 |
These are the families who have taken a leap of faith and committed to adopt one or more of our orphaned children most recently.
|
Duncan and Kristen Wingard married in 2015 after graduating college and knew that adoption would be in their future. After having their two boys in 2019 and 2021, in November 2022 they decided to start the international adoption process to give a well deserving child a loving and caring home.
As you know, international adoption is a very extensive and expensive process. The Wingard’s started financially saving over a year ago with the plan that they would be able to fully fund this adoption themselves. With the extensive process international adoption is, the Wingard family also anticipated that they would be waiting years to be matched, but God had other plans.
They are thrilled to share that on May 19 they were matched with the sweetest little girl, “S”. “S” is 2. 5 years old with an infectious smile and a list of special needs.
While the Wingard family takes great pride in knowing that they have been chosen to be “S” family, they now find themselves without the time to save like they originally planned.
The Wingard family is eternally grateful for your generosity and financial support to bring “S” home. If you are not in a situation to support financially, they ask and appreciate your prayers for “S” and her future.
5/31/2023 — COMPILING DOSSIER
On their second date, Josh and Charity discussed their desire to adopt children in need for the first time. Both of them grew up around children who were adopted. Charity loved the children in her church who had Down Syndrome, and Josh was privileged to watch his Youth Pastor and his wife go through the process of adopting two children from Taiwan.
Three years after they got married, in 2021, the Smith’s began to pursue adoption from Bulgaria through Lifeline Children’s Services. When they found out that there was a Down Syndrome specific track in Bulgaria, they were elated and eager to adopt a child with Down Syndrome. Now, after 2+ years, Josh and Charity are thrilled to be at the tail end of the adoption process.
In February, 2023, Josh and Charity flew out to Bulgaria to meet their son, Matthew. Now, they await the call to fly out again to bring their boy home!
5/26/2023 — AWAITING FINAL TRIP
Nine years ago, God gave the Busler family a vision that included adoption and special needs. That vision, and God’s continued help and guidance, have taken the family on an emotional, spiritual, and geographical journey to Armenia to ultimately adopt two children (Mikko and Serob) and to begin the process of adopting a third child, this time from the Republic of Georgia.
While in the process of adopting Mikko, their first adopted son, in December 2017, Valerie and Forrest Busler noticed a little sprite of a guy (Serob) at Mikko’s orphanage who seemed to have a big heart. God kept Serob in the Buslers’ hearts, and when they felt that Mikko was stably integrated into the family, the Buslers initiated the adoption process for Serob.
After months of work and waiting, the COVID pandemic put a halt to Armenia’s processing of adoptions, and the Buslers were unsure if they would ever get to bring Serob home. In face of that uncertainty, the Buslers kept their hearts open, trying to discern if God wanted them to adopt from a different country.
During that time, through Reece’s Rainbow, the Buslers found out about little “Nelly” in Georgia (the country, not the US state). A few months later, though, Armenia started processing adoptions again, and ultimately the Buslers were able to bring Serob home in October 2021.
They never forgot about “Nelly”, though, and now they are hopefully only a few weeks away from traveling to Tbilisi, Georgia, to complete her adoption and bring her home to two brothers and two parents who will love her and treasure her.
5/2/2023 — AWAITING TRAVEL
When Gary and Carrie got married in 2003, they would have never dreamed their lives would look like this 20 years later. But God laid adoption on their hearts, so after having daughters Constance and Callie, they brought home their third daughter, Presley, from Eastern Europe in 2017. They thought their family was complete….until God planted that seed in their hearts again. A year and a half after bringing Presley home, Gary and Carrie started casually looking through Reece’s Rainbow children. As soon as “Mikah” was listed they knew he was their son! They began the process in June 2019 and passed court in March 2020 just two days before Covid shutdowns. They would have to wait 4 more months to bring Milko home. Then, only 17 days after bringing Milko home, they gave birth to their 5th child, Rhett. Adding Milko and Rhett at the same time was incredibly difficult. If you asked Gary and Carrie if they would add any more children to their family, they would have again answered that their family was complete.
However, on their first trip to meet Milko in January 2020, they both noticed this other little girl with spina bifida in the same orphanage. She always was sat in a little blue chair and was given a toy. She had the best personality and would talk to anyone who was in the room. She was the sweetest little girl and Gary and Carrie fell in love with her. The following month she was listed on Reece’s Rainbow and they prayed for her and advocated for her for the next three years, even signing up to be her MACC warrior. Many times they would say things like “I wish we could have just adopted her when we were there last time” or “we will definitely bring her home before she ages out”. Eventually that just became “let’s go get her now”. Even though most people think they’re crazy, they are so excited to finally bring home that little girl that touched their hearts three years ago. To read more about the Mitchell family, please visit Reece’s Rainbow Report featuring their family.
5/31/2023 — HOMESTUDY COMPLETE & OFFICIALLY MATCHED!
The Anderson-Hansen family, Charlie, Liz and their six children (Ethan, Savanna, Nikita, Abby, Emmeline and Cameron) are on a new adoption journey! They adopted their son, Cameron, from DCF in 2021 and Nikita (RR “Bert”) from Ukraine in 2021. Charlie and Liz are both registered nurses. Charlie is a travel nurse who works in the ICU and Liz is a nurse for a group home agency for adults with intellectual disabilities. Liz has always had the heart for adoption and was thrilled when she met Charlie and realized that his heart also led him to adopt. After scrolling through Reece’s Rainbow for years and finding their son, Nikita, they finished their adoption in 9 months! Their son, Nikita, has multiple medical needs including cerebral palsy. Within the month they arrived home, they found so much joy in raising Nikita that they thought “what if we adopt just one more?”. As everyone knows… famous last words in the world of adoption! In Feb 2022, they signed and paid commitment fees for another Ukraine adoption and just days later, they got the devastating news that Ukraine was at war. They waited for a year for adoptions to reopen, when they saw a picture of their soon-to-be daughter in a completely different country! They are now in process with another Eastern European country to bring home their child. They have been soft-matched and are working hard to complete this adoption quickly and efficiently. They are so thankful and blessed for the village that has grown around them and their children and would love to have everyone along on their next journey!
4/21/2023 — HOMESTUDY COMPLETE
Wil and Heather have been married for 17 years. They met at College, Wil was Heather’s neighbor across the way. They fell in love and that is where their journey began.
William was in the Army Reserves for 24 years he recently retired in 2022. He has lovingly and proudly served his country serving 2 deployments to Kuwait/Qatar for 1 1/2 years. And another one year deployment to Iraq. Wil works full time at a local cheese plant. He loves to adapt the children’s toys, so they are easier for them to play with. They are his buddies, and they love to help their dad.
Heather is a stay at home mother. She has a health care and childcare background. Motherhood is where her heart called. Heather loves homeschooling the kids and watching them grow and shine as they learn. She also is very gifted at keeping our family organized which, when you have several special needs children you need that. She also loves volunteering with a local animal rescue.
Our journey to have a family started in 2007. After just a few visits, we learned that with Wils infertility and Heather’s the chances of them conceiving were slim to none. After much thought and prayer, we decided to build our family by adoption. We have been blessed with 3 children through adoption. And our hearts are now pulling us to a little girl in Haiti we know is our 4th.
Our oldest Erik is 8 we adopted him at birth from Arizona as a domestic adoption. His list of diagnosed is topped with severe Bilateral Schizencephaly—having only 20% of his brain, spastic quad cerebral palsy, epilepsy, peters anomaly, vision and hearing impairment, gtube dependence and many more. He has many complex medical needs. Erik is completely the sunshine of our lives. He is full of character and charm. He loves to help around the house, whether it be cooking, cleaning or helping dad fix things. He is the worlds bestest BIG brother, he loves to snuggle, hold hands and comfort his siblings or sit and hoot and holler chatting away at them. He’s excited to have a BIG sister and see what it’s like to be a little brother.
Our daughter Aliza is forever 4 she gained her wings in 2020 on her fourth birthday. She was and is our little sparkling princess we miss her so very much. We adopted her at 3 months old from a nursing home. Her doctors ordered hospice because they carried no hope that she would thrive with only a brain stem. Aliza was a sassy, smart, beautiful little girl. She loved doing art projects and snuggling particularly her daddy. She always had a little stuffed friend or doll and never left the house without earrings. We know she is watching over our beautiful princess in Haiti while we work towards bringing home her sister.
Our youngest, Ian is 2 he is our darling little rainbow after our very hard storm of losing our princess. We adopted him at 3 months old from Arkansas. Ian got caught in the birth canal and was without oxygen long enough to cause 80% brain damage. He too has a long list of diagnoses. Despite all those he is our giggly goose and wild child. He loves to be tickled and would snuggle 24/7. He has brought so much joy and laughter to our home. He loves to snuggle his BIG brother and hold his hand or arm. They sit and chat away with each other all day long. Ian is excited to have a BIG sister, he was glad he was going to still be the baby of the family lol.
“Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn’t know it so it goes on flying anyway.” -Mary K ash.
Just like the bumblebee our children shouldn’t be doing a lot of things, including living they are true miracles!! That’s why we as a family, BEE-lieve in the impossible!!
Many say Erik, Aliza, and Ian are blessed to have us. But truly it is the other way around. They have filled a hole in our hearts that was so very empty. All 3 are/were medically complex. We love them so very much they are our greatest blessings. We know our beautiful star across the sea will be no different.
As our family is now journeying into international waters towards Haiti. To bring home our missing piece to our family. She too has significant medical needs, but she is absolutely perfect in every single way. With a smile that will melt your heart. We would be so honored to have you on this journey to help bring our daughter home.
4/10/2023 — HOMESTUDY in PROCESS
Shelby has always loved working with children. From a very early age, she knew she wanted nothing more than to be a mom. When she was a preteen, there was a little girl with special needs in her church, and every once in a while Shelby would be asked to hold her while her grandmother sang a special. That’s when she grew a special place in her heart for kids with special needs. Though that particular child did not have Down syndrome, Shelby felt a strong tug on her heart to one day adopt a child with Down syndrome from around that age.
A dear friend, who Shelby only knew via the internet, had posted the Reece’s Rainbow profile page of a little girl with Down syndrome. Once Shelby clicked the link, she knew she was brought there for a reason. Shelby could not adopt at the time, but she discovered a deep love for advocating for these children and for the families adopting them. She continued to advocate for many years, hoping that one day, she would be on that journey to bring her own child home. She nannied and worked in a PRTF, researched and reached out to families to learn from their experiences. She did anything to take steps to prepare for the child who would one day come into her home.
Gaining strength from God through an ectopic pregnancy and a messy divorce, she picked herself back up and continued to work towards that goal. On Christmas day, 2021, covid struck hard. Shelby was in the hospital being rushed to ICU to be put on a vent, and wondered if that was the end for her. God saw her through, and she truly believes she’s still here for a reason. The calling that God laid on her heart a long time ago was more pressing than ever, and she asked herself, “Why not now?” With her supportive nanny job boss/friend, she took the first baby-step, and just kept stepping away. With your help (thanks, so much, by the way), she is baby-stepping all the way to bringing her baby home. She can’t help but feel that that dear friend who shared Reece’s Rainbow with her, all those years ago, and has since passed on to be with the Lord in Heaven, would be loving watching this all unfold. If you can’t adopt, advocate…it really does make a difference.
5/24/2023 — AWAITING USCIS APPROVAL
Vietnam
Richard and Sharon reside in Washington State with their 3 children. They started praying about adoption in 2011, and have known it would be part of how God grows their family.
In 2017, Richard and Sharon had their beautiful twin daughters. They were born very prematurely, and suffered multiple medical complications for years following their birth. It was in this season of hardship that the idea of “Team Stone” was born. Richard and Sharon knew that God knit our family together for a reason, and each of their children has a purpose.
In 2019, their youngest daughter was also born early. She came after a life threatening pregnancy. She was a miracle blessing after surviving severe Hyperemesis Gravidarum. Sharon became so ill during her pregnancy that she required 6 months of Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN), a Zofran pump, and multiple emergency hospitalizations.
Needless to say, growing their family has never been “easy.” God called Richard and Sharon away from the place of comfort and into the wilderness a long time ago. He has met them in those hard places every time, and His mercy has overwhelmed them.
By God’s grace alone, Richard and Sharon are matched with a precious waiting child in Bulgaria. Their son is 2 years old, and they are eager to bring him home! He has significant medical needs, but more importantly, he is made in the image of God.
Richard and Sharon have sold off many of their items, they have organized and held garage sales and auction fundraisers. Sharon staying home to raise and school their children is a top priority for them. Thank you for being an instrument of the Lord’s provision by helping the Stone family bring their son HOME!
4/28/2023 — DOSSIER EN ROUTE
Well, here we are again! We are the Miller Family— Christian, Megan, Bentley, Sawyer, Flynn, Charleston, Lottie, Elsie, Portman, and Gaines. We are a large family, blended with bio and adopted children. Lottie (Perla) and Elsie (Rae Ann) were adopted from Ukraine in 2021 and advocated for here on Reese’s Rainbow. Our girls have been home for almost a year and a half, and we are going back to Eastern Europe to bring home our sweet little boy!!
We have been married for 14 years, and have built a live on the foundation of being parents. Christian is the bread and butter— as a paramedic and serves in the South Carolina National Guard. I (Megan) stay at home with all of our kids, homeschool, and shuttle kids to therapy and sports, while feeding my jars of sourdough bread! We love to go camping in our camper, play on our farm, homestead, woodwork, and spend every minute that we can together as a family. We have enjoyed watching Lottie and Elsie grow in new experiences, and our bio children’s hearts grow with love for their sisters.
Bringing our girls home was the greatest experience, especially given all that Ukraine is currently going through. We thought we could be content, but boy were we wrong! Our hearts were in Ukraine, and we were called to adopt again. Months have gone by following one adoption route, only to be halted by a senseless war that has no end in sight. We figured we would hold out for Ukraine to open up adoptions, but God had other plans.
Just as the girls were sent to us in a facebook message, so was this sweet little boy. We immediately felt such a connection, as we did with our daughters. After reaching out, and waiting to see if we were the family the organization would choose, we were the chosen family! We could not have been more elated!
We were not expecting it to be this soon, but we also knew that we have so much more to give this child joining our family. A completely different country to experience, and a sweet little boy with Down Syndrome needing the unconditional love of our family. Not only are we going to bring this sweet boy home, but he is so similar to our girls they will grow together in so many ways! They say adoption takes a village and after our last two years that is the absolute truth!
I always tell people we are the ‘step out on faith type of people’ and we hold that near to my heart. Adoption was something that Christian and I were never on the same page about. Over the course of one summer, God broke him, and he told me he wanted to adopt. We sought to adopt a special needs child domestically, but soon found out that our hearts would be captured overseas, and still continue to this day. Thank you so much for your prayers, your advocating, your emotional and financial support! Without wonderful donors, none of these children would be in loving families thriving today!
The Miller family has met their MATCHING GRANT!!
4/26/2023 — USCIS APPROVED
Lewis and Amber are high school sweethearts who have been married for 16 years and blessed with 7 wonderful children. They are the 7th generation of farmers working an apple orchard in northeastern Pennsylvania. Their days are delightfully full in their farm store, bakery and butcher shop and also homeschooling their little tribe. As teens they had the opportunity to work in an orphanage on a mission’s trip in Romania. From that point on, they hoped adoption would be part of their future. Roughly 5 years ago, Amber discovered Reece’s Rainbow and learned about the challenges that special needs children face in finding loving homes. In May 2022, after much prayer and preparation, they felt it was the right time to begin the amazing and sometimes daunting process of international adoption. Lewis and Amber, Lena, Griffith, Sutton, Judson, Cricket, Ginny, and Wiley are thrilled to be welcoming two little boys into their forever family this coming spring!
The Peregrim family has a $2500 MATCHING GRANT!! When the grant reaches $4085, they’ll receive another $2500!
4/21/2023 — AWAITING COURT
Hi, we’re Melanie and Ryan Janus! We live in Colorado, where Ryan works as a musician for the Air Force, and Melanie is a CNA, and we have five beautiful kids ranging in age from 15 to 24, the youngest with Down syndrome. We love road trips, hiking, board games, movies and homemade pizza. We especially love music; between the seven of us, we play a total of over 20 different instruments! Ours is a noisy, fun, loving household.
We’ve been considering adoption for quite a while now, specifically an older Down syndrome child. Until recently, however, the timing and circumstances never seemed quite right. After prayerful consideration, we decided the time is now. If we wait for circumstances to be perfect, we’ll be waiting forever because they never will be. The boy we hope to adopt is a teenager and will be aging out soon, so the clock is ticking for us.
We knew this was going to be tough, but we’ve seen many little miracles happen for us along this journey. The mountain of paperwork is one hurdle, and we’ve been doing our best to get it done quickly. Another hurdle is money. Adoptions are expensive, international adoptions even more so. So if you’re feeling generous, please consider helping us bring our son home as quickly as possible!
3/25/2023 — DOSSIER COMPLETE; I800a APPROVED
Steven and Andrea are growing their family with adoption. Married on March 12, 2011, Steven and Andrea decided to pursue adoption to grow their family due to fertility issues. The Winner’s adopted their son five years ago from China and now they are adding one more to their family, this time from Bulgaria. Originally planning to adopt again from China, those plans were derailed with China not opening the adoption program back up. After waiting a few months the Winner’s decided to go with Bulgaria.
Adoption is a long process and not without its challenges. From paperwork, finances, and making hard choices. There are many waiting kids who all need loving family’s and out of the lists the Winner’s have identified a child on and are excited to be taking the next steps to be officially matched.
The Winner’s son Samuel is excited about having a sibling and can’t wait to travel and teach his new sibling everything he knows.
With the homestudy and dossier done and translated the process should be relatively quick. The Winner’s will have 2 trips, the second one being pickup. They estimate that their second trip will take place some time in the summer. Great time to travel but expensive. They welcome donations to help them bring their son home.
5/9/2023 — TRIP ONE in LATE MAY
The Marsh family is so excited to ONCE AGAIN be growing their family through adoption!
Shannon and Jay both have a long history in special needs adoption. Shannon previously adopted her two daughters as a single mom. Both Chelsea and Sony were previously advocated for by Reece’s Rainbow. Jay himself was adopted by his step-father and has a sister with special needs who was also adopted. When Shannon and Jay started dating, Shannon had no idea that Jay himself had a history of adoption. As the relationship grew, it became very clear Jay’s heart and experiences with special needs adoption aligned with Shannon’s, something that was even written into his wedding vows. Now as husband wife, they are thrilled to be able to adopt together and grow their family.
The Marshes are currently parents to Alex, Sony, and Chelsea and have just completed the adoption of two teen boys from Eastern Europe. The family was adopting three teens, but the girl they were adopting became unavailable for adoption at the very end of the adoption process. Just after the boys passed court and legally became the Marshes sons, the family was made aware of a precious girl about to age out. The Marshes had already been prepared to bring home a teen daughter and had a lot of necessary paperwork in place to be able to jump very quickly. And so they did. They are overjoyed to announce they are working on bringing a daughter home to their family.
This leap of faith required moving some mountains in a matter of literal days to ensure the child would be safe from aging out of adoption. Now it’s all hands on deck to do all they can to bring her home as soon as possible. The Marshes are kicking off her adoption while preparing to travel to bring their new sons home. The Marshes could use any help possible to make this all happen swiftly for this sweet girl. Older child adoption has been at the heart of the family and everyone is excited about their new sister coming home.
The Marsh family has met their $2500 MATCHING GRANT!!
5/8/2023 — FIRST TRIP in JUNE
Marnie has received a $5000 Older Child Grant from Reece’s Rainbow!
Alo! We are the Reyes family and here is our story of how we stepped foot on the road to adopting from North America’s Caribbean location.
Timothy and Lanie met in the 2012 when both were in enlisted in the United States Army. Tim and Lanie were stationed in Fort, Lewis WA serving in the 66th MP Co. During their time of service they would deploy and grow to become the best of friends for roughly two years. They decided to step out in faith that the friendship established would not be ruined and became husband and wife in November of 2014. Tim and Lanie welcomed our first biological child Peyton (female) in July of 2015. Once their time of service was completed they would make the 2 day drive from WA to their current residence in TN. During the drive Timothy and Lanie had nothing but time to reflect and discuss the future. The topic presented being adoption!
Growing up Lanie knew adoption was always something she wanted to do and surprisingly Timothy had the same outlook, it was a win! The couple decided they would pursue adoption once they owned their own home and had finished having their own biological children both took place between 2019 and 2021. During those years they were faced with medical trials that would test their faith but also be the guide to them wanting to adopt a special needs child. In 2019 at 4 wks old their middle child (female) Valor was diagnosed with LSG, a rare form of Epilepsy that is hard to control. For two years they would watch their tiny baby face life head on with the strongest medical team guiding her. They would spend countless weeks in the hospital as well as time in the Pediatric ICU . All to repeat it again in 2022 with their final child (male) Emmanuel at two months old. Due to Covid complications Emmanuel sadly was diagnosed with Sever Gastroparesis. He is currently fed through a G/J tube. Since the placement of his tube he has been thriving! When many families would have said no the medical needs they have are enough Timothy and Lanie instead felt an even stronger calling from God to adopt a child with special needs.
August 26th 2022 Lanie joined a FB group because the family wanted to start gathering info on adoption. This is when God would place an angel in their path but also the child they would begin pursuing. This individual went out on a limb asking Lanie to view Reece’s Rainbow and the children in the Caribbean location. During the moments of scrolling there was a child Lanie kept returning to, she could not stop looking at her profile. The more Lanie looked the louder she could heard God calling her towards this child. Lanie presented this child to Timothy as their special needs are more than their current two and told him, “something in me is saying she is the one, a momma knows!” Not even 72 hours later God began opening doors calling the couple to run! Timothy and Lanie had originally planned on starting in May 2023 but God opened a door calling them to start September 2022 and the couple walked through it placing all their faith in Him following His lead. He has guided them spiritually, emotionally and financially proving this is His child for the Reyes family all they need to do is follow Him!
Update, Feb 2023: The Reyes family has been approved to bring TWO children home to their family!
The Reyes family has met their $2500 MATCHING GRANT!!
3/21/2023 — DOSSIER in TRANSLATION; AWAITING USCIS APPROVAL
Hello! We are Paul and Hannah, and we are adopting a second time. We adopted Theo (Ravi on RR) from Ukraine last year and also have a 3 year-old son. We live in the DC area, which is almost exactly halfway between the two very different places we were born and raised! Paul grew up in a rural area of California, and Hannah was raised in Dorset, in the South of England. We’ve been married ten years and have lived in California, North Carolina, and Maryland. We share a love for music and traveling, and love spending time with our kids and two dogs.
It has been a year of challenges and miracles with our precious Theo. He has a rare, unknown genetic condition and lots of health issues, but he is resilient, thriving at school and adjusting to his new feeding tube. He has changed so much, in so many ways. He has the sweetest personality, is super laid back and often very silly. It’s been a really busy year, but we feel the time is right to adopt a boy from India.
We have always been drawn to the India program, particularly because Hannah is Indian. Over the past few years, we loved reading about a specific boy. Hannah had seen his RR profile shared on an India adoption Facebook group and thought he was the cutest little guy. We then felt a strong tug towards the Ukraine program and adopted Theo. A few months after returning from Ukraine, we saw that the little boy in the India program was still available for adoption and were excited to get the process started and grow our family again. We were recently matched with him and are preparing our dossier. To think that all these years later we are going to be his family is wonderful. Thank you for reading our story – perhaps we will connect along the way!
11/5/2022 — COMPILING DOSSIER & OFFICIALLY MATCHED
Mike and Amber Lally have been married for 15 years. They and their 5 children – Grace (14), Keira (14), Finnegan (10), Levi (9) and Gabriella (4) – are very excited to grow their family even more through international special needs adoption. They have been very active in the Delaware foster and adoption community for many years. The Lallys have fostered over 15 children for various lengths of time, and were blessed to adopt three of their kids through foster care. Each adoption required stepping out in faith and reliance on the Lord, but each has been an abundant blessing. Mike is a solutions architect for Amazon Web Services. Amber is a homeschool mom and actively involved in the local homeschool community.
Adoption and foster care were an important point of focus for Mike and Amber before they were even married. During their dating years, they both knew it was a calling, but trusted that the Lord would guide the specific path. After having Grace and Finnegan, the call to foster and adoption grew increasingly strong. While international adoption felt overwhelming at that time, they sought to help as many children as possible through the domestic foster care system. Yet, there was always a yearning to help the most vulnerable children in need abroad, and the Lallys frequently visited Reece’s Rainbow and a number of international special needs adoption Facebook groups to pray for the children in need and the families seeking to adopt them.
In November of 2021, now blessed with six children and after having loved and a number of special needs foster children in their home, Amber approached Mike about a specific child that God had placed on her heart. The 10 year old girl was in India and had been on Reece’s Rainbow for a number of years without a match. The Lallys talked and prayed about it, and in December of 2021 decided to reach out in faith toward that child. It has been almost a year since that day, and the Lally family is nearly complete with CARA registration. They just completed the apostille process, and are finalizing the I800A. The entire family is now focused on fundraising for the next steps of the process, and praying daily with their family and friends for God’s love and guidance.
The Lally family has met their $2500 MATCHING GRANT!!
3/13/2023 — AWAITING USCIS APPROVAL; OFFICIALLY MATCHED
Michelle was a single mother for over 22 years. She has four adult biological children, four adopted children and eight grandchildren. She adopted two special needs children from US Foster Care in 2012 prior to her international adoptions. She adopted a little boy from China in 2014 and an older girl (11 years old) from China in 2016 with Cerebral Palsy. Both China adoptions were with the amazing help of Reece’s Rainbow as a single mom.
Michelle met Steven and he immediately fell in love with the children. He fell in love with the big family and how close knit and family oriented they were. He became an instant dad and granddad. They married and are now in process to add two more children from Bulgaria to their family!
Michelle is able to stay home and school the children. Family is very important to everyone in the family. On Friday nights they all make sure they do not miss the Family Movie night. They order pizza and they all take turns picking the movie each week. They all gather around and enjoy the night together.
Trevor (14yrs) is working on learning how to be a sports commentator. Arianna (13yrs) has been participating in pageants. She is the current Pennsylvania Miss Amazing Pre-Teen Queen. She is also working toward opening her own non-profit to help others with disabilities heal with the power of animals. Brennan (11yrs) participates in dog shows. He is a top 15 Junior Showmanship Competitor in Collies in the US. Tynsleigh (18yrs) is working hard on life skills and soccer.
They can’t wait to see who will join their family next!
This family has a $2500 MATCHING GRANT!! When their grant reaches $2700, they’ll receive another $2500!
5/19/2023 — FIRST TRIP in JUNE
It started with a dream. Four years ago, Amber had a beautiful, vivid dream about a little girl named Aurora. She awoke with the strong impression that their family wasn’t complete. Over the next couple of years, Amber couldn’t shake the feeling or forget the image of that little girl. She and Jon knew that they were meant to have another child. In 2020 they suffered a devastating miscarriage but had faith that God had a plan for them. Through an angel friend, they found Reece’s Rainbow and knew that adoption was their answer. While searching the site, they stumbled upon the image of “Aurora.” With tears in her eyes, Amber turned to Jon and said, “We found our little girl.” Amber and Jon have been married for 22 years and have four beautiful children, two of whom are thriving adults. Their eldest, Emma (20) married a year ago, and Jon and Amber happily welcomed their new son-in-law, Hyrum to the family. The other children, Ryker (18) Haylie (16), and Lincoln (12) are bright and happy teenagers.
All of their children share Jon and Amber’s excitement about this new little sister. Amber has spent her career working with children who have special needs, and Jon is a computer coder. They prioritize spending time as a family and especially love being outdoors, hiking, biking, swimming, and exploring. In addition, the family has been learning Aurora’s home country culture and language, to prepare themselves to make little Aurora feel more at home. Thank you for supporting Jon and Amber in their adoption journey, they are humbled and grateful for every donation that will help make their dream become a reality and light Aurora’s way home to her forever family.
5/12/2023 — DOSSIER EN ROUTE
The Pettigrew’s are a family of five, soon to grow to seven with the addition of a sibling group of older boys with special needs. We believe strongly in providing a supportive environment for our family so they can excel and experience a fulfilling life. Our three children are waiting in anticipation to meet their new siblings. We are excited to go on this journey once again.
The Pettigrew’s would welcome your support during this time of growth for their family, as we expect to travel soon to meet our boys.
5/3/2023 — MATCHED; AWAITING COURT DATE
Bulgaria
The Hopkins family has been in process for nearly two years to bring Knox home. As travel to his country is still on hold, due to the COVID pandemic, they pray nightly to bring him home. Because of participating in a recent hosting program, and while they are waiting, they have chosen to embark on a second adoption. They are working hard in anticipation of having both of their children home in 2022.
Roderick and Melissa have been happily married for over ten years and reside in a small town in Illinois with their five wonderful children Adeson (14), Emery (13), Jacob (11), Ella Grace (9) and Casey(7). Four of their five children were adopted internationally, two from China and two from Ethiopia. Rod and Melissa have been committed to adoption, and both they and their extended families have been foster parents, adoptive parents, and advocates for humanitarian and children’s rights. They are also parents to Melissa’s seven children from her first marriage of 17 years Brandon (36), Ryan (deceased), Alex (27), Matthew (26), Sara (22), Emily (19) and Antonio (19), Alex, and Antonio were also adopted, one at age eight and one at age four from Russia and Guatemala. They believe their family is their calling and feel blessed to have had the blessing of family and friends throughout their life journey.
The cost and process of international adoption, while intimidating they believe is far worth the journey. Rod and Melissa believe that completing their family through adoption is the right thing for them and are very excited about bringing home their new son from Asia who they found through Reece’s Rainbow, whom they will call Noah, as well as now a second child from Portugal. If you can help them support their adoption journey, their family would be grateful.
You can also follow their journey at https://www.facebook.com/rockwellhopkinsfamily/
9/29/2022 — AWAITING TRAVEL to CHINA
& AWAITING USCIS APPROVAL for PORTUGAL
In 2017, Kirstin moved overseas to serve at Amazima Ministries. She had no idea the journey God was going to take her on in the next five years! During her time there, she got involved an organization that works with children with disabilities.
In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic hit. The restrictions in their country were especially intense, and Kirstin ended up locked down in her apartment building with her neighbors, who were short-term fostering Shiloh for the length of the lockdown. Kirstin felt an immediate bond with Shiloh, and God planted an idea in her mind—maybe one day they would be forever family. It took Kirstin a year of praying and seeking wise counsel, but God continued growing the idea of adoption in her mind until she knew that Shiloh was her daughter. After Shiloh’s many years at the children’s home, Kirstin began fostering her in June of 2021.
Now, Kirstin and Shiloh have been together for over a year (as required in the country’s adoption process). Shiloh brings so much joy everywhere she goes, and the bond between Shiloh and Kirstin has continued to grow. They are moving forward as quickly as possible towards finalizing their adoption, as Shiloh has complex medical needs that will be better addressed when they are able to return to the States.
Kirstin and Shiloh are deeply grateful for all the support that they have been given. Thank you for considering being part of their story!
5/19/2023 — COURT in EARLY JUNE
Shiloh has also been awarded an older child grant.
Ever since she was a young girl, Stephani has wanted a big family with a lot of kids, several of whom she hoped would arrive via adoption. She learned about the plight of orphans with special needs 10 years ago when an online friend adopted a little boy with Down syndrome from Ukraine and that’s when she realized she would someday pursue international special needs adoption.
That someday came a few years later when Stephani saw a newly listed little girl with Down syndrome from Armenia that led her to start her first adoption. Another family accepted the referral for that little girl soon after Stephani submitted her dossier but she knew she was meant to continue her journey and in 2015, Octavia joined the family. Stephani was happy with her small family but knew it wasn’t complete.
In 2018, a newly listed little girl with Down syndrome from the country of Georgia called Lola caught Stephani’s attention but she didn’t think it was the right time to adopt so she advocated for her, hoping Lola’s family would see her. Her family did see her! A year later, Stephani started the adoption process once again and brought Lola, now Coralie, home in 2021.
Stephani, Octavia, and Coralie are excited for another little one to join the family, this time from a different Eastern European country. Your financial, emotional, and prayerful support is appreciated.
The Obenauf family has met their $2500 MATCHING GRANT!!
3/7/2023 — DOSSIER EN ROUTE; AWAITING I800A APPROVAL
“Pearl”
Joe and Jenna live in NY and have 4 daughters ranging in ages from 6-20. Stella, the youngest, was born with Down Syndrome, and was adopted from Asia in 2018. Shortly after returning home from Stella’s adoption, the Neri’s fell in love with another little girl with Down Syndrome from Asia. They began the adoption process again in early 2020 and had no idea that they would still be waiting to bring home their daughter 2.5 years later.
“Nan” in China
As most know, adoptions from China are on hold for right now. We are still committed to bringing our daughter home from China and pray for her daily. We have been heartbroken that we have no news as to if/when the process will resume and our updates are getting further and further between. But we will continue to pray and hope that someday soon we will get to hold onto our girl and bring her home.
While waiting for China to resume adoptions, we had begun to consider and research other countries. There are still more children all over the world that need loving homes but was this an option? What if China resumes adoptions? What if right when we were to start a concurrent adoption, things started moving? While these are questions we still have, our family continues to have room in our hearts and home for another child. Recently, a little girl with Down Syndrome was posted on Reece’s Rainbow and our hearts leapt. This little girl stole our hearts, and the hearts of many others in a very short amount of time. We immediately sent in our inquiry and application to be matched with her. Recently we were matched with her and are working very hard to get her home as quickly as we can. She needs medical attention and the care that she can receive here very soon.
We are overjoyed to be able to be adding these children to our family. We ask for God to guide us in both of these journeys and pray that we will all be together one day. We thank you for your prayers for both of these children from different parts of the world, and the hope that our family will be together soon.
4/25/2023 — FINAL TRIP in MAY
Lindsey and Patrick have been married for 15 years and knew they always wanted to adopt. They began fostering soon after getting married and have continued to foster many kids, including their now adopted daughters. In 2020, they saw a little girls on Reece’s Rainbow and decided to no longer let finances stop them from adopting internationally. During the homestudy phase, that little girl was matched with another family. Even though their hearts were broken, they prayed and knew they needed to continue. After learning about the children with Down syndrome and likely outcomes they decided to adopt a little girl they called Liana. They now have a house full of girls, including their biological daughter, but felt they still had some love to give. This time, they will be bringing home their first BOY! They are so excited, but needs lots of prayers and help to make it happen. With international adoption costing $35,000+ they can’t do it without you! Any help to bring this sweet boy home is greatly appreciated.
Update: The Dispenza family will be bringing home TWO boys!!
The Dispenza family has met their $2500 MATCHING GRANT!!
3/2/2023 — AWAITING TRIP ONE
Dustin and Marlaina are happy to be working on their third international adoption. Dustin and Marlaina have been married for 19 years and have three children. Imani, age 13, was born in Tanzania and was adopted while Dustin and Marlaina were working and volunteering in Tanzania for six years. Cohen is ten and loves soccer and fishing. Their daughter Ruby is six and was adopted from China in 2018 and has Down Syndrome. While in country for Ruby’s adoption, Dustin and Marlaina had a sense that there was someone else waiting and they would be back again one day.
When Dustin and Marlaina saw Rosalia’s picture through an advocacy post on social media, their hearts were drawn to her. It seemed crazy to others to begin an international adoption in the middle of the Covid pandemic, but they knew they had to be faithful to what God was placing in their hearts.
The whole Harper family is excited to add Rosalia to their home. The love and bond the siblings share is very special and they are excited to add a new sister to the bunch.
Dustin works as a regional sales manager for a company while Marlaina works from home teaching fifth grade to virtual public-school students. Dustin and Marlaina volunteer and advocate for their church’s adoption and foster care ministry. The family loves spending time together camping, kayaking, and hiking in North Georgia. Dustin and Marlaina are so thankful for how God has used others in their family’s journey and has been faithful to meet their needs.
7/22/2022 — DOSSIER SUBMITTED in OCT 2021
IT’S OFFICIAL, I am gonna be a Mommy again!
Howdy from Texas, I have exciting news to share with ya’ll- I am matched/approved for 2 kids. You read that right, yes, 2. After a very bumpy road and being rejected by the first match we have a set of happy campers that all want the same thing. Yee-haw!!
These sweet boys are 9 and 12. They have been waiting for 4 years and want to be adopted together. They are survivors of trauma and neglect. We met each other via zoom, and after some awkward moments we shared a few smiles and I was able to show them their new pets too. Leo and Felix LOVE soccer and made sure to ask if they’d be able to play soccer here. Their favorite soccer players are Messi and Ronoldo.
Even though we are matched and have met online, we still have a long way to go.
I am expecting to travel very soon in the next month or 2. There are 2 trips required, and the children can come home at the end of the second trip. I am so excited and also nervous. I have been applying for grants to help the boys get out of the orphanage and come home to their forever family. Please help Leo and Felix come home and make a donation to the FSP today. You’ll be forever changing the life of 2 kids, and making the world a better place at the same time. Good luck for them, good karma for you. What better way to “double dip?’ 😉
**It’s a tax-deductible donation- RR is a 501C3.**
Thanks for your support. All my love, Sarah.
P.S. Leo and Felix say thank you too.
The Morgan family has met their $2500 MATCHING GRANT!!
4/19/2023 — FIRST TRIP in APRIL
Residing in the state of North Dakota, Bill and Raelynn, along with their three boys John (8), James (6), and Reid (3), hope to welcome home sweet Melly. Their adoption journey started as conversations during their dating years, and the desire to grow their family through adoption remained on their hearts years later.
In 2018 while pregnant with their third child, Raelynn really began to look into adoption. At first the idea was to pursue domestic newborn adoption, but the Schimetz family quickly became aware of the immense need of children born with special needs. Providentially, Raelynn aligned paths with someone who adopted children with special needs abroad and shortly after found Reece’s Rainbow. Knowing that the time wasn’t quite right to adopt, Raelynn advocated and raised funds for children on RR and patiently waited until it was time. In March of 2022, Bill and Raelynn agreed that the time was right, and just a week later the couple saw the sweetest picture of a little girl on RR.
The couple is fully trusting in His provision and timing in the adoption process, and are hopeful to welcome Melly into their home. Videos of Melly show her having the sweetest little demeanor, full of determination and adorableness. The family feels that Melly is an absolute treasure and would be beyond grateful to be able to call her their own.
When talking about his purpose in life and the role he is meant to fill, Bill will tell you it’s to be a father. Likewise, Raelynn is overjoyed by her role as a mother. She can’t think of anything better than the blessing of raising their children up in the way in which they should go. The family is so grateful to be on this path and marveling at the Lord’s hand leading them on this journey.
Bill and Raelynn have been married for 10 years, together for 14, and homeschool their children. They thank you for any support, whether it be prayer, financial, or encouragement.
4/10/2023 — DOSSIER SUBMITTED & APPROVED
Bulgaria
Colombia
Meet the Hymas family! Curtis and Desiree married young 16 years ago and have never looked back! They knew they had something special and envisioned a simple life of love, sacrifice, faith and adventure. Five biological kids later, they recognized their passion for being parents, creating memories and raising a close-knit family with the same values.
One of Desiree’s most formative experiences growing up was having her aunt Vickie live with her family. Vickie had Down Syndrome and brought unconditional love and happiness everywhere she went. Over the years, Desiree spent time working with and befriending those with special needs—associations which have brought her increased meaning and joy as a mother. Upon learning that children with Down Syndrome are consigned to orphanages around the world, the Hymas family immediately felt the need to answer the call to open their home.
After many months of fasting, prayer and emotional experiences together, the Hymas family found a 3-year-old boy from Kyrgyzstan and felt an instant connection. After looking up Kyrgyzstan on a map, they found out it’s one of the most expensive countries for adoption. Already frustrated with the length of time international adoption requires and the amounts of money due up front, the Hymases are doing their part to act quickly to avoid unnecessary financial delays in bringing their new addition home.
It will require miracles and push the family way outside its comfort zone, so all the support received from family, friends and the global community of those desiring to make a difference is eternally appreciated!
4/10/2023 — FIRST TRIP in APRIL
Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Ryan and Jamie Noll have been married for nearly 20 years! They grew up in the same neighborhood, and dated for three years before a year-long engagement; he proposed on the infamous covered bridge in Frankenmuth, Michigan. They home school their five daughters and one son – Jadyn (16), Evalynn (14), Raieyn (11), Loushyn (9), Gwendelyn (5), and Gaebrielle (3). Ryan is the field supervisor for a pump company, and Jamie coaches roller skating. The family all pitches in with their small hobby “farm” of chickens, ducks, turkeys, peacocks, rabbits, cats, dogs, and horses, as well as a couple guinea pigs and lizards, and some turtles and fish.
The pregnancy of their sixth child was used to radically change the family’s life. After the baby cried and took her first breath, proving the expectations of most wrong, the family continued to be challenged. During one of the baby’s many hospitalizations, Jamie learned that children like her new daughter were sometimes abandoned in the local hospital due to complex medical needs. She knew then that special needs adoption would be a part of her family’s future; Ryan was not so sure.
Months after that particular hospitalization, a seven-week critical care stay for Gaebrielle, when the special needs adoption seed was planted for the Noll family, an orphan was placed on Jamie’s heart through one of her online support groups for moms of children with arthrogryposis. Since Ryan still was not ready, he agreed to pray for the child with Jamie. She appeared to age out of eligibility, which caused Jamie to grieve heavily. The grieving was used to connect her with people in the Reece’s Rainbow community, where she discovered another family who was ready to adopt the child who had appeared to age out. Then, another child was placed on her heart. Ryan still was not ready so they prayed.
In December 2021, Ryan finally said they could take the next step toward a child in India. Jamie was delighted, again, at God’s provision, and started the process immediately. Because the Noll’s have a “large” family, their agency suggested they wait until another family with similar familial circumstances get to the next step before the Noll’s officially started. Four weeks later, they were given the go ahead. They wasted no time during those four weeks, having already begun the paperwork for their home study, which is nearing completion. They also submitted the first set of documents for their international agency, as well the first fee to accompany it. They are currently working toward CARA registration.
The entire Noll family has been involved in the adoption, as well as their loved ones and community — fundraisers, donations, notarizations, flexibility in appointments, and PRAYERS. They are looking forward to bringing home a new daughter who will make their only son the official middle child.
12/10/2022 — AWAITING OFFICIAL MATCH!
Bulgaria
India
Bulgaria
Meet the Bryant family! Jeremy (40), Patricia (39), Justice (16), Chance (15), Liberty (14), Journey (13), Victory (8). The Bryant family is at it again! Since Jeremy and Patricia were married 18yrs ago, they knew they were meant to adopt. They knew their lives were going to be used to care for orphans. Jeremy and Patricia served in Botswana, Africa as missionaries working in the village of Maun and surrounding areas, serving with the school, the orphan care, church, HIV/Aids ministry, etc. Shortly after arriving, they started their family. After three years there, they returned to the States with their three bio kids, where Jeremy would join the US Army as an active-duty Soldier, and is currently still serving on active duty.
Shortly after his first deployment, both Jeremy and Patricia knew the time had come for them to venture into adoption. Not knowing how, when, where, or anything else, they trusted the Lord would show them what needed to happen and when. The adoption road is a scary road full of ups and downs and twists and turns. But Jeremy and Patricia knew for certain one thing… the Lord had called them to go and adopt. They were saying yes to the Lord’s leading and not backing down. December of 2017, Jeremy and Patricia adopted their 8-year-old daughter, Victory. Then, shortly afterwards, December 2019, they finished their second adoption of their oldest son, Chance Zane. Over the last two years, even through Covid, they’ve watched all 5 of their children blossom into who the Lord wants them to be. They’ve grown in wisdom, knowledge and skill and have grown so deeply together through all the ups and downs.
When they finished that last adoption, they didn’t think they’d be adopting again, but obviously the Lord has different plans and the Bryants, as a family, are all emphatically saying yes one more time to adoption! The adoption of Finley! The really neat part of this is that Jeremy and Patricia Bryant met Finley the same day that they met Victory, 4.5 years ago. At that time, they were in the same baby house orphanage. Since then, they had advocated for him, prayed for him and shared his story with many people. But the time has come. No more waiting and advocating. Finley has been a part of the Bryants in their hearts since the day they met him and it’s time to make him a part of their lives for good. The Bryant family is so excited to gain another son.
1/27/2022 — HOMESTUDY COMPLETE
Laci resides in Texas and has two dogs whom she adores. She is a Texas-certified early childhood special education teacher. She is certified in ESL, Special Education, and EC-6. She has been teaching in a special education setting for six years and has experience working with disabilities ranging from mild to severe. She is passionate about working with students with special needs. She began thinking about international adoption in 2021. She started researching ways to finance an international adoption. Upon finding Reece’s Rainbow, international adoption began to seem possible. She took a step of faith after 6 months of research and prayer. She has been matched with an older waiting child in Asia. She has been receiving 6 month reports while waiting to bring him home. She has fallen in love with every photo and video of him. She believes she has the skills and resources to raise a child with special needs and trauma. She has faced a lot of challenges and delays along the way but is making progress toward bringing her son home to Texas. She hopes she can travel to his country soon and loves learning everything she can about his home and language.
1/10/2023 — DOSSIER SUBMITTED
Hello! We are the Garrett Family. Last year, the Lord called us to Eastern Europe to adopt a beautiful little girl who has Down syndrome. She has been such a joy & an unspeakable blessing to our family. We are again working toward the adoption of not one, but TWO sweet girls from Eastern Europe. Both girls have special needs – Down syndrome & Cerebral Palsy. And we need your help to bring them home safely.
Last year, we were so richly blessed by our community as they rallied around us & helped support us through prayers, fundraisers, and financial donations. We couldn’t have gotten her home without the generosity & love of our tribe. Will you please come alongside use again as we work to make another beautiful image bearer a daughter – an orphan no more!
1/20/2022 — HOMESTUDY in PROCESS
Jim and Emily were married 10 years ago and knew that adoption would play a big role in growing their family. At the age of 16, Emily traveled to Thailand on a mission trip where she visited an orphanage. Her experience there broke her heart and changed the course of her life. Upon meeting Jim, she immediately brought up adoption and her heart for adopting. Though Jim had never thought about adoption as a way of growing his family, he absolutely was open to it.
In their first year of marriage, they started their home study in hopes of adopting from Uganda. After being married for just a little over a year, they moved over to Uganda to complete the adoption process. They spent 13 months in Uganda and in September of 2014 they came home with their daughter, Evelyn (1 year) and son, Aven (6 years). At the end of their time in Uganda, they found out that Evelyn and Aven had an older biological brother, Jensen (10 years), and they started the adoption process all over again to bring him home.
While working through the adoption process for Jensen, Emily met Brian (15 years) at the local school she worked at. He was in foster care and began spending time with their family. He moved in full-time in August of 2015. Soon after, in November of 2015, Jensen (10 years) came home from Uganda. In November of 2016, the adoption of all four of their children was finalized at court surrounded by family and friends.
Shortly after finalizing the adoption of their four, they saw the profile of a little boy with special needs in Uganda. They began advocating for him and it didn’t take long for them to realize he was meant to be their son. On Valentine’s Day in 2017, the adoption of Ezekiel (age 6) was finalized, and he came home in June of 2017.
In 2018, Emily learned she was pregnant, and they welcomed their sixth child, Lincoln, in June of 2019. The children continued to grow and thrive and in April of 2020, they learned they were expecting again. In January 2021, Hyler was born.
Jim and Emily have always known they wanted to adopt again, and they wholeheartedly believe that children belong in families. They are hoping to adopt two beautiful little girls — one little girl with Down Syndrome and one with Cerebral Palsy. These two girls will be unconditionally loved and surrounded by a BIG family. Jim and Emily are incredibly appreciative of the support shown to their family as they start the adoption process again. Beyond financial support, they believe in the power of prayer and ask that you pray for them, their children and their two newest additions as they wait. They have seen God work miracles in the lives of their children, and they cannot wait to watch their new girls become loved & cherished members of their family.
1/12/2022 — HOMESTUDY in PROCESS
Ukraine
Taylor and Celia Marsh have embarked on a journey to bring their son home from Eastern Europe! They currently have 3 precious boys who are so excited to welcome another brother into the family. The Lord began to speak to them during the pandemic in regards to adoption, and led them through dreams and visions to a little boy who is soon to be their son. They have watched God’s affirmations unfold, as they have stepped out in faith. They are confident the Lord has big plans for this little guy!
In 2017, Celia came to know Christ from Atheism. It was an abrupt awakening in their lives and marriage and God continues to do a work in their hearts. It was a year or so later that they began to really feel called into fostering/adopting. While reading the book of James, the conviction remained: “Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” This scripture resonated deep within their hearts, and ignited a calling.
As they continue to step out in faith, they are so excited to open their hearts and home to another child. Won’t you come alongside them to bring their son home? You can help by donating to their adoption. Thank you so much for your prayers and support!
12/8/2021 — HOMESTUDY COMPLETE
Charsie and Micheal have been married 8 years and together for over 11. They have dedicated their life to serving others. Micheal works child welfare for the State of Michigan and Charsie is a Family Nurse Practitioner currently working in Hospice. They have always been open to the idea of a family through adoption and have answered the calling to become mom and dad.
A couple years ago Charsie came across Reece’s Rainbow on Facebook and identified so many children she could pray for. One day, a child “spoke” to her heart, and she began praying this child would receive a family. Over time, she felt a pull to this child and decided to just causally mention this to Micheal. Of course, the response was “let’s pray about it” and go from there. Throughout this time, they both prayed and left it at that. After nine months, God spoke to them, knowing this was his plan, they took a step-in obedience and started the adoption process.
Charsie and Micheal are committed to welcoming a child into their family with love and understanding. We don’t know all the how’s and why’s but know God has been faithful. If he has called us to be parents, he will equip us for the work. Charsie and Micheal are aware of the many miracles that will occur to bring home their child and are thankful for your prayers and financial support.
5/16/2022 — USCIS APPROVED
Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria
In 2013, when Nick and Val said yes to adopting a young boy from Eastern Europe that was being hosted in the US, they never dreamed answering God’s call would impact their lives so much. What they didn’t know was that little boy already had a family pursuing him. After much prayer they decided to continue the adoption journey in Ethiopia. After three successful and life changing adoptions of four children from Ethiopia, they felt the tugging on their heart by the Holy Spirit to adopt again.
The tug they were feeling was to adopt a waiting child. They saw a little girl on Reece’s Rainbow that took their breath away. They started the process to adopt her. Then covid hit, the process with their sweet little girl in China is now on hold.
Val saw a little boy in March from Eastern Europe and her heart skipped a beat. She felt the Lord say to her, “this is your son.” Nick and Val called their agency and asked if they could do concurrent adoptions. Their agency said it was possible but would be hard. Months later God preformed a miracle. They are in the process to bring their sweet son home.
Val and Nick’s heart for adoption started with a sweet little boy from Eastern Europe and now they are heading to that same country to bring their son home. This is only a story God could write❤️!
2/10/2022 — HOMESTUDY COMPLETE
Isabella knew that one day she would grow her family through adoption, when she was a young girl watching Adoption Stories on TV. Though she never imagined ever going the route of international special needs adoption, until she was introduced to Reece’s Rainbow.
She saw a social media post of a single mom adopting a little girl with Down syndrome from Bulgaria. At the time many things went against her being able to start the process. So she spent the next 5 years researching, donating, and supporting other families in process and waiting for the moment to be able to start the process herself. The day she has been praying for has finally come and she is so excited. She is hoping to adopt a little girl from Armenia that was once listed on RR before advocating stopped for that country. Knowing that the little girl she first saw and fell in love with is possibly still waiting for a family, she is going full speed and doing everything she can to raise the money needed.
All donations and prayers are appreciated!!!
4/19/2022 — AWAITING USCIS APPROVAL
Hello, we are the McChesneys. We have jumped into our seats and buckled up for our next rollercoaster ride to Eastern Europe to adopt up to 3 children. God is Good!! He has kept us mostly humble and patient during these ups and downs or when they change tracks. We have been blessed to ride the special needs’ adoption coaster five times from 2010 to 2017. Looking back, I’m still in awe of how God provided for each adoption. We thought we were done then because our house was bursting at the seams with 3 bio children and 5 adopted. While some kids have reached adulthood (yes, it does happen!), God answered our prayers and provided a new place, a “mansion” the kids called it because it had more bathrooms.
In the adoption world, you never say “we’re done” because God uses just one picture or story to change your mind (maybe longer to change your spouse’s mind) but eventually, you’ll grab your tickets for the next thrill ride. You must have a sense of humor because these adventures will be at times exhausting, but the children are well worth it!!! And we can’t wait to see how God writes this story. We don’t want to miss this. Finding JOY in the Journey. Come be a part of our adventure and Praise God!!!
12/10/2022 — AWAITING USCIS APPROVAL
Robbie and Meagan’s hearts were broken after learning that over 1,000 special needs children were ready and waiting to find their forever families in India. They brought home their first daughter in Dec 2019 and became advocates for adoption, especially adoption of special needs children.
About 9 months after Nivi joined the Hart family, they began the process of applying to adopt a second child. While applying, they saw a Facebook post about a young girl from the same state as their first daughter, who had similar physical needs. Due to licensing, she was aging out of her orphanage at the young age of 6. So many people advocated for her to be moved to a new home so she would be able to find her forever family. The Harts held on to her loosely as they completed filing their paperwork, thinking someone would surely snatch up such a beautiful young girl.
In many steps that feel miraculous, the Harts have been able to reserve Lucy (name changed for security), and they are hoping to bring her home in December of this year. Lucy is 7 years old, and she really wants to do something with her life. Would you consider helping the Harts bring Lucy home?
10/5/2022 — AWAITING COURT
Armenia
Hello we are Kurt and Cyndi Petrich. We have been married six years. We have seven beautiful children, four biological children and three children God gave us through His glorious plan of adoption. We were both widowed late in life. The Lord brought us together when we both said, “yes” to a mission trip to serve special needs orphans in Eastern Europe. We met on the mission field. We fell in love with each other and the precious forgotten children. We came home from our missions’ trip, were married and have been serving these children ever since.
While on an extended missions’ trip we met a beautiful brown eyed little girl, who stole our hearts. God placed our sweet Dasha in our family in 2018. Upon our arrival home, our daughter started to pray every night in her native language, “Praise God, My God, please bring my best friend home.” Night after night she would pray the same prayer over and over again. We knew immediately God was calling us to grow our family once again. During this time, we learned about a sibling to this child. We were thrilled to find both girls on the Reece’s Rainbow list of available children. We prayed again fervently. Once again, God lead us to say, “Yes” to both children. He is mighty and He brought the girls home in October 2020. Dasha has been home for three years and her new sisters Tanya and Veronica almost a year and the transformation we have witnessed has been nothing short of a miracle. They are loved and they know how to love.
Recently we saw a beautiful little girl who moved our hearts to pray once again, “God can we be her parents?” We believe the Lord has given us a resounding yes! We wholeheartedly believe God’s Word that says, Psalm 68: 5-6 “God sets the lonely in families.” We openly admit and profess adoption has deepened our faith and understanding of God’s deep love and affection for his children. We watched God do the miraculous during the journey of adoption with Dasha, Tanya and Veronica.
He shows us again, and again that He is faithful. Our prayer is that hearts would be moved to help us bring these girls home. Hebrews 10:23, “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for HE who promised is faithful.
3/2/2023 — MATCHED w/a GIRL in EASTERN EUROPE
Serbia
UkraineAdoption of a child with special needs has been on my heart for over 15 years. After reading an article about Reece’s Rainbow and how kids were dying every day in other countries, simply because they had Down Syndrome, I was convinced that adoption was the plan for me. I struggled to understand how it could be that kids who were so loving and kind to others could just be tossed aside and left. It pierced my heart from that day on, but my husband was simply never on the same page as me. For years, I mourned the loss of a dream that I thought God had for me, and tried to understand why it didn’t happen.
Fast forward a few years, and now is the time!! My life has had some big changes and our family is finally ready to welcome a new sibling! This child is so loved already, and will be joining our crazy, fun hectic home with a big brother and 2 big sisters who are beyond excited to have a little one back in the house! We are absolutely thrilled to be in process, and can’t wait to meet our newest addition!
1/10/2023 — DOSSIER SUBMITTED
Ukraine
JamaicaOur family has set out on the journey of adoption. We are so honored and blessed by this chapter in our lives.
We have watched as many families have said yes and have brought so many beautiful children out of orphanages into loving homes. We are so thankful we have the opportunity to provide a home for a waiting child. We are adopting from a non-Hague country and we understand we have no legal hold on the children there.
Please pray for our family as we continue through the adoption process. We are so thankful for those who donate to our adoption and will forever be thankful that your generosity was a precious gift that helped is bring a child home.
7/29/21 — HOMESTUDY COMPLETE
Hi everyone, we are Candy and Adam Travis from Alabama.
Adam and I met through a mutual friend, and we are now about to be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary!! We have four biological adult children, and a precious three year old little girl that we are in the final stages of adopting domestically.
We feel so blessed and honored to be called to adoption. God started speaking to our hearts about foster care and adoption in 2017 and that ultimately led us to bringing home our little angel from the NICU in May of 2018. But God wasn’t finished yet! He started speaking to us again, and led us to the most precious little boy with the sweetest smile, who also happens to be rockin’ that extra chromosome! We submitted Letter of Intent for “Benson” on 3/31/21 and received PA on 7/16/21. All I can say is God is So Good, and we CANNOT WAIT to bring our little boy home!!!!
7/22/2021 — DOSSIER COMPLETE; OFFICIALLY MATCHED
Ukraine
Bulgaria
Ukraine
Meet the Newsoms! The Newsom family is originally from Texas but moved to East Tennessee a little over two years ago. They love living in the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains and exploring this beautiful part of the United States. Husband & father, Cass Newsom, was in the military for 8 years in both the Marine Corps and the Texas Army National Guard. Wife and mother, Kristin Newsom, was a public school teacher for five years before becoming a stay at home/homeschool mom. They have three biological daughters aged seven, four, and one.
They always talked about fostering or adopting. After watching many friends foster and adopt, they decided that international adoption was best for their family. At the same time, they came across two sisters listed on Reece’s Rainbow. While still contemplating and researching the decision to commit, Kristin came across a post by Keshia Melton containing the girls pictures. It was just the encouragement they needed!
Cass went on several mission trips as a teen when he was first introduced to special needs orphans. Kristin worked with middle school and high school students in both rural and inner city areas. Her last year of teaching, she switched to special education. Through challenges within their own household, they saw parenting through a different perspective.
These experiences have afforded them the ability to work with children from different backgrounds with unique needs. They believe that every child has value and is made and loved by God. While they do not know the extent of their challenges & capabilities, they do know that they need a family to love and take care of them!
1/22/2022 — DOSSIER SUBMITTED
Ukraine
The two girls came home in late 2021; Percy came home in January 2022!
We are James and Kim Shepard. We are two passionate, goofy, and adventurous cat parents who are seeking to grow our awesome family through international adoption. We both work for the same agent as community-based therapists for individuals with disabilities and mental health dual diagnoses. We both have a huge heart for individuals with disabilities and are fervent advocates for acceptance and inclusion, which started when we were young and grew into our professional lives. We seek to continue this mission through our personal family lives and feel a huge calling to establish a home where children with disabilities are given the highest quality of life and the love that they deserve. This mission has really grown and developed as God called us towards international adoption of a child with Down Syndrome in 2021, while we were looking through all the wonderful children in need of loving homes on the Reece’s Rainbow website. We recently purchased a home in Indiana, where we care for our four cats and bearded dragon, explore our love of foods from all different cultures in our bright orange kitchen, and develop James’s growing photography business. We are so excited to welcome our future child into our wonderful and exciting lives.
2/8/2023 — AWAITING TRIP ONE
CONTACT
Reece's Rainbow
PO Box 146
Combined Locks, WI 54113
CLICK HERE to contact us.
Your questions will be directed to the appropriate team member.
PO Box 146
Combined Locks, WI 54113
CLICK HERE to contact us.
Your questions will be directed to the appropriate team member.
