New fundraiser

I have a fundraiser I want to do. I want to make a quilt & host a "Giveaway". I have not started making it but will soon.

$76.42 more for Quintons grant!

I just raised $76.42 that will soon go to Quintons account! Praying he too might have a full grant soon!

Quinton has found his forever family!

I found out just yesterday through an email response that Quinton has a family now! what does this mean for the christmas angel tree? well, quinton no longer is on it cause he found a family but since they already made ornaments with his picture on it you can still get the ornament of Quinton to remind you of this precious child & it will still benefit Quintons fund. I still think I can raise $1000 or more don't you think? With his grant at $127 & with my donation of $56 which would put it at $183, I would need to raise $817 to reach $1000! If I can raise a full grant I would need to raise $19,817. Nothings impossible with God! Adoption costs on average $20,000-$30,000 with a full grant his family would be able to not have to worry about the financial cost! Will you consider donating to Quintons grant fund?
http://reecesrainbow.org/?s=quinton
I will post shortly how you can get an ornament of quinton & help his grant fund grow!

Christmas Warrior for Quinton

I am excited & proud to have signed up to be a christmas warrior to Quinton for Reeces Rainbow Angel Tree. The goal is to raise $1,000 or more for your childs grant fund! I would love to raise a full grant for Quinton. When you donate $35 or more for a child, you will recieve a beautiful photo ornament (WHEN DONATION MADE BEFORE DECEMBER 15!) of your sponsored child to hang on your tree! This is a very special way to "share Christmas" with an orphaned child, and to make it possible for other American and Canadian families to afford the high cost of rescuing them from orphanages and mental institutions around the world!
So if you would like to donate to Quintons grant fund & receive a lovely ornament with his picture on it (the picture shown to the right)i will have a way to on here tomorrow as thats when the angel tree starts! If you are unable to donate then please keep these children in your prayers!
Thanks!

Its Down Syndrome awareness month!

What is it truely like to have someone special like that in your family whether it be sister, brother, aunt, uncle, etc.?
It is an Honor to have them in your family. I know as I was blessed with an older sister with this extra chromosome! Yes, we siblings do have our struggles as well as parents do but we manage! Can they live a normal life? They most certainly can! My sister loves to dance with my other sister & they perform in front of family, friends, & complete strangers! Did you know that here in the USA their is (or was a few yrs ago-not sure if its changed!) a waiting list for families that want to adopt a child with this extra chromosome?? Yep, Their are those that want to love on these precious kids! Sadly Prenatal testing & misguided information to women plus doctors advice presures them into abortion especially with any type of special needs diagnosis. Overseas in Eastern Europe kids with this chromosome are blessed to be born, but due to it not being socially acceptable & with limited resources they are mostly put into orphanages & if not adopted by age 4 they will be institutionalized & most will live their the rest of their days. Reeces Rainbow helps orphans blessed to be born to find them families as well as their ultimate goal of finding ways to help these families be able to one day accept these kiddos. Please consider helping me in my mission to find Celine a family by donating to her grant fund in honor of down syndrome awareness month! click on her picture to the right or check out my new blog for her http://smiles4celine.blogspot.com/ for the latest contest I am doing to raise funds for her!

Better understanding

I wanted to write this since a lot of the time people keep asking me if I am okay when they see my hands shake or ask questions.
Yes, I was born with a rare thing that makes my hands shake at times. Sometimes its nerves as well but most of the time its not. I do take magneisum supplements to help. I know what its like for special needs kids in a way as I too get asked questions about it & it does get tiring answering questions at times but i learn to live with it. I don't remember the exact name of what its called but just wanted to post about it.

Being Joyful

I have heard about being joyful a lot recently including being inspired by my favorite author Karen Kingsbury & fellow friend from church to be more joyful. Well, since this I have become inspired to start my own organzation that will be used as a service project/charity.

PRAISE!!!!!

Celines fund has been raised praise God! This precious little girl has touched 1 or more peoples life now to donate to her fund! Looking forward to seeing how much more I can do to help her find her forever family! Please continue to pray for Celine to find a family! I so wish I could meet her, maybe i will someday!

my camp testimony

It was a god thing that I was able to be in a sibling cabin as a CIA which stands for Christians in action. For volunteers its 1:1 ratio for special needs campers & 1:2 or 3 ratio for sibling campers. I had 2 girls I was technically in charge of but it was more like we watched over & hung out with all the girls than anything. I was in a cabin with older sibling girls 2 of which were in my cabin as sib campers when I was a sib camper. It felt a little weird at first with being in charge of them & one of them keep thinking I was a camper.
It felt like I was more of their friend then CIA watching over them. I enjoyed getting to know the girls. We did have 1 girl who her grandma volunteered as a nurse & she came with her but does not have a sibling with special needs. We bonded so well together & she helped me even with certain activities that it felt like I was her camper & she was the CIA. I always feel for the kids that don’t have a sib that its hard for them to feel like they fit in or relate to the sibling discussions we have but I know they still have a great time at camp.
I had a cabin with 8 girls, 3 other CIAs beside myself, 2 staffers, & a cabin mom. Cabin moms sleep elsewhere but they hang out with a cabin & help out where needed. At first I was feeling overwhelmed as originally we would have had 10 girls. I felt God pulling at my heart about the daily struggles siblings do have to face. I was glad to be able to relate to the girls about being a sib. It breaks my heart to see other siblings have struggles just like me. God defiantly was using me this week.
Even though I was disappointed that I did not get a camper with special needs or down syndrome like I thought I would God put me in a sibling cabin for a reason to be able to use my experience not only for the girls but to show the other CIAs & staff there what I went through as a previous sib camper. He wanted me in that cabin & knew what I could handle. I felt like I was a blessing to the girls by the end of the week. I got a lot closer to the girls & formed great relationships with them as well as all the CIAs & staff. They were so kind to me throughout the week & prayed for me when I needed it.
I Learned a lot at camp spiritually & emotionally. I did have some struggles during some of the days. Due to internet issues at camp I did not get some of the emails people sent so I got feeling down & started to worry when I was not getting any emails as I wanted to hear from home mainly. I prayed about it & reread the emails I did receive. I felt like I should be focusing more on the girls & the other people around me more than getting emails. I knew people were praying for me but I guess I just wanted to know by email that they were. I had a night where I just prayed for a lot of different things. It was a very emotional night after everyone went to sleep but by morning I was all energized & ready to stay focused on the girls in my cabin as well as to try to be patient with everybody.
By the last day I was crying cause I did not want to leave all these precious friends I had made & camp itself. God touched my heart & changed me for the good through camp this year! I even wanted to stay when I learned that a church group had dropped out of term 9 & they were looking for volunteers for that week. I hope to go next year as a CIA again but this time for 2 weeks possibly terms 7 & 8. Its my mission until barnabas comes to CA that I try to go back every year. I love camp & all it stands for! If you ever get a chance to go volunteer there I encourage you to go as it will change your heart forever! I am so blessed to have such great support from my family & friends otherwise I would have not gotten to bless these 8 girls. Thanks to everyone who made it possible for me to go & thanks for all the prayers! I hope to help more campers be able to experience the same one I have gotten to enjoy the 6 years I have gone to camp. Pray I will be able to raise funds for next year!

Fundraising & JBF sale

Fundraising is fun but hard work let me tell you that! I am trying to work hard as I know it will help but coming up with the funds is so hard. I am doing the jbf sale in sac & its always a sucess but I wish i could do the other 2 jbf sales to fundraise more but its hard when usually most of my stuff sells & whats left i usually donate to the pregnancy center i volunteer at or donate to their charity the sale donates to. I am trying so hard to collect items so I can be able to help others like Celine who is waiting for her forever family but its hard in this down ecconomy where people save their stuff incase of having another child or sell it themselves.

Camp Barnabas 2010

Words cannot even describe the experience I had at camp this year!

I Learned so much spiritually this past week & am planning to put the lessons to
good use & recommit myself to God. I feel like a heavy weight has been
lifted off my shoulders as I prayed one of the nights at camp when I
was feeling down. I had not been reading my bible at all but now I
want to start reading it more. I had been struggling spiritually wise
but now I feel that my faith has been renewed.

I was placed with 8 sibling campers & boy some of these girls struggles they have to deal with their siblings broke my heart. I know that I am lucky even though my sisters disability is not quite as severe as others. God knew he wanted me to be there as a friend to these girls this week & share my personal story of having a sibling with special needs. I was a tad disapointed not to get a special needs camper but once i met these girls I knew that God put me up to the challenge & wanted me to start slowly & health wise so that I could handle it being my 1st year as a CIA. Yes, i did have some rough days when I wondered why I decided to volunteer at all but then whenever i saw the girls interact with each other & each others siblings i knew it was worth it to see the smiles on their faces. I did have 1 down day where i was sad not to get emails cause of the internet being down but later decided to reread the emails i had gotten which reminded me to remain focussed on why I was there in the first place, ministering to the girls & loving on them. I knew that all my friends & family were praying for me!

My new precious friends!

Even though they are in a far away country I still consider these cute angels my friends!
Celine has $0 in her grant fund & her smile took my breath away!
Maria is also still looking for some more funds & is also such a cutie pie!
Both these girls are still waiting on their forever families!!
Lastly little Liam who has found a family but they are still in the process of bringing him home & raising funds!
Please consider praying for them & the other special needs orphans of the world that are at risk of facing institutions at 4-5 yrs old or consider donating to any of these precious angels grant funds!!

11 days til I embark on my journey

Yep 11 precious days til i leave for Camp Barnabas term 7 with my team. i am so anxiously awaiting returning to camp! In 05 i was so disapointed not to go when we had just moved out here & last year I decided to try out youth camp which turned out to be a totally different plan than I thought it would be but God sure blessed me through that mini adventure & wanted me there. Now I am excited to go back yet again my 6th year there but my 1st time as a CIA (Christ in youth) counselor! I pray that God will use me to bless another camper with love as camp has done for me!

Celine

I had been looking at all the angels on reeces rainbow which is a site that lists international children most with down syndrome or other special needs up for adoption after following 1 journey of a local family to adopt a precious little girl named Sophia. There i heard about the plight of orphans with special needs over seas & realized just how lucky my own sister was by being born in america with resources as well as improvements of society with those with special needs. Once they reach the age of 4 they get instutionalized. I hope that they will soon accept people there but for now I want to commit to praying for these angels to find their forever family & to help bring them home! Little Celine captured my heart with her smile & I am commited to praying & raise funds for her as well as the others!
heres the info they have listed on this precious girl (i left some out so click on the button on the right to see more)
Date of Birth: October 2005
Gender: Female
Eyes: Blue
Hair: light brown
Character: sociable. Calm
So happy to have updated pics and medical information about Celine! She is a pretty little girl who is blessed to still be at the baby house. She is facing transfer soon. Celine has blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She is quite self-sufficient and independent physically. She very much enjoys the attention of adults, and likes to read books and engage.

Fundraise for reeces rainbow

Sewing life ever to start??

agg I so what to start sewing & need to if I want to make myself some shorts that are my style!! Problem is I have so many projects to do other than sewing but hopefully when I get back I will be able to have a few sewing days.
I have several cute girl dress patterns & still have yet to make a dress i promised steph for her bday 2 months ago. I want to start making it before she has another growth spurt. The only thing left is getting more fabric that will work for outfits!! I only have quilt squares, flannel for taggies & some other lovely fabric that I have no clue with what to make of it. I need to find someone that can help me make a simple square quilt as i need to use the squares up. I love making stuff for people but also want to start selling more on etsy which i think sewing would be another thing i could do.

Soul searching/sacrifices of love

Ever have one of those moments where you know its time to do some more soul searching?? I have been feeling lately thats what I should do but everytime I start I don't know where to start.
God gave me the best sacrifice of all by Jesus dying for my sin so I think I should sacrifice my time for him. I know its hard to start but I must learn to give of myself to him just like I am giving my time volunteering to his glory & honor at the resource center. I hope to gain more understanding this summer when I work at camp barnabas, but for now I am sacrificing little things such as giving up things I might want to do.

Blessings stored in heaven

I have not yet even sent all my support letters/emails & all the people I have sent emails to all have been very supportive. I feel very blessed & am excited to look forward to this new adventure I am embarking upon. God has let me grown up with great parents & great sunday school teachers/childrens ministry leaders to help lead me in a Godly life. Camp Barnabas has also helped me through faith & I will always treasure the fact that I chose to get baptisted there & they were ever so excited for me to do it! To all my friends, words can not describe how much each one of you have meant to me each in your own personal way! You have cared, loved me, listened when I needed an ear to talk with, prayed for me at the moments I needed it most, a shoulder to lean on or cry on, & most important shared a special bond that I will always remember no matter where life takes me! I am trying not to cry just typing this! You all mean that much to me!
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:20
I hope that you will take this verse with you & learn more from it! I will be updating this blog more in the future with things in my life as well as sharing more about my adventures & such so please follow my blog if you have a google account!

One of the hardest

It seems so hard, with the way my sister is from most people with down syndrome. I don't know what it is that makes it so hard. Some days I just wish she was not the way she is, mind you I still love her, I just have struggles & we don't get along the way we use to when we were younger. Having a sibling with special needs can be one of the most hardest & sometimes joyful things in life. Thats one of the reasons I like camp barnabas so much as I have something in common with the other siblings & I can share those struggles. The nicest part is no one stares at you for having a sibling with special needs.

Mission trip to camp barnabas & how I plan to fundraise

Well, since my mom said volunteering to serve as a councilor at camp barnabas this summer counts as a mission trip she told me of 1 way I can use to help me fundraise other than saving up my own money & from the jbf sale. So I am going to write a letter explaining why I want to serve at camp barnabas & how I will hopefully benefit a camper with special needs or a cabin of sibling campers, sending it out to my family & friends who are there to support me. Camp Barnabas has been like a family to me when I went for 5 years as a sibling camper supporting me & caring for me as also the place I was honored to be baptisted at so I feel humbled to do everything I can to give back to them. I will write more about it in my letter but let me know if you want a letter or I can send an email. Thanks for all your continued encouraging support & love to me!

My sewing life adventure

So for christmas I got a new sewing machine as I had asked for one of my own as the one we do have is not portable to take places if I am going to learn from someone how to sew. Well I tested it out a few days after christmas but have not gotten a chance to learn more yet but I want to make my bag set that I got with it so what to start with?? I am now going crazy in fabric land!!! I have a box of fabrics from various times & have lots of this pretty burgendy colored with roses fabric I have had forever since I did a school project when I was about 10 on india so we made a sari (sp?) & have not touched the leftover (or it was the sari unraveled?)fabric since and I have no clue what to make with such lovely fabric. Plus alot of them are quilt squares so I am ready to shop sales for fabrics whats a girl to do but shop for crafts? ahhh if only I had thought of that before spending my craft gift cards for other things!! Their are 2 friends I know that have made some cute outfits and/or costumes & I really want to make as cute of stuff as they do!! I hope I can get a job soon to support my hobbies or hopefully a friend to pass some cute fun fabrics to me!!

Beauty & the Beast

Beauty & the Beast is my favorite movie of all time now! Belle is my favorite disney princess! I decided as soon as I heard that the group my siblings does plays with that I wanted to be in Beauty & the Beast JR. I completly enjoyed it even with the stress & craziness of things! I would do it all over again if I could! Just all songs were so much fun & the costumes & even painting a set was fun! I could write a whole lot but going to save my story of the play for fb.

So thankful for friends!!

My Friends mean the world to me! They are kind, loving, & caring. They can make me smile or make my day in the smallest of things!
They listen to me & tell me that things are going to be okay.
I am so thankful for my friends & that I met them!

Being 18 & a new look for the blog

So I feel like I have deglected the blog. I am trying hard to figure out how to get this to be nicer looking. Anyway, I have been busy but felt like I should start blogging again.
I am offically an adult! what is being an adult anyway? I still feel like I am 15 LOL! according to my sister though ur a young adult til your 20 hehe. It feels so strange that I am 18, feels like yesterday I was only 13.
As I am growing up I have had to think more about my future, I am still unsure of myself but with Gods help he can help through the years ahead!