I would like for you to met Ian

Ian is a sweet little boy that my friends Gretchen and Craig are adopting from Russia.

They have already been to his country once to meet him and are close to getting ready to go back again to bring him home. 

Ian's region is expensive.  VERY EXPENSIVE.  The Stewarts have to raise a lot of money to bring this cute fellow home. Once home they can comfortably care for Ian but like most we don't have 48k just hanging around.

 To SAVE Ian it is costing 47,566.00.

Gretchen has an unbelievable break down of where every penny has went to or will go toward at her website

http://www.hopeforian.org/

Gretchen wants the fundraising to be over. 

She wants to be able to concentrate on other things.  So when a friend presented her with a puzzle that reminded her of Ian and Ari playing stick ball, Gretchen felt it was God telling her it was the last piece to "solve" the problem of raising the thousand of dollars in such a short time.

So she ask for help from 10 friends

Ten friends that would help carry the torch to Raise the Ransom ( thanks for the catch phrase Adeye).  All we have to do is raise 100.00 by asking 10 people to donate 10.00 (to get their name on a piece of puzzle that is in the packet) and then pass the packet on to another person.  That person has to raise 100.00 (asking 10 people to donate 10.00) and then pass the packet on.  My packet needs to get to 10 people in order for 1,000.00 to be raised for Ian and for 100 puzzle pieces to be filled.  With 10 packets out there - 10,000 dollars would be raised if everyone did their part.  (Leaving them 2,000.00 short)

Did you get all that??????

I had to read it a bunch of times before I could get it myself.

It requires a lot of faith.  Everyone has to participate in order for it to work.

I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

All of that to get this little guy across the ocean.

Gretchen ask me why I was MOVED to help and I told her all I had to do was look at Gavin. See Ian has Down Syndrome and WE believe he deserves a chance at LIFE.

Gavin wants his new buddy HOME so they can HANG together.

Tim and I already raised our 100.00 (okay we donated it) and we have already filled out our puzzle pieces, but I don't want to pass the packet on. For one thing I'm a control freak but God placed Gretchen and Ian on my HEART and I just can't let the packet go.  I just need 90 people to each donate 10.00.

Seriously.

It isn't that much.

You donate.  I don't have to pass on the packet.  Gretchen gets her money NOW instead of later and everyone is happy.

Will you help us?

Be a LIFE SAVER with us?

I just need 90 people to donate 10.00 each.

Or 45 people to donate 20.00 each.

Or 23 people to donate 40.00 each.

Doesn't that sound a whole lot easier???

Please.

Will you be the Hands and Feet of Christ today?

You donate Here  let me know you donated and I write your name on a puzzle piece. 

That best portion of a good man's life, His little, nameless, unremembered acts Of kindness and of love.

- William Wordsworth

Will you help my friend Gretchen bring her little guy home?

I have been ask to give a short "story" of why I have commited to raising funds for Ian.  It's simple my son Gavin.

Gavin "reading" in the winter sunshine

Enjoying a trip to the Zoo

Helping Daddy and Camden build the Davis Fort

I believe that Ian and ALL the orphans deserve to experience LIFE.

“If you have much, give your wealth; if you have little, give your heart.” Anonymous

Last night as I was rocking Gavin to sleep my mind drifted to many conversations that God and I have been having lately.  As he traced my hand with his little fingers I kept thinking of Kirill Davis and how he soon would be tracing his Mommy's fingers. God has not only worked a miracle in getting him into his forever home but has changed so many hearts. Mine for one. 

 So is that what God needs me to do, change peoples hearts?  If so, how? Awareness?  Do people even know so many children are out there needing loving forever homes? Do people still believe that Down Syndrome is a bad thing? How do I make people aware?

Taken from Reece's Rainbow:

In Central and Eastern European countries alone (this would include Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Romania, etc, but NOT Russia), there are more than 1.5 MILLION CHILDREN who have been abandoned by their families for one reason or another and are living in "public care" (that's the nice way to put it).  If statistically, 1 out of every 733 live births results in a child with Down syndrome, that means at any given time there are 2,046 children with Down syndrome who need families.  THAT'S JUST IN EUROPE!!  Some do not survive because of serious medical complications…some do not survive because of lack of medical attention, lack of food, lack of LOVE. 

In Russia, there are over 700,000 children waiting for families, meaning at least 955 children with Down syndrome wait, languishing.  In ASIA (China, Hong Kong, Korea, India), there are 3,572,000 orphans, with nearly 5000 children with Down syndrome who are unwanted.  Many of those children are killed at birth.    The "lucky" ones end up in orphanages and foster care situations.

Did you do the math?  I did, approximately 8000 children with Down Syndrome are needing homes.  My heart is heavy just knowing that children just like Gavin are abandoned just because they are not what the parents expected.  My heart wonders what should we expect?  What I do know is that Psalm 127:3 states "Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him".

It is a reward and a BLESSING.  My prayer today is that hearts will begin to change.  That everyone will see that any child is a blessing, a "reward".