Yesterday was our Bring Home Grace Walk-a-Thon, and we couldn't have had a better day! We had 8 families who spent about a month collecting donations for our adoption fund. Yesterday was the big day when we all came together at a beautiful local park for the walk-a-thon. The weather was beautiful...nice and overcast...and the walk was a lot of fun! We even had our friend Robbie bring his dog Winston all decked out in a cute bandana and a sign on his back that said, "Bring Grace Home." Winston walked that mile for Grace too! :)
We were overwhelmed by the support we had from our friends who worked so hard to collect donations. And they all had such sweet encouraging words to share with us.
We gave a fun Grand Prize gift bag to the Carter family, who collected the most donations for our adoption fund ($543!!). The Carter family is precious. They all have very sweet spirits. And they also have a child who has an extra 21st chromosome just like our little Grace! :) So, they've been a big support and wealth of information for us. In fact, yesterday at the walk-a-thon, they brought us a bag filled with binders of information about our local Down Syndrome Association.
We also awarded a 2nd place gift bag to the Nunley family who raised $270 and a 3rd place gift bag to the Peerson family who raised $250. We were especially touched that both of these families had children who gave out of their own personal money. I'm telling you...we have such sweet friends!
EVERY family who participated is so special and did such wonderful hard work, and in total, they raised $1719. We gave each family a bright pink bag that says, "GRACE...it's amazing!" My mom and dad found those bags in Texas and sent them especially for our walk-a-thon. Chris's mom hand-stamped some bookmarks, greeting cards and candy bags for the walk-a-thon prizes. And Chris's grandmother donated some prizes for the gift bags. Such sweet help and support from EVERYONE!! Thank you!
We had a bonus because the local newspaper was interested in our story, so they came out to the park to interview us and take pictures. We pray that God will use this for HIS GLORY. It is all about HIM! We were also able to tell the reporter about Ruslana, who is a sweet little girl who has already been moved to an institution because she has not been adopted before the age of 4. Time is of the essence because mortality rate is so high in these children who are transferred to institutions. Please pray for Ruslana, and pray that her forever family steps forward for her soon.
Thank you again (and again!) to everyone who helped us with the walk-a-thon! We have come so far by God's grace alone. This adoption cost about $17,000 in total, and now we only lack $5481. We have NO IDEA how God did that, but He did! :) It wasn't US, but HIM who made that possible. It's truly a very real miracle! We have no doubt that He will continue to provide every penny we need. These are the fields of the fatherless we are working in, and God is busy at work in those fields. He CARES deeply for these children, so He provides everything we need when we step up to love one of His children. Adoption is truly a journey of miracles!
