Lysa

Hi Lysa,

You put a comment on the blog about having pictures of Dean when he was a toddler. Your blogger profile isn't public so I couldn't figure out another way to get your attention! If you would leave your email address as a comment on this post, I won't publish it but will email you. How cool! I would love to know how you found us here. Funny!

Thanks!! Jill

Adeye's Giveaway! It's BIG!!

I mentioned that a really big giveaway would be coming soon, but I had no idea just how big it would be. Adeye, at No Greater Joy Mom, asked for help with donations to this giveaway and she receiver over 100 items! I believe that God wants Vanya, the little boy for whom she is raising the money, to find a family! Vanya daily asks his caretakers for a family. Daily. They may not be able to do anything to help him, but God surely is ABLE.

Here's how to play (from her blog):

You will HAVE to leave a comment here on my blog telling me that you have donated in the Chip-In.


~~~ Receive one entry for each donation you make in the Chip-In (any amount).
~~~ Receive a second entry when you mention this giveaway on your own blog.
~~~ Receive a third entry for mentioning it on your Facebook or Twitter.

Please remember to leave separate comments for each of the above categories. And please do not forget to state your name so that I know who the winners are.


Thanks, y'all!

Vera's Birthday pics!

Vera turned 12 back in February! After weeks and weeks of buildup the day finally arrived! She's so happy to have her birthday celebrated!!

Here they are in all their morning glory! The Spicer Birthday Pic. Settle down, Deano.

As is now the tradition, Vera received a gift sack full of her very OWN treats and snacks. That may have been her favorite gift!

The Nerf gun vest for the Nerf gun enthusiast. We knew she was receiving a Nerf machine gun from her cousins so we had to get her properly outfitted.

The iPod! Remember the iPod God found for her?

No, Ella, the candles aren't for you. Everyone loves the birthday around here!

Ha ha, Mom! Vera let me sit by her for candle time. Maybe it really IS my birthday.

Nope! Louis Armstrong Vera took the lead in blowing out her candles.

Happy Birthday, precious Veronika!

We will happily celebrate your special day from now until forever! You are our treasured daughter and nothing would make us happier!

Random girly cuteness

The girls are modelling aprons I hope to contribute to a giveaway here.

What do you think? Would you wear these aprons? More to the point, would you donate a few bucks for a chance at one? I don't know how she's doing the giveaway but it may be that you don't enter for any particular item, but you get a chance at all the items. I'll be sure to talk it up here when it happens!

Easy Craft time! (You can thank me later)

Need to make a sculptural, Asian statement with your dishes? Easy Peasy!

Place some chicken spaghetti in a styrofoam bowl, place wax paper carefully over the top, microwave for two minutes or longer.

Voila!

Hey Mom, what's up?

Me? I'm great! Just back from next door. Why do you want to take my picture?

That's silly, Mom. From the side, too? You must really think I look great!

(I have pulled the wool over your eyes just like the skullcap over mine. Awesome!)

Came home to hide this stuff say hi. Chillax, Mom. It's all good in the 'hood.

Shortly after this picture was taken Vera was frog-marched back to her Aunt Lissa's house, as is. Aunt Lissa and various cousins are probably still laughing at Vera's skillful heist of their clothing.

Oh, Vera. You are one in a million!

Thankfully.

Dr. Livingstone, I Presume?

People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply paid back as a small part of a great debt owing to our God, which we can never repay? Is that a sacrifice which brings its own blest reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter? Away with the word in such a view and with such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger now and then with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause and cause the spirit to waver and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice.

David Livingstone

Who's the winner now?

Yep, that's me. A winner of the lovely bracelet in the picture, above. I also 'won' a pie in the face of the sweet friend who had the giveaway. I know she's very grateful for my help in that regard. Right, Renee?

I also won something from the very start...the satisfaction of knowing I was helping a little beauty, Paisley Tam, find her way home. That's no small thing.

Gorgeous Paisley!

Just ask my mom. Yes, my mom.

From my soul sistah, Ashley of The Chaos Diaries, my mom learned that a little girl in Eastern Europe had been transferred to a mental institution despite having a family who was working hard to bring her home. A little girl Mom had seen countless times here on this very blog. A little girl who reminded us all of our precious Vera, of the fate that could have befallen her, of the potential we see blossoming in her.

Beautiful Lera

My mom was heartbroken. Absolutely heartbroken. She was waking up at night, worrying and praying for Lera. Worse still, my mom found out that the adoption agency had demanded Lera's parents-to-be have all the money they needed for their adoption raised by the end of March. It was the middle of March. Things were looking a bit desperate, as they hadn't had huge success in raising their funds.

So, one fine day my mom up and wrote a letter. Here it is, in part:

Dear friends,


Of necessity, this is a long email. Please bear with me.

As most of you know, my daughter Jill has adopted two daughters with Down syndrome internationally. It is a very expensive process without even counting the money for international travel. As a result of these adoptions, Jill has become an advocate for adoption of Ds children and their new parents. I am constantly amazed by all of the wonderful people who are willing and enthusiastic about sharing their lives with these children. By experience, these are some of the most wonderful persons in our lives. We are thrilled to have three beautiful granddaughters with Down syndrome.
Now, the reason for my email:

In eastern Europe and Russia, once Ds children reach the age of five, they are taken from the baby house orphanage and placed in an institution for the mentally ill/insane. They are tied to their cribs and neglected, with no nourishing, and usually die within the first year. This situation is deplorable, as bad as the asylums of years ago in the United States.

A couple that Jill knows has been trying to adopt a beautiful little girl named Lera. I have seen pictures of her and she is precious. They have about $21,000 of the $30,000 they must have in hand before the adoption can move forward. They are desperately trying to raise the funds. However, Lera has already been moved to an institution, and I cannot get her out of my heart.

Reese's Rainbow is a non-profit that helps identify Ds children and helps with grants for the adoption. Jill has worked with them and the founder, Andrea Roberts. Right now, I am asking any of you who can afford $100, or really anything, to consider helping this family. All you will get from this is their, and my, eternal gratitude. And also, a charitable tax deduction.

She mailed it to friends, family, her Sunday School class. In less than a week, she had collected over $2,000 and a guarantee from a longtime family friend to cover the remainder, whatever the family needed to get Lera home. Some people had to wait until payday to give. Some people had the wife write a check for one amount, the husband for another and then agree to give both checks. Last I heard, the total she collected was over $7,000. It would have been higher had it needed to be but the family had lots of other support, too.

So who's the winner now? Paisley and Lera, of course. My mom. Those who gave, though perhaps not in the way they expected.

Some of those people have grandchildren who have yet to be born. If one of those babies is found to have Down syndrome I will just bet that they will be excited to welcome their grandbaby into the family, knowing that there are families willing to go for broke (literally) in their adoption of a child with Ds.

Some of those people may not be used to giving outside of church, or to adoptions. Perhaps their hearts have been opened to helping the least of the least around the world because that's what God told us to do. Perhaps they took a peek at Reece's Rainbow and opened their hearts to praying for those precious, precious faces who don't yet have a family fighting to bring them home.

I really enjoy winning things in giveaways, I do. Moreso, I really enjoy being a part of miracles. I would bet my mom would say she does now, too! It's an amazing place to be, watching God move mountains. It's amazing to know you were a part of it, whether it's by writing letters, donating, praying, encouraging.

I feel like I'm dancing around my point, so here it is: be a part! Don't just sit on the sidelines and let everyone get blessed.

Luke 6:38 ~~ Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.


Here's your chance to be Jesus's hands and feet in the life of another family chasing hard after God and His command to care for the orphan:  GO! BE A WINNER!

Commit Now All Your Griefs

1 Commit thou all your griefs
And ways into his hands;
To his sure truth and tender care,
Who earth and heav'n commands.
Who points the clouds their course,
Whom winds and seas obey,
He shall direct your wand'ring feet,
He shall prepare your way.
2 Give to the winds your fears;
Hope, and be undismayed;
God hears your sighs, and counts your tears,
God shall lift up your head.
Through waves and clouds and storms
He gently clears your way;
Wait for his time, so shall the night
Soon end in joyous day.
3 Still heavy is your heart?
Still sink your spirits down?
Cast off the weight, let fear depart,
And every care be gone.
He everywhere has sway,
And all things serve his might;
His every act pure blessing is,
His path unsullied light.
4 Far, far above your thought
His counsel shall appear,
When fully he the work has wrought
That caused your needless fear.
Leave to his sovereign sway
To choose and to command;
With wonder filled, you then hall own
How wise, how strong his hand!

What beautiful words of truth!

My friends are CrAzY!!!

But one stands head and shoulders above the rest: 

Renee.
She is one CrAzY CaJuN!

Right now, my CrAzY CaJuN friend is having a crazy fun chance to win some jewelry and humiliate some gals and guys who may or may not deserve it.

Why is my CrAzY CaJuN friend doing this? Why are those gals agreeing to help her?

Grab This!

You probably could have guessed why.

Renee is CrAzY in LoVe with PaIsLeY!!

Renee has been working so hard to bring Paisley home, cooking up a storm, saving pennies (and a whole lot more) but those international adoptions don't come cheap so she and her husband and some ZaNy FrIeNdS came up with this lovely giveaway.

Wanna see what you might win for the low, low donation of a mere $5? $5 that gets Renee that much closer to Paisley, that is.

Well, here ya go:

Aren't those gorgeous?

Now that I've tempted you with goodies, go over and read about the ways your $5 (or more...much more) could go toward humiliating some deserving (or not) people. That may be better than jewelry, but maybe that's just me.

Why are you still reading?

GO!!

(Click on any of the red words--get going!)