One Week!

Dear Victoria,

I can't believe Daddy and I leave in 6 days to come and see you!  I'm starting to get really emotional as I think about that first visit.  When our eyes meet for the first time.  I sure hope I can keep it together so I don't cry and scare you.  Last week I bought some toys and activities to do during our visits with you.  I decided to get them out today and let your sisters break them in for you.  Its going to be so special to see you play with the very same toys your little sisters played with, half a world away.

The favorite among them both was the little toy phone.  As they pushed the buttons I got emotional when I realized what some of the buttons said when you pushed them.  "Let's call mommy", "Let's call daddy", "Cool, grandpa", "It's mommy, I love you", "Let's call grandma/grandpa"  These are all things you don't know about yet, but soon, so soon you will know what a mommy and daddy are.  You will hear the words "I LOVE YOU" every day.  You will have a family of your very own and in six days you will begin to understand what that means.

Last Saturday I ran a marathon and in the last 6 miles I thought about you a lot.  They were so difficult and I wanted to stop and walk so badly.  I just kept telling myself, just finish this race and then you are on your way to Victoria.  Just the thought of you kept me going and I finished running the whole way.  The next few months until you are home with us is the last 6 miles in our "marathon to you".  I know its going to be so hard to leave you and I wish so badly that we could just bring you home with us this first visit.  But inorder to get to the finish line of a 26.2 mile race, you have to make it through miles 20-26.  So we will keep running, keep our eye on the finish line on the little girl waiting for us at the end.  We love you and are so excited to meet you!

Love Mommy

Help Needed

Dear Victoria,

Remember our friends the Brady and Nash Murray?  I can't wait for you to meet them!  They have done so much for us in helping bring you home.  They are the ones that made the video about the orphans with Down syndrome.  They shared some exciting news with us yesterday that we want to pass onto all our friends.  Please help us in this effort to help them win.  The national exposure would be so helpful in finding families for the many orphans with Down syndrome and other special needs.

My Dear Family and Friends,

As you may already know, Nash and I recently made a 90 second video to raise awareness for Orphan with Down syndrome.  We entered this video into a contest sponsored by Ironman.  I'm excited to announce that mine and Nash's video has made it to the final round of voting!  Out of 105 videos, we are part of a group of 15 finalists!  Starting TODAY through June 18 public voting takes place.  Winners will get to race in the Ironman World Championship as a media athlete which means this will be an opportunity for our story to be shared on NBC's nationally televised Ironman broadcast this year.  This is our opportunity to tell the story of the many orphans with Down syndrome desperately waiting for a family to find them!

We need your help!  Please help us in the following ways:

-Vote as much as possible each day from an many devices as possible, home computer, work computer, laptop, phone, etc (only two short weeks for voting)(you can vote as much as you like each day by refreshing your browser after voting)

-Regularly share the video link to your wall on Facebook asking your friends to Share and Vote daily

-Forward this email to as many people as possible.

This is so much more than winning a competition. This is our chance to literally have these childrens story reach millions of people!  This is our best chance to help as many of these children that are in urgent need.

Here's the link to the video:

www.rodsracing.org

I genuinely thank each of you for taking the time to Vote and Share this message!

Because You Need to Know

Dear Victoria,

This post is for the many readers of your blog that do not understand what is taking place in many countries when it comes to children with special needs.  Our friends, the Murray's wrote a post on their blog this week that we would like to share.  Yes its heart breaking, but also hopeful.  There are so many children that need homes, and no its not an easy road.  I'm sure we will have our fair share of challenges when it comes to having multiple children with special needs.  But it will be worth it, I just know it.  We are all children of God and He is aware of each and everyone of us.  He wants us to be happy, to feel love and hope.  He will not leave us to do this alone, He has been here and will be here every step of the way. Two weeks little girl, and we will hold you in our arms, two weeks!  Today I got to pick out some fun toys and activities for us to do when we visit you, I can't wait.  Its going to be hard to leave your sisters for a whole week, but they will be in good hands.  See you soon.

Love Mommy


The following was taken from http://www.onestepclosertohome.blogspot.com/

Let Us Remember Our Cause...

This morning I spent some time looking at other blogs of advocates for orphans with Down

 syndrome.  I took a moment to look at a families blog who are adopting a child from Reece's

 Rainbow and who happen to live right here in the Boise, Idaho area.  We're excited to have 

gotten to know the Preece's recently!  You can check out their blog HERE.

It's from the Preece's blog that I found the following pictures.  Let me take a moment to explain

 exactly what is taking place in many Eastern European countries.  When a child is born with

 Down syndrome, it is common practice for the parents to place the child in an orphanage.  Some 

orphanages are better than others, but in the end, they are still orphanages.  It is here where the 

child stays, parentless and without a family of their own for the first 5-6 years of their life. 

At age 5-6 the child is then sent to an adult mental institution.  Although orphanages are not the 

best place for these children, they are 100% better than an institution.  It is common for these 

children to pass away during the first few years of being transferred because of the harsh

 circumstances they face in the institution.


Before instutionalization                                   After being transferred


In looking at these pictures of Ksenia, I want you to remember one thing, THERE IS HOPE!!!  

There are families ready and willing to adopt RIGHT NOW!  The only thing standing in their 

way is the financial burden of international adoption.  Costs for an international adoption are

 between $30,000-$40,000.  These families are not asking for us to take on all of the costs.  

They just need SOME help.  If a child's adoption grant gets to between $15,000 - $20,000, that

 is sufficient help to give these families the ability to go save these children.

There is one child in particular that we are desperately working for right now.  Here name is 

Maggie.  We chose Maggie about 3 months ago.  She had no donations in her adoption account 

and she had just been transferred.  MAGGIE IS IN AN INSTITUTION!  The good news is we've 

been able to grow her account to over $9,300, more than halfway to our goal of $15,000.  The

 sooner we can get her account to $15,000 the sooner she will be adopted! 




As I've discussed, an institution is a horrible place for these children to be.  With that being

 said, this is the result when a family is able to adopt one of these children.  Images and info 

are courtesy of www.nogreaterjoymom.com.


"Meet beautiful Kori.  Adopted at almost eight years old and weighing in at 

a mere 16 pounds!  Lifeless, sad, circles under her eyes, and in very poor 

condition.  But God could not leave her like that...He knew that her life had 

purpose and a destiny.  And so He reached down from heaven and gave her 

a miracle....a family to call her own.

Today...a picture of health!  Healthy, happy and growing in every way.  

Adorable!"



"I know that so many of you followed Katie's amazing journey home.  

Sweet, little, teeny-tiny Katie.  Rescued just three months ago--hanging 

on by a thread in a faraway orphanage. God had big plans for this angel! 

Katie also went straight from the airport to the hospital--weighing a measly 

10 pounds 9 ounces at nine years old!

Oh, but just LOOK what a difference family makes!  Today...Katie is doing

 incredibly well.  She is a healthy weight for her height and is growing before 

her family's eyes. She now weighs nearly 23 pounds!  What an absolute JOY 

Katie is to her family!"



"And darling little Belle. Adopted at almost three years old and weighing 

only 15 pounds.  Belle knew nothing but a life confined to a crib...until her 

family heard the call and said, "Here we are, Lord!  Send us!"

Today...just 13 months later she is a happy, healthy little toddler who 

weighs 26 pounds."



"This is Dusty.  Adopted from the same orphanage as our girls just nine

 months ago--weighing just 20 pounds when he came home and was 

admitted straight into hospital for malnutrition.  

Today, only ten months later, Dusty weighs over 30 pounds!  I have been 

so blessed to meet Dusty in person, and to watch him develop and grow.  

He is a little miracle boy for sure."

 

"And beautiful Carrington. Adopted in March 2011 and taken directly 

from the airport to the hospital.  Carrington was nothing but skin and bones-

-weighing only ten pounds when she came home. Doctors told the family that 

Carrington's organs had already started shutting down and she had just 24 

hours of life left in her.

But God...!  Just look what He did!  Today, almost one year after coming

 home, Carrington is healthy and thriving--weighing in at 27 pounds.  Glory

 to God in the highest!  Another little miracle."





May we each take the time to act on the feelings that come to us individually as we ponder 

these children's circumstances.  Whether it be to share these children's story with those you 

love, donate to a child, or take that leap of faith and adopt one of these precious children, 

it all helps, and it is all so greatly appreciated! 

Because every child deserves a family to call their own...

3 Weeks

Dear Victoria,

Our flights are booked, visa's ordered, sleeping accommodations and arrangements for your sisters are set up.  Three weeks from today we will board a plane and get to meet you in person for the first time.  Its a good thing that we have lots planned in the coming weeks to make it pass more quickly.  We are doing another yard sale this coming weekend, then the following weekend I'm running my fourth full marathon, and then its here.  The day we have been waiting five months for, the day you have been waiting five years for.  I almost can't believe it is so soon, but its starting to feel more and more real.  Everything we have done so far, all the work and prayers have led up to this moment, to meet you.  I know it will be so hard to leave you there, but I also have faith that God will keep you safe and bless us with the peace and faith we need to get through the next few months until you are home with us.

I have another little story to share with you.  Last week while we were cleaning up the yard sale a little boy and his mom that live down the street came over.  We were just chatting about how things went and then his mom said he had something he wanted to give us.  He then handed us a bucket full of money they had raised selling lemonade all day.  They wanted to donate it to us to help bring you home.  We are so touched by such an act of service.  They worked all day selling A LOT of lemonade, and to be so selfless and to give it to us was so kind.  I can't wait for you to be here and get to meet all the special people that have done so much to help us bring you home.  Heavenly Father is teaching us everyday through those who are helping us with this endeavor.  He knew that we couldn't do it on our own and He is providing so much help and spiritual strength through other people.  It makes me want to be better at reaching out and serving others.  To be more mindful of those around us and how we can help them.  To give more freely of our time and means.  We will never forget the love that has been shown to us.  You have taught us so much about LOVE.  The love that Heavenly Father has for each and everyone of his children.

Love Mommy

On Our Way

Dear Victoria,

Back in January when I wrote the post "Miracles in the Making" on our family blog, I had no idea the significance of that title.  Even now I don't think we have seen the fullness of the miracles that Heavenly Father has in store for you and our family.  I am writing today to share something very special with you.

Last week we received an email telling us that the department of the government in your country over adoptions made an exception and agreed to accept the paperwork for us and another Reece's Rainbow family.  We are the first families that they have allowed to move forward since adoptions were post-poned months ago.  In their words they are doing us a HUGE FAVOR.  There is no doubt in our minds that Heavenly Father softened their hearts and prepared our facilitator to plead our case in such a way that they were willing to make such an exception.  The group fast that was held in our behalves was instrumental in this occurring, along with the faith and prayers of many many people.

We are coming to meet you in less than a month!  Our travel date is JUNE 19th!!!  Can you believe it?  Just weeks ago we were unsure if we would even be able to make that first trip this year, and now we will see you in a matter of weeks.  Your orphanage will know we are coming for you and therefore the chance of you being transfered to an institution is much smaller.

There is much to do in the coming weeks, and we can't wait!!!  We are so blessed, so very blessed.

The yard sale on Saturday was amazing!!!  When I decided to do it I was seriously wondering if we would even make the $20 we paid to participate.  Boy did family, friends, neighbors and even total strangers step up and help us.  We made $2,500!!!!!  Have you ever heard of a yard sale making that much money?  I sure haven't.  People came in droves, we had at least 20 people in the yard from 7:00 am - 1:30 pm.  We even have stuff left over that we are going to try and sale at another neighborhood yard sale in a few weeks at our sisters house.  Thank you so much to all of those that donated items and time.  We could have never done it without all the help.  I think 1% of the items we sold were ours, everything else was donated.

In 4 very short weeks we will meet you!  We will play with you.  We will hold you.  Our world's will change forever.  We are coming little girl, we are coming.

Love Mommy

Yard Sale Time

Dear Victoria,

Wow, can I just say how truly humbled and in awe we are at all those who are supporting us through this.  That was a major deciding factor in why we decided that we wanted to adopt.  We knew we had such an amazing group of family and friends that would help us make this happen and be here for us once you are home.  Well I think our support group has more than tripled since we started this journey to you.  People we know, and even perfect strangers, that want to see you come home have stepped forward and done amazing things to help us.

Those that fasted and prayed with us were so kind to join us in our plea to Heavenly Father to help soften the hearts of those in power in your country.  Many many people have told us that they were fasting and praying for you, and we know that the Lord heard our prayers and will do all in His power to make this happen.  The story that touched me the most was about a girl that has babysat your sisters a couple of times.  Her mom told me that she told her high school seminary class (church class) about the fast that we did for your region to open back up and they all fasted together for you last Sunday.  How amazing is it that a group of 15-18 year olds would be so selfless to do a special fast for a family that they don't even know.

So its going to be a crazy-busy next few days.  We are doing a yard sale to fundraise on Saturday.  We put a call out to our local friends and family for donations to sell and W.O.W!  Our garage and basement are stuffed full of donated items and there is still more coming.  We have so much stuff that there is no way it will fit on our tiny little yard, so our next door neighbor said we can use their lawn to put more items up.  We are so grateful for the many people who have helped us in this endeavor.  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone that has helped us.  We definitely couldn't do it without you.

This is the banner I designed for your yard sale.  Its going to be HUGE!

We are also going to be selling cold bottles of water with these labels on them.

We are also so thankful for those who continue to donate to our online fund.  It has jumped almost $4,000 in the past month and a half.  We are getting very close to being fully funded and every little bit helps.  Just another testament to us that we are most definitely in the hands of our Savior and that He is taking care of each and every detail.  We are so blessed to be a part of His miraculous plan.

Love Mommy

A Special Story

Dear Victoria,

I have a very special story to share with you. Last week I got a very touching email from a family that has a little girl your age who also has Down syndrome. It came to us at a time that we were beginning to feel discouraged and it was a quick reminder for us to put our faith and trust in God and know that he is over all. Below are excerpts from the email.

"My older daughter Sarah, who turned 8 this month, is in 2nd grade at a Catholic School. Recognizing that they have been blessed with so much, the girls in her class have decided to forgo presents at their birthday parties in lieu of donations to the charity of their choice. For my daughter's birthday party, she chose to sponsor your Victoria through Reece's Rainbow, in honor of her 5-year old sister Hannah, her favorite person in the world who happens to have Down Syndrome.

"We sent out a link to your blog to her friends' families, and we also printed a page and put it on the table at the party for everyone to see adorable Victoria, read your story, and learn more about these precious children who are waiting to find their Forever Families. I am humbled (but definitely not surprised!) to say that the families responded generously. 17 little girls attended the party and I was moved to tears while opening the envelopes. Donations received at the party alone were $200. At least four other families gave online, and we are also sending in a donation in honor of both of our amazing daughers. When the final amounts are added up, I believe we have raised approximately $350 toward Victoria's adoption.

"From my family and from the families of the 2nd grade girls at my daughters school, thank you for giving us the opportunity to "adopt" Victoria and be with you all on your journey to bring her home to her Forever Family. The joy my daughter felt in making Victoria a homemade card (which I will be sending in with the donations:)) and knowing she was making a difference was the best present she could ever have received for her birthday. We wish you all the best with Victoria's adoption and will pray for your family and for all of the orphans trying to make their way to their Forever Families.

With Love,

Beth, Michael, Sarah, and Hannah"

This is Sarah and her cute classmates that donated to your fund.
Sarah is the  one in the pink shirt standing up.

I'm sure you can imagine how touched we were to hear that an eight year old little girl gave up her birthday presents to help bring you home to us.  What amazing little girls, such great examples to us of selfless service and working together to do something amazing!  Thank you Sarah and her friends for doing this for Victoria and our family.  I hope one day we can meet you in person and show Victoria the friends she has on the other side of the world.  

If you look on the side bar of your blog you will see that your fund is close to $5,000!!  Thank you to the many people who have donated to help us bring Victoria home.  Many of our co-workers are donating and then our work is going to match their donations.  We appreciate it more than you will ever know!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Thank you to our friend Kim who did the 31 bag fundraiser and donated ALL of her commission to our fund.  Thank you to all those who purchased products in that fundraiser.  We were able to raise another $325 through that.  Kaelyn was so excited she wanted to help divy out the products to deliver.  She crawled right over a pile of bags to get to me so she could do her part in bringing you home!

So earlier I mentioned that we were feeling a little discouraged last week.  Below is an email I sent out to family and friends, and we would like to make those of you following our journey aware of what is going on and ask for your help this Sunday.

Dear Family & Friends,

As many of you know we are in the process of adopting a little 5 year old girl with Down syndrome from Eastern Europe, Victoria. All of our paperwork is together and ready to be submitted to the government in her country. The region she is in is currently closed and not accepting adoption referrals at this time. There have been rumors that it may open up in the next month, and also rumors that it may not be till September or later. No one really knows when things will get rolling again. Since Victoria is 5 it is very important that she is adopted before she is transferred from the orphanage to a mental institution where conditions are far worse. Until we are given a referral for her, the directors at her orphanage will not know we are coming for her.

We are going to fast this Sunday, May 6th that things in her region and other regions that are currently closed where many families are waiting to get to their children, will open up soon. We would like to invite you to fast and pray with us. We know at this point it is out of our hands and have faith that Heavenly Father can make it possible to bring her home quickly and safely.Thank you for your love and support.

Jeana, Wayne, Kaelyn and Bryn Bonner

There will be hundreds of people fasting and praying for you and the other children and families in the regions that are closed this Sunday.  We know first hand the power of fasting and prayers, without them we wouldn't have your little sister Kaelyn with us today.  We know that Heavenly Father can work miracles and we are praying that things will work out the way He has planned.

Love Mommy