What a great day!!!

There is a saying here in "Green Country" (which is brown right now BTW!) that once you have been to Happy Hill you will never be the same. Happy Hill is my church. And especially after today I can honestly say I will never be the same. What an incredible group of giving people! Today I was able to witness a miracle. Like a loaves and fishes miracle. I was able to actually see with my eyes the true spirit of adoption! For this I will forever be grateful to Happy Hill!

We have two days left on our Partnership 190! This too has been amazing to see people I don't even know give into our baby's life. Basically this campaign asks for 190 people to give $100 via paypal or by check to our address (see older post); or you can give $20 and ask 4 friends to give $20 which would total $100. Many of you have churches that would want to give. If 30 churches gave $250 that would total $7500! This money helps us provide food, clothing and a place to live for one month after the baby is born. She had been living in a tent before.

Some amazing people in our community have stepped up to help us with an online auction. It will be held on our hope happens adoption page on Facebook. We have some really great items and still collecting more! Please go and like the page and stay tuned for more info!

We still have some tshirts available. The sizes we have left are listed in the Hope Happens Adoption page under the picture!

Thank you all so much for your support and prayers! We are so thankful for God using you to help give this baby a chance of a future!!

T-shirt palooza!!!

The tshirt sales have been great! I've had to re order two times already which is awesome! People from as far away as Iowa have bought them and that is so exciting! I pray that the simple little message causes an avalanche of people wanting to adopt!

Right now I have a hodge Podge of sizes left that I would like to get rid of before ordering again! So if any of the sizes you would like please order quickly and state what size and color in the paypal checkout comments box. You guys are amazing!
Sizes in gray: medium (1 left), large (1left), xlarge (7), 2xl (2), 3am (3)
Sizes in pink: Youth large (2), small (2), large (2) xlarge (2), 2xlarge (2)

Also if you are on Facebook please LIKE the hope happens adoption page! We have a great auction coming up in about a week with some great items!

We still have a few days left in our Partnership 190 campaign and still need 145 partners to give $100, or give $20 and ask 4 friends to give $20. If your church is interested in giving that would be awesome too! I can't wait until we can post pictures of the little baby that you helped save from a life of poverty and homelessness!!

Thank you for living out James 1:27!!!

Some other things...

So much of this blog has been devoted to raising money for our adoption. Thank you all so much!! Many of you I have never even met and you have sowed into this! I will be forever grateful for that!! We are full speed with our 10 day challenge and still believe that "God Funds what He Favors!" So we know our miracle is in the making!!

But for this post I wanted to talk about my other little sweeties! Well most days they are sweeties!! One that we haven't talked about much at all is Miss Mayah Grace. She is set to arrive in about 5-6 weeks. We had a 4D ultrasound of her today and she is simply precious! I can't wait to get her here! The kids are excited and I can't wait to see how Carrson reacts to her! I think they will be best buddies!

Kelcie is our "tween". The oldest and only girl and she plays her part well! She knows what she wants and when. She is a compassionate soul and would never want to hurt anyone's feelings. She loves her friends and loves soccer. I know she is going to do great great things in her life!

Greyson, Oh my. The oldest boy. He is as wild as wild can be!! He loves soccer and to play and laugh. He goes from the time he wakes up until the time he crashes in bed. He's a great kid though. He loves Jesus and he is an awesome big brother. He takes great care of Carrson and I know he is going to love Mayah and the new one as well!

Conner is so funny! He has been a comedian from the get go! At school, he is smart and quiet but at home its a whole new story!! He and Greyson are best friends most of the time but as all brothers do they have their moments.

Carrson  our little man! This little boy has done more for us in his short little life than he will ever know!! Just him being born helped heal a huge whole in our hearts. He is a momma's boy, no doubt! He loves his brothers and sister and loves popsicles and "outside". He has gorgeous blue eyes and a smile that will light the moon! He is truly a gift from God!

Ava and Emma were my sweet baby twins that fulfilled their mission on earth long before I was ready for them to! Ava passed away at 17 weeks gestation and Emma followed at 23 weeks. They would be 3 years old on October 16. I can't wait for the day that we get to see them again!

So thats just a snippet of the little loves in my life! It truly is a circus on most days but I wouldn't have it any other way! I can't wait to get our two little ones home and see how the rest of the story unfolds!!

"Partnership 190 Team" 10 Day Challenge

An incredible friend of ours is launching a campaign to help bring our baby home and I can't wait to tell you about it! I pray that you will continue to see our vision that this is more to us than just "adopting a baby" but an opportunity for us to live out our pro-life views and to fulfill a God given dream!!

"Many people say they are pro-life because they take a stand against abortion. But what do we do with the babies whose lives are saved once they are born? If we will dare but partner with God to save the lives of the pre-born, then let's take it to the next level and help give that child a home! If an impoverished homeless woman who many would counsel to have an abortion will refuse to abort and out of love give that child a chance at a life better than she had by offering it for adoption, how can we as God's people not lock arms and partner together and find that child a family and a home. Now that's what I call...Pro-Life!!"


                                         "Save a Life! Give a Home!"
The Kelly Ward family has already been approved to be an adoptive family. Kelly, a minister and Tracie, a school teacher, and their children are excited to add to their family and give this child a home. The total cost of the adoption (legal fees housing, medical for birthmother until birth, prenatal medical care) is $38,000. Good News!! A party has provided matching funds for 1/2 the cost ($19,000) if the Ward's can come up with the other half ($19,000) in the next 10 days. 


Here are ways you can partner with others on FaceBook and across AMerica to save a life and give this child a home.  Here is how to join and start a "Partnership 190 Team":


Partnership 190 Team-10 Day Challenge
*If 190 people would partner in the next 10 days and give $100, the cost would be covered!
*If someone did not have $100 they could challenge 4 friends to match their $20, collect the money and forward the combined amount. 
*Media Blast!! 
    *Re-post this to your Facebook and personally challenge 10 Facebook friends to re-post this story to their Facebook.
     *Challenge 5 friends to start a "Partnership 190 Team" by individually giving $100 or finding 4 friends to join them. Set a target date to meet back for celebration and donation!!
      *Challenge your Pastor by asking him if he is pro-life, then tell him the "Save a Life! Give a Home" story. Ask if either the pastor or yourself could share the story and receive a $250  minimum offering to be given.  IF 30 pastors and congregation would partner together, that would be a combined $7,500!
      *Print the "Save a Life! Give a Home! story and challenge. If 20 children's pastors or church nursery directors each became a "Partnership 190 Team", each raising only $100, $2,000 would be raised by target date! Double dog dare the kids!!


Start Date: NOW!! (Approach your Pastor, Children's Pastor, Nursery Director, ASAP!)
Target Date: August 3, 2011 Midnight, Online PayPal, or Postmarked by Post Office
Donate How: Pay Pal account on www.wardfamilycircus.blogspot.com or Mail a check to: 8820 North 127 East Ave; Owasso, OK 74055 (checks payable to Tracie Ward, they will then be sent to matching funds party)
Updates: Update will be provided during the 10-Day Challenge via Ward family blog.
"Together let's build 190 "Partnership 190 Teams", save a life, and give this child a home!
James 1:27-Let's Do it!!

Matching Grant

I don't have much time because we are on our way out to a soccer game but found out today that we are going to be able to get a matching grant!! I'm so excited! This means we should only have to raise half the money we originally thought we were going to have to raise! Thank you so much for all  of your support! Please continue to spread the word!! I have more tshirts waiting to be sold!!!!
xoxo

Thank You!!

The response to our tshirt fundraiser has been amazing!! Since Wednesday we have raised close to $2000! I am humbled that people that have never even met us have bought tshirts or even just donated money!! I love when God moves on the hearts of His people!! We are still in desperate need of funds by next week to be able to go forward with this match. I am asking you to please share this blog with anyone and everyone you may know! If we can get the word out, I know that God will continue to move! I can promise all of you that if you will help with this inital part, Kelly and I will make sure that this child is loved, protected and cared for her entire life. She will know the love of Jesus from the time she gets into our home and we will pour everything we have into her, just like we have our biological children. I have ordered some more shirts because we sold out of certain sizes and all orders so far will be mailed out on Monday. Thank you again!
God Bless!!

Praying for a Miracle...

So today, we are praying for a miracle. And I am going to humbly ask all of you to be a part of it. Yesterday I got a phone call that we have been matched with a birthmom. We have waited for so long to hear this so you can imagine the excitement in our house yesterday!! The baby is due in December to a mom with a really sad story. One I have seen so many times from the years that we spent working in the inner city. She is 24 years old and was adopted as a child. When she was 10 her adoptive parents died. After that she was passed around to family members. Feeling, I'm sure, rejected again. She has dealt with issues because of that, but is absolutely amazing to talk to. When she contacted the attorney about placing her baby, they found her living in a tent. Homeless. Pregnant.

When I got the info from the lawyer and it told me how much we needed to send to them by NEXT WEEK my heart sank. Fear and doubt. The expenses are a lot higher than we had prepared for because of her situation. They are helping her get a place to live until the baby is born and help in other areas. This is where I am asking God for a miracle. One I have seen before. This is also where I am asking for your help. We started selling tshirts last week for a fundraiser. We need to sell an outrageous amount of tshirts in the next couple of days. One that to some people will look impossible, but to me it looks like a way to bring my baby home. The baby that we have prayed for. They baby that could have been aborted but instead has a chance at LIFE with a family that will share the love of Jesus with them. They will have the chance to grow up in a home where we live out ministry everyday.  We need to sell 1784 shirts this week. 1784. Do I have that many shirts here? no. Will I order that many shirts? yes. Do I believe it will happen? YES. God has a heart for orphans. It is all through His Word.

There is a paypal button on the sidebar of this blog. I am begging you to consider buying a shirt. You know people that I do not know so I also ask you to share this with them so they can buy a shirt. Some people may not want a shirt but may just want to sow into this child's life. That is perfectly acceptable as well.

I can't thank you enough for your help. I can promise that if you help us just get this child home, we will invest the rest of our lives into this child. We will pour everything that we possibly have into them.
Thank you! And I can't wait for this miracle to unfold right before your eyes!

God is Great!

Soccer in the HEAT!!

Today the big boys played in the local Haley Palmer Soccer Tournament! It is to raise money for cystic fibrosis in honor of Haley Palmer, a 7th grader that was taken way too early but has left an incredible mark on our community!! It was seriously HOT out there!! Not to mention, I am hugely preggo! The kids had a great time and even got a visit from nana and papa to watch them play!! Conner's team got first place in their bracket!! He was very excited but was ready to be done!! We love our coaches and the time they spend with the kids! Its been so good for all of the big kids!

Sales on the adoption t-shirts are going great and I ask that you would share this with everyone you know!! Some people don't understand why a family our size would want to bring another child into our lives and some have vocalized that to us, but we know without a doubt that this is the path God has set us on. Not only are we able to walk out James 1:27 but we are able to show our children what Pro-Life really means and why we should care for orphans! I have seen several people use the analogy of paying a ransom for your child when speaking of adoption. Unfortunately, adoption does cost more than the average person has sitting around, but who wouldn't do whatever they had to do to bring their child home? Thats why we have utilized Scentsy and t-shirts and anything else we can think of that is going to bring our baby home to us! We know that God will bless each one of you for sowing a seed into this as well!!

I hope all of you are enjoying your summer and staying as cool as possible!! I am convinced that Oklahoma has two temperatures: freezing cold or Burning hot!!! This whole week looks like its going to be HOT!!!

Adoption T-Shirts Are HERE!!!

I was so excited to pick up our adoption T-shirts today!! We are praying that this is our biggest fundraiser and that God uses this to put us over the top to bringing our baby home!! We thank you in advance for all of your support through this!! If you would like to order a t-shirt (or two, or ten!!) you have a couple of options. We have a paypal button on the side that you can use. All you need to do is put your shipping address and what color an sizes you want in the comments or you can contact me via email or facebook and can mail us a check!  If you live close by I will be happy to deliver the shirts to you!!

I am also still selling Scentsy to help with this as well!! You can check out http://www.tracieward.scentsy.us/ and look at all of the products!! We love you guys and thank you so much for everything!! Please feel free to share this blog with EVERYONE you know!! We know without a doubt that we are following what God has asked us to do by adopting this baby. We pray that people's eyes will be open to the need in adoptions!

Good Night All!!