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The families listed on this page have made it to “the end of the rainbow”. Your sponsorship is most critical now, as their final agency, country, and travel fees are coming due. Your help will make such a huge difference! |
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The families listed on this page have made it to “the end of the rainbow”. Your sponsorship is most critical now, as their final agency, country, and travel fees are coming due. Your help will make such a huge difference! |
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After four sons, Bobby and Michele McCarthy are excited to announce, the Lord is bringing them their FIRST DAUGHTER!!! They have been married for 17 years. Their boys are ages 15,14,9, and 8. Their youngest son was adopted in May 2016. He has complex CHD including HLHS. Through his adoption, the Lord grew their faith even more. They knew God planted in their heart the desire to continue adopting. And this time, the Lord brought them their very first girl! After wrestling with God about adopting a child with Down syndrome, He changed their hearts. God made it clear that “Mae” is their chosen daughter. She is 6 years old. All their sons are supportive and encouraged them to adopt “Mae” even when Michele and Bobby were scared themselves. With fear and then surrender, they said “YES!” They are incredibly grateful for your prayers and support. They are thrilled to welcome their first daughter full of spunk and spice and who just might help keep their boys in line!
To learn a little more about this family, please read Michele’s “He Is A Gift” post on No Hands But Ours about their first adoption.
9/19/2017 — LOA RECEIVED
Justin and Tara have been married for five years and have a two-year old biological daughter who loves to read and loves Mickey Mouse. As soon as Vivien was born, she was loved beyond comprehension by two parents who prayed for her and would show her the love of Jesus. This love grew and overflowed, and God began to give Tara and Justin hearts for the unwanted and unloved children in the world. Over the past two years, they have been praying about how God could use them in real, tangible ways, like fostering or adopting, to bring the light of Jesus and a forever home to a child in need. God has opened doors where they never even thought to look and He has led their hearts to precious little Jenny.
9/14/2017 — DOSSIER SUBMITTED
Please follow the family’s journey on their blog: thejourneytojenny.blogspot.com
Jenny has received a $468 Waiting Child Grant.
Joseph and Samantha Siebold’s decision to add to their family through adoption began in November 2015. They never could have guessed the many ups and downs they would experience when they began.
One year from making the commitment to adopt – after things going so very unexpectedly – they have had their hearts opened wider than ever. The big picture here is one they never could have envisioned or created on their own. Their story is one they never would have written for themselves. The world is an imperfect place full of imperfect people. But, if all of us come together in small ways the world can be changed.
They are so honored and excited to become this beautiful girl’s adoptive family! Adoption is never perfect because it comes from loss. The Siebolds’ goal is to meet “Roxy” where she is at and give her everything they have to give. She deserves the world (and more) and they want to try to change it for her!
(You can help them change her world too!)
When she joins the Siebold family, “Roxy” will have a Mama and Daddy ready to unconditionally love and advocate for her. She will have two big sisters and a big brother to dote on her for a lifetime. Not to mention a big extended family and community to support and embrace her.
9/15/17 — DOSSIER COMPLETE; AWAITING TRAVEL DATES
Read more about the Siebolds and follow the family’s adoption (and beyond!) through Samantha’s blog: www.NonfictionFairytale.com
Samantha and Caleb have been a happy couple for the last 13 years. They met at an outdoor festival in Minnesota, and have been together ever since. After all these years, they still respect and love one another deeply. They have a large extended family that includes 10 wonderful nieces and nephews that they love to spoil and spend time with!
It has been a dream of Samantha’s since she was a little girl to adopt. No one was surprised when they announced their plans to close family to bring home two children from Eastern Europe. Everyone is waiting in anticipation for the arrival of Bronson and Sophie! Caleb and Samantha cannot wait to add to their family, and look forward to the many adventures and challenges that go along with international, special needs adoption!
9/13/2017 — DOSSIER SUBMITTED
A family of five, following God’s call to become eight, we are pursuing the adoption of a sibling trio, ages 14, 16, and 18. We hosted the oldest and youngest in our home during the summer of 2016. We loved them, but let life and excuses get in the way of pursuing them further. After 6 months of working in both of our hearts, we had a heart-to-heart with one another and realized we need to be obedient to God and become V8. We hope to bring home our teens mid-late 2017.
We live in a small town in southwest Minnesota. We have a 4-year old son and 2-year old twin girls. Our 4-year old asks regularly when the teenagers can come back because he believes we need to be their family. Our response: God’s will; God’s time.
9/14/2017 — DOSSIER SUBMITTED
Darrel and Shonette have been married for 28 ½ years. Darrel is retired AF, and is now in law enforcement. Shonette is a stay at home mom and homeschools five children who are still in school. They are active in First Baptist Church, in their city.
They have ten children, four biological and six adopted. They have always been led to adopt overseas. They finally took that leap of faith back in 2009. They started out to adopt one little girl and that fell threw. Then they picked another little girl, which could not be adopted because paper work wasn’t ready for her. In that entire process, they wanted to God to lead them to the one that was to be their daughter. Their agency sent them five more little girls. They prayed that whichever one was paper ready, was to be their daughter. In April 2010, they landed with their little girl from Ukraine, AnnaKae Hope. AnnaKae was weeks from being transferred. They knew AnnaKae was meant to be their daughter. They have been praying for years about adopting another one so AnnaKae could have a little sister.
They were praying about Priscilla on Reece’s Rainbow. Then Shonette heard she was going to be transferred in August. She knew it was time to jump again. God has called them to a place that a lot of people don’t want to go. Darrel and Shonette have a heart for orphans and know it’s their passion. They are rushing to get everything done, to get to Priscilla before she is transferred. They are excited about adding another little one to their family and can’t wait to get her home.
9/12/2017 — DOSSIER SUBMITTED
Hi! We’re the Pattersons. We’ve been married for 23 years (Wow, time flies!) and currently have five children. Our two oldest are in college, our next two are in high school and our youngest is in fifth grade. Four years ago we adopted our youngest, Joseph. The past four years have been challenging but SO rewarding.
For over 2 years we have wanted to adopt again. We had been in process with another country when the adoption could not move forward. We were heartbroken. When we saw Camila’s picture we were so excited! We had been praying about who our next child would be and hoping that we could adopt a little girl with Arthrogryposis. Joseph was born with Arthrogryposis and we have become quite familiar with the ins and outs of the medical procedures and therapies that are necessary. So, when we inquired about Camila and were accepted to pursue her adoption we were thrilled! Despite the unknowns, we are ready to plow through the paperwork to bring our little girl home as soon as possible!!
We appreciate your prayers and support so much as we begin this journey.
9/12/17 — DOSSIER SUBMITTED
Follow the family’s adoption journey on their blog at hiskindness.wordpress.com
The Bouchard family is so excited to be adopting again! They have prayed for years for some of the older little girls on Reece’s Rainbow to find their forever families, so when God opened the door for them to be able to go back, they were so excited to begin Kennedy’s adoption. Kennedy will have two younger sisters who also have that very special extra chromosome!
Rick and Chante have been married for 18 years and live with their nine children on a farm in Missouri. They have been blessed to be able to adopt children from Haiti, Ethiopia, and China, as well as having four biological children.
They love spending time outside on their farm, caring for the animals. Their family also enjoys going to amusement parks, fishing, and playing board games together. They are very involved in their church, and the whole family loves Sundays and Wednesdays, when they get to spend time in church together. One of the things they love most about adoption in watching children blossom into all that God created them to be when they have the love of a family supporting them. Everyone of their children adds something unique and special to their family, and they can’t wait to meet Kennedy!
They would love your prayers and support as they work to raise the money needed to bring Kennedy into their family.
9/1/2017 — DOSSIER LOGGED IN
Brian and Cortney are excited to go back to Eastern Europe to adopt another child with special needs. A little over four years ago, they adopted two children with special needs, a son with Down Syndrome and a daughter with cerebral palsy, from the same country. This came after God opened their eyes to how children with special needs were languishing in orphanages, and they realized that He had equipped them to help. After struggling with infertility, they are eager to build their family through the gift of adoption once again. They were smitten the first time they saw Adley’s photo and it was soon after that they realized he would be the perfect addition to their family.
The Seays want to thank all their family and friends who have helped them not only in the process of adopting their first children, but have also helped in the joy of raising them! Mostly they want to thank Jesus for saving us, calling us into His marvelous light, and enabling us to follow Him into His unexpected (and wonderful) plan for their lives.
9/9/2017 — AWAITING TRAVEL DATES
Follow the family’s journey on their blog: homeismeanttobeshared.blogspot.com
Hi there! We are Chris and Elizabeth Graham. Newlyweds. Mama and Daddy to Worth. Adoption advocates. Chipotle lovers. A musician and an artist.
In early 2015, I (Elizabeth) was living the single lady life when I had the craziest dream. In my dream, I was marrying the love of my life, and there right next to us was my precious, adopted child. It was breathtaking and vividly real.
By mid-2015, I was home study approved and eagerly learning the world of international adoption. After setback and heartbreak, I finally met my son, Worth, in May 2016, and he was in my arms forever on October 17, 2016.
Somewhere in the middle of that beautiful chaos, I met Chris and immediately knew he was the man of my dreams. Chris asked me to be his wife right before we traveled together to pick up my son, now our son. Loving Worth together has been the greatest joy of our lives. Some days are hard and messy and full of tears, but every day is overflowing with love.
Our prayer as a couple is that our love be so abundant that we have plenty to share with the world; now is the time to share our love with two daughters, two sisters for Worth. After months of praying and advocating for “Anna,” it became clear that she was supposed to join our family. Right now, she is locked away in a mental institution for adult men. Soon, she will be ours, forever home in our family.
With all signs and dreams pointing to adopting two girls, our hearts were led to “Dolly.” Without a doubt, she is our missing piece! “Anna” and “Dolly” are already in our hearts. Now we just need to get them home!
Thank you for being a part of this beautiful story. I can’t wait to see how it unfolds.
8/30/17 — DOSSIER SUBMITTED
Shannon lives in Maryland with her 14 year old son Alex. Alex is her pride and joy. After four miscarriages, and divorce, she still knew more children were meant for her family. She has been drawn to adoption since she was a little girl. Shannon grew up with physical disability in her family and knows first hand the difference love and support and good care can make in someone’s life. When she saw Chelsea-Qi’s profile, there was no doubt it was time to get the house ready for a little sister for Alex. Shannon is anxious and ready to meet Chelsea and show her all of the wonderful things Annapolis has to offer. God has called Shannon to adopt and specifically children with special needs. Waiting now is no different than the nine months she waited for her son to be born. Chelsea will be so loved and cared for and encouraged to live this beautiful life in the way she dreams. The Regan family (including Chelsea) is forever grateful for all prayer and donations in support of this adoption.
8/17/17 — DOSSIER EN ROUTE
Karen is a licensed professional counselor and Marriage and Family Therapist who has been working with children and families for over 20 years now. Through her career plans have progressed over time and even is able to run her private practice from her home now, there is something missing in her life — a child. She expected to be married with children of her own by now, but when life didn’t work out that way, Karen set her sights on choosing to offer a forever home to an older waiting child who has never had parents to call her own.
Karen began her search for a child who would best fit into her family and feels that God led her to “Nina,” a 12 year old girl from Eastern Europe, who has spent her entire life since she was six months old in the foster care system. Nina is described as a very caring, grateful, generous and sensitive child who also loves animals and just recently told her foster mother that she “really wants a dog!” Karen has adopted four rescue dogs that she uses in her therapy work with clients! Nina is also very excited about being adopted!
Given her professional background working with tough adolescents, Karen is uniquely prepared to help Nina transition as smoothly as possible to a new home and country. What Karey does need help with, however, is the daunting task of raising enough funds to cover the formidable fees required for international adoption. Your prayers and contributions are deeply appreciated and would enable this dream to happen! Thank you, and may God bless you!
8/14/16 — AWAITING TRAVEL
Adoption has been part of the Horst family for over 12 years and has been a tremendous blessing in their lives; it has changed them forever. Galen and Yalonda carry a deep love and concern for needy children in their hearts. They have been blessed with 6 children, 2 adopted internationally and 4 biological, ages 17-3.
When they felt God calling them to adoption again it was with a huge leap of faith that they began the process. Their journey has been a journey full hope and disappointments and it was during one of their lowest points that they saw Lylah’s picture—a beautiful baby girl born with Down Syndrome and waiting for a forever family. The whole family knew immediately that she was their very own baby girl. She was beautiful! She was perfect! She was hand-chosen by God just for their family! They whole family is so excited about bringing their sweet baby girl home in a few months.
The Horst family feels ready to work with the challenges Lylah will face. They are familiar with special needs beings they have a son who is hearing impaired. They are excited about helping Lylah reach her full potential as well.
They humbly request your prayers for Lylah’s safety and health until they are able to bring her home. They are also deeply grateful to all the people who have supported them in their journey whether through prayer or financial support so far. This support is aiding God in the miracle of bringing Lylah home to her forever family!
9/14/2017 — LOA RECEIVED
Anna and Steven have been blessed twice through adoption! Eddie joined their family in 2015, and Rosa came home in 2016. After years of infertility and fruitlessly pursuing domestic adoption, the Parrishes saw Eddie’s picture in 2014 and were smitten. Once home, in 2015, they quickly saw the difference that it makes for children to be in families. Eddie immediately grew and blossomed. Anna and Steven immediately began considering adopting again. Rosa (previously listed as “Ryleigh”) has been an incredible blessing and joy to our family.
Shortly after getting home with Rosa, Anna and Steven were looking at orphans on Reece’s Rainbow and saw sweet V’s photo. They were instantly drawn to him. As the holiday season passed, he was often at the forefront of their thoughts. In January, the Parrish family reached out to their agency to begin pursuing V. They were matched in April and their homestudy was completed in May! V has a number of medical special needs including spina bifida and hydrocephalus. The Parrish family is working to bring V home as quickly as possible.
8/4/2017 — OFFICIAL REFERRAL RECEIVED
Follow the family’s adoption journey on their blog at
Ellen and Joel live in Connecticut where they have been married for 25 years. They have five children: two in college and three at home. As things often go, their children’s hobbies and interests have become their hobbies and interests. They enjoy getting outside, watching any kind of sport being played by their children and listening to their musical endeavors. The youngest, John (4), born with Down Syndrome, has been a blessing in all their lives. Since John was born, they have been introduced to the world of “special needs”. All members of the family have taken a keen interest into how to bring about John’s best abilities. They still enjoy the same endeavors, but perhaps in a different way. Over the years, Ellen and Joel have learned so much from being parents; so much about themselves. After John was born, they became aware of Reece’s Rainbow and the phrase “waiting children”. They have come to understand these children are not waiting for a ride to school, or waiting for new shoes; their real wait is for a family. Something many of us take for granted. This phrase, “waiting,” has been on their minds for over 4 years. Ellen and Joel feel their life journey has led them to the role of adoptive parents and they are happily accepting of this role.
One day while looking on Reece’s Rainbow, Ellen saw Eloise and showed her to Joel. The brief description of Eloise noted that, “she responds to people by waving and shaking hands. She loves music and is mesmerized by every note”. AAAAhhh, they felt, “this is our girl!” They shared her picture and the idea of adopting her with their four older children and not one of them hesitated to say, “YES, let’s do it!” So here they are, deeply committed to bringing Eloise to live with them forever; deeply committed to giving her the opportunities that their son John has in his neighborhood school, and in the supportive and loving communities of church, family, and friends. They are currently asking for prayers and support to make this adoption financially, emotionally, and spiritually successful. Please consider partnering with them to bring Eloise to her forever home.
8/2/2017 — DOSSIER COMPLETE
Adopting their youngest son from Eastern Europe, Stacey swore she could never go back. After seeing firsthand the children she had only ever read about, she stepped off the plane back home and wanted to put it all behind her. She didn’t want to remember the silence of the orphanage, the smell of tooth decay and urine, and the babies lying for hours on end in their metal cribs. They had rescued their son, Israel, and perhaps there were other ways that God would use them to help the other children.
But God had other plans and they learned of a little girl that was laying in another crib on the other side of the orphanage, the same orphanage they had carried their son out of. They learned about the horrible medical procedures the baby had endured and her need for a family. This sweet girl had an amputated left arm and right foot, and she needed a mommy and daddy who could help her grow into a strong, confident woman. She needed siblings who could challenge her to walk and run, in spite of her limb differences. This little one needed a home, and the Gagnons knew that they could make room for one more.
The Gagnon’s are excited to welcome home there “Room for One More”, named Star. And as they travel this journey, they would like to invite you to come along and support them in prayer.
Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions.
Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching. As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea. The boy came closer still and the man called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”
The young boy paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves,” the youth replied. “When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.”The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”
The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one!”
7/28/2017 — TRAVEL DATES RECEIVED
You can follow their journey at www.ransomforisrael.com as they make a difference to this one; their little “Star”fish.
The small seed of adoption was planted in the Holloway family during an annual dinner for a local ministry in 2010 and soon blossomed into a growing awareness that God was not done creating their family yet. Married for five years and raising their three children in the panhandle of Florida, Lenny and Roberta started the process to adopt a child with special needs from China in 2011 but listening to God’s prompting, changed their path to domestic infant adoption. Their family was thrilled to welcome baby Zoe into their family in Spring 2013 and they continue an open adoption relationship with her birth parents. But Lenny and Roberta knew in their hearts their family wasn’t yet complete. Roberta would sit in the nursery, rocking Zoe in the early hours of the morning and knew God was calling them to adopt again. Roberta says, “At that time, my only prayer was OK, but not yet.” In the fall of 2015 they knew it was time again, but felt drawn to teenagers who were running out of time to find a family. Lenny says, “With both of us working in local law enforcement we have seen how important family, good role models, and a support system are and what a positive impact in can make, even if it’s later in life.” They completed the process to adopt from state foster care, but again felt God calling them in a different direction. They became aware of a teenage boy who needed a family through friends who had adopted a sibling group of 3 from the same orphanage in Eastern Europe. They saw his picture, knew he was supposed to be a part of their family and started the process in February 2017 to bring him home. They are flying through the paperwork and praying to welcome him home this year.
8/11/2017 — DOSSIER SUBMITTED; AWAITING TRAVEL DATES
Jill is a single mom to two girls adopted from China. Jill always felt that she would adopt someday. She never thought that she would be doing it on her own, but feels incredibly blessed to be their mom. Jill adopted Ella in 2009 and Lexie in 2012. Both girls were adopted through the special needs program. They each have medical needs that require regular follow up but are very manageable now. Jill has found that she’s never really been doing this on her own, after all. God has directed every step and she and her girls are loved by Him as well as a community of family and friends. Her daughters are the joy of her life.
Jill and her daughters hosted Lexie’s best friend from her orphanage in December 2015 with the purpose to find a family for him. He is Reece’s Rainbow’s “Beau.” The two friends were reunited and he was recently adopted by family friends. That was a wonderful experience and Jill agreed to consider hosting again per Ella’s request. Ella wanted to host a little girl this time.
Jill, her daughters, and her mom (who takes care of her daughters when she works) looked at the next list of children available for hosting and were drawn to a 5 year old little girl. They watched her video and couldn’t imagine why she was still waiting for a family. Jill requested her file which had a long list of medical conditions in it that seemed daunting on paper but didn’t seem to fit the little girl in the video. Jill is an RN and felt like they could certainly help her find a family. Selah spent three weeks with them in their home last summer. They quickly fell in love with this sweet, funny, and determined little girl. Though she has challenges and the medical needs in her file proved to be true, it was obvious that they won’t define her. She doesn’t let anything stop her! Jill had a tearful goodbye with Selah at the airport when she went back. While Selah was here, Jill saw how well she fit into their family but hadn’t planned to adopt again and kept telling herself that she couldn’t do this… add a third child with multiple medical needs as a single mom… but she could also feel God saying, “No, you can’t. But I can.” After Selah left, she knew what she needed to do. Four days later, Jill emailed the adoption agency to begin the process to adopt Selah and bring her back to them, forever this time.
Selah has a long list of diagnoses and is in need of medical care and surgeries which may still include open heart surgery. There will be some travel required in the Midwest to provide her with the best options for medical care that will improve her quality of life. Selah is known as “Amelinda” on Reece’s Rainbow.
Jill hopes to travel for Selah’s adoption in the summer. Ella and Lexie are excited to bring their little sister home. They appreciate your prayers for the journey that lies ahead. “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 holds us responsible to act.” Proverbs 24:12
6/20/2017—DOSSIER SUBMITTED
From as far back as Brianna can remember she has been inspired to adopt because of her sister. Her sister was adopted from Korea back in the 70’s. So, when Brianna and Josh got married it wasn’t a question that at some point they would adopt. They have almost been married 13 years and now have 7 biological boys ranging from 1 to 10 years old. The discussion has always been very open with their boys about adopting, but they have always said down the road. Maybe 10 years. Their 8-year-old is already making plans to adopt teenagers from foster care when he grows up. He talks constantly about adoption and ask every question under the sun. Adopting a special needs child hadn’t always been the plan though. Brianna has always been drawn to Down Syndrome kids and has looked through Reece’s Rainbow numerous times over the years. She’d always show kids to Josh, but they knew it wasn’t the right time. Special needs kids made him nervous. Then a little over a year ago he had a change of heart. He was completely on board with adopting a special needs child. Brianna continued to read blogs about other families adopting. One family in particular that was adopting 4 kids lead her to this specific country, so all she would look at was kids from there. One day though she pulled open 4 kids pages and when Josh got home she showed him. One adorable, little boy they closed instantly because there wasn’t a ton of information and it scared them. They both agreed to pray about the other 3 kids. Ultimately, they didn’t feel like God was telling them to adopt any of these 3 kids. A month or so later one of the pages Brianna follows on Facebook shared a blog by Wide Awake International. The little boy in the preview photo oddly looked familiar so she opened it up. And there right in front of her was that little boy that they had closed the webpage instantly on! It was love at first sight. His giggle and smile stole her heart. When Josh got home he couldn’t believe it. They both agreed to pray about this little boy, but already could tell God was speaking to them about him. A few days later as Brianna was carrying their youngest to the changing table after he had cried in the middle of the night she felt an overwhelming feeling that the little boy was meant to be there son. She texted Josh at work instantly and he agreed! They gave it fully to God to help them figure out the funds to commit to this little boy by Thanksgiving and He came through instantly. All their other boys are so excited! They had always begged for a sister, but the mention of a new brother brought no request for a sister and just the question of how fast can he be their brother. So now we are praying and doing whatever it takes to get him home and make him Branscum Boy #8!
Due to family circumstances that have changed they will not be able to bring the sweet boy home as planned, but a family leaving very soon is adding him to their adoption. Instead they will be adding their first two daughters!
9/5/17 — USCIS APPROVED; DOSSIER NEARLY COMPLETE
Boy, born November 2003
PRC
Severe disorders of mental development; agenesis of corpus callosum; rickets
*** Dabney has received a $15,000 Older Child Grant! ***
7/27/2017 — TA RECEIVED
Nate and Sanae reside in the Seattle area with four wonderful boys. Though God has always surrounded them at church with families who’ve adopted special needs children, they never seriously considered adopting a child themselves – perhaps because of the trials they were facing –unemployment, finances, and health and perhaps because they felt they had a full house. Last year, God specifically called Sanae to consider adopting a girl with a special need. At first, she was scared and fearful of the unknowns, so she started praying. God quickly filled her heart with the joy and excitement of being blessed with a long awaited daughter! After all, Sanae felt, this is not very different from being surprise-blessed with biological children. God then worked in Nate’s heart over the next several weeks. Now they are both anxious to bring their beautiful little girl from Asia! The boys? They have been ecstatic from the very first suggestion. “Norah” will be well loved by all the sweet, big brothers, the parents, the grandparents as well as our church family who are all waiting for her arrival.
The Garvin family (including little “Norah”) are forever grateful for the donations already made by many people through RR and though RODS.
7/5/17 —LOA RECEIVED
The Job family currently reside in Northern California and are thrilled to be adopting for the first time. Gary and Sasha have been married for nearly seventeen years and have been blessed with four amazing children. Their youngest biological child, Zoey, was born with a congenital heart defect as well as an extra chromosome – she has Down syndrome! Zoey has shown the family not only how strong she is, quickly recovering from open heart surgery at three months old, but also that life with Down syndrome is beautiful. The joy she has brought to their world is contagious and the family knew that one day they would add to their family through adoption … and they knew one thing for sure, they wanted a child with Down syndrome!
In November Sasha saw “Angel” on Reece’s Rainbow. Immediately something grabbed her, she couldn’t look away from “Angel’s” photo. She read her bio and sat there, staring at her sweet little face on the computer screen … she knew she was this little one’s mama! Soon the entire family had fallen in love with her as well. It was becoming clear that they were definitely “Angel’s” family! The financial aspect of adoption being the only thing holding them back, but after much prayer they chose to step out in faith … confidently saying “yes” to this sweet girl!
“Angel” is four years old. She has a congenital heart defect as well as an extra chromosome (Down syndrome). She is perfect and so loved! The family signed with the agency “Angel” is listed with and submitted paperwork in December. They got the best Christmas gift imaginable, pre-approval to proceed in adopting this precious girl. Now officially on their adoption journey, they are doing everything they can to get to her as quickly as possible.
They hit the ground running and began fundraising immediately – and they continue to do so. Please keep this family continually in your prayers and if you feel led, please donate toward their adoption to bring “little sister” (as they now affectionately call her) home!
Update: The month of May was full of celebration!! The family had been talking about names from the start and there was one everyone agreed on: Ruby! So they happily shared that Ruby is the name they will give their girl! Sasha & Gary celebrated seventeen years of marriage, woohoo … and then they all celebrated being DTC (dossier sent)!!!
July 24 was a most magical day as they got the biggest news yet: LSC (letter of seeking confirmation, aka “LOA” – letter of approval) … they are officially approved to adopt their sweet girl!
With the travel expenses estimate they’ve been given, they are just about $5000 shy of being fully funded!!! They have come so far and are so appreciative of everyone who has donated and/or participated in fundraisers! Just a little more to go.
7/25/17— LOA RECEIVED
Markus and Sarah Linke met at church 11 years ago and have now been married for 8 years. A lot has happened in their 8 years of marriage; from experiencing miscarriages, to dealing with infertility, to the adoption of their miracle baby Hope in 2013.
In the beginning of their relationship, long before they experienced infertility, Markus and Sarah realized they had a common desire to adopt. And in 2013, less than 2 years after they experienced the heartache of miscarriages, their baby girl Hope practically fell into their laps. She is by far the biggest blessing in their lives. In 2015, when Hope was 2 years old, they saw the profile of a little boy with special needs and decided to try to adopt again. But just as they were nearing the end of their home study, the foster family decided to adopt the little boy. So they decided to put adoption on hold for a little while. Late in 2016, they saw “Anderson’s” profile on Reece’s Rainbow, a little boy with special needs available for adoption. Yes, the thought of the adoption falling through again crossed their minds. There is no guarantee in adoption; there are always risks. But they knew they had to try again! They have room in their hearts and home for more children, and Hope is so very excited to be a big sister!
Markus and Sarah feel so blessed and are thrilled to be on this adoption journey! They would greatly appreciate your prayers and welcome any financial support as they work hard to bring their son home as quickly as they can.
6/13/17 — USCIS APPROVED
The Speck family — Adam, Tiffany, Elijah, Avelyn, Malachai, Brynley, and Truenne — are excited to be adding to their family again, this time through adoption. While Adam and Tiffany had briefly discussed adoption when they were first married 16 years ago, the arrival of 5 biological children in a few short years and the busy life that results from a home blessed with many children, caused the idea of adopting to fall out of sight. God clearly had other plans however, and brought the idea of adopting suddenly back into the forefront of their minds this past spring, when a friend unexpectedly introduced them to Reece’s Rainbow. One beautiful child immediately caught Tiffany’s eye, and she and Adam began to pray and discuss the idea of adopting this child with special needs.
Over the following several weeks, the more they prayed and discussed adopting, the more God confirmed that this plan was from Him– through an unexpected sermon series (about adoption and foster care) at their church, random interactions with strangers who spontaneously shared adoption or foster stories of their own on an almost daily basis, and devotional topics discussing our own adoption into God’s family through salvation. After several months of praying to confirm that this idea of adoption was truly from the Lord and for this time, the Specks contacted Reece’s Rainbow to make a commitment to the little girl who had initially grabbed at their hearts, only to find another family had recently committed to her adoption. For several weeks after this, Adam and Tiffany wrestled through what felt like a loss to them, and realized fully that God was truly laying adoption on their hearts for their family.
It is with great excitement that they are able to announce that they will be welcoming Adelaide into their family! They are also currently trying to raise additional funds to be able to commit to a second daughter, and appreciate your prayers and any financial support to help them bring home Adelaide as soon as possible, and to be able to fully commit to this additional beautiful daughter.
UPDATE: The Speck family will also be bringing home Gertie!
6/13/17—DOSSIER COMPLETE
Ben and Amber have been blessed with a blended family that includes 5 children: two teenaged girls and three teenaged boys. They have been praying for a few years about expanding their family via adoption however they knew it had to be in God’s timing and not theirs.
Ben’s cousin who has adopted six children from overseas advocates for different children and happened to one day share a post about a girl from Asia who was best friends with their newly adopted daughter. Immediately Ben was overcome with a feeling that this was their daughter and called Amber to talk about this beautiful little girl. Within days they had contacted an agency and shortly afterwards received pre-approval to adopt “Bridget” — soon to be named Emmalee.
The entire family is excited to be adding another child to the mix. They know when we wait on God that amazing things happen. It is only through his grace and mercy that Ben and Amber will be able to go through this process and hopefully soon bring their daughter home.
6/6/17 — LOA RECEIVED
Austin and Allison are high school sweet hearts! Austin is a 23-year old and has been a Fire Fighter in the New Hampshire Air National Guard since 2013 and Allison is a 22-year-old elementary school teacher who transitioned to being a stay at home mom. Austin and Allison met their Junior year of high school and married in 2014. They have two biological children (Landon is 4 and Lilah is 2) and a foster daughter, and now, they find themselves in the middle of an effort to bring the newest member of their family home for next year’s holidays.
Adoption was never on the Routhier’s radar until they found out about Reece’s Rainbow. Allison found out about Reece’s Rainbow in the Spring of 2016 and began researching international adoption. Allison was still in school and it wasn’t the right time. They decided to become licensed foster parents through DCYF until the time was right for them to begin the adoption process.
They have been racing through paperwork at record speeds. This is going to be a “hurry up and wait” process, where they rush as much as possible, then sit tight until her paperwork is finally completed. Thank you for being a part of our daughters adoption story!
6/9/2017 — DOSSIER SUBMITTED; AWAITING TRAVEL
Follow our adoption journey on our Facebook page & our Etsy page with handmade hair bows and hair accessories.
This is the Speelman’s second adoption. They have three boys, two biological boys and their third son who was adopted from Asia in 2014. The summer of 2016 they determined they still had a child waiting in Asia and Ginny began looking. She stumbled upon a little girl but due to changes in their family it was not a good time to start an adoption. J.T. started a new job in September and on the first day of his new job they decided to request the paperwork of the little girl who had now been waiting most of the summer. After extensive research on her medical conditions and treatment options they decided the Speelman family was a good fit for this child and began the adoption process a second time around.
Lucy likes to listen to music, gets along well with other children, likes to play outside on swings and slides, prefers to play with other kiddos than alone and is described as a fighter full of spunk. The boys are thrilled to be getting a little sister! The Speelmans cannot wait to get their little fighter home where she will have a family to fight with her!
The Speelmans request your prayers for Lucy’s health, speedy paperwork process, safe travel, adoption finances, and for Lucy to be prepared for a family.
7/15/17—LOA RECEIVED
Follow the family’s journey on their blog: speelmanhome.wordpress.com
Antigone is the mother of eight incredible children, who just wasn’t ready for an empty nest as her oldest near adulthood. No stranger to adoption, Antigone and her two biological children first decided to grow their family through adoption in 2005, when they were 4 and 6 years old. Their new sister was almost 3, a waiting child from China with arthrogryposis, who could not walk due to club feet and a congenitally dislocated hip (that same sister is now a competitive dancer). In 2006, the family opened their hearts again and brought home a two year old sister from China, a spunky little girl with albinism and visual impairment. Antigone’s one son begged and begged for a brother, so in 2007, he traveled to Ethiopia with her to bring home an 8-½ year old brother.
After some time for adjustment, Antigone and her family felt that their hearts and home were big enough for more, so two more siblings, age 7 and 9, joined the family through domestic foster care adoption in 2011. The family connected through church, dance, hiking, cooking, art, music, gardening, caring for pets, and other activities that they could do together to build connection and joy.
When the last of Antigone’s children entered middle school, the family discussed and all agreed that it would be wonderful to have a younger sibling that all could get to know before they left for college, and Antigone was happy with the idea of not having an empty nest just yet. In 2015, Antigone brought home a 4 year old boy from China, who was diagnosed with albinism, visual impairment, and autism. He readily bonded to the family and, although he is nonverbal, he is thriving and is very interactive and strongly attached to mother and siblings. Over time, all of the siblings agreed that it seemed unfair that they grew up with the benefit of similarly aged siblings (they are now 18, 18, 17, 15, 15, 13, and 13), while he is so much younger (6).
Antigone returned to the advocacy lists and noticed an adorable little girl with visual impairment. The little girl caught her eye, but she was undecided until an update was posted, showing that this little girl was not thriving. She had not grown between ages 2 and 3, and had lost a pound. In the videos, she showed behaviors very similar to Antigone’s youngest son- social and curious, though quite delayed. Antigone showed the video to the kids and it was unanimous- that’s our girl and she can thrive here! Antigone contacted the agency for information and the paperchase began!
Being a large, single income family, Antigone is grateful that her daughter has some grant funding available through Reece’s Rainbow. She is incredibly thankful for all who have donated to the fund to help bring her daughter home.
5/5/2017 — LOA RECEIVED
Life turned out to be very different from what Nancy had expected. The beauty of the unexpected brought with it confirmation of the strength of family, regardless of its shape and size. For many years, Nancy’s family consisted of herself and her Down syndrome son, Nicky. Deep down, Nancy always knew her family was not complete. Two and a half years ago, Maria (Margit on RR) joined her family. It was during the process of Maria’s adoption that Nancy was introduced to the dismal reality of life for many special needs children in other parts of the world. Nicky, now 22 years old, is and had always been a happy, joyful child. It was heartbreaking for Nancy to learn about what his life might have been like had he been born in a different part of the world. Maria had lived her life in an institution without having anyone to love her. The reality is harsh and difficult to see. Nancy and Nicky were thrilled to bring Maria into their family and embrace her with love and support. Maria has thrived and is full of joy. She brings joy to everyone she encounters. Nicky has loved taking on the role of big brother and Nancy now knows the blessing of opening your heart and family to a child in need. It really is possible to make a difference. For this reason, Nancy has decided to adopt again. Nancy, Nicky, and Maria are opening their hearts and their family to embrace a new family member. Nicky and Maria are excited to have a new sibling to share in the fun and Nancy eagerly awaits the gift of another child, giving him the love and support to thrive in a foundation of family love.
The Guarino family is very thankful for all types of support as they take on this journey.
8/15/17—AWAITING COURT
Shawn and Jenni Zupfer have been married for 10 years and have an incredible 4 year old biological son. While they felt their family of three was complete, they knew they had more love to share and opened their hearts to international adoption. They completed their home study and were soon matched with a toddler.
When visiting their prospective child in country this past July, Jenni met a young boy named John who was at the same interim care center as their toddler. She knew instantly there was something remarkably special about this young boy after meeting him and hearing his story.
At a young age, John fell from a mango tree an injured a disc in his back, but was not able to have the medical care he needed. She learned he was a true orphan, having lost both his parents to the recent tragic Ebola outbreaks, which forced him to live on the streets in one of the country’s worst slums, and fend for himself for survival. Despite all that was working against him, he managed to keep himself in school; he is very bright. He is one of the most loving, kind, and tenderhearted young boys you will ever meet. He maintains a sweet disposition, a strong inner drive to achieve his dreams, and a desire to once again have a family to call his own. Shawn and Jenni were grateful to learn he was matched with a family so that he would have the opportunity to have a loving family, continue his education, and pursue his goals.
Recently, however, due to unforeseen circumstances and no fault of his own, the family pursuing his adoption was unable to proceed. John was left with few options as he will age out of adoption eligibility in early January 2017 and once again be on his own, and alone.
Upon learning John was in need of a family, without hesitation, Shawn and Jenni stepped forward to pursue his adoption. They quickly completed a whirlwind of paperwork and updated their home study to include a teenager. Now it is a race against time for everything to come together, including raising the remaining funds, for John to join their family.
11/29/16—USCIS APPROVED
Joe and Hannah are specifically hoping to adopt a child with special-needs. Their youngest child has several special-needs of his own, including prematurity (born at 26 weeks) and Down Syndrome. They have already learned so much through caring for their son, who is now 4 years old, and therefore feel as though they are equipped to take on the responsibility of caring for another special little blessing. Joe and Hannah also have a 7 year old daughter and a 5 year old son.
Both of them want to add to their family. They had talked about adoption before they even had biological children, so they knew it was always something they wanted to do. They had always dreamed of having a large family and when they realized Hannah would no longer be able to have more biological children (Hannah had to have an emergency hysterectomy at the age of 23), they knew that we were meant to adopt! They love kids and feel as though their family is not yet complete. Adoption is the perfect option for them! They have the space, the time, the desire, and most importantly, the love to give. Adoption has become a passion and a calling for their family.
Many people have asked Joe and Hannah “why are you choosing to adopt?” To them, the reason is simple – because their hearts are telling them to!
Joe and Hannah have open hearts and arms and look forward to adding an addition to their family.
6/6/16—DOSSIER SUBMITTED
Follow the family’s adoption journey on their blog at thentherewas6.blogspot.com
