Winners, Winners, & More Winners ~ Prize Giveaway & Name Reveal Update

WooHoo!!  We have ALMOST reached our fundraising goal for our Prize Giveaway & Name Reveal drive!!    Our Reece's Rainbow Family Sponsorship Page (FSP) grant is currently at $6,334.69 and our goal was for it to read $6,500. So, we are ONLY $165.31 from meeting the goal!!  AND, another beautiful thing about $6,500 is that this amount will make us FULLY FUNDED for our adoption of precious Greta, Felix, and Romeo!!!!!

YES, you read that correctly:  WE ARE ONLY $165.31 FROM BEING FULLY FUNDED!!!

GOD is sooooo good!  He has proven Himself faithful once again in His promise to work out all of the details for our family as long as we remain obedient to His command.  Although I am in no way surprised by His blessings, it still places me in a state of unbelievable awe that is just unexplainable.  David and I cannot help but fall to our knees in reverence of this awe, fully knowing that we are unworthy.  But, in our unworthiness, we are humbled through the very important reminder that HE IS WORTHY.  His worthiness allows us to receive His grace and blessings.

As a result of His faithfulness, we were able to FULLY reveal all three children's names:

I am beyond thrilled to have their names revealed because, in my mind, it allows Greta, Felix, & Romeo to almost loose their orphan status ~ it allows the world to finally see their FOREVER NAMES given by their FOREVER FAMILY!!  How beautiful is that?!?  Oh, I cannot wait to be able to call them by their forever names in person!!  And, once their adoptions are finalized ~ in a matter of just weeks ~ they will loose their orphan status FOREVER as the officially become Chesnie Grace, Bowen Titus, and Rawlen Bates!!  WOW, simply wow!

AND, also because of His faithfulness, we have been able to draw for 15 prizes in the prize giveaway portion of our fundraiser with 3 more drawings left!  In fact, because of this faithfulness, we were able to add 3 more gift cards to our drawings!  We were so excited about that because it allowed us to award more prizes in an attempt to thank our donors.  Now for the fun part ~ here are the winners and their prizes in the drawings we've had so far:

Once our RR FSP reads, $6,500.00, I will draw for the final three prizes:  the last homemade baby quilt/blanket set, the homemade queen-sized quilt, and the Signing Time full DVD set.  To make the homemade quilts extra special and meaningful, it is my plan to purchase the material for the quilts in-country during my first trip to Ukraine (I leave on 1/19 for Ukraine).  This material will allow the quilts to serve as a constant & personal reminder that three special needs orphans from Ukraine were given a forever family as a result of the support from numerous people.  It is my hope that each time the winners are physically warmed by the quilts, their hearts will be warmed that much more knowing that three Orphans No More are also warm and secure in their new found love!!

To enter the drawing for the three remaining prizes, please click on our RR FSP HERE to donate.  Your donation is 100% tax deductible!!  If you prefer to cut/paste the web address into your browser, here it is:  http://reecesrainbow.org/72747/sponsorbarnett-2.  For the remaining three prizes, each $10 donation will give you one entry.  (Those of you who have previously donated to our FSP, us personally, bought t-shirts during those fundraisers, etc ARE STILL in the drawings as well!)

As a sidenote, we are praying to be fully funded by the time I leave for Ukraine on my first trip.  As mentioned above, I will be leaving on Monday, January 19th.  With the Grace of God, I will get to hold one of my precious babies in my arms by Friday, January 23rd!!  Oh, this has been a long time coming!!  PRAISE GOD that this is now only 2 1/2 weeks away!!!

David and I cannot even begin to thank all of you who have journeyed with us to bring Greta, Felix, & Romeo home enough.  We are forever blessed and humbled by such an outpouring of love and support.  We are so blessed to have friends and family who love and accept our children ~ those who have a heart for individuals with Down syndrome.  Thank you for knowing that their lives matter and that they are worthy!

from The Song of Moses and Israel:

“Who is like You among the gods, O Lord?

Who is like You, majestic in holiness,

Awesome in praises, working wonders?”  ~ Exodus 15:11, NASB

Update ~ Prize Giveaway and Name Reveal ~ Update

WOW, what a difference just two and a half days make!!  We are now on day three of our final adoption fundraiser.  Our Prize Giveaway and Name Reveal drive is moving along quite nicely.  We started with $2918.59 already in our Reece's Rainbow Family Sponsorship Page (FSP) adoption grant fund and now it has grown to $3427.84!!!!!!!  That is $509.25 generously donated to our adoption grant fund in order to bring Greta, Felix, & Romeo home!!!  

As a result of this amazing outpouring of love from our many donors, NINETEEN letters have been revealed in Greta's, Felix's, and Romeo's names!  I imagine that by now at least two names among their first and middle names can be guessed correctly...but, I'm not embellishing on which names those might be and I am NOT giving anymore hints.  I'll just continue to let the letters speak for themselves.  So, carry on with your guessing.  Only time will tell if your guesses will prove correct as more letters are revealed!

The second part of our fundraiser, our favorite, has been extremely rewarding to David and me.  So far, we have had the honor of conducting two separate prize drawings from among our list of donors.  It has been absolutely awesome to be able to give away TWO prizes so far!!!  We CANNOT WAIT to give away the remaining thirteen prizes to our future winners.  The first prize, a $25 AMC Movie Theatre gift card, was drawn on Monday night and won by Amy Epley of Texas.  The second prize, a Christmas Cake Pop Bouquet, was drawn on Tuesday and won by Jay and Angela Ghormley of Texas.  When our FSP reads $3668.59, we will draw for the next prize!!

I am excited at how much our four prize pots (there are pots for each level of prizes ~ regular, mid-level, reserve grand, & grand) has grown since this fundraiser was launched on Monday.  It is humbling & certainly beautiful to see the love that is reflected through each and every single name within these pots.  I am completely blessed to know that my Greta, Felix, and Romeo are loved by so many and that they have an ARMY working diligently alongside their mama and daddy to bring them home.  Words cannot even begin to  describe the emotions that I will have on the day that OUR journey is made complete and we are able to declare these precious children who are wonderfully and perfectly made Orphans No More!  Oh what a glorious day that will be!! 

It is also important to mention that we are also honored and grateful to those who have joined our journey through prayer and encouragement.  Each of you are just as important.  I sincerely mean that ~ from every fiber of my being.  We DO NOT take prayer lightly!  We know that it has been through the countless number and hours of prayers said on behalf of David, myself, and our family that we have been able to continue on this joureny with the end result always on our minds and completely seared into our hearts.  These words, lovingly and earnestly spoken to our God, have been what has sustained us through this whole crazy beautiful journey.  For we KNOW and we RELY on the Promise that He made to those of us who have been called according to His purpose.  He has promised us a hope and a future.  Our family's hope and future is found in adoption and Down syndrome.  And, our purpose is to remain obedient to Him in all that He asks of us and in all that we do so that He alone will be glorified ~ for it is not us, but Christ living in and through us.      

So, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for willingly joining us on our mission, our ministry, to build our family through adoption and the beauty that is Down syndrome!  We are forever blessed and humbled!  We really do love each of you.

Exaltation of the Afflicted

 1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

Because the Lord has anointed me

To bring good news to the afflicted;

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to captives

And freedom to prisoners;

2 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

3 To grant those who mourn in Zion,

Giving them a garland instead of ashes,

The oil of gladness instead of mourning,

The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.

So they will be called oaks of righteousness, 

The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. ~ Isaiah 61:1-3, NASB

      

Prize Giveaway & Name Reveal Adoption Fundraiser

Romeo

Felix

Greta

As the final fundraiser for our adoption of Greta, Felix, and Romeo, David and I are launching a NAME REVEAL & PRIZE GIVEAWAY DRAWING.  Our goal is to raise $3500 during this fun & exciting fundraiser!!

Here is how it will work:

ALL DONATIONS MUST BE MADE TO OUR REECE'S RAINBOW FSP GRANT PAGE.  AS A BONUS, YOUR DONATION IS COMPLETELY 100% TAX DEDUCTIBLE!!  So, it's a win-win, right?!?  Click HERE for our Reece's Rainbow FSP Grant Page.  100% of our RR FSP Grant will be distributed to us once we receive travel dates ~ which should be, by the Grace of God, in JUST A FEW WEEKS (!!!!!) ~ and will be used toward travel and in-country fees for our adoption of Greta, Felix, and Romeo.

If you make a donation of $25, you will have one (1) entry in the the drawing for the Grand Prize & the Reserve Grand Prize, two (2) entries for the Mid-Range Prizes, and three (3) entries for the the Regular Prizes!!  If you make a $50 donation, you will have two (2) entries in the drawing for the Grand Prize & the Reserve Grand Prize, five (5) entries for the Mid-Range Prizes, and six (6) entries for the the Regular Prizes!!  Each additional $25 in your donation will double the respective entries!!

Once you make a donation, message me on Facebook or reply to this blog post so that I can give you my email address in order to send me your donation receipt from Reece's Rainbow.  Prizes will be mailed or hand delivered (if you live near me) once they are drawn, so I will need your address as well. 

It is also important to note that David and I are choosing to honor EVERYONE who has contributed to our adoption fund ~ NOT just those who will donate through this last fundraiser.  Each and every donation is precious to us and we want to extend our gratitude and make sure it is reflected through an attempt to give back a little of what we have been blessed with in order to bring our Greta, Felix, & Romeo home and make them Orphans No More.  Therefore, those of you who have donated to our FSP since it has been up, bought t-shirts during our two t-shirt drives, and personally sent us a monetary gift for our adoption, please know that your names have DEFINITELY been entered for the prize drawings in the same manner that new and repeat donors are being added during this drive.  (If you have any questions, please feel free to message me on FB or leave a comment on this blog.)  

Our Reece's Rainbow FSP currently has $2918.59 in it.  Once it reads $3168.59, the first drawing will be made.  The second drawing will be made once it reads $3418.59.  This will continue until it reaches $6418.59, at which time, the drawing for the Grand & Reserve Grand Prizes will be made.  

Please feel free to message me on FB or reply to this blog post with questions.  Good luck, my wonderful friends!!  Thank you in advance for joining us on our journey to bring our precious Greta, Felix, and Romeo home!  We remain absolutely humbled and grateful for your outpouring of love and support.  We are truly blessed!

Side note:  to remain above reproach and show that we are good stewards of the donations made to our RR FSP grant, David and I will gladly provide specific information concerning our adoption costs and how our grant money was specifically used once we are home with our children.  Just ask!! 

Now, let the fun begin!  Ready...Set...Go!!!!

Praise for the Lord’s Mercies ~ a Psalm of David:

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.  2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits;  3 Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases;  4 Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;  5 Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.  6 The Lord performs righteous deeds and judgments for all who are oppressed. ~ Psalm 103:1-6, NASB

Down Syndrome Awareness T-shirt Fundraiser

Front view

Back view

October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month so I decided that it would only be fitting for it to be the focus of our final adoption t-shirt fundraiser.  With the addition of Greta, Felix, & Romeo, we will have seven (7!!) children with Down syndrome!!  Our family revolves around Down syndrome and part of OUR JOB is bringing awareness to not only our children, but also to countless other individuals with Ds.  So why wouldn't this be a GREAT idea for a t-shirt?!?

After hours of thinking and playing around with various designs and wording, I finally hit the jackpot ~ the Golden Ticket ~ of bringing the message of Ds awareness to a simple t-shirt.  At least in my mind it was...!!  So, TA-DA (as Teague would say) here is the jpeg image of the design I came up with:

Front of the t-shirts

Back of the t-shirts

   








Pictures of the actual t-shirts are at the top of this blog post.  I hope you like them as much as we do!!  Adult sized t-shirts are $20;  Women's Fitted t-shirts are $22;  Youth t-shirts are $16;  Long sleeve t-shirts are $24; and Hooded sweatshirts are $37.

The fundraiser ends on 11/9 and we MUST sell a minimum of 50 t-shirts in order for the fundraiser to actually go through.  If we fail to sell the required minimum, the t-shirts will not be printed and the fundraiser will be scratched. (Credit cards ARE NOT charged until we reach the minimum of 50 sold so there will be no transactions completed until then.)

If the fundraiser is successful by having sold at least 50 t-shirts by 11/9, the t-shirts will be printed and shipped about 2 weeks after.  Let's pray that this is the case!!!  And, with any luck, we will sell more than 50!!

Greta, Felix, Romeo, Silas, Teague, Trenton, & Mackie REALLY REALLY REALLY want 50 (or more!) t-shirts sold so that they will be able to wear their shirts and bring awareness to Ds so that the world will:

KNOW THE TRUTH

Individuals with Down syndrome are

BEAUTIFUL

Will YOU help them to get a chance to wear their t-shirts?!?  Will YOU help us make Greta, Felix, & Romeo Orphans No More by purchasing a t-shirt?!?  100% of the proceeds from the sale of each t-shirt and hoodie goes directly to our adoption fund.  We GREATLY appreciate you helping us to bring our precious children home and making our family complete!

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO GET MORE INFO AND ORDER YOUR T-SHIRT!!  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!

Receiving the Spirit of Adoption as Sons

14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.  15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”  16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.  Romans 8:14-16 ~ NASB

A Forever Family for Kiril, Dell, Gene, & David

I had the sweet honor of meeting a fellow Reece's Rainbow family in 2011 when David and I committed to adopting Teague,Trenton, & Maclayne.  This family had both biological and adopted children.  They were like us in that they felt led by God to travel to Eastern Europe and adopt orphans with Down syndrome.  The mom's and my shared passion for these precious children made us fast friends!

And, their support of special needs orphans did not just stop at the adoption of their own children.  It has continued through their commitment to help other precious orphans find forever homes and through their support of families desiring to adopt special needs orphans.  Their selfless commitment has manifested itself in hours upon hours of prayers lifted to God for these orphans and families.  And, it has also come though the family's generous monetary donations to adoptive families in need.  My own personal family has benefited from this family's generosity.

Therefore, I am beyond honored to help this family in any way that I can.  Can YOU help?  Can YOU find it within YOURSELF to help get these precious boys home?  Friends, it's time we step up and repay this family for their generosity toward other adopting families & orphans desperately wanting a forever family.  I just donated, will YOU?

These boys have waited for a long time for a family of their own.  They've waited a long time for a mama & a papa to love them.  Just look at their precious pictures and tell me that they are not worthy and capable of so much more...

Kiril

Dell 

Gene

David

NOTE:  This family will be able to go public with their names and information once they have had court for Dell, Gene, & David.  They have had contact with these three boys and both the mom & dad report that they are already head over heals in love with Dell, Gene, & David.  And, most importantly, THE THREE BOYS ARE EXCITED TO HAVE A FOREVER FAMILY OF THEIR OWN!!!  It just doesn't get any sweeter than that, folks!  Praise God for His continued design of this beautiful family!!

DELL, GENE, & DAVID WILL BE HOME WITH THIS FAMILY ~ THEIR FOREVER FAMILY ~ VERY SOON!!!!!!!

The family is still journeying to bring Kiril home.  And, believe me, they are doing all they can to bring their precious boy home.  Once news of Kiril's journey home becomes available, the family will be able to make it public.  In the meantime, please pray for Kiril and the family's journey to adopt him and make him An Orphan No More.

NOW LET'S GET THESE BOYS HOME!!!!!!  WITH GOD'S GRACE WE CAN DO IT!!  IT TAKES A VILLAGE, YOU KNOW...

Click HERE to find out more about this family and to make a tax deductible donation today!  Even a $5 or $10 donation will go a long way ~ I PROMISE!!  This family needs just under $5000 to be fully funded!  It may seem like a huge mountain to us, but with God it is only a small bump!!

GOD GIVES MOST:
10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness;  11 you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.  12 For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God.   13 Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all,  14 while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you.  15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!  ~ 2 Corinthians 9:10-15, NASB