"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!!

Here we Go Take 2

Ok, I'll do better, I promise!! Summer hit and WOW! We have been crazy busy with Church Camp!! My kids would LIVE there but I don't think I could hang!! We went down for Kids Camp the first week and Greyson and Conner were campers. I had to come home a little early because I started having contractions. I seriously thought Miss Mayah was trying to make her entrance! After LOTS of water and a couple days of bedrest (which is close to impossible with 4 kids) things settled down and I feel tons better. I went down for one day of Senior Camp but the boys weren't feeling well and this week Kelcie is a big "Junior Camper" so Greyson, Carrson and I will be joining Daddy, Conner and Kelcie on Wednesday. Thursday Daddy turns the big 39 and on Friday we are going to spend the day at Silver Dollar City with some great friends. I can't wait to go back after Mayah is born so that I can actually ride something other than the train!!

Everything on the adoption front is SLOW!! I am getting ready to kickstart some serious fundraising. I believe God has called us to do this and as a very wise person said "God funds what He favors" so I am trusting that He is going to provide every penny we need to bring Ella home to us.

The kids are getting so big and Carrson at 20 months is definitely the ruler of the house! He is quite hilarious and all the big kids do whatever he wants them to do! He's not going to know what has hit him when Mayah comes. Which by the way is in 11 more weeks!! AHHH!!
Hope everyone's summer is off to a fantastic start!!!
Be blessed!

Nothing is wrong with Kelcie, she's a "tween" so she always looks like that! :)