Grab Some Tea

---------------------------------------

We have raised $13,996.28 so far in this Giveaway!!
218 people have donated.

----------------------------------------

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS DONATED SO FAR IN ANDREW'S NAME!!

Almost $2,000.00 has come in so far in his name!!!  Woo Hoo!!

 Please don't stop!  For this weekend - make a donation to any child or family and leave a comment that you are making the donation in Andrew's name.  He's jumping for joy at all the publicity he is getting!!   I'm rejoicing that his story has touched so many hearts!

------------------------------------------------------

Linda Duncan is one of those people whom I admire more than words.  She is a single mom who has a HUGE heart for special needs children.  She's very humble and doesn't consider that her life is all that interesting to anyone in the outside world... Hmmm....

Does this look boring??  

She's adopted fifteen precious treasures through both domestic and international adoption. It is her calling and life's ministry.  And she is very good at what she does!!  

Last fall she crossed the ocean to start the process to bring home two more precious treasures to add to her beautiful family.  She met this sweet little muffin... Maria (Molly on RR) and fell head over heels in love.

 

When she met the other little one she discovered that her behavior would not mesh with the other children in her family and sadly she had to turn down that referral. 

That left her with a hole to fill. 

Along comes Kolina.  And God tapped HARD on Linda's heart. 

Kolina was on the same floor as Katie and was in terrible condition.

Linda's heart broke for this little nine year old girl who weighed 19 pounds.

She immediately started the process to adopt her.  Poor sweetheart was in such back shape that she spent some time recently in the hospital.  

Thankfully they were able to revive her and she is doing somewhat better. 

Every single family adopting has a story.  A reason.  A why they are doing what they are doing.  Linda Duncan's story is one that needs to be told.  Why she knows that the Lord is calling her to adopt Kolina.  I'm not going to tell it here because it is in its entirety on another blog and re-inventing the wheel is too hard. 

Instead I want you to grab a cup of tea, find a comfortable seat and head over to my friend Susanna's blog.  Prepare to be shocked.  Prepare to marvel.  Prepare to come back to this one so you can help Linda out on her quest to bring Kolina and Maria home. 

---------------------------------

 

Please don't forget that my friend Melanie Hartman has a store open where she is selling some really nice items to raise money for the Lost Boys.  100% of the proceeds are going to buy much needed supplies for the Lost Boys. Click here for the Lost Boys Boutique. 

Hint - those potato bags that are on there... THEY ARE AWESOME!!  I use them all the time for making baked potatoes!

----------------------------------

"A Common Stew for an Uncommonly Good Cause!"

 

GO TO THIS LINK TO SEE WHAT WAS DONATED TO THE MULLIGAN STEW GIVEAWAY 2012 AND TO SEE WHOM IT BENEFITED!!  THIS GIVEAWAY ENDED MARCH 31, 2012

Andrew Speaks

I have a new friend.

My new friend's name is Andrew, and he is a very, very special guy.  The picture above shows Andrew in his Halloween costume.  I think he looks pretty sharp!

Andrew is 27 years old and works in a company mail room. For fun, Andrew plays floor hockey and swims for Special Olympics.  Whether at work or at play, Andrew is nearly always happily humming one of two tunes: Good King Wenceslas or Here Comes the Bride.  Although Andrew struggles with both vision and hearing loss, he doesn't let those challenges get him down. In the words of another friend, Andrew is a miracle man. 

Andrew has been a HUGE Reece's Rainbow fan for a long time.  A few years ago, a friend honored Andrew by making a donation to RR in Andrew's name.  That donation went into the grant account of a little RR boy named Andriy.  When Andrew heard little Andriy's story, he got so excited about finding a family for Andriy that he made several donations of his own.  Then Andrew waited, prayed and hoped for Andriy's family to step forward.  When the Taylor family  committed to adopt Andriy (Jadon).....

......Andrew was beside himself with joy, jumping up and down, pumping his fists and screaming "Yes, yes!!"

Andriy's family had absolutely no idea that their boy across the ocean had such a mighty prayer warrior on his side.

Andrew is also a fan of our Aaron, and he is very excited about our Mulligan Stew feast.  Out of all of the children and families on our list, Andrew chose to donate his hard-earned money to Hanson.  Why?  Because, in Andrew's own words, "I don't think he should stay in an orphanage.  A family is a better thing.  I think I would have been a Lost Boy.  It would be scary.  I don't think I should think about it."

Oh sweet Andrew, I am so glad that you didn't end up as a Lost Boy!!

Andrew wonders about Hanson and the other Lost Boys: "Why do they do that? Why no parents? Don't they care? Why go away and leave their kids? That's very bad, my mom and dad are good."

 I wonder the same thing, Andrew. 

Andrew told me that he likes our Mulligan Stew, and thinks that it will taste good.  He also told me that he is praying for my family.  So you can see why Andrew is my new best friend - to know that someone with faith like that is praying for my family is a tremendous blessing. 

When I asked Andrew if he would let me share his story, he enthusiastically agreed.  "Tell the world," he said. "I will be famous."

Sweet Andrew wants to be famous, and I want to help him along on the road to stardom.  So today, I am presenting a challenge:  Please, today or tomorrow, make a donation to any family or child in our Mulligan Stew Giveaway and then LEAVE A COMMENT FOR ANDREW to let him know that you made the donation IN HIS NAME.  Don't forget to give me a total.  Let's bless Andrew's socks right off his feet!  Make Andrew pump his fists for joy each time he sees that another family or child has been blessed because HE SHARED HIS STORY WITH US! 

---------------------------------------

"A Common Stew for an Uncommonly Good Cause!"

 

We have raised $12,062.78 so far in this Giveaway!!
192 people have donated.

GO TO THIS LINK TO SEE WHAT WAS DONATED TO THE MULLIGAN STEW GIVEAWAY 2012 AND TO SEE WHOM IT BENEFITED!!  THIS GIVEAWAY ENDED MARCH 31, 2012

The Unbeloved

While we were in country waiting to adopt Aaron back in 2010, we visited him at his mental institution more than 60 times: Once in the morning and again in the afternoon, every day, day after day until all of our court dates and waiting periods were finally finished.

During one of those visits, we happened to be sitting on the sidewalk playing with Aaron when, suddenly, the gates of the institution opened and a 1960s-vintage ambulance backed onto the grounds.  Moments later, two of the institution's caretakers came rushing up the sidewalk, each of them carrying one end of something that I thought for a moment was a stiff, heavy board.  A moment later, I realized what they were really carrying: It was a boy, a boy with an unnaturally rigid body.  Even though one caretaker held him by his shoulders, and the other by his feet, his waist was unbending.  His legs were so contorted that the caretakers had trouble grasping them.  His face was unbelievably white, as colorless as a corpse's.  The caretakers rushed past us and loaded him into the ambulance.

We never found out what happened to that poor boy. We didn't know enough of the language to ask any questions, and everyone there was too suspicious of us to tell us anything anyway. It was only through my reading that I knew what I had just seen: That boy was one of the hidden ones from the "lying-down rooms," the rooms where special needs kids lie in cribs all day, every day without receiving a trace of affection or human interaction.  The ones who are too weak to sit up, even for meals.  The ones who spend their entire lives untouched, unbeloved.

These Unbeloved did not arrive at Aaron's institution walking and talking; no one there starved them or beat them into their weakened condition.  Most of them were already weak when they arrived from lying-down rooms in baby houses all over the region.  These are the rooms that no one likes to discuss - the rooms for orphans who are considered too weak or too disabled to live in the company of others.  The Unbeloved may be the failure-to-thrive babies.  They may be the ones who cry too much, or not enough.  They may be the ones who have colic, or other infant ailments.  Or they may just be the ones who drive their caretakers crazy.

For any or all of these reasons, the Unbeloved end up being placed in lying-down rooms along with other children who are sick and weak.  At first, they cry out in protest; but when their cries continue to go unanswered for days, weeks, and months on end, they learn that crying won't do them any good.  So they just lie there in their cribs all day, day after day, staring at the rails.

The Unbeloved do not know what it is to be picked up, held or carried.  The only human interactions they receive are feedings and diaper changes.  Their "food" is often a drinkable mixture that their caretakers pour down their throats as they lie in their cribs, using a bottle with a large nipple.  They have only a few minutes to empty their bottles; whatever they can't swallow fast enough dribbles out of their mouths.  Because they are typically rationed just 2 diapers per day, they spend most of their time lying on wet sheets and in soiled clothes.

 

They just lie in their cribs hour after hour, day after day.  For stimulation, they rock themselves back and forth.  For entertainment, they twiddle their fingers in front of their eyes.  For excitement, they bang their heads against their crib rails, hard.  They live in their own little isolated worlds, friendless and abandoned.

********

Over the last couple of years, we have watched several of our friends cross the ocean to rescue the Unbeloved from their unbelievably sad lying-down rooms.  Each time, we've seen something amazing happen: These formerly failure-to-thrive babies suddenly begin to thrive.  As soon as the Unbeloved get a little bit of the love that they've been missing, they begin to surprise everyone with what they can accomplish. The proof is in these before-and-after pictures:

This is Victoria, whom we've been blessed to meet at Shriners Hospital....

 

This is Carrington, who is now thriving in her Mama's arms....

   

This is Kori, who almost didn't survive....

  

I could go on and on. Just in the last few weeks, several more have come out, many of them landing in hospitals the moment they arrived on American soil: Gideon, Micah, Conner, Cooper, Andrey and Sasha.  Formerly Unbeloved children who were destined to spend their entire lives in lying-down rooms unless someone intervened.

There are still so many more.  Uncounted hundreds, even thousands. Abandoned, Unbeloved children who will spend their entire lives staring through the rails of their cribs. They will grow in age, but not in size - their bodies will adjust to the confines of their cribs, and to the limited nutrition that they receive.

*************

Now we come to the children and families that we've been featuring in our Mulligan Stew Giveaway.

 Hanson is one of the Unbeloved.

 

Right now, Hanson is lying in a crib in Aaron's old institution.  Abandoned and unnoticed - even by us. Although his grant account has been open for a year, he has only a few hundred dollars in it, half of that gained in the last week.

He is completely without hope unless someone intervenes.

You can help  Hanson  by following this link and donating HERE.  Or, perhaps - Is the Lord is calling you to cross the ocean and rescue Hanson yourself?

********

The children from Katie's former orphanage were also Unbeloved.

   

Until recently, Katie's orphanage was brimming with the Unbeloved.  This particular orphanage was one of the worst in the world: Over two hundred children lay dying in their cribs, their conditions so miserable as to be almost unimaginable. Their bodies covered with sores from lying in their own waste.  Their flesh so emaciated that they looked like skeletons.

But God is changing that.  He has heard their pitiful cries, and through the adoption of Katie, God is opening that orphanage's doors.

The outside world has become aware of that orphanage's horrors, and changes are coming. Within the last week, medical teams have visited that orphanage and determined that 30 of its children need immediate, serious medical attention.  Many more of them had broken bones due to rough treatment.  Since their broken bones went untreated, they healed incorrectly.

The situation is there is simply shocking.  One child, who was admitted directly to the hospital, weighed only 14 pounds at 14 years of age.  Shelly Bedford is in that orphanage's country right now, and has visited both the orphanage and the hospital.  She has seen that14-year-old with her own eyes, and wept as she held her.  She has been trying to raise money to help provide supplies and treatment for the children there.  Her blog is HERE.

Last week two of the moms from our Mulligan Stew Giveaway, Jenny Sousa and Shelly Burman, visited the children that they're in the process of adopting from that orphanage.

They held them and loved on them.

  

They washed them and put medication on their sores.  They dressed them in clean clothes and covered them with kisses, love and prayers.

   

Then they went around to visit all of the other babes who have places at our Mulligan Stew table.  To Ian, Keith, Teddy, Val, Steward, Angelina, Kolina, Makayla, Samantha, Annie and Baby N.  They picked all of them up, washed them and cared for them.  They dressed them in clean clothes and showered them with kisses.  They whispered promises in their ears that their Mamas were coming soon.  That their Papas were doing everything they could to get them out.  

All 16 of our Mulligan Stew babes from that orphanage received love for a few hours last week.  All 16 received whispered prayers in their ears and blessings on their heads.  All 16 had a little hope breathed into their hearts. 

There are so many more.

Within just the last 24 hours, two more children from that orphanage became available for adoption, and were listed on Reece's Rainbow.  Two more little Unbeloved who now have hope of escaping their misery.   I would be remiss if I did not share their pictures with you.

SARAH                                                      CARISSA

  

"A Common Stew for an Uncommonly Good Cause!"

 

GO TO THIS LINK TO SEE WHAT WAS DONATED TO THE MULLIGAN STEW GIVEAWAY 2012 AND TO SEE WHOM IT BENEFITED!!  THIS GIVEAWAY ENDED MARCH 31, 2012

No Apologies

NO APOLOGIES NECESSARY!!!

PLEASE - No apologies necessary when your donations 'seem' too small.  No need to say that you feel bad about giving too little.  I don't consider any donation amount too small.   I love when small kids take their precious piggy banks and break them open to donate to the orphans.  I rejoice when college students forgo pizza to drop $5.00 in a needy family's account.  I take delight in the elderly couple who puts their little bit here and there.  And the families who are adopting... who are trying to raise their own funds... PLEASE DON'T APOLOGIZE!! You are most certainly my heroes!!    To give when you are trying to scrape your own pennies... Goodness me!!  You just make my heart sing!

So PLEASE...  Big donations and small donations.  All are accepted without need for any apology!

Anyway - You can't apologize because then I would have to apologize.  Our donations are not any bigger than many of yours.   And if I have to apologize for mine... I just might start thinking that mine don't matter because they are just too small.  I might walk away from a giveaway like this one because what difference would I make and what chance would I ever have of winning one of those prizes. 

But I am here to tell you that I have WON in several giveaways with crumpled five dollar bill donations.  In the last year I won an iPod right in time for Elijah's birthday.  I won a quilt that covers our bed.  I have won necklaces and shirts and gift certificates.  I have won with my little tiny amounts.  So don't write off your chances just because your offerings seem small to you!  And PLEASE DON'T APOLOGIZE!!  I do not accept them! 

-------------------------------------

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO BLESSED THE MENGES YESTERDAY.  Jennifer was a blubbering mess all day as the outpouring of love and support rained down on their heads.  THANK YOU THANK YOU.  You helped ease some pain!  THANK YOU!!

-----------------------------------------

"A Common Stew for an Uncommonly Good Cause!"

 

Our Mulligan Stew has raised $7805.78 and 125 people have donated!!!

THANK YOU!!

GO TO THIS LINK TO SEE WHAT WAS DONATED TO THE MULLIGAN STEW GIVEAWAY 2012 AND TO SEE WHOM IT BENEFITED!!  THIS GIVEAWAY ENDED MARCH 31, 2012

Go Bernadette!!

BERNADETTE HAS A FAMILY!!!

WOO HOO!!!!  BERNADETTE HAS A FAMILY!!

Happy Dancing! 

To celebrate - would you PLEASE go bless the Menges family today??? They are one of our families in our Mulligan Stew!!  PLEASE bless them today!!

God is Gracious

MEET ONE OF THE MULLIGAN STEW FAMILIES...

Four years ago today, a Mama gave birth to two precious little boys: Jacob Anthony Menges and Zachary Ethan Menges.  Sadly, Jacob and Zachary were born too prematurely to survive.  Their Mama and Papa only got to hold them for a few brief hours before they passed away.

Four years ago today, Jon and Jennifer Menges wept as they said their last goodbyes to Jacob and Zachary, the two tiny sons whom they had met only hours before.  Four years ago today, Jon and Jennifer cried out to the Lord in their grief.  Four years ago today, Jon and Jennifer were just beginning to wonder how they could ever pick up the pieces of their lives again.

In the midst of their grief, Jon and Jennifer made a brave decision: They chose to face their grief with faith, not despair.  As humble creations of a Good Creator, Jon and Jennifer chose to believe what the Bible says: that God is always gracious, no matter what happens. And God has been gracious to them:  A year after their twin boys died, Jennifer gave birth to Chelsea Hope.  Chelsea was also born prematurely, but unlike her older brothers, she managed to survive.

 

Chelsea's struggle to survive her premature birth left her with some challenges; but despite these challenges, her life has brought great joy to the Menges family.  Chelsea's Mama and Papa feel extravagantly blessed to have her, and couldn't imagine their lives without her.


Chelsea's challenges also had another important effect on the Menges family: They opened the Menges' eyes to the plight of special needs children around the world who don't have families that are willing or able to fight for them.  God, in His graciousness, gave them a desire to help other children with special needs.

And after their eyes were opened, God in His graciousness led them to a very special little guy named Ian. 



A tiny little boy who spends all day, every day lying in his crib - until it's time for a picture like this one.  A tiny little boy who knows not that arms are for loving.  A tiny little boy whose caretakers clutch him by the wrists and carry him at arms' length whenever they handle him.  A tiny little boy who lives with constant sores around his bottom because he has a ration of only 2 diapers per day.


A tiny little boy who just happens to bear the Reece's Rainbow name Ian - a name with a special, surprising meaning: "God is Gracious."

Jennifer and Jon Menges know that Ian can never replace their two little lost loves, Jacob and Zachary.  Instead of taking Jacob and Zachary's place in their hearts, Ian will carve out a new place of his own.  He already has - they already pray constantly over this tiny little boy across the ocean and worry over his special needs.  Ian is living in an orphanage where kids struggle to survive. Where some 14-year-olds weigh no more than 14 pounds.  Where some children have been treated so roughly that their bones are broken.  Where the latest news reports have left all of the adoptive families who are waiting to go and rescue their children deeply concerned and fearful.  



God in His graciousness has led the Menges family to Ian.  God in His graciousness has given Ian a family. 

They have not crossed the ocean yet to meet him.  They have not yet held him in their arms and whispered words of love in his ears.  It is a fearsome thing to love what you cannot hold.  It is especially fearsome on a day like today, the four-year anniversary of a terribly sad loss.

But God is graciously comforting the Menges family while they wait.  Your contributions to our Mulligan Stew Giveaway have given them hope and encouragement.  To receive generous donations from strangers who share their concern for the "least of these," who genuinely care for their little Ian across the ocean - that is a beautiful, priceless encouragement.

As the Menges family grieves today, I would love to bless them. They still need to raise $10,000 more in order to go rescue Ian. I would love to see their grant account jump wildly today, the day when they go to place flowers on the graves of their sweet, never-forgotten little boys.  Will you help me bless them?  Even if you have donated already?  To let them know that you care?  They've already lost two boys, and now they have to struggle with the fear that they might lose this one too.  Let's surround them with encouragement, and lift them up in prayer.  Let's remind them that God is Gracious.  Because He IS Gracious!! 

-------------------------------------

------------------------------------

"A Common Stew for an Uncommonly Good Cause!"

 

So far, our Mulligan Stew Giveaway has raised $7215.78.  113 people have donated.

GO TO THIS LINK TO SEE WHAT WAS DONATED TO THE MULLIGAN STEW GIVEAWAY 2012 AND TO SEE WHOM IT BENEFITED!!  THIS GIVEAWAY ENDED MARCH 31, 2012

Repairer of Broken Walls

I must admit that I have not exactly been a tower of strength when it comes to this Mulligan Stew Giveaway.  In all honesty, I've been a bit of a quivering vine.

When I first started planning this giveaway, I was thinking that my friends might donate about 10, maybe 20 prizes at the most.  Imagine my surprise when they offered that many within the first 3 hours.

And the offers just kept coming.  The generosity of so many friends really warmed my heart.  Each time I opened another e-mail I from another generous donor, I just wanted to just cry my eyes out.  Every single gift was offered with the utmost love, care, concern and compassion for the orphan.

However, along with our donors' great generosity came a great responsibility.  The reason so many people offered giveaway prizes, rather than simply donating their money directly to the orphans themselves, was that they hoped that a big giveaway would multiply their donations.  Rob and I definitely didn't want to disappoint them.  We had high hopes that this giveaway would honor our donors' generosity by multiplying their gifts twofold, fivefold or even tenfold.

Partly to avoid disappointing our donors, we have been careful not to state any specific fundraising goals.  We've stayed safe and careful, keeping our boat near the shallow end of the lake.  We haven't said that we would LOVE to see every kid on our list add at least $1,000.00 to his or her grant account.  We haven't said that we would LOVE to see each family on our list add at least twice that much to its adoption fund.  We haven't mentioned our high hopes and dreams for our Lost Boys, or for the Heim family.  We haven't mentioned our hope that families would step forward to adopt at least some of these children during the course of this giveaway.  To state those goals would be daring, and I am not the least bit daring.

 Even to whisper a goal would be to admit that I am terrified of failure.  Just what I shared above - just the wishful thinking that I carefully DIDN'T share before- puts the goal for this Giveaway at around $30,000.00.  

That number shocks me!  Completely turns me into jello on the floor.

Do you see why my boat is still hovering in the shallow water near the shore?

But then I remember the pictures that I posted yesterday....

  

And I remember this poor boy - one of our Lost Boys who has already lost his chance to live outside of a dreary mental institution, ever, for the rest of his life....

This older boy sat all alone at Aaron's institution all day, every day, day after lonely day.  With NOTHING to do.  And the reality is that  HE WILL BE TRANSFERRED to a permanent adult mental institution in just a short time.  I can only guess how much worse his life may be when he arrives at that awful place.  This poor boy has already lost his chance - he isn't available for adoption.

But Heath and Hanson are available. It's not too late for them.

And I KNOW that this poor boy's miserable fate is exactly what awaits poor, precious Laurel, Bernadette and Harmony in just a few short months UNLESS WE HELP THEM.

We saw the reality of that fate with our own eyes.

And in light of that reality - the horror of what they face if someone, somewhere doesn't intervene - $1,000.00 in each of their grant accounts doesn't seem like too much to ask.  For kids with so much potential - for Igor, Victoria, Jack, Emmitt, Harmony, Heath and Hanson - $1,000 per child doesn't seem like too much to ask.

And for the families who are adopting from Katie's orphanage, for all of those poor babies who have been hanging on by a thread for so long - for Keith, Teddy, Val, Steward, Angelina, Kelton, Teagan, Ian, Kolina, Makayla, Lilliana, Pam and Butler - $2,000 per family doesn't seem like too much to ask.  

And for the Lost Boys.  And for the Heim family - for Maria, Vika, Alina and Sasha.

And for families to step forward. 

Oh where is my life preserver in this boat??

I sat in church on Sunday wrestling with the enormity of  asking for $30,000.00.  I sat, wrestled and prayed.

And then our worship leader stood up and shared this passage from the Book of Isaiah....

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: 

to loose the chains of injustice 

   and untie the cords of the yoke, 

to set the oppressed free 

   and break every yoke? 

Is it not to share your food with the hungry 

   and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— 

when you see the naked, to clothe them, 

   and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?"

I  began to weep.  Right there in church, during our time of worship, the tears started flowing.  

 "And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry 

   and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, 

then your light will rise in the darkness, 

   and your night will become like the noonday. 

The LORD will guide you always; 

   he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land 

   and will strengthen your frame. 

You will be like a well-watered garden, 

   like a spring whose waters never fail. 

Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins 

   and will raise up the age-old foundations; 

you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, 

  Restorer of Streets with Dwellings."

- Isaiah 58

I cried, prayed and rejoiced.  

What a picture: to be a Repairer of Broken Walls.

The broken children across the ocean are being repaired because of us.  We are repairers, you and me.  We are dreamers who dare to hope that our crumpled little $5 bills matter.  They do: If we spend ourselves on behalf of those who are desperate, then God will strengthen us. Water our gardens.  Fill our need to the fullest, so that we lack for nothing.

Do I dare ask for $30,000?  For $40,000?  For $50,000??

Do I dare to push my old boat out into the deep waters?

 

Can we raise $1,000 for each child?  Can we raise $2,000.00 for each family from Katie's orphanage?  Can we dream big for Maria and the Heim family?  Can we provide shoes, clothes, medicine, diapers and gifts for the Lost Boys?

It isn't too much to ask for the kids.  Is it too much for us?

---------------------------------------------

So far, our Mulligan Stew Giveaway has raised $5280.46. 86 people have donated.

------------------------------------

Our prize list now includes NINETY great items.  We'll give them all away as soon as the dust settles on April 1!!

Click THE MULLIGAN STEW LINK HERE to see all of the wonderful prizes that our donors have offered.

-----------------------------------------

"A Common Stew for an Uncommonly Good Cause!"

GO TO THIS LINK TO SEE WHAT WAS DONATED TO THE MULLIGAN STEW GIVEAWAY 2012 AND TO SEE WHOM IT BENEFITED!!  THIS GIVEAWAY ENDED MARCH 31, 2012

Open My Eyes

The gifts just keep pouring in....

SEVEN more Giveaways have been added to our list.  Honestly, I am blown away by the generosity of people.

-----------------------------------------------------------

We have raised $3,930.00 so far in this Giveaway and 58 people have donated so far!!

-----------------------------------------------------------

Thank you to all of you who donated to the families yesterday.  Please keep pouring the blessings on their heads.  They so very much appreciate every single gift of love.  

Donate to the Heim Family

The Unroe family

The Archer family

 The Carpenter family

The Burman family

The Menges family  

 The Duncan family

The Booth family

The Brown family 

--------------------------------------------------------------

Want to know what awaits Bernadette and Harmony if they don't find families??

Break my heart for the things that break your heart, Lord.  Open my eyes to the rampant injustices in this world.  Give me a heart of compassion for those who are desperately in need.

Can you see Bernadette in that room?  Harmony?  Two little girls with Down Syndrome locked away forever? Standing.  Standing.  Standing in an empty room.  They age out in only a few months.  They are UNADOPTABLE after this summer.  

Laurel, Igor, Victoria, Emmitt, Heath, Hanson.... they don't even have the "privilege" of being able to walk around in mindless wandering for the rest of their lives.  They will spend their days laying like this... 

or just sitting in their wheelchairs.  

Open our eyes, Lord, open our eyes.

----------------------------------------------

"A Common Stew for an Uncommonly Good Cause!"

GO TO THIS LINK TO SEE WHAT WAS DONATED TO THE MULLIGAN STEW GIVEAWAY 2012 AND TO SEE WHOM IT BENEFITED!!  THIS GIVEAWAY ENDED MARCH 31, 2012

Cheer Them On!

Did you see these?  The Pick a Child Giveaways that are in our Giveaway????


PICK A CHILD GIVEAWAYS




Win one of these Giveaways and you get to choose ANY waiting child on Reece's Rainbow who does NOT have a family and 90% of the money will be donated into that child's grant account with the other 10% going to Reece's Rainbow Voice of Hope fund.


1. $250.00 to a waiting child of the winner’s choice
2.  $100.00 to a waiting child of the winner's choice
3.   $50.00 to a waiting child of the winner’s choice

I don't know about you but I think the Pick a Child is a BRILLIANT idea and I can say that because it was NOT cooked up by me.  One of the donors asked if her money could be used in that way and I laughed out loud.  What a beautiful beautiful beautiful Giveaway.

I know that in essence whoever wins these three Giveaways doesn't get to walk away with a prize.

But what they do get to walk away with is the privilege of blessing another child.

And they can choose ANY child on Reece's Rainbow that does NOT have a family.  That child does not have to be part of this Giveaway.

When we were setting up this Giveaway and praying and deciding which children and families would be part of it - I can't tell you how many e-mails we received from those who wanted us to include their special someone.  It broke my heart to not include every single request.  We tried.  We prayed.  We agonized.  We grieved.

My ONE consolation was that we had three Giveaways that WOULD benefit three other children.  $400.00 dollars worth of love to spread around.

So come on.... Donate something to someone on this Sunday morning.  Bless a family.  Bless a child.  And maybe YOU can win the PICK A CHILD Giveaway.

-------------------------------------------------

We have raised $2305.00 so far.  Forty people have donated to the Giveaway. THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

--------------------------------------------------

Yesterday one of the families received their first donation.  So far that is all they have received.  It was a small donation but they were so blessed by that gift.  It meant so much.  To be noticed.  To have someone care.  To know that their child is loved.  Your donations speak VOLUMES to the families.  If all you have to give them is $5.00 - please do.  A few of the families haven't received any donations at all.  That's hard.  They seriously need to know that there is a community standing behind them - cheering them on.  Let's shower them with blessings on this Sunday!!

Donate to the Heim Family
The Unroe family
The Archer family
 The Carpenter family
The Burman family
The Menges family  
 The Duncan family
The Booth family
The Brown family

------------------------------------------------------

"A Common Stew for an Uncommonly Good Cause!"

GO TO THIS LINK TO SEE WHAT WAS DONATED TO THE MULLIGAN STEW GIVEAWAY 2012 AND TO SEE WHOM IT BENEFITED!!  THIS GIVEAWAY ENDED MARCH 31, 2012

Skipping

Overwhelmed.

I think that was the general feeling when our Mulligan Stew Giveaway began yesterday. People walked into the kitchen where we've been preparing this stew, took one look around and immediately started to panic.  I know I did.  It was overwhelming-- there were too many needy kids, too many families and too many prizes.  There was far too much money to raise.  The hard-won little five dollar bills that people were bringing into the kitchen seemed way too small to ever fill such a large pot of need.

All day yesterday and into last night, the enormity of what we are trying to do weighed down on me like a ton of bricks.  There ARE too many kids.  There ARE too many families.  The table IS too crowded, both with people and with prizes.  The amount of need IS beyond what we can comprehend.

This morning in bed I cried a bit, prayed a lot, and just clung in my heart to what I know to be true-- I serve a LIVING and LOVING God who is a Mountain Mover.  David wrote this about God in Psalms 29 (NLT):

"He makes Lebanon’s mountains skip like a calf; 

      he makes Mount Hermon leap like a young wild ox."

As I lay in bed this morning, I considered those verses: He makes "mountains skip like a calf."  

Like little calves skipping carefree in the meadow.  So full of life and energy that they just have to skip for joy.  God is so great that He can make even mountains do that: skip for joy.  What a beautiful image.  What an incredible reality.

If God can make a mountain leap like a young wild ox, then God can take our overwhelming Giveaway and bless it beyond our wildest imagination.  He can take our crumpled-up little five dollar bills and multiply them.  He can.

We raised about $1,233.00 yesterday. 31 people gave.  

I rejoice in those numbers.

It's true that the need is overwhelming.  When we're faced with all of that need, it's easy to think that the mountain is just too big, and that we are just too small.

But God, who made the mountains, is not overwhelmed by them.  Mountains skip when God shouts.  Mountains leap when God roars.  

Our crowded table does NOT overwhelm the God of orphans and widows.  He is pleased that we are helping so many, and He WILL multiply our faithful offerings.  I KNOW this to be true, even though it may seem otherwise to my worldly eyes.  

Because I know this, I am choosing not be overwhelmed today.  I'm choosing to wait in faith. I want to be watching when God thunders from His throne, and the mountains skip for joy.

Let's watch the mountains skip together.  

THE MICAH SIX EIGHT MULLIGAN STEW GIVEAWAY

"A Common Stew for an Uncommonly Good Cause!"

GO TO THIS LINK TO SEE WHAT WAS DONATED TO THE MULLIGAN STEW GIVEAWAY 2012 AND TO SEE WHOM IT BENEFITED!!  THIS GIVEAWAY ENDED MARCH 31, 2012