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These are the families who have taken a leap of faith and committed to adopt one or more of our orphaned children most recently. Your continued financial support will give them the strength and courage to continue this journey! |
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These are the families who have taken a leap of faith and committed to adopt one or more of our orphaned children most recently. Your continued financial support will give them the strength and courage to continue this journey! |
The Horst family is so excited to be adopting again! They have prayed many years for this time and God has moved their hearts that now is the time. Harlan and April have 5 children; two which they adopted from foster care and three biological children. They love spending time together as a family working on their farm and caring for the animals. They also have a garden and grow a lot of their own food. They enjoy fishing, going to the zoo, and visiting friends. One thing they enjoy most about adoption is watching the change in a child when they have a loving family.
They would love your prayers and support as they work to raise the money needed to bring their new daughter home to her forever family.
6/27/2017 — HOMESTUDY in PROCESS
Matt and Andrea live in North Idaho and have 8 biological children. For many years they knew they wanted to expand their family by adoption. They’ve always felt very strongly about helping children, especially those with special needs, and those that have suffered neglect and abuse. They firmly believe that every child deserves a home and family for them to reach their fullest potential. They’ve fostered in the past and have experience with special needs in their family. They weren’t sure how, or where they would adopt from, but waited for the opportunity to begin the process. Then, one day, a friend shared a video of an older boy with Cerebral Palsy living in an institution in a foreign country. Through a series of events they were able to find out more about him and get in contact with the agency that made his video. He’s been waiting in an institution for a long time and is getting close to the age where he won’t be able to be adopted. He is also unable to walk, but he is determined that he will in the future and he works really hard at taking steps and gaining strength. With the proper care and therapies available, he could have his dream of walking fulfilled. He also dreams of being able to drive a car someday! Matt, Andrea and their children hope to be able to welcome Dima into their family quickly before he ages out and becomes ineligible for adoption. Please help them bring Dima home!
6/26/2017 — HOMESTUDY in PROCESS
Thomas (Rusty) and Rachel have been married for 11 years. They have two boys Hunter 10 and Mason 6. They felt a longing to adopt but didn’t know how until a family friend introduced them to Summer hosting. After conflicting schedule issues they had to regrettable turn down hosting after falling in love with sweet Gulliver. God wasn’t through with this story there. He had been warming the hearts of a local adoption advocate to bring Gulliver to visit and hopefully find a forever family. The two families through family friends met and expressed desires to meet. The lady asked Rachel to travel with her to get Gulliver when he arrived from China. Rachel followed Gods calling and packed for the road trip. The family fell in love with Gulliver and the story began. Rusty and Rachel submitted to adopt Gulliver before he ever left the states. Little did they know it wasn’t God’s timing. Rachel was not quite 30 which is a requirement for China adoption. Rusty and Rachel prayed and trusted the lord until the phone call came that Gulliver was still available. They immediately applied for PA and were approved. God has showed up and out all in this family’s story. The family of 4 will soon be a family of 5.
6/19/2017 — HOMESTUDY IN PROCESS
Michael and Elizabeth are eagerly waiting to bring Cara home! Michael comes from a family of 14 siblings, and has always wanted a house full of children. Together, Michael and Elizabeth now have 8 children. They both serve at their local church, where Michael helps lead worship. Theirs is a house full of music and worship. Elizabeth is a full time mother, and home-schools their children on their small farm in Oregon. She has had a longstanding desire and call on her life to adopt a child with special needs, and has been patiently waiting for the time God would open that door in her life. Several months ago, the Lord began leading Michael and Elizabeth down a meandering path to prepare for adoption. Doors seemed to open and close, but each bend in the road only reinforced their confidence that God was leading them. They began a homestudy to prepare for a child they had not found yet.
Finally, when they saw Cara’s profile on Reese’s Rainbow, they both fell in love. They found the little girl who had been waiting for them! Cara is an amazing, shining little girl from eastern Europe. Michael, Elizabeth and all of their children are excitedly and impatiently waiting to bring Cara home. Their home is overflowing with love and affection for this little girl. Please, won’t you consider investing in making this family whole?
6/13/2017 — HOMESTUDY in PROCESS
Jarret and April have been married for 10 years with three biological children. Their youngest daughter, Amelia, who is two, has Down syndrome. Here’s their story:
We received Amelia’s suspected diagnosis of Down syndrome the day she was born. Basically a doctor walked in and said, “You know your daughter probably has Down syndrome, right?” We did not. Afterwards, we were bombarded with questions, hypothetical scenarios with what her future might look like, social workers, specialists, and a lengthy heart test. To say that our joy over having a beautiful and precious newborn was replaced with instant fear would be an understatement.
Fast forward two years and all that uncertainty and fear has been replaced with absolute joy. Our daughter is one of God’s greatest blessings to our family, bringing us laughter, love, frustration, and all the typical emotions a two-year old brings. Those painful days of medical terms and fear of the future are replaced with love and hope. During the early days of Amelia’s birth, I saw God’s hand in so many things. We emerged stronger and more faithful, and I know God has a plan for Amelia’s life.
So how does this relate to adoption? One day, I clicked on a link to help a friend who was raising money to adopt a little boy with special needs. At the site, I also saw a picture of a little girl who is one-years old and has Down syndrome. She was adorable. She reminded me of my daughter. However, this little girl’s life is vastly different from Amelia’s world. She lives in an orphanage in Eastern Europe, given up for adoption because she has Down syndrome. Her name is Emma. My heart ached for her.
I thought of Emma over the next weeks and months. I wondered what her daily life was like. I thought of Amelia and all of the support our family gives her. I wondered if Emma gets any support. I wondered if she has ever been outside of the orphanage. Who feeds her? Plays with her? Baths her? I knew that she should not be growing up in an orphanage and someone should do something.
More time past, and I prayed that “the someone” who should do something would. I felt God’s nudges that “the someone” might be us. I thought of the objections I had to this plan. First, we don’t have money saved for an international adoption, and it’s a long and complex timeline. I watched Emma’s profile. I was sure she would be adopted soon. I struggled. I wanted God to take this off my heart, and he did not.
So, here we are, in the middle of the process to try and adopt Emma. To be honest, we are scared, nervous, and excited. We are asking for your prayers for Emma and our family, and if led, we invite you to make a tax-deductible monetary gift to our Reece’s Rainbow account to help us bring Emma home as soon as possible. Together, we can change her life. We know God is asking us to trust in him. We hope you will join us on this journey, because if not us, then who, and if not now, then when?
6/9/2017 — DOSSIER SUBMITTED
Please meet the Romeros. Teresa and Robert are the parents of two girls, a sixteen year old and a four year old. They are a family with strong faith. They always wanted to adopt, it was originally part of their family’s plan. However, they never felt financially secure enough to move forward. This past January Teresa was part of a mission trip to El Salvador. During the trip Teresa worked in very poor communities. The poverty was like nothing the family had previously experienced and Teresa was deeply distressed by the plight of the children. When she returned home, she shared her experiences with her family and they decided it was the right time to move forward with the adoption. The Romeros wanted a child that had special needs and over the age of 2, but also wanted to adopt in birth order so the child needed to be younger than their 4 year old toddler. They were ecstatic when they found the most adorable little guy, called “Patrick” on the agency profile. They inquired about him and had their doctor review his medical records. They were so excited to say “yes” to the adoption of Patrick. They quickly realized they would need to fundraise in order to make their dream a reality and have set up several fundraisers already.
The Romeros are totally committed to loving Patrick and making him part of their family. Please help the Romeros bring Patrick home.
6/7/2017 — HOMESTUDY in PROCESS
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 mide-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.
6/7/2017 — HOMESTUDY COMPLETE
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.
6/6/2017 — HOMESTUDY COMPLETE
Follow the family’s adoption journey on their blog at
God has been working miracles in their hearts, and the Harmon family is adding a sweet little boy to their family! As their own four children slept safely in their beds, bellies full of food, hearts knowing they are loved, Nikki and Mikey wept as they scrolled through profiles of abandoned children who did not know the safety and love of a family. As they scrolled through page after page of profiles, they kept going back to one little boy who had touched their hearts. He was familiar to them somehow, and before the night was over they had emailed the agency for more information. They hardly slept that night as the weight of these forgotten children weighed heavily on their hearts and wet their pillows with tears. Over the next few days it became clear that God intended for this little boy to teach them about sacrifice and love. Suddenly their perspective had changed and nothing felt as important as bringing him home. Their children did not hesitate for a moment when Nikki and Mikey told them there was a child without a home who needed a family. They cannot wait to hold Landon in their arms!
6/6/2017 — HOMESTUDY in PROCESS
Follow the family’s adoption journey on their blog at theharmonsadopt.blogspot.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.
6/5/2017 — HOMESTUDY in PROCESS
Trent and Amber have been married for eight years. They have three children. The oldest, an 11 year old daughter who joined their family with Amber, is a sweet, loving child who enjoys softball and soccer. Together, they have two young sons. The four year old is hilarious and loves helping Dad with yard-work and car repairs. The baby is two and he is obsessed with tractors and trains. As a family, they enjoy being active in their church, escaping to the outdoors, and engaging in community activities.
Adoption was something they talked about from time to time. They always considered it down the road, when their children were older; when timing was more convenient. After watching local friends go through a domestic adoption, their hearts started to stir. They considered becoming respite caregivers for foster families. It was during this time of consideration their eyes were opened to the orphan crisis in the world. They were introduced to Reece’s Rainbow, particularly children with special needs in Eastern Europe. After watching a close friend commit to a child and go through the adoption process, Amber prayed that if this was God’s will for their lives now, that He would make it known to them. One day, she showed Trent a picture of a little boy, which had become pretty routine in their house, but this time he responded with, “OK. Find out what we need to do to get him home.” They knew then that they couldn’t say “but later” any longer. God had called them to make a difference to one.
They are thrilled to welcome home their son and cannot wait to start their journey as a family of six!
5/31/2017 — HOMESTUDY in PROCESS
Mark and Rachel Parkinson have been happily married 16 years. We have three beautiful children.. Christian, Naomi and Ella. We have a fun farmette where we enjoy all of our animals and plenty of fresh air!
Adoption has been on Rachel’s heart since she was a little girl…she dreamt of having her own orphanage one day. As time has gone by and prayers for direction made, the Lord opened their eyes to the needs of the orphans of Eastern Europe. Thus has begun our amazing journey leading us to commit to a beautiful little girl “Emma”. We feel so blessed to be called to bring her into our home and call her our own……she is in a very tough place and we are raising funds to bring her home as soon as possible!
5/25/2017 — HOMESTUDY COMPLETE
Jason and Alex Parsley have been happily married for 13 years and have a beautiful family of 5 (now going on 6!). They have 3 biological children: Lily, their oldest daughter, of 12 years old; Laila, their 2nd daughter, at 10 years old, and Jed, their son, who is now 6 years old. Jason and Alex have both been very active in ministry for many years and are very passionate about loving people. Over the last 3 years a stirring began in their hearts for the Orphan Crisis and they began seeking to make a difference . Alex and Lily were led to a mission trip in Asia last year to work with orphans when they met Ethan. They loved him from the moment they saw his sweet little face and he stole a very special place in their hearts. The Parsley family spent almost a year praying over him, praying that he would have the loving family he needed, and asking the Lord to lead them to the child He has for them. After months of searching for his file, accepting that they might not, and praying over many other children, God lead them right back to Ethan. And they are so ready to have this sweet little angel in their arms. The Parsleys are doing everything they can to be good stewards of what they have and raise funds creatively as well. However, they still need help, and would be honored if you would support them in bringing Ethan home.
You can follow their adoption journey at www.spiritorchard.com for regular updates. Thank you in advance for your considerations, support, and donations.
5/22/2017 — HOMESTUDY COMPLETE
Josh and Devin have been married for 10 years, and have 3 biological children. While never truly struggling with infertility, they have experienced the pain and loss of miscarriage, and the stillbirth of one of their sons. They cherish the precious lives of each of their children and are grateful for every child they have had under their roof! Josh and Devin became therapeutic foster parents 2 year ago and have had experience with many physical, mental, and emotional needs. Devin has wanted to adopt since she was very young, and Josh has personal experience with adoption in his family, so they were excited when they were finally in a position to adopt after Josh’s time in the military and college. After working with special needs through foster care and their own children, there was no question that Josh and Devin wanted to adopt a child with special needs…specifically Down Syndrome.
They fell in love with this precious little girl, and have enjoyed learning as much as they can about her country and culture. They can’t wait to finally meet “Evita”! Because of the special needs in the family, they are planning to stay together as much as possible during the long “pick-up” trip, which of course only adds to the already numerous expenses. There have already been several delays that have been discouraging, but they know their daughter is absolutely worth the wait, the fight, and the commitment it will take to bring her home.
5/22/2017 — HOMESTUDY in PROCESS
