Wilson met his Angel Tree goal!!!

I'd love to think I had something to do with it but I didn't. And that's okay, because someone donated enough money to put every single child on our Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree at the $1000 goal!!!

Wow! I'm just stunned. We've never had such a successful Angel Tree event. Keep an eye on my sidebar 'button' for the Angel Tree, as results will show up in a day or two regarding the total amount raised, children who've found homes, ornaments mailed. It's been a great year!

So....where's Wilson's family? He's got a cool thousand bucks to help you on your way!!

Jess in FL, my FIAR friend

Thank you, as always, for your support of Reece's Rainbow! You are a huge blessing to the children you sponsor and to me!! I had thought of you while trimming the tree and placing the two ornaments you had given me. So nice to know you thought of 'our' kids. May God continue to bless you and your family!!

Merry Christmas!!!

And the winner is....

I had a giveaway. Sophia was blessed! Now it's my turn to bless those who were able to give during this busy and often expensive holiday season. I wish I could bless you all but I suppose I'll need to leave it up to Jesus, who has much better gifts at His disposal than we do down here. ;-)

Here are the entrants:

Here is Alex choosing (and Luke choosing to act goofy, knowing I would post this):

And...the moment you've all been waiting for...Alex shares the winner:

 Luke is giving you a hand, Carrie Joy!! You won!!! Go take a gander again at Laura Lu's photographs and tell me which one you want (although I seem to recall something about a barn) and which size would work best for you (I think it would look best in the larger size unless you have a small spot in mind to hang it). You can message me on facebook and we'll get 'er done so you'll have it for Christmas. Oh, and don't forget to give me your address! As soon as I get it your picture will be ordered from Laura and your book from amazon!

All four of the ladies who contributed are so special to me. CJ is one of Reece's Rainbow's biggest cheerleaders, often beating me in posting information about RR on facebook. Sarah, through her etsy shop, has contributed financially to numerous RR adoptions (and I have the necklaces to prove it!). Tina has long since inspired me with her family's generosity and loving ways.

Last, but certainly not least, Megan has become my new friend. Not just because she's a sweetheart, although she is, but because....

MEGAN IS ADOPTING SOPHIA!!!!

You can check out her blog here!! Megan is a single mom-to-be and has really stretched herself and her trust in God to help her through this expensive adoption. I can see already that it is true love that compels Megan toward Sophia and that is precious to see. She is head over heels in love with our darling little Sophia and I can see she's ready to move mountains to bring her home. Isn't that exciting news? Megan may not have won the giveaway but she's certainly getting the prize!!

Thank you, truly thank you all, from the bottom of my heart! Your generosity humbles me.



3 pictures of Wilson!

He's even more irresistible now! What a doll!! He's at such a great age to come home to a family, having just turned 2 in October.

I just know someone's going to fall in love with those big brown eyes and blond hair. I just know they'll want to see God work and move mountains to bring this little guy home. I just know someone is dreaming of being cheek to cheek with him, feeling his chunky little hands pat them on the back as he starts to understand what hugging is. I just know someone wants to put some chub on that skinny little belly so they can blow raspberries on it. I just know someone wants to plop him into a big warm bubble bath and wrap him up in the softest towels, just to let him know he has a soft place to land now. I just know someone has some soft fleece jammies for him to wear as they slide him between clean sheets in his own bed and tuck him in after bedtime stories and prayers. I just know someone wants to tell him that Jesus loves him, in word and in deed.

I just know someone is wishing for a little boy who will love unconditionally, smile often, laugh more, stay little longer, need his mommy a little more, try harder to reach his milestones and keep the empty nest from emptying quite so soon.

God has a family for Wilson. I just know it's you.

Wilson

Meet Wilson, or as I like to call him, Mr. Irresistible! Wilson was just added to the Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree this week. The call went out that the recently minted 2 year old Wilson needed a Christmas Warrior. Those chubby cheeks, bright eyes, and sweet face just called to me so I volunteered my inestimable services. OK, so my services are quite estimable, even down to the penny, because we can all see the chip-ins on the top of my blog!

Wilson's deal isn't quite the same as Sophia's deal. If you donate at least $35 to his chipin (which sends the money directly to Reece's Rainbow) you will still receive this year's Reece's Rainbow ornament but it won't have sweet Wilson's picture on it. He was added to the Angel Tree too late. Even without Mr. Irresistible's face, though, the ornaments are lovely.

Wilson has another interesting deal going on. His region of Russia allows the adoption of multiple unrelated children, although there are some income restrictions for those who wish to do so. You can see all the other children in that region here. You can also read about Wilson and the regional adoption requirements there, but here is his info:

Birth Date: October 2008
Gender: Male
Eyes: Gray
Hair: brown
Character: Calm.
Friendly, quiet, gentle boy. Goes well in touch with adults. Shows interest in toys.
More photos available, single moms welcome.

I am still having a giveaway for Miss Sophia until December 1. After that, I hope to have another giveaway for both of my beauties. I want to help increase their grant funds at Reece's Rainbow so that people take a second look because some of the costs would be taken care of. I want to see both of them home next year, tucking in to turkey and dressing, sweet potatoes and green beans, pumpkin pies and spice cakes! I want to see them surrounded by a family of their very own, so full of thanksgiving for the gift of Sophia or Wilson they can hardly stop smiling.

I'm not sure I can emphasize this enough: the $10 donations here and there add up and before you know it, the kids are home! I also cannot emphasize enough that your donations to Reece's Rainbow for Sophia and Wilson are tax-deductible, so if you've realized that you haven't donated quite as much as you'd intended this year, this is a great way to do so. If you've realized you haven't remembered the orphan as much as you'd intended this year, then...well, you know what to do.

Sophia and Wilson thank you!

I'm having a giveaway!!!

I'm killing two birds with one stone with this giveaway. It's sort of complicated, for a giveaway and all, so read through it and see if you can participate!!

The first bird:  One of my dear friends in the adoption world, Laura Lu, had a very quick adoption happen earlier this year. It happened fast due to the earthquake in Haiti; their son was made available much more quickly than would normally happen in a Haitian adoption and they weren't yet prepared for the costs.

Zane is actually their second adopted son. Their first son was a domestic adoption. I have rarely seen a family work so hard to raise the funds for an adoption. Among other things, Laura's husband took an evening job delivering pizzas. I'll never forget the night of her birthday when he had to work. He showed up at their door with a pizza for Laura and their girls, a quick kiss and then he was gone. I still tear up thinking about the sacrifice and devotion. I share this because they are not the type to sit back and beg for help but this time around they simply didn't have the time to get their money together.

Laura is an accomplished photographer with a rare sense of artistry. She is having a fundraiser that features several beautiful photographs, some with scriptures or a quote, for sale in either an 8 X 10 or 11 X 14 size. Please go look now! I don't want to copy them without her permission. You can read about their adoption there, too. (And please, feel free to buy one yourself without waiting to see if you've won here!)

I AM GIVING AWAY ONE OF HER PICTURES!
(plus something else, but you'll have to read to the end to find out what)The second bird:  I volunteered to be the Christmas Warrior for Sophia C, the beautiful little girl pictured below. (Newly discovered pictures of her!!) I am hoping to raise $1000 to help defray the adoption costs and get her home more quickly.

Soooooo, if you'd like to be entered in the giveaway for Laura Lu's beautiful photographs (your choice of size and image), please give a donation of $10 or more to Sophia via the ChipIn I now have at the top of my blog. If you have never used a ChipIn before I can assure you it is very easy and it will walk you through the steps. Your donation will go straight to Sophia's account with Reece's Rainbow. I don't ever see a penny of it. As I have mentioned previously, donations of $35 or more will also get you a Reece's Rainbow Christmas ornament with Sophia's picture on it.

So that's my plan. You donate to Sophia C's chipin at the top of my blog and you are thereby entered into my giveaway for one of Laura Lu's photographs PLUS a copy of Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream. (Not that the pot wasn't sweet enough with a gorgeous photograph, but I just couldn't resist giving away that book, as Laura and her family so beautifully exemplify the ideals contained in it.)

I will draw the winner on December 1, 2010.

Thank you for reading, thank you for (hopefully!) sharing, and thank you for participating if you are able. I hope you win!!

Sophia C. and the Angel Tree--a Fairy Tale

Two years ago, in a faraway land, a beautiful little blond-haired princess was born. She had an extra chromosome. No one understood that made her extra special! The doctors told her parents she was cursed. Her parents believed the doctors and sent her to live in an orphanage until the curse could be lifted. No one in her country understood that it was no curse, but a blessing. They kept trying to remove the curse from princess, without success, until...
Something extraordinary happened!

The fearless and bold Andrea Roberts, leader of Reece's Rainbow Adoption Crusaders, has kind helpers in this princess's country who scour the countryside, looking for pretty little girls and handsome little boys with extra chromosomes. When they find these children, like our princess, Sophia, they take pictures of them and send them back to Andrea. Andrea puts pictures and all the information she can find onto the Reece's Rainbow website so families like mine can find these pretty little girls and handsome little boys and bring them home. Home, after all, is the place where people with an extra chromosome are best able to reach their amazing potential!! Home is the place where princess Sophia's curse can at last be lifted...the curse of living in an orphanage with no parents to love her, place sparkly tiaras on her head and dress her in the colors of royalty, as every princess deserves.

So many families look at the pretty little girls and handsome little boys on Reece's Rainbow and know they want to bring one or two or three to their own home. Isn't that a happy ending? No, because the big scary expenses of adoption stand in the way of so many of the families. These special families could treat the pretty little girls and handsome little boys to a sweet life of fun, family, and festivities, if only they could clear the path of that dragon and bring their prince or princess home.

Sophia is a true princess and she needs her happy ending! Will you help her family-to-be find their way to her by slaying some of the big bad adoption expenses? Sophia's expenses are even bigger and badder than most of the children on Reece's Rainbow. She needs a knight in shining armor!

This Christmas season I am raising money for Sophia as part of Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree. The Angel Tree is our biggest fundraising push of the year and I am honored to help. I would be all the more honored (more like thrilled) if you would join with me in slaying the expense dragons in her way! If you donate at least $35.00 to Sophia's account (as explained below), you will receive a Christmas ornament with the Reece's Rainbow Christmas Tree logo on one side and Sophia's picture on the other side. $30 will go to Sophia's account while $5 goes into the Voice of Hope Fund to defray the costs of the ornaments. Click here for a full explanation. Speaking of money-hungry dragons, all donations are tax-deductible, too.

If you click here, you can donate money to Sophia by clicking the "Donate" button, which takes you to a Paypal page. On that page, near the top, is a box with a blinking cursor in it--put the amount you wish to donate in that box and click the yellow box that says "Update Total". After that, scroll down a bit and you'll see a place to log in to PayPal. If you have a PayPal account, I probably don't need to tell you what to do! If you don't have a PayPal account, however, please note that on the left side of the page there is a place to click and you can then just pay by debit or credit card. By donating in this way, you are ensuring that Sophia receives the money you donated.

Click here to see all the other pretty little girls and handsome little boys that Andrea has gathered from around the world! For the months of November and December all our precious little ones with Down syndrome (aged 5 and younger) are gathered together on one page so we can follow along and rejoice as their dragons are slayed and the path cleared for parents to bring them home.

Thank you for being a part of Sophia's happy ending!

Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

Reece's Rainbow needs Christmas Warriors!

I am the Christmas Warrior for Miss Sophia, first picture below. She is a darling little girl in a very expensive country from which to adopt. I am hoping, as her Christmas Warrior, to raise at least $1000 for her between Monday and New Year's Eve. Big task, right? Not too big for God. I have included a few more of my Reece's Rainbow favorites, several of whom still don't have Warriors. Look at the sweet faces, look over the list of children who were still available (or were available earlier today) and see if you could help.

The plain and simple fact of the matter is that children with larger grants to help defray the adoption costs are those who are most often chosen. We all wish that weren't the case but we have to help based on reality and not wishful thinking. As part of the fundraising effort, Reece's Rainbow will send an ornament with your Christmas Warrior child's picture on it to anyone who donates at least $35. The money doesn't go to overhead, it doesn't go to salaries...it goes to help save the life of a child.

The money that is raised stays in trust for that child until their adoption is almost complete to ensure that the money actually goes toward the adoption. Most (although by no means all) of the money for adoptions is due toward the end and while the family is in country, so this also ensures that upfront costs are paid by the family, in part as a way of ensuring their commitment. I say all this just in case anyone is confused about the way Reece's Rainbow handles their contributions. I will probably repeat it in a few days when the actual Angel Tree/Christmas Warrior program begins.

In the meantime, again, please look at these faces, go to http://www.reecesrainbow.org/ and search for the names I have listed at the end of the pictures, consider stepping out in faith to become a child's Christmas Warrior.

Maria has a warrior but I just can't help and share her cute face!

Caleb needs a sponsor

Hailey needs a sponsor

Mr Chubbalub, Henry, needs a warrior

Lisette doesn't needs a warrior...she's had a fierce warrior for a long time...what she needs is a family

Gibson needs a Warrior

I think this cutie has a Warrior

This is Alexander and he has a warrior...I just love that smile!! He needs a dad to wrestle him and tickle him!

Aisha K Russia region 23

Andy China

Brent Ukraine 35

Caleb China

Christian Russia region 6

Darren Ukraine 41

Devon Russia region 5

Dmitri B Russia region 8
Dmitriy P Russia region 16
Dmitriy Sh Russia region 8

Gavin Ukraine 20
Gibson Russia region 5
Grant Ukraine 38
Hailey China 

Henry China

Ivan K Russia region 5
Ivan L Russia region 13

James Russia region 2

Jonas Russia region 9

Kennedy Russia region 2

Lawrence Russia region 2

Leeza Ukraine 2

Oksana M Russia region 13

Olga Russia region 3

Paul J Russia region 13

Sergei G Russia region 9

Toby Ukraine 26

Sophia C.

That didn't take long! I couldn't be the Christmas Warrior for the lovely Catherine pictured in the post below (probably because we don't know enough about her?), but I can be the Christmas Warrior for the lovely Sophia C. above!! Isn't she a doll? Those eyes are mesmerizing!

Reece's Rainbow has not been able to get much information about this beauty, but we do know that her birthday is in August, 2008. We do know she has blond hair and blue eyes. We do know she is in Russia. You can see her here! Go ahead, click on it! You can see the requirements for adopting from Russia. In her particular region you could potentially adopt two children at the same time.

If anyone has great ideas for us as we seek to raise funds for this precious child of God, please let me know. I think she just might be worth some time and effort!