It is almost time for "Fill Their Stockings 2012" to end..  You have generously given again this year.  I am humbled by your answer to the call to help some precious children you may never know half a world away.  When we add it all up, it will be over $20,000 raised for the children of Pearl River Outreach, An Orphan's Wish, and Half The Sky!!!  Amazing!  

I hope you have felt joy in the giving!  What a blessing it has been to witness to your generosity!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for truly "Filling Up Their Stockings!"

This final bundle closes at 11:59pm!

(You can click above, or scroll down)

Merry Merry Christmas from all of us a PRO!

We are excited and humbled by your faithful giving again this year for 

"Fill Their Stockings With Hope!"  Thank you for helping us achieve our goal

already for Pearl River Outreach!  There are four more days to donate to win

the amazing "Flight, Camera, Action Bundle!"  I am hoping that we can add an additional

child or two to our program this year because of your awesome donations.  

It is my pleasure to announce that the winner of the "Sweet and Sassy" bundle is 

JILL C.!!!!

We hope you enjoy your awesome gifts!!

Merry Christmas Jill!

I leave you today with this recent picture of my three China blessings! 

A reminder to me of what the love of a Forever Family truly can do!

Thank you again for blessing our program!

Thank you to all of you who have supported "Fill Their Stockings With Hope" this year!  It has been another amazing event as we have watched you generously give to Pearl River Outreach, Half the Sky and An Orphan's Wish.  We are so close to hitting the goals we have each set for our organizations!  You have put us in a position to make a difference in the lives of some very special children in China.  

Thank you!!

We are excited to share with you our last bundle!  If you are a photography enthusiast, this is the bundle for you.. If you like to travel, this is the bundle for you... My guess is there is someone on your list (like me) that would be thrilled to receive these gifts!!  A special thanks to our very generous donors!!

The rules are the same...  We ask that you donate a minimum of $5.00 to play.  This will get you one entry.  (The more you donate, the more chances you have to win.  Example:  $25 - 5 chances, etc..)  If you can't donate, but would like a chance to win, you are welcome to leave your name and address in the comments of this post.  This bundle expires at 11:59 (eastern time) on Friday, December 14th!

Introducing the "Flights, Camera, Action Bundle!"

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Donated by Florabella:  Website ~ Facebook



Donated by "The Long Road To China"*

Visions of Hope
Donated by The Long Road To China*

Donated by The Long Road To China*

A very special thank you to The Long Road To China* who has donated in honor of "Half the Sky" the canvases, the photography classes and the airline tickets!!  If you are the lucky winner of this bundle, consider using the plane tickets to visit Lisa personally for a personal photography workshop!  I have been blessed to do one of Lisa's on-sight workshops and it was fantastic!!

Throughout this event, I have shared my heart for orphans.  I am motivated to help by seeing what love can do in the life of a child.    We are so close to our goal of $5000 again this year.  My prayer is that you will help us achieve, and perhaps surpass that..  There are 20 special children I know that deserve it!!!!!

On behalf of Pearl River, THANK YOU for your great big hearts!!
And to my partners in "FTS2012" Stefanie and Lisa, I love you girls!
It has been a blessing to partner with you amazing women again!

Your gift will make a difference in the lives of these precious orphans while they wait for their forever!

THANK YOU!!

Love,
Joseph, Zoe, Olivia, Jamison, Hattie
Rue, Gabriella, Aiden, Noah, Hannah
Cayden, Kade, Liza, Kellan, Asher
Poppy, Quinn, Grayson, Faith, and Rose

diana@pearlriveroutreach.org
(If you would like to sponsor a PRO baby in the new year, please contact me!  The cost to sponsor is $35 per month.)

Yesterday the girls and I joined Aunt Bop and Grandma for a special Children's Christmas party.

Emme was excited to have "My Bella" join her as her guest!  The girls had such a fun time..  When Santa arrived, Emme grabbed him by the hand, and said, "Come on!!"  The whole morning was full of fun things for the kids to do..  Inga the Reindeer, Santa, face painting, ornament decorating, ginger bread houses, and more..   After they whirled through all of the activities they took over the dance floor!  It was a great way to get in the Christmas spirit!!

As I type this post, the snow is coming down..  It is definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Merry Merry!!!!

Two nights ago Ainsley was working on a devotional assignment where she had to pick a verse, and do a powerpoint about it.  She had to say what the verse meant to her, why it was personal, and challenge her classmates to see if God was speaking to them.  The verse she chose all on her own was,

John 14:18, "I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you."  Obviously, Ainsley can relate to this verse.  In her words, she has seen the difference a family can make.  We found a quote from the adoption ministry at our church she shared..  "How many adults does it take to make the difference in the life of an orphan?"  The answer, "Just 1!"  She went on to share a few pictures from our trip to Emme's orphanage.  Including the one of the children saying goodbye.  I/we will never forget it.  She challenged her class to pray for the least of these.  And, to be thankful for their families and for the people that care about them.  You see, Ainsley has seen, held and loved on a few orphans in her life.  Three of them she is blessed to call sisters!  I look forward to seeing where God calls Ainsley one day!

Ainsley in Yangzhou with one of Emme's friends

Jeff with the precious little boy that raised his arms up to him, and said "Baba?"

I will never forget leaving these sweet babies behind...

I guess the point of this post is that you too can do something.  You don't have to go to China to support an orphan.  There are needs across the street as well as around the world.  The orphan crisis is heart breaking..  I represent just one small organization trying to make a difference in the lives of a child.

I understand that it is the season for giving.  We are all being asked to give.  We at PRO are only $1600 away from our goal.  Three Mom's you all know have worked hard to make a difference.  I ask that you take the time before the last bundle closes next week to make a difference too..  Whether your donation goes to Pearl River, An Orphan's Wish, or Half the Sky, it doesn't matter to me. (I am praying we all achieve our goals!)  I am just asking you to share a little, so that we can make a big difference!!  $25 pays for a birthday cake and a gift at Pearl River..  Every child deserves that and so much more!!

I can't thank you all personally for your generosity....  But, please know that I appreciate you!  I wish each and everyone of you could experience the love of a once orphaned child on your lap.  Your heart will be forever changed.  God does not call all of us to go.  But, he does call us to make a difference in the lives of the least of these!  ~James 1:27

I leave you with this picture..  This is Joseph.  He is in our Hengshan program.  Joseph is 5 years old.  He entered our program after the tragic death of his mother.  One he witnessed at the hands of another.  This was almost three years ago.  When he came to us the pain in his eyes was heart breaking.  Terrified he was placed in to one of our foster homes.  Month after month I wondered if he would ever be able to forget..  Would we ever see him smile?  Eventually the sad layers began to peel away and we started to see a sparkle in his eyes..  With the time and love of a foster family, and his best pal Jamison, he started to emerge as a precocious little boy.  All because he has learned to trust and love.  I am thankful to be a small part of that!

Tomorrow Bundle #5 closes at 11:59pm.  I am hoping to raise another $745 before the clock strikes midnight!  We can do it!  That would leave us with $1000 for the last week.  It is achievable!  I was reading a quote from Lysa TerKeurst at "Proverbs 31 Ministries" this morning..  The title of her post, "When God Asks You to Give."  She reminded me that we just have to trust when we ask.  It is our job to give, sit back, and watch God Move!

I look forward to watching God Move at Pearl River Outreach because of you!

Congratulations to Kimberly Silar for winning the "Bundle for Her!"

Enjoy all your awesome gifts!!

On a separate note, don't forget that "The Sweet And Sassy Bundle" runs until Friday.

Thank you for your support today!!  So excited to be over the $3000 mark!!

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Donated by the Lokey Family
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Donated by Baby Bobo
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Donated by the Sammons Family
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Donated by My Adoption Websites
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Donated by Andrea at Blogging Mama
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Donated by Jazmyn Hammett at Not Your Average Grandma
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Donated by Valerie Almquist from Fuffled Feathers Company
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Donated by Sophia Jane Boutique
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Donated by Sweet and Sour Clothing
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THANK YOU for supporting our children at Pearl River Outreach!!  You are a blessing!

A special thanks to all of our sponsors of Bundle #5 and to Stefanie and Lisa for sharing in this worthy fundraiser again with me!!!

*If you are unable to donate today, you can leave you may leave your name and mailing address in the comments section here for a chance to win!