Bringing Hope Home: Atlanta Area Reece's Rainbow Families

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Atlanta Area Reece's Rainbow Families

There are currently 4 families committed to and in the process of adopting children listed on Reece's Rainbow, who all live within the metro Atlanta, Georgia area. This past weekend were were blessed to host them at our home. It is wonderful to be surrounded by such amazing, faithful, and peaceful people.

What is more, is that the one and biggest things we have in common is that we are all

rescuing orphans, and we all also feel like

they have rescued us.

i love it.

From L to R: Back row: Abe Koenig, Nancy Crews, David Al-Khazraji, and Craig Stewart

From L to R: Seated: Corrie, Annalee, Elliana, Amarissa & Ammadea Koenig; Aubrey, Cameron & Gavin Al-Khazraji; and Gretchen & Ari Stewart.

The Koenigs have two biological children with special needs (hearing loss, eye issues), they are bringing home VIKA with Cerebral Palsy.

Nancy & John (not pictured) Crews, together with their adult daughter Kate, who has Cerebral Palsy, are bring home HANNA, with Down Syndrome. I had had the great pleasure of getting to know the Crews family better over the last few months and I can tell you that are simply divine, wonderful, and humble. Kate is amazing!

Cameron & David Al-Kahzraji have one child with special need (PDD-NOS) and are bringing home TANNER, with multiple medical needs.

and then there's us, you know about us that Ari has Autism & Hypotonia, and we are bringing home sweet IAN.

the wonderfulness of the journey can never really be stated in words.
we are so gratefully and forever changed and thankful for it all.

1 comment:

Dove FamilieMarch 1, 2011 at 10:02 AM
Hi Gretchen! I'm Jennifer. My family and I live in Sugar Hill - not too far from you! We have two sons, both adopted from Eastern Europe. I'm so excited for you as you journey to add Ian to your family.

By the way, I lead an orphan care ministry at our church in Duluth. We are having a family fellowship night this Friday night, and I want to invite as many families as possible. There is no agenda for this meeting - it is simply an event to connect adoptive families, families in process, those interested in adoption, and those interested in orphan care. The event is free - just bring a finger food to share! We won't have any speakers or anything like that - just time to let families connect, ask questions, share their stories, ask for prayer, etc. I think the Koenig family is planning to be there, too :) Would love to have you join us.
To register, visit http://www.crosspointechurch.com/news/events/page_one27fellowship.htm

Jenn in Georgia
http://littleboydove.blogspot.com
janedove75@yahoo.com
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

Ian's adoption Timeline

To view our DETAILED TIME LINE in its entirety, please click HERE

Updates for the last two months only appear below:

4/5/11 We met Ian in his country for the very first time!

4/5/11 Get the news that Ian is headed for heart surgery, eye surgery, and another in-patient surgery, were given the option to refuse surgery in his native country, and we did. Please pray for our Ian.

4/5/11 Friends the Fillmores post about Ian on their blog.

4/13/11 Friend Julia Nalle posts about Ian and our Hope for Ian Necklace fund raiser on her blog, very moving post.

4/17/11 Friend Julia Nalle posts about Ian again, to help us raise money to get him home.

4 18/11 Front page story in my hometown newspaper, The Racine Journal Times, about Ian. Thank you to Amie Miller, Hero of Hope for Ian, and Lindsay Fiori, the reporter, as well as Mark Hertzberg, the photographer.

4/19/11 Friend Lorraine Patterson, Chrissie's mom (the reason we found Ian), posts a beautiful plea for Ian on her blog, in memory of the one year date of Chrissie's heart surgery. The posted all week about Ian!

4/25/11 Received a grant of $1,925.00 from Golden Dawn Adoption Assistance, which paid the match fee's at Hand in Hand, bringing our Hand In Hand fee's balance to ZERO. Praise God! Since being home, God has lessened our financial burden to bring Ian home from a needed $18K to only needing $13K. $5,000 in 14 days since we met Ian. Many thanks are due to fellow adoptive and RR families who have blogged about Ian and our very special Hope Necklace fundraiser, and to all of the families and individuals who have donated to help us answer God's calling for our lives.

4/25/11 Friend Jennifer Dove posts about Ian on her blog to help us raise money.

4/29 & 5/1/11 Massive Hope for Ian yard sale is a success! Over $1500.00 raised for Ian, thank you to all who donated items for the sale and for my mother and grandmother who helped with childcare before, during, and after the week long preparations for the yard sale.

5/4/11 Gift for Adoption Grant submitted - Please PRAY, this could be the last big chunk of what we need to bring Ian home this summer.

5/10/11 Our adoption agency informs us that we will be required to complete a Homestudy update. This is very sad news as it means another $1,000.00 to do that, and countless hours lost from work and home getting our hands on difficult to obtain documents and reports. This also means further delay in getting Ian home. We press on, but this news is very challenging and disheartening.

5/15/11 Our court dossier is sent to Ian's country. We already know we have three errors that need to be corrected. We will attend to those and await word on what else will need to be fixed before we can be issued a court date.

6/14/11 Our new FBI clearances arrived, and our Homestudy update is ready. We are still waiting on a court date, we have no news. God is moving the financial mountain, and we have almost enough for the court trip, fund raising the last bit now for getting Ian home.

7/14/11 Trip #2, court date in Russia, Ian's adoption is approved! He can come home!

7/26/11 Gift for Adoption approves a $5,000 grant to complete our fundraising! Goal of $41,000 raised is met!

8/14/11 GOTCHA DAY! trip #3 to bring Ian home!

8/24/11 Ian came HOME, forever.

Pages

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Atlanta Area Reece's Rainbow Families

1 comment: