New Year, New Kiddo

Artem

Happy New Year!

As you may or may not know, Reece's Rainbow's Angel Tree campaign for 2011 was a HUGE success!  Every child listed on the Angel Tree met or exceeded the $1000 goal set for them.  This means that whichever family chooses to adopt a particular little one will have at least a $1000 grant waiting for them when it's time to travel!  Believe me, folks, that helps A LOT!  To those of you who have donated, and prayed, and advocated, and blogged and shared and posted, THANK YOU!  You are truly miracle workers!

Alissa

Jakob

Over 50 children have recently had families committed to bringing them home thanks to Reece's Rainbow and the Angel Tree campaign.  Over 50 precious kids who will no longer wear the label "orphan."  50+ kids with changed lives.  50+ kids who will find the love and security of a real family.  No doubt some of them will have their very lives because of RR.

Lucien

Lucille

Mara

One of the over 50 children getting new homes is very special to us.  Because he is coming to OUR home.  RR and and agency rules don't permit us to tell you his name, what country he is from, or any other identifying information.  I can tell you that he is two years old, and will be known as Ari James McAda when he gets here. I can tell you that he is already loved and wanted and missed by his new family.  I can tell you that he will be a wonderful (little) big brother to Miss Abby.  That he will be adored by his older brother Dom and his grandparents.  And that he will be given every opportunity possible to grow and thrive.  Yes, our little prince also has Down Syndrome, like his little sister.  Yes, we know what we are doing.  Yes, we are prepared for two little ones with DS.  Yes, we know how much work and commitment it will be.  No, we have not lost our minds!

Zechariah (soon to be Ari)

And yes, we realize how expensive it is to adopt from another country.  The country that Ari is from is thankfully one of the least expensive.  We are prepared to tighten our belts and use every dime not allotted for household expenses toward bringing Ari home.  We are prepared to look into grants, loans, fundraisers and whatever else we have to do to make it happen.  It will be a lot of work.  But this precious boy is worth every penny.

We are asking for your help, however.  We are asking you to pray, to advocate, and to spread the word.  We will be setting up an FSP page on Reece's Rainbow to help raise funds.  All those donations will be fully tax-deductible, and will help us with our final expenses, like travel costs, lodging, passports and visas for Ari, and any unexpected in-country expenses we may encounter.  We will also be putting a chip-in on this page to help with expenses along the way.  Those donations, will not, unfortunately be tax-deductible, but we do promise you full transparency and accountability along the way, so you can see where those dollars are going.

I know times are tough, and money is tight.  Any help will be sooo appreciated.  Ari has spent his entire life in a hospital ward, and we HAVE to go scoop him up out of there!  Please continue to pray for us, and wish us well on this journey.  We love you all!

Lisa, Shane, Dominic, and Abby