THERE'S STILL TIME!!

Apparently I have the ChipIn set up a little incorrectly, because it ended the event a day early. However, you still have time to contribute and get your name entered into my ring giveaway!  Remember, every dollar you donate to Danil's Last Hope gives you one entry.

Since the ChipIn has ended (and won't let you click), if you would like to contribute before the day's end, here's what to do:

1. Send me an email, including your name and the amount you are donating (so that I can give you the correct number of entries in the giveaway.)  fivethousandfootsteps@gmail.com
2. Visit the blog of the family adopting Danil. Their ChipIn is on their website (scroll down a bit, on the right,) and the funds will go to the exact same place as my ChipIn was set to go. Be sure to include Danil's Last Hope in the comment section.

Sorry for any confusion! I don't to leave anyone out who wanted to be included in the giveaway!

A Big Announcement!

I am so excited to finally be able to share this news...

DANIL HAS A FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An incredible family has come forward to commit to adopting Danil.  In fact, the commitment story is quite amazing... the parents made the decision to adopt him the exact same night that I had immense pressure on my heart to start this fundraiser for him.
We had never spoken, we didn't even know of each other.  The next day, the family prayed about their decision, because they do not have the money to adopt him. They felt God tell them to be at peace, the money will come. Imagine their shock when they logged onto the computer and found a newly created link to a fundraiser being held for the very boy they had just decided to adopt!

Seriously, I get chills. I don't quite understand how people can deny that God exists when they hear stories like this... how many "coincidences" must happen before they can finally say, "Gee, maybe there's something more to it?" 

Anyway, Danil's account is still greatly in need of growth, because this is a lot of money the family is going to have to pay in a very short amount of time. Please help add to Danil's grant fund so that he is able to join his new family as soon as possible.

On a side note, there is a family currently adopting Danil's little buddy at the orphanage.  The mother wrote to me yesterday to let me know her new son and Danil were hanging out together, so she got to see my little love. He is a tiny, beautiful little prince, and, though small, has been well cared for in this orphanage. Please pray that the orphanage allows Danil to stay in their care until his family is able to come and get him; we do NOT want him transferred and exposed to the institutional setting.

I ask that you keep this family and Danil in your prayers; pray that they have a smooth and speedy paperwork process, and that Danil stays healthy, strong, and safe while he waits for his family. And once again, please consider giving to his account!  The money goes directly to Danil's grant account and will solely be used for his adoption expenses (the family itself does not receive the money, so if an adoption falls through, Danil's account keeps the funds.)  Remember, every dollar gets him one step closer to his new home, so please consider giving, even if you only have a few dollars to spare.

The ring giveaway is an added incentive to give between now and October 31st.  Remember, every dollar you give is one entry to win a diamond ring! 

If you don't feel comfortable donating through the ChipIn at the top of the page (it is safe and secure, run through Paypal), please email me for instructions on mailing a check instead.

Thank you for visiting, for your prayers, and for your contributions to bringing Danil home!

A Rainbow Fallen: Anne Marie

Blowing kisses to the camera

News of Anne Marie's passing came on October 13, 2010.  Just a few weeks shy of her 5th birthday, she died without ever knowing the love of a family.  A few families had met her while visiting the orphanage. They loved spending time with her, and were all advocating for her adoption. The news of her death has hit the Reece's Rainbow community hard.

This shouldn't have happened.  Children shouldn't be without families, and certainly shouldn't die without ever having been held in the arms of a mother or father.

Yet, this is reality.

It is very easy to say, "That's sad; I don't like to think about it" and "Someone should do something about that."
Yes. Someone should do something.  YOU are someone.
If not you, then who?  Why not help?  Really, truly, search deep inside of yourself, and ask, "Why wouldn't I help?"

Not everyone is the right fit for adoption. But everyone can help in some way.

I was recently asked, "Why should we help kids in eastern Europe?  There are kids in Africa who need help, too."
"Well," I responded, "Are you doing something to help kids in Africa?"
To which I was told, "Well, there are kids right here in America that need help, too. We should help them first."
"Okay," I responded, "Are you doing something to help kids in America?"
I don't need to share the answer. You already know.
The truth is, the people who are doing something to help generally don't make these kinds of statements. In fact, the people who do NOTHING are usually the only ones who say things like this.

So who are you? When asked, "What have you done?" are you the one who comes up with the excuses not to do anything?

Precious Anne Marie is the result of doing nothing. Do you really need to see more faces of children who are the result of doing nothing?

Please, look at sweet Danil below. Stare into his eyes. Know that he and Anne Marie share the same fate if we do nothing. 

There is nothing we can do for Anne Marie, but there are plenty of children that still need our help.
Please consider giving to Danil today, in honor of little Anne Marie, that he will get the chance at life that she never had.

Danil's Last Hope (The Short Version)
The long story version is the post directly below.  This one is for those of you who don't like to read, and just want to know the details of how to help Danil, or how to win a sparkly prize!

This is my ring.

This is Danil.

 

Danil needs a family soon.  You can help Danil find a family.  In the process, you can win my ring.  For each dollar you contribute to Danil's grant account between now and October 31st, you receive one entry into a giveaway for my ring. Around November 1st, I will take all the entries, and randomly choose one winner of the ring. 

Remember, every dollar = one entry.

Where will the money go?

Reece's Rainbow has established a grant account for each child available for adoption. The money that you give will be sent directly into Danil's grant account.  When a family commits to adopting him, the money will be used to help defray the costs of the adoption itself (which are between $25,000-$30,000.)  

Who is Reece's Rainbow?

Click the button to learn about this incredible non-profit organization that finds homes for children with Down Syndrome. 

How do I give?Click the ChipIn below to be taken to a secure PayPal website.  Enter the number of dollars in the quantity box. That's it!    

If you would rather send a check, please email me with the subject line "Danil's Last Hope" at fivethousandfootsteps@gmail.com  I will email the address to you and manually enter your name in the giveaway.
Who is Danil and why is this his last hope? Scroll to the next blog post, where you can read the long version of who he is, and why I am doing this. Is that a real diamond?Yes. Three, in fact. It's my engagement ring, and, as much as I love it, saving Danil's life is much more important. If this gets him a family, it's well worth the cost on my end.  Please help save Danil today! 

Seeking Rainbows: Danil

A Beautiful Rainbow: Danil



A beautiful ring



A beautiful child

Two beauties. Which one matters more?

The first is my engagement ring. I picked it out myself.  You see, when my husband planned to propose, he had this grand scheme in his head of how he would do so.

Instead, one night, he was overcome with emotion, and asked me right then and there. He wasn't prepared, he didn't have the ring. But that night, during that proposal, he said he saw me as a wife, and, more importantly, as the mother of his future children.

Three weeks later we went to the store together. When I saw this ring, I knew it was MY ring.

Fast forward. Seven years later. Three children later.

I see this boy's face. This beautiful child. And I know, he's MY child.  Others may not understand. I may not get the opportunity to raise this child in my house. I may not ever have the chance to meet him, to hug him, to tuck him in at night.  I did not give birth to him, and I don't live anywhere close to him. But I love him, in the same way that I love my three boys that do get my attention, my hugs, my goodnight kisses.

This boy, Danil, is very near the end of his short life. His birthday is quickly approaching. He lives in an orphanage in eastern Europe, and he has Down Syndrome. When he reaches his next birthday (in just a few weeks), he is scheduled to be transferred to an institution. Not because he is sickly. He's healthy.  Not because he is dangerous. He's a lively, typical four-year-old.

Nope. He's being transferred because the orphanage is full. And when you live as a disabled orphan (his disability strictly being Down Syndrome, something that many American children and adults live with, and thrive), you are deemed as an unfit for society.

So, he'll be sent to an institution. An institution that no child has ever been adopted from. Eventually, he will reach adulthood and be transferred to his final institution for life. There is no other alternative available; that is, unless you count the more likely scenario, which is death. Death comes to these children quickly. When you are four, and you don't have someone to tuck you in at night, to give you proper nutrition, to sing or talk to you, it is easy to lose the will to live. So most do, often within months or even weeks of transfer.

Suddenly, I look at my ring, my beautiful emerald cut diamonds, the pretty white gold, the classic yet modern appearance, and it doesn't matter to me. It means nothing.

The proposal? "I see you as a mother." That is what matters.  Not the ring that was placed on my finger shortly thereafter.

So I pray. I pray that you will care about Danil enough to do whatever it takes to save him.  I pray that you love my ring; that you say, "Yeah, shine that baby up, and that is one beautiful ring!"

I'm hoping the ring entices you to give. I'm hoping we can raise enough money for a full grant in Danil's name. I'm praying that his family comes forward in these next two weeks, that his family says, "Let me bring him home." That the money is there, ready and waiting, so that the ophanage will see that Danil is wanted so badly. That he doesn't need to be sent away. That he can stay, just a bit longer, and his family can come rescue him.

And that is the point of this very long-winded post.

From now through October 31st, I am asking that you open your heart and your wallets, and you donate to save Danil; I'm calling it Danil's Last Hope.  For every dollar you contribute, your name will be entered into a drawing. On or about November 1st, I will take every contest entry and choose a random winner from those names; the winner will receive my ring!  It just so happens that I have a very good friend who works with jewelry for a living; she is preparing the paperwork and shining it up to make it a nice, sparkly new ring for you. (Thank you, Stephanie, for donating your time and talent!)

 

All donations will go directly to a grant set up by Reece's Rainbow under Danil's name (click to view; he is in Orphanage 17.) While I hope you are motivated to contribute in order to save Danil's life, I am happy to part with my beloved ring to entice you to give all that you can.  By the way, the donation IS tax deductible.

My three year old son happily volunteered to model the ring for the picture!

I'm asking for EVERYONE to put forth a last ditch effort to save this little boy.  This is not "supporting a cause", this is to save a child's life.  To donate, please use the ChipIn button below. All donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE. If you would prefer not to make your donation online, but would still like to contribute, please email me directly at fivethousandfootsteps@gmail.com   Please note in the subject that the donation is for Danil's Last Hope.  I will email you information on how to donate directly through Reece's Rainbow.

Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't
know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows
that we know, and hold us responsible to act. Proverbs 24:12

Please spread the word, and donate today!  You may donate as often as you'd like between now and the end of October.  I will contact the winner of the ring through email on or around November 1st. Remember, EVERY DOLLAR IS WORTH ONE ENTRY TO THE GIVEAWAY!

NOTE: If anything should happen to Danil, and this money is no longer able to be granted in his name, all monies raised will be used instead to support the adoption of other children, through Reece's Rainbow facing similar situations.

ANOTHER NOTE: The ring giveaway is a private donation. Reece's Rainbow, ChipIn, PayPal, and Blogger are not responsible for the giveaway.  Any legal mumbo jumbo for receiving a valuable donation applies here, and is your responsibility to figure out on your own.

A Rainbow: Marina

UPDATE: Marina's family has reported that they have the now funds to travel! Praise God!

Marina's family is set to travel in less than two weeks, and is still in need of raising a few more thousand dollars.
If you can help this family bring her home, please consider doing so today! Every little bit gets them closer; perhaps you can give up a few lattes this week and instead send the money her way? Perhaps you can brown bag lunch instead of picking something up this week? Please, let's help this family bring their child home!

Here's the link to Marina's site (you can donate here as well):
Saving Marina


"Orphans and vulnerable children are not a cause; they are a biblical and social mandate we can't ignore. A country half the size of the U.S.—that's how many orphans there are in the world. We're not talking about a small problem."                            Pastor Rick Warren
Read more here

A Quote

"Look up to the sky; you'll never find rainbows if you're looking down." Charlie Chaplin, Swing High Little Girl

When I heard this quote, I knew what I wanted to name this site.

I'm looking up, confident that God has led me to Reece's Rainbows for a reason.

Children with disabilities, mostly those with Down Syndrome, are still His children. And He has called to us, Christians, time and again in His word to care for orphans.

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
James 1:27

Father to the fatherless, defender of widows — this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families.
Psalms 68:5-6

Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.
Isaiah 1:17

And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.
Matthew 18:5

God's eyes don't see landlines. He doesn't determine who is His child and who is not based on a country's economic success, corrupt government, or any other conditions.

I truly hope that each of you will read this and realize God's call to help the orphans. We all have our "causes" that we believe in; but these are children. They are not a disease, they are not an illness. They do not need a cure. They need love. They need family. There are so many that don't have either. And while the majority of us don't know how to cure diseases or illnesses, we do know how to love, and we know how to provide for a family.