Praise the Lord!  Oleg and Dante have found their family!   Oleg is already 5, and Dante will turn 5 in November.  They are blessed to still be at the baby house, and now will have an amazing family, and a 4 year old brother, who also has Down syndrome.

Chris and Mary Malone were high school sweethearts and have been married for 17 years.    Dad is the Minister of Music and Worship at the First Baptist Church in their town, and mom is able to be home full time with the children.   The family has done orphan mission work in Eastern Europe in the past, and knows the tremendous need of these children.  God moved their hearts through that mission, and with the birth of their son with Down syndrome.

They began seeking God's will.  Would they be asked to move to Eastern Europe and begin a private baby home where these children with Down Syndrome would be loved and nurtured?  Would they raise money in the States and send it in hopes that it would be spent on the children that so desperately needed help?  Would they adopt a child?  God answered and during the Summer of 2008, they began raising support to adopt a child.  As they began looking to Reece's Rainbow to see who was available to be adopted, they were faced with an impossible decision.  How could they choose this one, but leave all the others behind?  With God's leading, they have decided to adopt 2 precious boys who both have Down Syndrome and can't wait to graft them into their family (hopefully in early 2009).  

Chris and Mary love children.  In fact, they have 5 of their own.  Ages 14, 13, 8, 6, & 4.  Their 4 year old, Eli, has Down Syndrome.   Please help the Malone family in their mission to bring these very special (and very handsome) little boys into their loving home! 

12/23/08---APPT DATE IS FEBRUARY 16!

We have $550 in our FAMILY grant fund towards the cost of our adoption!

Click here to sponsor Oleg & Milo for the Malone Family

Anne and Todd Hollis are hoping to adopt our little Ellen in Eastern Europe!  They have been married for 6 years and live in Central Illinois.  Anne works for Easter Seals and Todd is a high school teacher and football coach.  They have always wanted a big family and in an effort to always have a house full of noise, laughter, chaos and love, Anne and Todd have decided to grow their family to include child #4. They have already been so blessed to have Noah (age 4), Caleb (age 3) and Meg (age 2, DS). After a lot of prayer, talk, prayer, research, prayer, more talk and prayer they have decided that God wants them to open our hearts and family to another child with special needs. Since they are so familiar with Down Syndrome, and would love for Meg to have a sister, they have decided to focus on a adding a little girl around Meg's age who also has DS. They feel it will not only be the perfect sister, but a life long best friend for both of them.

The kids are very excited about the process.  Each day they talk about their new sister Ellen and all the things they plan to do, show her and help her with once she arrives.  Each night at prayer Noah ends by saying “And God, please keep an eye on Ellen until she is here so I can keep an eye on her.”   The Hollis family is so excited and wanting to move this process along so that Ellen can be home with her new family and friends as soon as possible! 

Your donations help to bring Ellen home even faster!   Thank you for your help!

I have $500 in my  FAMILY grant fund towards the cost of my adoption!

Follow the Hollis  family's adoption journey on their blog at http://hollisfamilyadoptionjourney.blogspot.com/

Click here to sponsor Ellen for the Hollis Family

Rick and Kristy Newbold are a very special family.   They have JUST come home from Ukraine with our little Roma (John Paul now), and will be going back to get little Dasha in October.  They have a beautiful daughter in Heaven named Chloe that had Down Syndrome.  Chloe was diagnosed with Leukemia and after relapsing in her treatment went to be with Jesus a month after her second birthday.   Despite losing her, knowing her increased their faith in God and completely changed their perspective on life.  Now they focus less on the problems in life and more on Heaven.  They learned so much about Down Syndrome and were given the opportunity to meet other children with Down Syndrome.  They fell completely in love not only with our Chloe, but all  children with Down syndrome.  They are God’s little miracles.  They were so blessed to be chosen by God to parent baby Chloe.  She gave them so much that they  want to give back to another child like her.   

The Newbolds prayed for a miracle for God to heal Chloe.  God chose to heal her in Heaven.   They miss her greatly, but they believe when God closes one door He opens another.   We all have a purpose in life and maybe Chloe’s was to come here and prepare us to open our home to another child like her.    God has been preparing their  hearts for adoption over the last couple of years.    The Newbolds miss Chloe so much, but look forward to the blessing God has already given them in the chance to adopt Roma and Dasha and give them the life they deserve.

Although they were hoping to adopt both children at the same time, little Dasha won't be registered until October.   Roma was facing imminent institutionalization.  They decided to go forward to get Roma first, and will make a second trip for Dasha.   This will be a very expensive venture, so your financial help will be greatly appreciated!

12/1/08--APPT DATE IS DECEMBER 17TH!

I have $860 in my  FAMILY grant fund towards the cost of my adoption!

Follow along with the Newbold family's adoption journey on their blog at

http://www.newboldfamilyadoption.blogspot.com/

Click here to sponsor Dasha for the Newbold Family

Christina and Matt Schafer are college sweethearts and the very lucky parents of four beautiful biological children – Cade, 4 ½, Parker, 3, Macy, 1 ½ and Dawson, 5 months! The saying ‘If you think my hands are full, you should see my heart” rings very true for this family! Christina is a stay at home mom and Matt works in insurance and is also finishing his PhD in American History. Their days are busy but wonderful and they are enjoying watching their children grow up as best friends.

Adoption was something Christina and Matt talked about from the beginning. Matt’s aunt runs an adoption agency and both of his cousins were adopted. Their talk of adoption was put on the back burner when they had their first baby together, but with Dawson’s birth it brought a renewed interest and eventual determination to realize this little dream. Dawson was born with Down syndrome and though that one little fact is not the biggest part of who he is, it is a fact that has forever changed the course of this family’s future. He has been the greatest inspiration and source of joy since his arrival and his parents have become his best advocates and hope to advocate for other kids with this misunderstood but incredibly life-enhancing condition. 

It is for that reason that their long-ago musings of adoption have led to their hope to adopt precious little Angela in Eastern Europe. In desperate need of major heart surgery that babies born in the U.S. would receive by 6 months old, Christina and Matt realize that this journey might still have a tragic outcome.   But as Dawson has taught so well in his short 5 months, however scary the unknowns of a situation,  love says forge ahead!

12/11/08---TRAVELING SOON!

I have $1101.14 in my  FAMILY grant fund towards the cost of my adoption!

Follow the Schafer family's adoption journey on their blog at http://4stairsteps.blogspot.com

Click here to sponsor Angela for the Schafer-Litchfield Family

Brent and Holly Arnold are hoping to adopt our beautiful little Sneha in India.

They have been married since 1992.  They have two biological children, son Graedy 10 and daughter  Elise 8.  Graedy loves sports and excels in Math and Reading.  Elise loves time with her friends and is especially interested in animal care and training.  Brent and Holly’s adoption journey  was a thought after they were first married, but came to light again after moving back to Fort Collins from Montana.  Their journey first led them to China for Elijah a six year old, now seven, that was missing his right parietal bone and has left sided weakness from a stroke when he was a baby.  Elijah had skull surgery and is doing well with his forever family.  His goal is to play both soccer and basketball in the near future.

While they waited for Elijah, Holly fell in love with a little girl off of “other angels” from India.  Last November Holly visited Sneha in India.  They hope to bring her home soon to her brothers and sister.  Sneha soon to be Grace has suffered from grade 3-4 malnutrition resulting in developmental delays. The story continues while we wait, Brent’s heart was drawn to Africa.  After Sneha is home we hope to bring Pearl from Ghana into a loving Christian family.  The Arnold’s are part of “Welcome Child” an adoption & orphan care ministry at Timberline church in our hometown.  We are so thankful to Reece’s Rainbow for giving the children of the world a chance to find families.

11/5/08---DOSSIER COMPLETE

I have $0 in my  FAMILY grant fund towards the cost of my adoption!

Follow the adoption journey of the Arnold family on their blog at www.arnoldfamilynews.blogspot.com

Click here to sponsor Sneha for the Arnold Family

Tony and Karen Harding are hoping to adopt little For from Hong Kong.  They are strong Christians, and are thrilled to have been called to ministry in this way.  From their profile:  "Being asked why we want to adopt is like asking us how we know that Jesus lives.  So for our answer, we're going to borrow the lyrics to the old hymn.  "You ask me how I know He lives, He lives within my heart."  Our call to adopt is exactly the same way; it lives very deeply within our hearts. "

For Tony, adoption is very natural because he grew up around it.  His brother adopted a 4 year old boy from Guatemala over 7 years ago.  Tony watched as Otto made the transition to a new culture, a new language, a new family, and a new life... and his heart grew as he watched the process.  Tony is deeply moved and grieved by the number of children in this world that are in need of parents (and most of all, love), and he yearns to offer both to at least one of those precious many. 

The Harding family actually considered growing their entire family through adoption, but God intervened and they conceived a daughter in September of 2004. During the pregnancy, they were told that she had a high chance of having Down Syndrome after a routine sonogram showed a spot on her heart.  Even though she was born with no physical or intellectual delays, their desire and readiness to welcome a child with Down Syndrome children was already formed!

 The desire to parent a child with DS has only grown stronger over the past 2 years.  Finding Reece’s Rainbow was an answer to two very specific prayers… one: to adopt, and two: to parent a child with Down’s.  They are very excited about For, and anxiously await his arrival.  They are clinging to one verse from the Bible in particular throughout this process.  It's from Psalm 61:2, "Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I."    They strongly believe God is calling them to a higher rock... the next level of faith and trust in Him, and the next level of commitment in our family and marriage. 

10/20/08---DOSSIER APPROVED, HOPE TO TRAVEL IN 6 WEEKS!

I have $2400 in my  FAMILY grant fund towards the cost of my adoption!

James and Nicole Gallagher live in Kansas on a small farm.  They have four biological children....their one girl is 10 years old and the rest are boys!  Their youngest is Thomas.  He is 2 1/2 and has Down syndrome.  They love him so much that they just had to have another one!  Dad is a UPS driver, so he is a celebrity around their house.  Mom is home full time and loves it!

They have spent many months attempting to adopt a precious little boy in Hong Kong.   The HK process is easy, but uncertain, as no child can be "held" until your full paperwork is submitted.  Unfortunately, just before their paperwork was ready, another family we don't know was chosen to adopt him. 

They are now proud to announce that they have been officially chosen to adopt little Shreya from India!   We have been seeking a family for her for so long, and are thrilled that God has chosen families for both of these very deserving little ones.

Please help the Gallagher family bring Shreya home from India!

TRAVELING IN JANUARY, 2009!

I have $1107 in my  FAMILY grant fund towards the cost of my adoption!

Click here to sponsor Shreya for the Gallagher family

The BERGER Family---Hamlin, NY

Anah from Vietnam is 10, almost 11  years old.  Her adoptive family is a blended tri-racial family.  Dad is retired from the Navy and has a 32 year old biological Filipino/Caucasian daughter.  Mom is a stay at home RN with Lupus; she has a 23 year old biological Caucasian daughter, a 19 year old biological Caucasian son,  an 11 year old domestically adopted Hispanic/Caucasian son and Jonathan age 2 1/2 adopted from Guatemala with Down Syndrome.  They are familiar with medical/special needs as the 19 year old is an insulin dependent diabetic, the 11 year old has ADHD and Jonathan has DS.  This is their second international adoption within a year's time.

Anah is a very lucky little girl, as the Vietnam program is about to be closed (hopefully only temporarily, as a result of political issues, not a decision made by Reece's Rainbow!).   Anah may be our last child out of Vietnam for a long time.  Please help the Bergers complete their adoption and rescue this gorgeous little girl!

Follow the Berger family's journey on their adoption blog at http://ajourneyofgrowth.blogspot.com/

12/3/08---TRAVELING DECEMBER 8TH!

I have $577 in my  FAMILY grant fund towards the cost of my adoption!

Click here to sponsor Anah for the Berger family

 Derek and Renee Loux (pronounced LOWKS) are hoping to adopt our little Sam with hydrocephaly and Milo with Down syndrome from Eastern Europe!   The Louxs were married on August 1,1992.  Their life vision was to go to the Marshall Islands as missionaries and pour themselves out ministering to the many hopeless teenagers dying as a result of alcoholism and suicide.   

In 1994 this dream came to a sudden halt when their firstborn, Josiah, was born with severe spina bifida.  Paralyzed from the chest down and dependent upon machines for oxygen and nourishment, Josiah lived a difficult but beautiful life for 2 ½ years.  In June of 1996, Josiah died from complications. God's relentless love and amazing grace carried Derek and Renee through this painful time.  As a result, they carry a message of hope for those who suffer, and a firm resolve and testimony that the Lord truly rewards those that seek him earnestly.  

In 1997 the Lord blessed Renee and Derek with their biological daughter Sophia and in May of 2000  their little “KK” came into the world.   In 2002 the Louxs adopted three young girls from the Marshall Islands. Their twins, "Teyolla" and "Keyolla", were adopted in 2002 and Telma, who underwent life saving surgery in ‘04, was adopted by the Louxs in January of 2006.  Derek and Renee were swept up in the river of God’s passionate heart for the orphans.

It has been an amazing journey Derek and Renee have been on as they’ve watched God restore their lives and family, truly bringing forth beauty from ashes.   Derek and Renee have spent their lives in missions, pastoral ministry and ministry to the poor, and believe they are called be a place of refuge for orphaned children.  They are excited beyond words to be  adopting precious little Sam and Milo.  They are grateful for any outside support in this endeavor.

UPDATE!!   The Loux family is hoping to adopt a THIRD little boy from the same orphanage.    Your prayers and financial support for this family would be so greatly appreciated!!

APPOINTMENT IS DECEMBER 5, 2008!

We have $525 in our  FAMILY grant fund towards the cost of our adoption!

Follow the Loux family's adoption journey at www.thelouxfamily1.blogspot.com 

Click here to sponsor Sam & Dante for the Loux Family

Kevin and Joy McClain are no strangers to international adoption.   They adopted our precious little Sasha from Ukraine in February of 2008, and are hoping to adopt Roman from there as well!   Roman was living in the same orphanage as Sasha, but unfortunately, he has already been transferred to the institution.   They are working frantically to get all of their paperwork completed so they can get him home as quickly as possible.

Back to back international adoptions are VERY costly, so please do all you can to help this family afford the high cost of rescuing a second of our little ones in less than a year!

11/24/08---APPT IS DECEMBER 12!

Follow the McClain family's adoption journey on their blog at www.considertheadoptionoption.blogspot.com

Click here to sponsor Roman for the McClain Family

Linda Duncan is another one of our very special single moms to lots of angels with special needs!  She has 6 domestically adopted children right now and three other little girls that she has been fostering and is in the process of adopting.  Most people would think that 9 children are more than enough!  But God has put two very special little girls on her heart, and over the years, she has learned to do as He suggests!    Linda is hoping to adopt Natalija and Emilja from Latvia.  The girls are both 7 years old and have Down syndrome.

Linda was originally hoping to adopt two little girls from the institution in Ukraine, but recent changes to Ukraine's adoption law is now preventing her from adopting them :(  Margarita and Katerina are still waiting for their forever family.  But Linda has not given up, despite her heartbreak, and will not step forward to change the lives of two little girls would probably never have been adopted.  We are so proud of her resolve and faith!  Latvia does not provide any photos of the children prior to dossier submission, so this is truly a leap of faith!

Linda fell in love with a little girl with Down Syndrome 40 years ago.  She was 16 and little Coleen was 4.  She was in the State School for the Retarded and Linda was a volunteer through a school project.    She visited Coleen every weekend for almost two years.  She wanted her parents to adopt Coleen and bring her home.  But folks didn’t do that then.  People put babies with DS IN institutions, they didn’t bring them home.  Sadly, the conditions in the State School back in the 1960’s were much like it is in the institutions in Eastern Europe now.  

Linda couldn’t save Coleen from that life then, but in her honor she is hoping to rescue these two little girls from the Mental Institution they    are in.    She has had a blessed life with a family, friends, community and country that have given her a safe and secure environment to attempt whatever she dreamed.  She's had terrific jobs that gave her opportunities beyond what she ever thought she would have.  God has always provided for her, but she has always prided herself on being independent and able to take care of herself.  But now she finds herself in the situation where she needs help to make this dream come true.  That is a humbling experience in itself! 

As with every child that God has decided to bless her with, things are falling into place with every piece of paper and document on the list of things to do.    Linda says, "I just keep praying for guidance that I’m doing His will not mine!"

“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” Joshua 14:25

Please help Linda with your financial gifts to bring Emilija and Natalija home and into a loving, safe, family environment!

11/17/08---APPOINTMENT IS 11/30!

We have $900 in our  FAMILY grant fund towards the cost of our adoption!

Follow the adoption journey of the Duncan family on their blog at http://gathermychildren.blogspot.com/

Click here to sponsor Emilija and Natalija for the Duncan Family

The Kaysers are from Cornelius, NC and are a family who decided to adopt for the simple reason of adding to their family.  They have three children now: Griffin 11, Grant 3, Garrett 2.  They started their journey to adopt from Eastern Europe and through the work of the Holy Spirit they were led to pursue adopting a special needs child.  After looking and praying, they found their little Andrey and will rename him Grady Andrey Kayser once their adoption is completed.  Their 3 year-old, Grant, has the same birth date as Grady, as well as the heart for a little buddy to grow up with.  His other brothers and sister are so excited to add him as a brother.  They will also be adopting a 6-7 year-old girl from the same region.  Shad and Jennifer are tremendously excited, as well, about bringing him into their family and raising him to be a Godly man. 

11/17/08---APPOINTMENT IS JANUARY 22, 2009!

I have $670 in my  FAMILY grant fund towards the cost of my adoption!

Follow the Kayser family's adoption journey on their blog at www.thekaysers.blogspot.com

John and Mary Ellen Keno represent our very first CANADIAN family to adopt through our ministry!   Most of Canada does not permit families to adopt children with life-long special needs, but British Colombia does, so this family is very special to us and we are so excited to have them!   They will also be our first family to adopt from BULGARIA!  They are hoping to adopt our little Valentin.

The Kenos have been married for 23 years and God has blessed them with 7 beautiful children; three young adult daughters 22, 20 and 18 and four domestically (from Canada) adopted blessings 13, 8, 7, and 6.  Two of their adopted sons (Brent 13 and David 6) have Down Syndrome, and are so precious to them.  John is a home renovator and Mary Ellen is a stay at home mom.  The family lives on beautiful Vancouver Island, B.C., on six acres and have a dog, a horse and two cats.   

7/16/08---DOSSIER SUBMITTED!

I have $335 in my  FAMILY grant fund towards the cost of my adoption!

Follow the Keno family's adoption journey on their blog at http://http://www.kenofamilyadoption.blogspot.com

Click here to sponsor Valentin for the Keno family

Louise and Stewart Puderbaugh, or “Lou and Stew,” are hoping to adopt our little Olena in Eastern Europe.  The group has prayed fervently for her, as she struggles with a heart condition and pulmonary hypertension.   She is almost 6 years old, so we are so grateful to this family for being willing to bring her home!

The Puderbaughs have been married for 4 years, with a blended family total of 19 children, ranging in ages from 1 to 30’s. Eleven of them are adopted, many of them with special needs.   Most of the children are grown and gone from the home now, and Mommy has fallen in love with Olena on Reece’s Rainbow.   Mom is a pediatric ward nurse, so her experience will be of amazing value for Olena!   The couple has made the commitment to do whatever it takes to bring Olena home to their family, and brothers and sisters are already excited! They plan to document their journey on their blog site at www.puderbaughfamily.blogspot.com .

The Puderbaughs are on a fast-track to complete their dossier, and hope to travel for Olena THIS YEAR.   Olena does not have any grant funds available through Reece's Rainbow at this time.  Your generous donations will be of immense help to this family, and for their upcoming surgical expenses for her heart surgery.

11/12/08---APPOINTMENT IS DECEMBER 5!

I have $1078.82 in my  FAMILY grant fund towards the cost of my adoption!

Click here to sponsor Olena for the Puderbaugh family

Amy Winkle is another very special lady, a single mom to multiple children with Down syndrome.     She is hoping to adopt our a little boy with Down syndrome from Russia!   She is working through WACAP, and this will be a blind referral, so we are very excited for her and can't wait to see who the lucky little man is!

Earlier this year, Amy was hoping to adopt one of our waiting children in Ukraine.  But Ukraine changed it's law mid-Spring, disallowing single parents from adopting.  Amy was so sad, but did not give up her dream of adopting another little boy with Down syndrome.  We are so glad she has continued her pursuit!

Her first born son is 21 and has Down syndrome.   His name is Jimmy.  She has one other typical bio son who is 16 1/2.   After Jimmy was born, she was inspired to become a special education teacher.   She always wanted more children, so in 2005, she adopted her third son Caleb from Russia.   Caleb also has DS and he has been such a joy to their family! Jimmy and Ben had each other to play and grow up together with and Amy really wanted Caleb to have a brother around his age to grow up with also.   She began looking online at photo listings and a little over a year ago, discovered Reece's Rainbow.   Amy has been a tremendous financial sponsor for many of our waiting children, and is a very active member of our Yahoo group. 

10/2/08---APPT DATE IS OCTOBER 21ST!

I have $869.44 in my  FAMILY grant fund towards the cost of my adoption!

Follow the adoption journey of the Winkle family on their blog at www.amyandsons.blogspot.com

Click here to sponsor the Winkle family