Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Simply Amazed

My friend, Julia (I'm claiming her as my friend) has a giveaway going on for The Passed Over Babes on her blog. She chose 13 children from the Angel Tree who have been listed the longest with no families still. Meredith is one of them. Her giveaway is amazing and there are lots of prizes to be won.

Then, this morning I read that in addition to the prizes on Julia's blog, my other friend, Patti is going to join in the fun with over $1000 in additional prizes. You can read about that in the post called Noticed. Since Julia started the giveaway 33 people have participated and that means 33 people that may never have seen Meredith before have seen her precious face now. Julia and Patti together will reach thousands of people and I'm so grateful they have hearts broken for the orphans.

Everyone of the 13 babies on that list NEED a family. More than they need anything else in this world, they need Mama's and Papa's. Please, get involved and share the giveaway. The more people who go there the better chance we have of their families finding them.

Please, continue to pray for Meredith's safety and for her family to find her a fall in love. She's waited far too long for them to come.

Pray, Adopt, Advocate, Support...Do Something!

Hidden in Christ,
Mandy

Sunday, November 20, 2011

We've stalled.

It's time to rally the troops! Meredith's grant on Reece's Rainbow grew to $435 during the first week of the Angel Tree and now, we're stalled. You can donate through the chip in on the right hand side of the blog and for any donation over $10, I'll send you a brand new Veggie Tales DVD.

If you donate $35 or more Reece's Rainbow will also send you an ornament with Meredith's picture on it for your Christmas tree. If you use the chipin you'll receive the ornament and a DVD. Let's see if we can push Meredith over the $500 mark, today! Please, share with your friends and let's see if we can find Meredith's Mom and Dad.

Check out this link to read more about Meredith and the requirements to adopt her.

Pray, Adopt, Advocate, Support...Do Something!

Hidden in Christ,
Mandy

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Veggie Tales DVDs

These are going to go quickly, because they're a great gift! We did a similar "gift" with donation on our family blog and these moved fast, so make your donation, now, if you want one. Here's what I have...
A donation of $8 or more through the chipin and I will send you one of these brand new Veggie Tales movies! It's a double-feature, so 2 great Veggie Tales movies for an $8 donation toward Meredith's grant! Use the chipin, please, so I will be able to contact you regarding shipping. Of course, it's all tax-deductible and if you donate $35, I'll send you the movie and Reece's Rainbow will send you the pretty ornament with Meredith's picture on it.
Don't forget all of this is in an effort to raise Meredith's grant and find her forever family. Meredith needs a family. Look at her sweet face and ask God if she's yours, then share her picture with everyone you know and ask if she is theirs. Together we can find Meredith's family. She's so worth it!
Pray, Adopt, Advocate, Support...

Hidden in Christ,
Mandy

Winners!

So, I finally found a free 30 minutes to organize and draw winners. Thanks for being patient with me. Each winner has been notified and I'll list them below. Thanks for helping make a difference in Meredith's life. Don't forget to make your Angel Tree Donation of $35 or more for  your ornament. Mine came, yesterday, and it's so sweet. I love having a picture of Meredith to hang on our tree. I doubt we'll be packing it up after the Christmas season.

Here are the winners.

Prize #1 Blanket: Becca
Prize #2 Nursery Photo: Theresa
Prize #3 Giftcards: Andrea
Prize #4 Candle: Rebecca

Blessings,
Mandy

Monday, November 7, 2011

I Promise to Announce Winners, tomorrow!

I know you're all waiting on me to get it together. There's a lot going on here. I want to post a photo of my ornament that came, today and announce winners of our giveaway. First, I have to get organized and draw winners. Thanks for being patient with me. I promise it will be before lunch time, tomorrow.

Don't forget to get your ornament by donating $35 or more to Meredith's grant. You can use the donation box on the right hand side of the blog and it's tax-deductible.

Blessings,
Mandy

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Orphan Sunday



I hope you will take a minute or so and watch the video. Today is Orphan Sunday. The one Sunday out of the year when you may hear orphans mentioned in your Sunday morning service. The need is so great. Often I think people look away because they feel the problem is too big. I have good news, you don't have to make a difference in the lives of millions of children, but can you start with just one?

One child is not too many. One child to pray for, one child to support, one child to advocate for, one child to adopt. We set the lonely in families, because God set us into His family.

Let's talk about each way you can help. Choose one and watch how BIG God grows your heart for the orphans. The easiest place to start is in prayer. There's no commitment and it can be done in the quiet of your own home. Scroll through the faces of children on Reece's Rainbow and just take a few minutes to pray for the orphans you find there. Prayer changes things.

Orphan Care or sponsoring a child can happen in a couple of ways. Our family has sponsored a beautiful little boy, Miguel, in El Salvador, for the past 4 years. We sponsor Miguel through an organization called Compassion. You can sponsor a child through Compassion for around $40 a month and that provides food, clothes and an opportunity for education.We write letters to Miguel and he writes to us about the things he's learning and his family. He also sends pictures that he drew in school and once a year, we get an updated photo of Miguel. Here's a link to their website: Compassion. Compassion is just one of many organizations taking care of children and orphans around the world. There are many others. Do some research and find one that suits your family.

You can, also, become an advocate for a child. Helping to raise funds and find a family for an orphan. Reece's Rainbow has a program set up that allows you to choose one child and be their warrior, not just at Christmas, but all year long. Obviously, Meredith is our family's child. You can join us in our advocacy for Meredith by sharing our blog on your facebook wall or linking us to your blog. The more people who see her sweet face, the more likely we are to find her family. Another way you can help is to donate into her grant at Reece's Rainbow. There's a donation box on the right hand side of this page that allows you to make a tax-deductible donation. If you donate $35 or more Reece's Rainbow is going to send you a beautiful Christmas ornament as a "Thank you" for your donation.

Lastly, you can join the ranks of believers who have "stepped out of the boat" and are walking by FAITH toward the children that God has called us to bring into our homes and to love well. We are adopting. I promise, if you take the first step and get out of the boat, Jesus will meet you there on the water. If you keep your eyes on him and don't waiver, He will guide you through each step of the journey to bring your child home. God honors adoption, because he's all about the orphan. He loved each of us, when we were unlovable, nameless, cast-aside, orphans. Through the blood of his son, Jesus, he adopted us into His family and now, we are called the Children of God. Yep. He's all about the orphan and setting the lonely into families.

What will you do this year for the orphan?

Pray, Adopt, Advocate, Support...Do Something!

Hidden in Christ,
Mandy

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Just keep giving, just keep giving...

Meredith's grant is growing! She's had $130 in donations, since the beginning of the angel tree, yesterday! Please, share her picture and let's try to find her family. Don't forget you can click the link to the right to chip-in your donation. Any donation earns you an entry into Meredith's Birthday Giveaway, click the link to see the prizes. Any donations over $35 and Reece's Rainbow will also send you a free Christmas ornament with Meredith's picture on it. What a great conversation starter...

Isn't it beautiful? It will have Meredith's picture on the reverse side. If you don't have any money to give and would still like to be a part of Meredith's Miracle, please post this on your facebook wall, blog, twitter, and PRAY!

Excited to be off to a great start! Thanks to each who have given and who are going to give for Meredith!

Pray, Adopt, Advocate, Support...
Mandy

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Today is THE Day!

Today is the beginning of the Christmas Warrior program and you all know Meredith is our warrior baby. So, for the next four days you can get double bang for your buck! By donating $35 or more to Meredith's account (using the chipin on the right) you will be entered to win one of the prizes in Meredith's Birthday Giveaway and Reece's Rainbow is going to send you a Christmas ornament with Meredith's picture on it!

Our goal between now and December 31st is to grow Meredith's grant by $1000. Will you help us? $35 is not a lot to buy a beautiful Christmas ornament and be entered to win one of the great prizes from Meredith's Birthday Giveaway. There are lots of Angels on the Reece's Rainbow tree this year and any donation of $35 or more to a child's grant will score you a fabulous Christmas ornament. We're just especially fond of Meredith.

Here's a picture of the how the front of the ornament will look:
Meredith's picture will be on the other side.

Make a difference in a child's life this Christmas season. Click here to see all of the angel tree kids and order a couple of ornaments. Keep checking back, because we're going to have an exciting two months of raising funds for Meredith and trying to find her family! She's worth it!

Pray, Adopt, Advocate, Support...Do Something!

Hidden in Christ,
Mandy