A Challenge for You for the New Year!

Almost every year I have attempted to read the Bible through, and every year have not succeeded. Well, this year is going to be different...I actually started two days early, and so far, so good!

I would love to encourage all of you to join the 2011 Boss Your Heart Bible Challenge.
There are different plans you can follow...but after reading this inspirational post by Mattie, I felt like the Lord wanted me to do the 90 day challenge. I am enjoying this so far.

If you join the challenge by midnight, there are two amazing prizes you will be entered to win. But no matter when you join, please join because you want to develop the habit of spending daily time with the Lord.

I have struggled with having a daily quiet time for quite some time. My eventual desire is to serve the Lord on the foreign mission field working with orphans, however, the last few times I went overseas, the quiet time was the first thing to go. It is easy to say that I will develop better habits when I change locations or do something more fulfilling with my life...but it never works that way. Therefore, I am starting now to form this habit that I know will enrich my life and draw me closer to the Lord whom I desire to serve.

For details on this Bible Challenge...read this post by Mattie's mom

And One More Little Angel

When I was choosing children to sponsor for the Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree, I also felt drawn to little Kathleen! Then Marina's mom wrote this post and I knew that the Lord was telling me to sponsor this little cutie as well!



If you have not yet, please visit www.reecesrainbow.org
and sponsor one or more beautiful orphans...maybe next Christmas they will be celebrating with their forever families.

I have also started a blog for Kathleen and four others to try and find families for them. Stay tunes...more info on that blog coming soon!

Reece's Rainbow Christmas Angel Tree

Do you have any last minute shopping to do? Anyone you need to buy a gift for--but they really do not need anything or you have no idea what to get? What to give your children's teachers? Somebody special you would like to honor? What if you could bless someone special in your life, while also helping give a child the gift of a family?

Let me explain. Each year from November-December, Reece's Rainbow does an Angel Tree. The children listed are all international orphans who happen to have Down Syndrome. They are pretty cute, too! In several countries outside the US, children with disabilities are often given up at birth. If not adopted the child will be sent to a mental institution at 4-5 years old. There are families who would love to adopt these children, but adoption is expensive. When you choose a child on the Angel Tree, and make a donation, the money will go into a grant fund to be used to help fund that child's adoption. The children with large grants are most likely to find adoptive families. The goal of the Angel Tree is to raise at least $1000 for each child's grant.

For donations of $35 or more, you will get a photo ornament with a picture of the child. A gift card is included if you are donating a gift in honor of someone special.

Here are the two angels that I sponsored this year: Amanda (in yellow) and Nana (in pink). No, those are probably not their given names. Amanda is almost 3 and Nana almost 2. They are cute, aren't they?




If you are still hesitant, meet the little girl I sponsored last year: Anastasiya! The top picture in the blue outfit is from the Angel Tree last year, and the picture in the red outfit is more recent. She has a family in the process of adopting her now! It is so exciting to see what the Lord is doing in her life! I still have her ornament and instead of putting it on my tree, I have it out in my room to remind me to pray for her and for her family!


So your Christmas is just not complete without one or two little faces on your Christmas tree? Click this bubble and select a child who has less than $1000 in their fund. Maybe next Christmas, or the Christmas after, your little angel will be celebrating with his or her forever family!

Christmas Angel Tree TwentyTen

CLICK HERE to Put the Angel Tree Bubble on Your Blog! Thank you!

Updates

Well...I am terrible at keeping up this blog. I started it as I was hoping to return to the Philippines. While I may do that at some point, the Lord is leading me to do a few things in the USA first. I am pretty involved in my church right now. I am also hoping to make a short missions trip to Ethiopia sometime in 2011 if the Lord wills.I am also hoping to do some more volunteering with the Down Syndrome Guild in my area...but will sadly not be able to post the beautiful faces of the children there online.

My eventual plans are to adopt and/or start a children's home overseas...location to be determined. I love the Philippines...but am also open to going to Africa...we shall see where the Lord leads next.

I know the Lord is going to do some exciting things in 2011. Some of them I will post here. Others I cannot share just yet, and some things are not for sharing publicly.

I will continue to blog. I will probably come up with a new title for this blog, and it will be a little bit of everything. If you would like to read about my previous trips to the Philippines, or about the Lord's leading me to Ethiopia, those are on other blogs. Please let me know and I will send you an invite.

As far as advocating for the children on Reece's Rainbow, I will definitely continue to do that. Neah (formerly Nadya) is just a couple days away from coming home to her new family. Anastasiya's family finished their homestudy and is working on their dossier. Both families have blogs:
NEAH
ANASTASIYA

Please stop by and send them some encouragement.

A few specific updates:
December:
I am working at Gymboree (clothing store) part time and loving it. I am also active in AMP--my church's young adult group, and helping with The Rising on Friday evenings. The Rising is a church plant located at a local university. It is sponsored by my church. My church is doing a lot of Christmas activities--so I am excited to celebrate with them. This will be my first Christmas at this church and I am so thankful for all that I am learning. I am also excited about having extended family over on Christmas Eve--hoping that this respiratory illness that I am fighting vanishes so that I can enjoy all the festivities...and most of all celebrate the birth of Jesus--the One Who died and rose again so that I can live and be forgiven.

January: I may need to look for another job as my Gymboree job is just a seasonal position. I am also excited to start Grace Adventure at the end of the month. Grace Adventure is an intensive workshop...it is four weekends long and also one night a week spread out over a 3 month period. It is hard to explain exactly what it is...but if you click on the highlighted "Grace Adventure" you can learn more. A good number of the people at my church have gone through it already. You learn more about who you are in Christ and how to live according to who God has made you to be.
While I know Grace Adventure will not be easy, I know it is something that the Lord will use in a mighty way in my life. I am also hoping to start ballet classes again...that will be a lot of fun. All of this in addition to my church activities should keep me pretty busy.

Well...that is it for now. I will write more soon!

Please Help Anastasiya's Family Bring Her Home!

Guess who found a family?



I have been praying for Anastasiya--the little girl that I sponsored for Christmas through Reece's Rainbow. I prayed specifically for a Christian family for her--and the Lord has answered that prayer! She will have a wonderful family including a brother and two sisters! The sister closest in age to her also has Down Syndrome. I started a blog for Anastasiya right before I sponsored her...however, I will not stop blogging just because she has found a family. Let me explain what I have in mind.

Many families commit to children through Reece's Rainbow. There is a family sponsorship page there where you can read about the families who are bringing these little ones home. You can also donate there to help fund their adoption. The sad thing is that sometimes a family will commit to a child and be unable to complete the adoption due to lack of funds, etc. After praying for this little girl to have a family, and seeing the Lord choose an absolutely perfect family for her, I would like to do something to enable them to bring her home.

October is the 31 for 21 blog challenge. Down Syndrome is also known as Trisomy 21 people with Down Syndrome have an extra 21st chromosome. I will be participating in this over on Anastasiya's blog. Please click her picture on the sidebar to visit her blog. I will put some different posts up about Down Syndrome--introduce you to a few new friends who could use your prayers--and hopefully raise some money for Anastasiya in the process.


Grab This Button


Here is how you can help. Could you post about my project on your blog--and let me know you did so? Getting the word out is the easiest and most effective way to help. The other way you can help is to make a donation to Anastasiya's family sponsorship page. Go to www.reecesrainbow.com, click on sponsorship, committed families, and then homestudy in progress. Anastasiya's picture is a few families down. Any donation will help this precious girl come home to her forever family. Do not forget to follow Anastasiya's blog as well.

Long Time No Blog

I am sorry it has been so long since I last posted anything. Many things are going on at the moment that have kept me busy. I am working full time for the summer. While I would love to go to the Philippines, and do still plan to return in the future, I feel like the Lord is asking me to wait for His timing--not mine. When will that be? I am hoping next summer--but we shall see. I am planning a trip to Ethiopia in December or February--but again--God's timing--not mine. It would be a one week trip. I have actually been keeping a separate blog about Ethiopia--and that one is private and will remain that way. For any of my readers who would like to follow my journey to Ethiopia, please leave me a comment with your email address as well as how you found my blog. I am still working on journaling the entire story, and will send invites out soon. Sometimes you think you are headed in one direction, and the Lord decides to bless you with something you had not expected...He really has a sense of humor--and I am completely in awe that He chose me for this special job--the job of--well...I cannot share it publicly, so if you want to follow along, please comment below. Please note that I will continue to update this blog from time to time...if you want to follow my journey back to the Philippines...and everything besides Africa...please keep following here as well.

Nadya's New Family!

I am so excited to see how the Lord has answered my prayers for Nadya. I prayed specifically that she would get to be a part of a Christian family. I want her to know the love of an earthly family--but even more so to know the love of her Heavenly Father. The Lord has given her exactly what I asked for--a family who loves the Lord Jesus. Not to mention how much fun Nadya is going to have with 12 brothers and sisters. I do not remember if I prayed that she would get siblings...but the Lord's plans for her are even greater than I could have imagined! She is one very much loved little girl with fourteen other family members.

Hop on over to Nadya's blog to read more about her forever family. Please pray for Nadya's parents as they begin their journey to bring their daughter home! Please continue to pray for Nadya...that she would remain healthy, safe,and that she would receive love from her caregivers while she waits for her family. I wonder if she knows they are coming for her? I would love to see a smile on her beautiful little face.

If you have not already, go to www.reecesrainbow.com and become a prayer warrior. You will be matched up with one (or two) children who need your prayers. You have only to look at Nadya to see how the Lord delights in answering prayer...and He even cares about the details.

Prayers Needed

Please pray for three absolutely GORGEOUS little girls and one super CUTE baby boy!
You can click on their pictures to go straight to their webpages. For those of you with blogs, you can grab the code and add their buttons to the sidebar on your blog.

CHRISSIE

This beautiful little princess has been in the hospital for several weeks since having heart surgery. She actually died twice and is a living miracle...but she is not "out of the woods" so to speak, YET...everytime she has had a setback, this little miracle girl pulls through. This is one of the most amazing stories I have ever read. Her family is BELIEVING for a MIRACLE. Will you join them and pray for Chrissie?

ELLA GRACE

This precious little girl is sure to make you smile. She is just sooo cute! Sweet Ella was diagnosed with leukemia a few days ago. Please pray for Ella and her family.

HOPE

This is one BEAUTIFUL little girl. She has a rare heart problem...in fact, she is the only child known to have this condition. The doctors need wisdom to know how to proceed...and Hope needs a MIRACLE. This family just got one miracle...I know I said Chrissie's story was amazing, but the story of how Hope's sister Lydia raised all the money needed for the adoption of a little baby girl, Darya has inspired me not to let money stand in the way of serving the Lord. He can and does provide...often above and beyond what we expect. Now Hope and Lydia's family are not actually the ones adopting Darya, but thanks to Lydia, Darya's new family has the money they need to complete the adoption. Please pray for healing for precious Hope

CHARLIE

Is this not one of the most BEAUTIFUL, or should I say HANDSOME babies you have ever seen? Cute little Charlie is having open heart surgery on May 21st...just a couple weeks away. Charlie's mommy has posted some specific prayer requests for Charlie on their blog. Please pray that the surgery goes well, and for quick recovery for Charlie, as well as God's peace for this family.

Nadya Update

Guess who has a forever family? If you guessed Nadya, you would be correct. I cannot share any details yet, but please be praying for both her and her new family. I will update when I know more.

Please Pray for Nadya

Some of you may remember me posting about Nadya. Reece's Rainbow has a prayer warrior ministry. I was matched with two children to pray for. Little Jacob Paul found his forever family about a year ago...and Nadya is still waiting for hers. I just found out today that she may not have to wait much longer. There is a family considering this precious little girl! I cannot share anything else right now...but please pray for her and for this family. Here are a couple pictures of Nadya.

When I first committed to pray for Nadya, this is the picture that they sent me--well actually this is a touched-up version. In the picture I received her outfit and fingers were both dirty. Nadya was living in an institution at the time. Doesn't she look sad?



However, the Lord had a special plan for this beautiful little girl! Shortly after I began praying for her, Nadya was transferred out of the institution and into a home where they work with the girls and they get somewhat of an education. New pictures were published to the Reece's Rainbow site, which showed her smiling and happy. Look at what a difference a loving environment has made:


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In October of last year, Nadya gained a second prayer warrior, Milena. You can read her blog by clicking on Nadya's button near the top of my sidebar.

In January, a new picture was published on the Reece's Rainbow site--isn't Nadya precious?



Will you pray for Nadya today, and if you have a blog, please add her button. The code for it is on Milena's page--which you can get to by clicking Nadya's button. For those of you who do not know how to add buttons to your blog--you go to dashboard, then click layout, then add a gadget. Then you select html/javascript. You copy and paste the code into the box that will appear on your screen, and then hit save, and Voila! You will have a link to sweet Nadya's blog on your page!

God Provides

While I would love to go to Ethiopia now...and the Philippines now too...I will not be traveling to ET in April or May as I had originally planned. I had several people...family...and three friends/mentors advise me to wait. However, the Lord rewarded that decision. When I inquired about possibly traveling another time, I was told about a trip in December to the same part of Ethiopia...and also found out that the trip I had planned on taking is up in the air. I pray that the others are still able to travel even though I won't be going this time. I also found out that the laptop I wanted was on sale--and does not go on sale often--so soon I will have a new fast laptop that will benefit me both in my future trip to the Philippines--and in keeping in touch with those I will meet when I do travel to Ethiopia. Here is the most amazing part of the story--my tax refund this year was bigger than it has ever been--almost half the cost of a trip to Ethiopia! So as I followed the Lord and waited--He provided me with a computer and still provided 1/2 my trip money on top of that. Now I am not saying for sure that I am going in December--but the money is there for when the time comes.

Speaking of Ethiopia--I know some of you have to be curious as to why all of a sudden I have a burning desire to go there on a short visit. While I would love to share my newest blessing with all of you--you will need to request an invite to my Ethiopia blog to get any more info! I have not forgotten about invites either--but I am trying to write out my story--well it is God's story, because I could never have written anything as amazing as what He did in my life just this year. I was really not planning on this blessing--but God gives us gifts when we least expect them. As soon as I get my new computer, I should be able to get the ET blog up to date, and then the invites will go out.

I am still planning on going to the Philippines--the exact time is still up in the air--still waiting on the Lord to confirm--I am hoping for this fall or early next year--but we shall see. For right now, I am just going to raise support for the Philippines trip--as Ethiopia is more of a personal trip....but I know the Lord can provide for both if that is His will!

Quick Update

I have been slacking on the blog lately... I am pretty busy the past couple weeks working almost every day. My upcoming trip to Ethiopia has been on my mind alot lately. There is much that I am not ready to share here... but will do that on my Ethiopia blog--it is private--let me know if you would like an invite--will get those sent out when I have finished writing out my story of how this trip came to be. I am praying the Lord will work everything out and confirm His will for me...but I am learning that sometimes we must trust God when He does not give us all the details...even when He calls us to do what others would not understand.

Sometimes following God gets frustrating when other people don't get it. Then there are the times I find myself following me instead of God. I really want to please Him--I am trying to remember that I am ultimately supposed to please God and not other people. I am trying to find time each day to read His Word. Somedays it doesn't happen, but I strive to make reading the Word a habit. Amidst the busyness of life, taking the time to pray and read my Bible is a must.

I am looking forward to the crazy adventures that the Lord has in store for me this year. I pray it will be the best year yet.... but only because of Him and what He is doing in my life--blessings that I never could have imagined...speaking of which...I will end this post and spend some time with my Saviour before going to bed.

New Pictures of Nadya and Anastasiya

I got these new pictures recently of Nadya, the little girl I am praying for, and Anastasiya, the baby I sponsored for Christmas. Both of these little girls need families? Aren't they precious?

This is Nadya:

This is Anastasiya:

Milena is blogging to find a family for Nadya, and I am blogging to find a family for Anastasiya. You can read these blogs by clicking on the buttons on my sidebar.

Long Overdue Update

I am sorry it has been so long since my last post. Things are really progressing as far as my next trip to the Philippines. I have been in contact with the missionaries I will be working with, and I am very excited! Right now, I am planning to go in September and stay a couple months, Lord willing.

However,the Lord seems to be leading me to possibly make a trip to visit an orphanage in Ethiopia in April or May. I cannot share much right now, but I am really praying for the money that I will need in order to go...the cost of the trip will be around $2500.I am keeping a separate blog all about that. Right now, that blog is private, as I am working on writing out the events leading up to my decision to take this trip. I may keep it private for awhile after that as I want to share some of the details with my friends and family before they become public information. Please let me know if you would like an invite to that blog, and I will try and do that once the blog is set up.

I am going to try and put up a fundraiser for Baby Anastasiya as well. I have not gotten around to that due to lack of computer...and may not get a computer for awhile if this trip to Ethiopia works out...as I will need to use some of the money I was saving for a computer to take this trip...but we shall see. Once I figure out how to set up the chip-in, I should be able to get the fundraiser set up.

Other than that, my life has been not too busy...I am still working at a craft store...and I just started volunteering with the local Down Syndrome Guild...and I am loving that. Looking at all those little faces on Reece's Rainbow, and reading lots of blogs just made me want to do something. The children I work with are so precious...but I cannot share any pictures as I don't have the parents' permission to do so.

Well, that is about it. I will try and update again soon.