Friday, February 28, 2014

The BIG Giveaway!


He was part of a hosting program.
 
One child out of many available to spend the summer with a willing family.
 
He was one of many but he was unique.  He sported an extra chromosome.
 
 
 
He was one of many available to spend the summer with a willing family.
 
But as the days went by and the deadline for being chosen loomed, no willing family stepped forward.  While all the other children were finding families, he was being left behind.
 
Overlooked.
 
Whether it was because he was special needs, or was a boy, or was a bit older... for whatever reason, he was running out of time.
 
They had just finished an adoption. 
 
 
They had brought home a precious little Reece's Rainbow treasure from across the ocean.
 
 
She was their fourth Reece's Rainbow babe...
 

 
Their eighth adoption.
 
 
From four different countries.
 
 
Most families would have looked at his picture wearily, nodded and passed right on by.
 
But the Boroughs are not most families.
 
I know, I've met Amy.
 
 
She's a total nutcase when it comes to orphans.
 
And when day after day passed and no one picked the sweet little boy waving "Hello!" in the picture.... A sweet little boy who also happened to be listed as available for adoption on Reece's Rainbow...
 
She broke.
 
She couldn't turn away.
 
On the very last day... in the last hour... Amy and Adam looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and opened their home to a precious little boy for the summer.
 
They said they were ONLY going to host him.
 
 
They said they were going to do whatever it took to find him a family.
 
 
YEAH RIGHT!!
 
 

 
I was not born yesterday.
 
I've been in Amy's house and I've watched her with her kids. I've spend hours and hours talking to her and listening to her heart. There was NO WAY she was going to JUST host him. As soon as he stepped off that plane last summer he completely stole their hearts.  
 
 
 
As soon as he walked into their lives Amy became a total weeping mess.
 
 


 

Every moment he was there she spent agonizing over the coming moment when he would have to leave.

 
Luke
 
Putting him back on the plane was the absolute hardest thing they have ever done.
 
His country is HARD.  The requirements are HARD.  Where he lives, the cost is HIGH.  Their chances of adopting him based on the country's income requirements and their family size .... slim.  But he is special needs, and older, and a boy....  And because of all of these strikes against him, a few weeks ago... the Boroughs were finally and officially approved to adopt him! This came only after months and months of jumping through all the hoops, biting every single nail off their fingers, praying, crying and praying some more.  I know how much crying Amy has done.  We are part of a tiny little prayer group together and we have spent a lot of time wading through her tears over that one little boy.
 
 
But there's more to this story.
 
More than just the adoption of one little boy.
 
Last fall I had the pleasure of introducing Amy to my dear cancer-fighting, not-gonna-quit, orphan-advocating, sock-sewing, Jesus-loving friend Elizabeth.
 
 
 
Elizabeth
 
Who found out last September that her cancer had come back.
 
Elizabeth, who takes each sucker punch that cancer sends her and uses it as an opportunity to BLESS someone. 
 
I introduced the two, shared Luke's story, and that was all it took.  Elizabeth decided right then and there that Luke was officially on her bucket list Make a Wish list.  She was not going to rest until Luke was fully funded and home with the Boroughs. 
 
And that was that!
 
Who's going to argue with someone who's fighting for her life so hard and so well-- whose every breath and thought reminds us that life is a good gift from God, worth living, worth fighting for?
 
There was one small hitch in the plan.  The Boroughs couldn't announce that they were the ones adopting Luke until they were officially matched.  But that didn't stop Elizabeth.  She rallied her forces and had a good friend, Kelle Hampton, raise money for Luke without sharing who was getting him.  I also joined in the fun and shared a post called THE DEHORITY DISTRACTION. Others joined in.  Other friends of Elizabeth who care deeply about her.
 
And that helped.  In a HUGE way.
 
In fact, it chipped the 38,000 dollar price tag for Luke's adoption down to $14,000. 
 
DID YOU READ THAT?
 
And while Elizabeth waited for the official piece of paper that sealed Luke to the Boroughs, she busied herself getting me funded for my trip last December and taking a trip to England in the midst of horrific chemo treatments ... yes she did.... She was in England while I was in Aaron's country.
 
 
 
And donating here and there and everywhere.  On New Year's Eve after an awful week of chemo, she was seen dropping money in the accounts of child after child after child after child on the Angel Tree.  We were all watching with tears sliding down our cheeks as she happily gave.
 
Every single time cancer has slammed her to the floor she has faced it with grace and wit and a love for those who need it the most.  On Wednesday she was hit with the worst kind of news.  I write this with tears streaming.  Her news included words like cancer and bones.  Not good. 
 
 
 
So Wednesday night... she came in the Reece's Rainbow group looking for adopting families who needed a boost.  Families who are staying the course and keeping positive.  And we watched with more tears streaming as she donated little bits here and there to encourage those families even as the news of her cancer pressed heavy on her heart.
 
You see where this is going?
 
We have to get the Boroughs funded.
 
Not just for the Boroughs. 
 
A friend of Elizabeth's who is choosing to be anonymous but who feels strongly about grace and gifts and being thankful in the ordinary... and who loves Elizabeth with a deep love.. She has donated some prizes for our BIG GIVEAWAY (name compliments of George Dehority)!
 
WINNERS....
 
1ST PLACE, 2ND PLACE AND 3RD PLACE
 
Michelle Howell, Karen Leak and Renee Tam
 
YOU GET YOUR CHOICE OF EITHER AN IPAD MINI, A KITCHEN AID MIXER OR A NIKON DIGITAL CAMERA!!!!
 
4TH PLACE
 
Sandra Yoong Chia
 
You get to PICK A CHILD on Reece's Rainbow and 250.00 will be deposited into that child's grant account!
 
5th PLACE
 
Pam Carswell
 
You get an Aaron Nalle ORIGINAL Paper Clouds T-shirt!!
 
All winners need to e-mail me at covenantb@yahoo.com with their name and address and what they won/choose!!
 
 
 
A Kitchen Aid KSM150PSAQ Stand Mixer, Martha Stewart Blue Collection Artisan 5 Qt. Aqua Sky
$340.00 Value
 
 
 
 A Nikon COOLPIX L820 16 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 30x Zoom Lens and Full HD 1080p Video (Black)
$228.00 Value
 
 
Plus... (Saturday additions... TWO NEW prizes have been added...)
 
 
An Apple Mini - 16 GB
$300.00 Value
 
 
A $250.00 PICK A CHILD prize. The winner of this prize gets to pick any waiting child on Reece's Rainbow.
 
 
  Plus...
 
An Aaron shirt has been donated...
 
A women's size XL (but is more like a Medium).
 
 
 
 
 
It's easy.
 
Donate.  Any amount.  Leave a comment (first/last name and amount- I will not post if you ask me not to post) and you are entered to win one of three prizes. Every five dollar gets you one entry.  Every share gets you an entry.  The more you give, the more you share, the greater your chances of winning a prize.
 
The first AND second place AND third place winners get to choose which gift they want (camera or mixer or ipad).  
 
The goal - Fully Funded.
 
Two weeks.  This ends March 14th.
 
$14,000.00.
 
Elizabeth wants this task checked off her Wish list.  She has better things to do like knitting socks to bless people.
 
 
 
And spending quality time with her sweet children.
 
 
I want this off her Wish List too.
 
It means more than words can convey.
 
UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!!!
 
THE BOROUGHS ARE OFFICIALLY FULLY FUNDED!!!!!
 
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GIVING AND SHARING!!
 
I AM SPEECHLESS!
 
 
CLICK HERE to get to the Boroughs blog.
 
 
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!
 
P.S. - Winners will be announced later in the day!!
 



Thursday, February 27, 2014

Storm Heaven People!



Please pray.
 
STORM HEAVEN!!
 
The Rowes are in country and tomorrow they have court.
 
Their court happens to be in the same place where things are happening that are NOT GOOD!  The parliament was captured and tanks are surrounding the city.  Please please pray!!
 
Pray that in the midst of all the crazy happenings over there... that court WILL take place and this child... who has waited for so very very long... will finally have a family!!!

Rowe

P.S. - They are fully funded..... THANK YOU FOR GIVING... Now PRAY!!

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Crazy Wednesday...



 
 
Okay... I confess... these were taken last week but still...
 
They were way too cute not to share!!
 
 
 

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

"Big"

I'm not writing a post today.
 
Instead I'm sending you over to read the post of my precious friend Elizabeth who is battling cancer in the fiercest of ways. 
 
Read the ENTIRE post.  Make sure you have a tissue with you.  I was caught off guard and ended up having to use my sleeve.
 
Read it and come back on Friday...  It's a labor of love for two people I love very much. 
 
 
 
 
 

Sunday, February 23, 2014

They Would Have A Stroke

 
It's Sunday morning and our littlest is battling a bit of a cold so I am home with him.
 
He's not going to be contained inside though as it is 50 DEGREES outside and the sun is shining and the outdoors calls to him.  Oh the nannies would be having strokes if they could see him outside with only a coat, NO hat and without seven layers on his body.  And a runny nose.  Shhh.... don't tell.
 
 
He's still a child who watches the weather with great concern.  Every day he looks out the window.  Worries over the clouds.  Wonders.  I don't know if we will ever erase his angst about storms or dark days.  We can only reassure him again and again and again and then again some more.  Rain is okay.  Dark days have no hold over us.
 
He's a precious boy. 
 
 
Growing up so fast which makes me want to scream for time to slow down. 
 
He is a heart stealer.  Anyone who spends but a few minutes with him is pulled into his sweetness.   It's sweet because he has no idea.  He's just Aaron.
 
Funny.
 
Precious.
 

Just Aaron.
 
 

Saturday, February 22, 2014

The Price of Freedom

"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
 
 
 
 
 
"The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive."
 
 
 
"And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance?
 
 
 
 
 
 
" The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure."
 
 
"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty."


Praying that out of the ashes the people will turn to the Lord for guidance.
 
 
 
All quotes compliments of Thomas Jefferson....
 
 

Friday, February 21, 2014

No Revolution In Their World

A revolution may be happening in their country...
 
Devon AnnaMarie (1)
  
But they know nothing about it....
 
 
30728131752 2
 
And chances are... the effects of it may not reach them for many years to come...
 
40115154801 Devan 40110192034 Koen 
 
They are all waiting for families....
 
   30407151600 Kathryn
 
They all carry the diagnosis of being HIV+...
 
Adam 
 
They are children.
 
Digital image 30728131506
 
 
HIV is a virus that claims many innocent lives when children do not have access to antiretroviral medications.
 
alicia6 
 
Fortunately, it is treatable and the children who have access to medication and adhere to their treatment can live indefinitely without developing AIDS and can live long and full lives. 
 
 
Jeanette 
 
HIV is now considered a chronic but manageable disease, even easier to treat than pediatric diabetes.
 
 
 30929120500 Opal
 
HIV can NOT be spread through casual/household contact.
 
 
30728131651 Trisha (1)
 
HIV is not spread through hugging, kissing, shaking hands, sharing toys, sneezing, coughing, sharing food, sharing drinks, bathing, swimming or any other casual way.
 
Ethan 2013 31126202802
 
It has been proven that HIV and AIDS can only be spread through sexual contact, birth, breastfeeding and intravenously (such as used needles and blood transfusions).
 
 
 
 
Children born to women with the virus have a chance of becoming HIV positive due to mother-to-child-transmission. These children are innocent carriers of the virus. 
 
 30622080825
 
These children are currently living in institutions.
 
 Devora
 
Sadly, if they end up aging out of institutional life, there is a high likelihood they will be ill on the streets in a life of crime.
 
 Shawn (4)
 
Recent laws in the US and Canada allow for these children to be adopted. Being in a loving family helps them access medical care and gives them the opportunity to have a normal, healthy, productive life.
 
Serai Trudy
 
They can go to college, get married, give birth to healthy babies and live long enough to meet their grandchildren.
 
 
You can find all of these children listed on the HIV pages on Reece's Rainbow.  Some have large grants.  Some have only 5.00.  All of them need families.
 
Eloise
 
They don't care about Revolutions.
 
 Yelena 2013 
 
They only care that they are alone.
 
Murray (2)