Why?

Do you want to know why we need to save this little girl???

Well, her picture shows her urgency of course, but do you know what it really is like for her??

PLEASE read this heartbreaking post to find out -

www.covenantbuilders.blogspot.com/2012/01/koris-story.html

And guess what!!! Ksenia has her own page on RR, instead of in the additional children!! Check it out HERE - KSENIA! Now it will be much easier to link to her! Thank you so much Michelle for doing that!

With the -10F temperatures in Ukraine and other Eastern Europe countries right now, it's INCREDIBLY important that we pray for Ksenia, and ALL the children still waiting in orphanages. (Just to clarify, Ksenia is NOT in Ukraine.)

In the article about Ukraine's cold temperatures (linked above) it says the death rate so far is 30 people from the cold. I'm quite sure that is only the reported deaths, and I think that number is in Kiev (the capital), alone. Go to all the other cities, towns, out in the middle of nowhere, and the orphanages, and mental institutions, and I think you'll find the number of deaths will rise significantly... Pray, friends, please pray!

Of course everybody needs our prayers, but can I ask you to pray for two little ones close to my heart as well?? Seth and Sarah - 

Seth - 6 years old

Sarah - 5 years old

They are ages 5 and 6, and both under 25 lbs. They do have a family working hard to bring them home, and their family is now fully funded (PRAISE GOD!), but what they can really use is your prayers! Please keep praying!!!

Thank you prayer warriors in advance for all the praying you do for these precious little ones!!!

'Mazing Monday - Matthew and Michael Hannon

I haven't posted any 'Mazing Monday posts lately, but I'm going to get back into that habit, because there have been many many children who have blossomed AMAZINGLY in their families!!

Today meet Matthew and Michael Hannon! They were adopted from my brother Jonathan's former orphanage, and their family has since gone back to Ukraine and adopted two more precious little ones - Sydney and Sarah!

AJ & SERGEI for the Hannon family–Shallowater, TX

Ukraine

 

 

 

Follow the Hannon family's adoption journey on their blog at

 www.the-scenic-route-momto6kids.blogspot.com 

BEFORE: At the orphanage, and just home!

Michael and big sister Rachel

Matthew and big sister Rachel

Matthew - 2 years old, and 15 pounds

Michael - 4 years old, and 16 pounds

AFTER: Taken at HOME with their FAMILY!

Matthew - gained 13 lbs, and grew 7 inches!

Michael - gained 13 lbs, and grew 7 inches!

Home and THRIVING!

Now someone try and tell me that isn't an amazing transformation!!! God is GOOD!

Welcome Home Gavin!

Yesterday, Mr. Gavin Spitz came home to his family, FOREVER!!! I posted about him and his family here.

All four of the Spitz littles, TOGETHER! :)

Gav already LOVES his new siblings!!

Bellie and Gavin, formerly lost forgetten orphans in Ukraine, now loved and cherished children part of a wonderful FAMILY!!

Gav's hat made by yours truly! :)

Go check out Gavin's family's blog HERE and watch him blossom! :)

Gavin, you are soo BLESSED to be part of such a wonderful family!!!! You sure got LUCKY when God picked what special family got to have you!

♥ I love you, and WELCOME HOME!!! ♥

Saving Livvy Mae Giveaway!

Look at this beautiful blonde baby!

It's Livvy Mae! Her family is working very hard to bring her home, I posted about them here - Faithful Friday - The Herrington Family!

My friends over at Rainbow of Hope are holding a fundraiser to help them raise the last little bits her family needs.

Please go check it out HERE! :)

Faithful Friday - The Jobes Family

Hey look at this cutie!

He has been transferred to an institution, where no child should ever be, but he has a family coming to get him! :) They are the same family that brought this cutie (below) home in March/April of 2011. Think they're are crazy to be going back so soon? Check out the time between our adoptions! LOL

JOSIAH for the Jobes family — Urbancrest, OH

Evan and Faith met and married young after knowing each other only 4 months. Against all odds, they have been happily married for 10 years. they have a 7 year old son named Morgan. In 2006, they were blessed with a beautiful daughter, Nora, who was born with a variety of genetic abnormalities including 5P-, also known as Cri Du Chat (Cat’s Cry Syndrome). Nora blessed their lives for a little over 3 years. She passed away in Jan. 2010 from chronic lung disease. Evan and Faith know she is with God now, where she can dance and sing and waits for them to join her some day. 

After much thought and prayer, they decided that they simply have too much love as a family and need to share that with another child who has special needs. They adopted Etta who has Down Syndrome from Serbia in March 2010. She is such a incredible blessing.

After more thought and prayer, they feel led to bring an older child who has less of a chance of being adopted, Josiah, home to be part of their family. Their family, just like yours, does not have the $25,000 ransom required to adopt Josiah just sitting in a bank account, but if everyone gives just a little, whatever you can, it will add up to exactly what we need. Please carefully consider donating AND spreading the word about Josiah and his new family desperately trying to bring him home from the institution quickly!

10/2/11—HOME STUDY IN PROGRESS

$7455.00 is available towards the cost of my adoption!

And there is an awesome way you can help this family bring him home and save him from his terrible fate at the institution... through Ten 4 Orphans!

They are relatively new organization, and their mission is awesome! As you've probably figured out from their logo, they are collecting $10, and all the proceeds will go to orphans! Their current child they are helping to fund is Josiah and help his family bring him home. Please visit their webpage here - 

www.tenfororphans.org

For just $10 you can make a difference in Josiah's life, not only make a difference, but help SAVE his life!

How do you know??

How do you know when you are growing up?

What lets you know you are maturing?

Is it the birthdays coming year by year...

Or is it...

Learning to ride a bike...

The first day of school...

or learning to read?

Is it when Mom lets you stay up an hour longer with the grown-ups when the little ones have to go to bed?

Is it that first after school job of raking the neighbor's leaves...

or graduating from 8th grade...

or the first day of high school?

The milestones met one by one...

Should make you feel more and more grown up!

But what would happen if you were deprived of the opportunity to meet these common milestones?

What would happen if you sat in a crib day after day...

Long after you had outgrown it?

What if you had no opportunity to even start school...

[Because your LEGS (not your mind) didn't work right!]

When you should be finishing 8th grade...

Or starting high school?

Would you feel that same sense of "growing up?"

If your birthdays were unnoticed...

Each day passing with monotony and sameness...

With nothing to occupy your mind or engage your curiosity...

No new responsibilities to challenge you and make you feel grown up...

What would that be like?

Instead of looking forward to your 16th birthday in a couple years...

When you could get your drivers license...

Your16th  birthday would be a day to look forward to with dread...

It would be the end of hope for you...

No more chance or opportunity to have a family...

To get an education...

Or a job when you grew up?

Can you imagine?

I can't...

Sweet, intelligent Emmitt is in this situation!

Today is his Birthday...

He's 14 today!

He's been waiting far too long...

I don't know what learning opportunities he may have had as a young child in a baby house...

But he has now been in a mental institution (because his LEGS don't work well!) for many years...

Deprived of a loving family...

Deprived of education...

Deprived of therapy...

Deprived of the opportunity to meet those milestones...

That would make him feel grown up!

At 14 years old...

He should be looking forward to starting high school soon...

But instead he sits in a baby's bed...

Waiting for someone to see his potential...

And get him out of there!

And give him the opportunity to grow into a man...

Is there any way you could be his Mom or Dad?

If not, could you share his story...

Pray for him...

And add even a few dollars to his grant fund?

In two years dear Emmitt will be too old to be adopted...

Without hope of release from the institution...

Without hope of a life of opportunity...

In bed for the rest of his life...

Let's not let that happen!

To read more about Emmitt or donate to his grant fund click Here!

+++++++++++++++

This post was written by my friend and fellow advocate Pam, who blogs over at Saving His Sparrows. She blogs and advocates for the older and bedridden children, which many people, including myself pass over! They have the most need, and we really need to spread the word about them!!

Happy Birthday Emmitt!! I pray you find a family soon, and many people are moved to help you find a family!

Little Miss Rachel!

Was home with this little monkey today!

Everyone else was getting haircuts or went along with those that are getting haircuts. And here at home we were having a grand old time!

We're doing things like hyping ourselves up with sugar, folding and sorting kitchen laundry, going potty like a big girl 10 bajillion times, and arguing over what kind of Angry B!rd hat I'm going to make her! 

I LOVE these Sesame Street Angry B!rds! LOL

I want to make her a blue one, and she says yellow. I say but yellow won't match your coat, and she says red! I told her red and purple go together according to big Rachel and mom, and she says blue!


She may be just two, but she sure has got a mind of her own!

Also on the list of fun things to do is turning our singing dryer on and off just for the fun of hearing it sing!


She added something to her list of fun things to do... hit a button as I'm typing and yell "haha"! That didn't quite make it onto my fun list! And of course, she hides her face when I try to take a picture of her doing it.. rascal!

Grandma's little monkey indeed!

I love my life! And I love this girl!

Actually I love all my siblings.....

....but right now, she ^ is my favorite! :)

Waiting Wednesday: Abbott

Look at this little cutie!!

He doesn't look very happy in either of the two photos we have of him, but what's there to smile about when he's stuck in an orphanage for the rest of his life if nobody comes to adopt him?? We don't know much about him, except that he is 4 years old, and will be 5 in May. His profile also says that he is calm, but really? One girl's profile said she calm, not capricious, not soupy! So I don't much faith in those descriptions, esp since they aren't usually changed from when they were a baby and first listed! :)

Abbott 3G

nlm5-3G

Birth Date: May 2007
Gender: Male
Eyes: Brown
Hair: dark brown
Character: calm

$2001.00 is available towards the cost of my adoption!

My new bloggy friend and reader, MommaofMany, who blogs over at Loving the Crew has been advocating for sweet Abbott. Please stop by to leave her some encouragement and let her know you are praying for him!

Please someone save Abbott before it's too late and he becomes like Ksenia! ♥ You want him to have a reason to smile right?

The Lost Get Found!

That's the name of a giveaway my friend Leah is doing for two very special little ones who are still lost and waiting for their family - Celine and Heath!

She LOTS of great prizes like a brand new Emily American Girl doll...

Several things I crocheted and donated like...

A custom Owl Hat...

Woman's hat with interchangeable flowers...

...and a slouchy hat!

But my absolute favorite in the giveaway is this necklace that says 'love' in Russian. I think I'm going to have to get one of these if I don't win it! :)

By the way, love (любовь) in Russian is pronounced lyu-bov. :)

Go check it all out HERE!!! Or click the button below!

Remember everything you donate helps to find two precious little ones a FOREVER FAMILY!!

My 2012 Goals

I know it's not the beginning of 2012 anymore, but it's still January!! 

This year I have a lot of goals, 19 to be exact. 19 children who I posted about for waiting Wednesday in 2011, that still don't have families working to get them.

It's AMAZING how many have found families, just look at my sidebar list! But there are soo many still waiting.. :(

So my goal this year is to find every.single.one a FAMILY! Will you help me with this goal? 

I challenge you to choose one of them, or any other child on Reece's Rainbow and share their picture! You never know who is reading what you post, and it just might be a family who will take a leap of faith to go get them!

Natalia

Brody

Mark

Owen

Lilly

Maxim

Aiden

Tabitha 

Jimmy

Ilya

Brigita

Lizzy

Rebekah

Jessa

Bethany - She lost her family, because they didn't qualify for her region. :(

Jack

Elden

Timofey

Jonathan

There you have it. All 19 of them! Each and every one so deserving of a family! ♥♥