We Have Our First Winner!!!

We have our first weekly winner and it is.....

SHELLY

Shelly is another China adoptive family that we met through our agency and I am so excited that she won this week. Shelly won a beautiful set of beaded silverware from Holly and a $50 gift card to www.spafinder.com.

I will be posting this next weeks giveaway either tonight or tomorrow so keep watching. This weeks will be a local giveaway but I will save your name for the next drawing if your not local so keep those entries up. Also you can post on Facebook again now for another entry!

Duncan's grant is up to $170 and he has many people now spreading the word about him and praying for him. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Thankful Thursday

I just have to say that I am so excited to be doing Thankful Thursday today. As you know from me being real on my blog my week started out with a broken heart and a lot of questions from God.

On Tuesday night we had Bible study and the topic was supposed to be on baptism but God somehow completely turned the topic to orphan/adoption and a church's responsibility to take care of orphans and widows. I walked away so excited I got a migraine that night.

Then yesterday morning someone out of the blue sent me a message saying that her and her husband have been praying for a long time about adopting a child with down syndrome and she wanted to know how to get started. PRAISE GOD!!!

Just when I was questioning God on why he called me to a passion of orphans he answered my cry and I am so thankful this week for that.

I am also thankful for all of you that have stepped up to help me find Duncan a family. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Just so you know there are still many, many beautiful faces on www.reecesrainbow.com that would love to have a mommy and daddy to tuck them in at night. Don't you need a precious little face in your home?

FYI

Thank you to all that responded to my cry in my last post. I just want to make a couple things very clear.

My cry is not about the money raised for Duncan my cry is about him finding a family.

Second, as much as Chris and I would love to be Duncan's parents we know he is not our child. A wise friend told me the other day that she believe God has given me a mother's heart for Duncan so that I will fight for him like crazy and that my friends is what I plan to do.

Chris and I talked about Duncan and we both believe God has something else big planned for us right now. We also pray that God does bring us our own Duncan someday. Yes, you heard that right. We pray that God will trust us enough someday to take care of one of his chosen children that are blessed to have down syndrome. What a blessing it would be to have one of those precious gifts in our home. For now though God has given us the job to fight for Duncan.

God asks us to defend the orphan and to speak up for them and that is what we will do.

I think I may change the giveaway because it's my blog and I can do that. I don't want people to think it is about money I want everyone to help me find Duncan a family. I am going to spend the day praying about it and I will get back to you. If you want to donate though I will still give you entries for your donation up until if and when I change it.

Did you know in the United Stated nearly 90% of babies with down syndrome are aborted? These children that are waiting for families are true miracles. There is a reason that God placed them here and what a gift it would be to have one of these miracle children be part of your family.

OK,Time To Spill My Heart

Friends, it's time I become open and very honest with you. I am broken hearted! I don't want to play a guilt trip on anyone but I do have to say what's on my heart.

I know a lot of people may not understand the passion God has given me for orphans, I don't even understand it. God laid it on my heart to fight for Duncan and I was so excited I woke up at 3 AM Sunday morning to post about the giveaway. My friends have sacrificed for Duncan by giving some nice gifts away.

Yesterday I cried for Duncan all day. I fought with God all day. Why me? Why has God asked me to fight for the orphans? Why?Why Why?

My heart breaks because more than raising the grant money for Duncan I want Duncan to find his family. Duncan will be placed in a horrible mental institution when he turns 4 if he does not find a family. I wish more than anything we could be his family but we can't right now. To be honest we don't even really have insurance right now other than COBRA. I have cried and cried out to God asking why he has given us such a passion for these kids but yet we can't bring them home without insurance. Insurance isn't the only reason there are many others but even though Duncan has stolen my heart I know he's not ours.

Guys, there has been 0 response to the giveaway. Yes one of the ways to enter was by donating but all the others were just by spreading the word about him and PRAYING for him. So say we throw out the whole donating part of it. Will you at least stand in prayer with me for this child? Will you spread the word about him so he can find a family?

I know most of you have things your passionate about and I don't expect everyone to donate to Duncan's grant fund but please, please help me save him from going to an institution by praying and spreading the word. Please help me fight for him!

Let's Talk Christmas

So how many of you have started your Christmas shopping?

I started pretty early this year because last year Chris lost his job 3 weeks before Christmas and it was a very, very hard thing for 2 people who love to give not be able to give to our families.

It is so easy for me to find gifts for all my nieces and nephews but man is it hard to think of things for my own kids. The only TV I watch is HGTV so I'm have no idea what kids are wanting this year and my kids don't really ask for anything. I know this is a huge blessing that they don't ask for much but it does make it hard in buying. Amaya's birthday is next week and she just keeps saying when I ask what she wants "whatever, I don't care."

I am about done with our shoeboxes for Samaritan's Purse and that is soooooo much fun to do every year. We start on that very, very early and buy all year. We have kind of made it a tradition that whenever we buy a new pair of shoes in our house that we need to fill that box up for a little one at Christmas. So as soon as we start getting shoeboxes is when we start that.

So any ideas for good gift for 3 kids ages 6, 4 and almost 4?

10 Ways To Care For Orphans

1: Pray For Them

2: Speak Up For Them

3: Give Them What They Need

4: Support Those That Support Them

5: Provide Them With a Safe Place

6: Go Visit Them

7: Give Sacrificially To Them

8: Encourage Them (sponsorships are a great way to do this)

9: Mobilize You Church For Them

10: ADOPT! Bring Them Home

November is National Adoption Month and during this time I will be giving information on how you and your family can care for orphans or how you can learn more about orphan care and adoption.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widow's in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

What are some ways you care for orphans? What are some things your church does? What are things you do as a family to teach your children about orphans?

GIVEAWAY STARTS NOW!!!