Family Warrior!

So most of you know I spend some time hanging out over at Reece's Rainbow. I've been a "Prayer Warrior" and "Angel Tree Warrior" and now I get the pleasure of being a "Family Warrior". At first I kind of pushed it aside and decided to not commit to it. . . Mostly because I have so much fundraising of my own to do for my missions trip to Eastern Europe. But all day something tugged at me to read through some family profiles and make a decision. I knew that I needed choose a family and stand with them.

So after a ton of reading I chose The Williams Family, I had read their story before. But after reading it last night I knew that these were the people that I needed to commit to helping. This is an excerpt from their Reece's Rainbow FSP (Family sponsorship Program)  . . .

"After the adoption of their two youngest domestically Crystal kept being drawn back to the beautiful faces on Reece’s Rainbow. In the summer of 2012 another Reece’s Rainbow family posted on Facebook about a girl from Eastern Europe needing a host family for the summer, they thought this would be a great opportunity and excitedly agreed to host her. They fell in love with this thirteen year old girl and started making plans to make her their daughter; up until this point Jared had not really been on board about going overseas for adoption. God had even bigger plans for them; they both felt someone would still be missing from their family. After much prayer they found Grayson and knew he was meant to be theirs as well. God still was not done in his plans for this family. The 13 year old girl was not able to be adopted by Jared and Crystal due to some extended family that she still had, and even though this devastated them they believed it was in God’s hands even if they could not see the plan yet. Just as God had led them to Eastern Europe he had then led them to Callen who was in the same orphanage as Grayson. They lost a daughter on that trip but gained another son."

Reading that broke me, I realized that as much as my trip to serve in Ukraine matters to me . . . Berkeley matters and so do her parents and siblings. So I'm looking forward to praying with and praying for the Williams family, I'm excited to get to know them! I can't wait to see the photos of Berkeley with her family, as soon as I saw her photo I couldn't help but smile. As most of you know I ordered bracelets in bulk for  Angel Tree. Well, I'm bringing them back! This time for the Williams family!

When you donate to the Williams' family (http://reecesrainbow.org/61131/sponsorwilliams) forward me your receipt at emmyxjoy@gmail.com. I'll send you some bracelets and you'll help this family get one step closer to bringing their sweet girl home. 

http://reecesrainbow.org/familywarriorprogram

Learn more about the "Family Warrior" program by visiting the link above. 

My big adventure!

Beloved friends, family, and readers:

I want to share with you a challenging ministry opportunity God has presented for me to take part in. During all of June, I will be going to Ukraine with a team of people from all over the United States. We will be working directly with orphaned and abandoned and I couldn't be more excited to invest time and love into these precious children.

The orphan epidemic in Eastern Europe is a huge issue that is often overlooked and not talked about. The ministry that I will be going to Ukraine with is well-aware of this epidemic and has been running Christ-centered camps for orphans for 20 years. I will be working alongside Ukrainian nationals to provide a Christ-centered program for these children. The presence of American Volunteers has encouraged Ukrainian locals to consider assisting at the camps and it helps boost overall morale. This is life-changing experience for everyone involved and I couldn't be more excited to serve in Ukraine.

Everyday we will be teaching Bible lessons, doing crafts, playing games, and doing skits. By combining both Ukrainian and American cultures, a unique community is formed. By combining all of our attributes we will become an unshakable team and we can speak life and hope into children that have a very bleak future. I believe that through Jesus these children will not be a statistic and will come back from camp forever changed. Our time with these children is vital and valuable, they deserve to spend a few fun-filled weeks surrounded by love and acceptance.

I need to raise $3,000 by May 30th. If you can support me in a financial way, I would be

forever grateful. Every dollar gets me one step closer to my goal, no donation is too small. And, most importantly, I also need your prayers. Your prayers mean more to me than I could ever being to describe to you. . . pray that the lives of these children are forever changed. Pray that I'm able be a light in the darkness and a source of strength for the children that I come in contact with.

Thank you and I can't wait to share this journey with all of you.

-Emily Joy

http://www.youcaring.com/bringingjoytoukraine