Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Five Loaves and Two Fish

We have a very special story to share with you!

First a quick little summary for those who aren't yet familiar with our story. Our family is in the process of adopting a little girl from Poland. Amelia was abandoned at birth by her parents because she was born with Down syndrome and has spent her entire 16 months in an institution. Our heart breaks for her and the thousands of other abandoned children with special needs. We have begun working on some fundraisers to raise the $30,000 needed to bring Amelia home.

On Sunday, eight families came out to have their spring/Easter photos taken and 100% of the money for the pictures went to help bring Amelia home. The families were all very generous and two of the families we had never even met before! We were truly humbled and so blessed at the outpouring of love. But there was one special girl in particular that we wanted you to hear about.

Meet Madison, she's 8.


Sunday was the first and only time that I have met her and her family. She is a very sweet little girl. After her pictures were done, Madison handed me $25. Thinking it was for their photo session, I told her mom thank you. That's when she told me that the money was not for their photos but was a gift of Madison's OWN money that she wanted to give to Amelia to help her come home. 
[Are you crying too? I still can't think about it without crying.]

I kept thinking about Madison and sharing with others about the sweet little girl who gave such a generous and thoughtful gift. Yesterday, her mom sent me a message with the rest of the story.

Madison (8), her mom, and her little sisters
On the way to the photo session, Madison's mom, Tara, was explaining to the girls where they were going and why. She told them about Amelia and how much money we needed to raise. Madison excitedly offered to give her money but it wasn't long before she started to feel discouraged as she realized that her gift, although very large to a little girl, was so small in comparison to the full amount that is needed. Her wise mom knew immediately what to do, she told her the story of the five loaves and two fish.

When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

John 6:5-14

That's when Madison, all on her own, began to pray over her money. That God would use her small gift and that He would multiply it to bring Amelia home. She took her gift and, although it seemed so small in comparison to what was needed, it was all that she had and she gave it with confidence believing with all her heart that God would multiply it.
[[If you weren't crying before, I bet you are now!!]]

I am so deeply touched by this little girl and her message. She reminded me that when we are faithful in giving God what we have, he multiplies it in a way that only He can and provides abundantly for our needs (with extra!). The adoption process is overwhelming, not only financially, but also mentally physically and emotionally, probably much like the disciples felt overwhelmed at the cost of having to feed five thousand people! I love that Phillip specifically says that it would take "half a year's wages," almost exactly what we are trying to raise for Amelia. If Jesus cared enough to provide for the crowd's hunger, surely He cares for Amelia [and the thousands of other children with special needs who have been abandoned] to find the love and care that she needs. It is such a fitting story.

Thank you Madison (and Tara), not only for your gift, but for reminding us to keep our eyes on Jesus. We will never forget Madison's gift and I can't wait to share the story with Amelia one day. 

For those who would like to help multiply Madison's gift, our tax-deductible FSP link is: http://reecesrainbow.org/89467/sponsorhowell-3


And for those who haven't "met" Amelia yet, here she is (#bringAmeliahome):

 


And just for fun, here are some of Claire's Easter pictures from Sunday:



Have a blessed day!  As always, thank you for taking the time to cheer us on.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

We have a BIG Surprise!

 


 



Amelia was born on November 19, 2013 in Poland with ten fingers, ten toes, beautiful blue eyes, and Down syndrome. Her file says that her parents "did not accept a sick baby" and she was placed in an instituition when she was just weeks old. She is now 16 months old and has been waiting far too long for her forever family. Well, we are finally HERE!




Please help us bring this sweet girl home and SOON. She desperately needs access to therapies, better nutrition, and medical care as soon as possible.

A special needs adoption looks a little different than a typical, international adoption simply because there aren't many families willing to adopt children with special needs - the children are the ones waiting to be matched, not the parents. Because of this, Amelia is already "ours" and we can bring her home as soon as we can get all of our paperwork approved by both countries and have all of our  funding. Of course we ALL want that process to be as quick as possible so we are moving ahead at lightning speed, our social worker told us that we completed the fastest home study she has ever seen and we are on track to do the same with our dossier. We attribute it to a lot of hard work but there was also a whole lot of favor! There's just not much else to help explain how we were able to complete a 3-4 month process in just 2 weeks. 

One of the scariest parts of stepping out in faith is that first step! It feels much like walking off of a ledge without being able to see if there's anything there to catch you. It takes a lot of faith, a really deep breath, maybe even a squint of your eyes, and a JUMP. We are confident that God is calling us to bring little Miss Amelia into our family and we are excited to watch Him make it all come together in a way that only He can. We "stepped off the ledge" by committing to be her family, she is no longer listed for adoption and she is counting on us to see this through. It isn't easy for anyone to ask for help but we believe that because God is calling us to step out in faith, he is also stirring the hearts of people to come alongside and help us. We cannot do this alone

The road ahead is full of paperwork and fundraising, the cost of Amelia's adoption will be close to $35,000. We have already paid a good portion of that in application fees, preparing documents, payments to our agency, and on our home study. We have about $30,000 left to raise. That is the only downside to a quick adoption, there is less time to fundraise so we absolutely need your help to get this done as quickly as possible so we can get this girl home. 


Ways you can help:

- Prayer: Pray that we would have favor with our government and theirs and that the adoption process would go smoothly and quickly. Pray that our faith would remain unwavering.

- Donate to our FSP (Family Sponsorship Program): Donations are completely tax deductible, you will receive a receipt and be able to write 100% of your donation off on your 2015 taxes! The link to our FSP page on Reece's Rainbow is: http://reecesrainbow.org/89467/sponsorhowell-3 (if you aren't familiar with our family story, use this link to find out more about our family as well). We will be making some pretty artwork to hang in Amelia's room that will contain the names of everyone who helped bring her home!
Please note: Donations made via PayPal will incur a 3% reduction in the donation toward Amelia's adoption to cover those Paypal fees. Donations made via check  are given at 100% (Checks should be made payable to Reece’s Rainbow and mailed to PO Box 277 Monrovia, MD 21770. Be sure to write that it is for Mimi/the Howells). Also, we will not be able to see who has donated until later in the process (they give us one big list after all of the donations are in) so, if you'd like us to know that you donated, please send us a message so that we can say thank you!

- Help us with fundraising: Do you have an idea for a fundraiser? Do you have a product or service to donate for either a giveaway or an auction? Are you willing to ask for donations, either monetary or items for a giveaway or auction (we are happy to provide you with a request letter)? Do you have a project that we could help you with or a job that we could do in exchange for a donation to our FSP? [Again, as long as payment is made through our FSP, all donations are 100% tax deductible!]. Let's get creative!

- Share our Facebook/Blog posts: Help us spread the word! You never know who might see a post that you shared and be willing to donate, pray, or even just continue the cycle of sharing.



Things that aren't helpful:

- Saying things like "I don't know how you're going to do it.": Keep it positive. There is an enemy and he loves to stir up confusion and doubt. We need to hear things that are faith-building. We don't know how we are going to do it either! Instead say something like, "You are going to make great parents for this little girl. When things get hard, I will be right here to help."

- Saying "Please let me know what I can do" (anyone else agree that this phrase should be removed from our vocabulary?!): If your heart is stirred or you feel like God is calling you to help in any way, we graciously accept! There is no "wrong" way to help, it is all a blessing and we (and Amelia!) appreciate it very much. 


Finally, we have to be VERY careful with the use of Amelia (Mimi)'s pictures and name.  If you'd like to include her name or images in a post, blog, etc.  PLEASE ask first.

THANK YOU for taking the time to read about our new journey!  We are beyond excited. Our hearts are longing to meet her, to hold her in our arms, and to finally bring her home.  Thank you for coming along for the ride!!!!

"Be strong in the Lord and never give up hope.
You're gonna do great things
I already know
God's got his hand on you so 
don't live life in fear
forgive and forget
but don't forget why you're here
Take your time and pray
These are the words I would say"
-Sidewalk Prophets

"Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior"
-Hillsong United


<3 The Howells

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Nine Months


It has been an entire month since our last update, we are living the busy life!!!

Claire is NINE months old today, she is 15lb 15oz (14th percentile) and 26in (5th percentile).

This month she started sitting up all by herself, "army" crawling, and she got two new teeth (both of the bottom/front ones).  She is officially on the move!

She is ROCKING her therapies, talking up a storm, and stealing hearts with her smile everywhere she goes. This month she celebrated her first World Down Syndrome Day (3/21), we all wore blue and yellow in her honor.


She has had a cold for over 4 weeks now but she isn't letting it slow her down [although I can't say the same for mommy's lack of sleep!].  Three different nebulizer medications and two courses of steroids and it's still hanging on!  She's a trooper and hopefully soon, it will all be behind us.

As always, thank you for cheering us on!  We appreciate YOU.