Will You Help Me Make A Difference?

Many of my friends today are feeling very down about how the election turned this week. I am seeing it all over Facebook how disappointed, & in many cases, angry they feel. They feel like their voices werent't heard, that their vote didn't make a difference.

http://reecesrainbow.org/

Today I am going to share with you a way you CAN make a difference, no matter how you feel about the way the election went.

My Reece's Rainbow friend Amanda is in the process of adopting 4 children in an Eastern European country. She has 3 biological children, 2 who have the same muscle wasting disease as one of the children they plan to adopt. All 4 of them need out NOW! They are located in 3 different orphanages around the country & 2 of them are in a VERY BAD place! I will talk more about them in a minute.

Ricky is the first child I want to talk about. He an older boy who is about to age out. Aging out means that the child can no longer be adopted due to visa requirements. Generally children age out at 16, but since the McQuinn family committed to him before he turned 16, they are able to continue with his adoption. He needs OUT if he is going to have any sort of real future. He is a true orphan - he lived with his single mother until she passed away. He knows the love of a family & wants the chance at that love again! - Edited to add: Ricky was recently transferred to a trade school and no longer wishes to be adopted. Please pray for him as he embarks on life on his own & for the McQuinn family as they are feeling the loss of the boy they were hoping would agree to be their son. The McQuinns will be adding another boy as their fourth child (see farther in this post).

Elizabeth

Elizabeth is a precious girl with a muscle wasting disease. She is adorable! She has recently been transferred from her baby house (young children's orphanage - usually much better care than older

child orphanages or institutions). She is likely no longer getting medical care or any physical interventions. She will not survive long with no help. She needs to be scooped up & brought home NOW! 

Phoenix

Next are 2 boys who are in a VERY BAD institution. When I say that, I really mean it. These boys are not seen as precious gifts from God there. They are seen like inconveniences, something to deal with until they waste away, tied to their beds. Both boys are teenagers, but they weigh less than 35 pounds. 35 POUNDS!


For perspective, anyone who has seen Andrew knows that he is tiny. He is about 25 pounds. Tiny for his age. So tiny that we were sent to a specialist about it. These boys - TEENAGERS - weigh less than 10 pounds more than my tiny 3 year old. How they are still sustaining themselves is a miracle in itself. They need to be taken from that institution & brought home to be loved on by a Mama & Daddy.

Denzel - 2014

Denzel - those tiny legs make me sick.
His newest picture is worse than this.

Phoenix is 14 years old. He is 35 pounds & under 3 feet tall. Denzel is 15 years old & is likely in worse condition than that. The picture of Denzel that I can share is from 2014, and while he was little, he had pudgy cheeks and almost a smile. I have seen a more recent picture & I can only describe it at horrifying. I cannot believe that people can starve children to the point that these children have been. They need out of that place.

THEY. NEED. OUT.

Matt

Last is this sweet little guy who is being added in place of Ricky. Look at that smile! His advocacy name is Matt. He is only 5 and the McQuinn family wants to make sure he will not suffer in the way that their others have been. They want to get him out NOW, so that he will not experience the abuse that can (and usually does) come from being in an institution.








Now, I do not know Amanda and her husband well. I have never met them in person and there is a good chance I never will. But here is what I do know:

- While they have 2 special needs children at home, they have seen the need of children from across the ocean, they have fallen in love with them, and they are working hard to get them home.

- While in the midst of their own adoption of 4 children, they worked to support other adopting families & helped them with fundraisers to help get those kids home, too.

- While worried about the future of her children, Amanda selected a child ( Quinn )  to support during the Miracle of Adoption at Christmas Campaign & has been donating some of her fundraised money to make his grant bigger, hoping to relieve some of the financial burden on a family who may want to adopt him.

- She has given me tons of information about adoption & has been able to tell me a few things regarding my MACC child (more about her in another post)




Amanda travels in 1 week. She is about $4500 short on an adoption the will ultimately cost around $60,000. To be this close to bringing all 4 home & not be able to because of less than $5000 would be awful. I want to see these kids come home. I want Amanda to not worry about money while she is traveling to be with her children. I want to see them at home a year from now, fat & happy, loved & free.

Forest Ornaments - so cute!

So, friends, here is your opportunity to be the good you want to see.

First, Amanda has a fundraiser

- pick a box on her chart (1-100), pay the amount in the box, and you get entered to win a gift card. If you are interested in this, contact me & I will get you information about which numbers are left. Last time I checked many of the boxes in the 70s & 80s were still available.

- another friend (also from North Dakota!) is selling adorable ornaments with the proceeds going to the McQuinn adoption.

- Lastly, I want to offer a challenge to my friends: I will personally donate up to $500...but I want it matched by YOU. For every dollar donated by one of my friends, I will put that amount into the McQuinn FSP. You can donate here: http://reecesrainbow.org/107851/sponsormcquinn Send me a screenshot of your donation & I will put mine contribution in.

Let's do this. Let's make a real difference for someone today.