faithful.  

On Thursday I wrote a post asking for more help with getting my man Heath funded because he has a matching $450 grant that ends September 1st.  We just got back from camping and I ran to the computer right away to check on our progress.  Forget about showering, draining coolers, sorting laundry...I gotta check on my boy!  

Low and behold...Heath has already exceeded his matching grant by $214!!!!!!! 

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!!!!!

I was shocked and awed.  God's faithfulness to one 11-year old half a world away is almost too good to be true. 

Honestly, I shouldn't be surprised at God's faithfulness and provision for Heath.  I really shouldn't.  But you see, God's got me on this crazy journey of learning to trust Him to meet needs and not looking to my own abilities or gifts to meet the needs myself.  He just keeps surprising me!

Jed and I set aside August as our month dedicated to seeking God's face about our next steps toward Ukraine.  We knew God wanted us to keep taking steps, but we were feeling a bit aimless.  We are expecting God to speak this month and He's pulling through!  (Imagine that!)  ;)  We each decided to fast something this month and I knew God was asking me to step out of the facebook world for the month of August as a "fast".  Why facebook?  Don't people usually fast food?  Well, God knew I had something to learn, so that's what He asked of me.  

When us Northwest gals started promoting our push for Heath we used facebook as a big resource for getting the word out.  Social media rocks for things like that.  Unfortunately, we didn't get the response we were hoping for.  There was very little interest in our September fundraiser for our boy.  I was pretty disappointed.  Actually, I knew in that moment I was a little too disappointed.  I took it personally.  Hmmm....what's wrong with that picture?  I'll tell you what was wrong!  I was promoting it in my own strength, trusting in my ability to 'catch people's attention'.  A good response to Heath was a good response to me.  

EEEEEEWWWWWW!!!!!  Blech!  Gag. Yuck.

That is just icky.  Yep, it's God who is providing for Heath- not Kim.  It is God who gets all the glory- not Kim.  I knew God was asking me to step aside from facebook so that He could show me who's boss.  There are plenty of people who are getting the word out for Heath on their blogs and facebooks and God is using it all for His glory.  This isn't an anti-facebook post because great things have come from advocacy on facebook, and once my fast is up I hope to return to advocacy using that forum.  God just knew my heart, and He knew I needed to see Him show His power in a way where I couldn't claim any of the victory for myself.  I really love how He works.

Seeing Heath's grant grow and grow makes my heart want to burst.  Since I can't get the word out on facebook I have done so much more face-to-face promoting of my boy.  It has been sweet- and necessary.  Seeing people's eyes light up when they hear about what God is doing is priceless.  More and more eyes are being opened to the plight of these children we love so much and that is also priceless.

This heart issue that God and I are working out is a biggie.  It will be huge when we start to raise support for our family.  I need to learn these lessons now.  I need to remember that Jed and I are not the breadwinners for our family- Jesus is, and He can do a much better job of it than we could hope to do.

So, thank you every single one of you who gave.  Thank you to every one of you who passed the word.  Our work isn't done yet, but things are definitely moving right along.  September 15th is coming up and I can't wait to see what GOD does.  :)

To God be all the glory for the great things He has done!!! 

Gaining Momentum!!!

HEATH WON!!!!!!!!!

Our dear, sweet, precious love earned his spot on the Angel Tree.  Well done all who voted!!!!!!

I can not even describe how excited and encouraged I am by the body of Christ.  When we come together in unity God just smiles on it.  I think He gets the biggest kick out of all of us passing the word, texting, calling, facebooking, blogging, all for an 11-year old in Eastern Europe who was unnoticed by the world for most of his life. 

Heath has been passed over and forgotten for so long.  For 11 long years he has waited to be wanted.  Oh baby boy, your time is a'comin'.  I just know it.  I have so much faith right now it's crazy.  Momentum for our boy is revving up and it just can't be long till his Mommy and Daddy see his face!

First there were prayer warriors praying for Heath long before we noticed his sweet face.  To you girls, thank you so very much for your love and faithfulness. 

Then came the meeting of the minds in our backyard last month.  :)  Mutual love for Heath was discovered and we felt we just had to act on it. 

Next I found out that there are multiple Heath-lovers out there that we don't even know who have been having garage sales, selling off furniture, doing youth group fundraisers- all for Heath.

AND THEN....

A family who loves Heath had a birthday party.  Instead of asking for presents, the children asked for money for Heath.

WHAT IN THE WORLD???  WHO DOES THAT???

They ended up raising $450 for our sweetie.  But they aren't just giving it away for free....no way.  That wouldn't be enough fun.  :)  They have offered their donation as a matching grant in hopes of raising even more cash for Heath.  Pretty sweet, eh?

I know, I know, you're asking,

"How can I help?" 

Oh, I'm so glad you asked!  There are 3 big ways you can help out.

1.  Donate money ($1, $.50, $200 every little or big bit counts!) to Heath's matching grant right here.  If we can raise $450 by September 1st that gracious birthday partyin' family will pitch in their $450.  Can we do it????  Only with your help. :)  In order to meet our goal, Heath's grant at Reece's Rainbow needs to read $9,583.94 by September 1st.

2.  Have a car wash on September 15th!  Our dream is to have many, many people washing cars for our boy all on one day.  If you can't wash cars, do a bake sale, collect coins in a jar, collect pop cans...do something!!  One family has soccer that day so the mom is donating a certain amount of money to Heath for each goal scored.  Love it! 

3.  Pray.  Pray for our boy that God would bless him and keep him.  Pray that God would lead Heath's parents to his face and that they would hear the Lord's leading and act.  Pray Heath is rescued soon and pray that his rescue would serve to bust that place wide open. 

September 15th is Heath's big day.  If you decide to help out in any way please, please let me know so when we recount the amazingness of it all we can all celebrate together!

Thank you all so much for your giving hearts.  It's hard to come on here and ask for money, but when I look at that sweet face it just doesn't matter anymore.  He deserves a family and a chance at life- no matter how I feel.  Know what I mean?  Thanks for coming back, reading, and acting. 

You are a blessing!!!!!!!

Twenty Seconds to Make a Difference

Thursday 8/16 update:

Heath won!!!!!
Thank you everyone for helping out our boy!!!!!!
Yippeeeeeeeeeeee!
(lots of exclamation points...I'm screaming on the inside)  :)

The Starfish Story 

Original Story by: Loren Eisley

 
One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed
a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, "What are you doing?"

The youth replied, "Throwing starfish back into the ocean.  The surf is up and the tide is going out.  If I don't throw them back, they'll die."

"Son," the man said, "don't you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can't make a difference!"

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf.  

Then, smiling at the man, he said

"I made a difference for that one."

I love that story.  It never gets old.

When I look at  all the faces on Reece's Rainbow it's easy to feel overwhelmed by all the need.  At times it can feel almost pointless to try, because I know there are so many thousands of faces that aren't listed...faces that are hidden away in cribs, the world moving along without them.  

Then I remember this story.  Then I remember that God hasn't asked me to "save them all".  He has called me to be obedient to the next thing He asks of me.  No step of obedience is insignificant.  When it comes to saving lives, no fundraiser is a failure- because it matters to that one.  I won't give up on trying to save one, just because I can't save them all.  :)  

(But I sure know The One who can!!)

"Do not fail to do something because you cannot do everything."

-The Hole in Our Gospel

God is the one who will save these children.  He alone is their Savior.  

And He asks us to be his hands and feet here on earth.  He asks us not to be paralyzed by the enormity of the need, but to step out in obedience to do the next thing.  

Because it matters to that one.

Heath is "that one" for our family right now.  God has asked us to step out and do whatever He asks to help find Heath a family.  

Wanna help?  :)

I have an easy-peasy way you can help Heath.  Listen up!

Every year Reece's Rainbow has a huge fundraising event called "The Angel Tree".  During the months of November and December all the orphans with Down Syndrome ages 0-5 who are listed on Reece's Rainbow are put on the Angel Tree.  The goal is to raise $1,000 for each child on the tree.  Why raise money?  Well, simply because adoption is expensive!!!  If we can get money into these kiddos' grants, then once their family finds them it is that much easier to get them home without delay.  Each person who donates $35 or more to the Angel Tree receives a beautiful Christmas ornament with the child's picture on it.  Cool eh?

The Angel Tree is a fantastic opportunity to grow a child's grant and to get their face out there so their Mama and Daddy can find them.  The thing is, it's only for kiddos up to the age of 5....until now!!!!!  This year the older children get their chance to get on the tree...but only if we vote!

Reece's Rainbow chose a select few older children and gave us a small window of time when we can vote for who gets on the tree.  Guess who is one of the lucky few???  HEATH!!!!!!

WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!  THIS IS HUGE!!!!!

If we can get Heath's grant up I KNOW he will have a family.  I just know it.  This is a fantastic opportunity.  It literally takes 20 seconds.  I told you it was easy-peasy.

So, please, pretty please click on the picture below and vote for my boy.  Then don't stop there!  Tell all your friends and family to vote for him too!  Right now he's in the lead, but not by much.  The voting ends Thursday, so we have no time to waste.  

Click on the picture below and it will take you to where you vote!!!!

 Because it matters to this one.