What will the next 31 days hold?

After a call from PayPal this afternoon telling me someone had turned us in for our 300 piece puzzle pieces/investment into Guan Ya and drawing - which they said was not illegal, but PayPal could not accept payment after we were turned in- we can no longer accept payment through PayPal for our pieces of the puzzle.  (NOTE:  To the large number fundraising adoptive families that have drawings or stores onlines that do drawings after purchase, etc.  You cannot use PayPal and offer any type/size of drawing for a prize.  If you do and someone turns you in, you will get a call by PayPal.)   
We are only promoting this fundraiser here & we are selling pieces of a puzzle that will be an investment in Guan Ya's life.   After our 300 piece puzzle is completed, we will have a drawing for the prize mentioned in our previous post HERE. 
Our local grocery stores offer the same type of prize giveaways each week when you purchase groceries and put your ticket into the big turning shaped barrel.  I could list off the numerous stores that offer a drawing after purchase, but I'm sure you had rather get to the Superbowl (as I will be getting back to Science Fair projects).  Our drawing after the purchase of each of the 300 puzzle piece is a thank you to you for your purchase and support! 

I guess as a very good, sweet, & knowledgeable friend of mine said best today
 "The closer you walk with God the more the devil works against you.  If you are far from Christ's path and plan then the devil has nothing to fear.  It's not the easy path; it's the righteous one." 

If you are at a SuperBowl party tonight or really anywhere, PLEASE share about our 300 piece puzzle, investment in Guan Ya and prize drawing. 

Thank you & in the words of Forest Gump

"That's all I have to say about that."

NEW Fundraiser - U Do NOT want to MISS!!!!

O.k. This is a fundraiser that never entered my mind, but I got a text from a very sweet person yesterday after I posted on FaceBook that I was looking for fundraiser ideas.  Oh I'm so excited about this one!  

I have a 300 piece puzzle.  Each puzzle piece cost is $55 or 2 for $100.  When you purchase a piece of this puzzle, you are investing in a child's life - GuanYa's life to have a family.

For each piece of the puzzle you purchase, we will enter your name into a drawing. The lucky winner of this drawing is going to be a happy one because this is a great prize we are drawing for! And since there are 300 pieces to the puzzle, we will have 300 entries - when the puzzle is completed, we will draw the name!

  Purchase a puzzle piece, invest in a child's future & get entered for a prize?

    

Soooo, how many of you like the looks of THIS prize:

Pick from RED or GREEN 4x4

Wow!  Pretty awesome prize we are drawing for hum?  Thought so!  

Bummer, you don't like 4x4 ATVs or live for away so you couldn't get it shipped to you?  

No, problem at all!  

If you do not want the 4-wheeler or live too far away to get it, guess what we will purchase the ATV from you for  

Yeap, we will buy the ATV from you if you don't want the ATV.

Girls, how many pairs of shoes can you buy with that????  

New wardrobe?  

Pay off a bill or 2?

Get the kids that new play-set they want?

                   

(SERIOUSLY, at Sam's you could get

BOTH of these play-sets for under $5,000)

Get some work done to the house? 

Donate to charity?

Pay on Adoption expenses -past/present/future?

I don't need to think for you as I'm sure you know how you could spend this type of money if you wanted us to purchase the 4x4 4-wheeler from you!

We would LOVE to have this puzzle put together and draw for this prize by Valentine's Day!!!! 

 How awesome would that be for a Valentine's Day gift for you or your sweetie???  However, that will depend on how quickly we get our 300 piece puzzle put together. 

SOOOO BUY your piece of the puzzle & invest in Guan Ya NOW!!!!

It's pretty easy actually!  

Each puzzle piece is $55 or 2 puzzle pieces for $100

We are promoting this giveaway on our blogspot and we are not allowed to take payment for the puzzle pieces by PayPal.

Send money to 

Phil or Niki Smith

P.O. Box 332

Rienzi, MS  38865

***MAKE SURE YOU PUT ON THE CHECK OR A NOTE SAYING piece of the puzzle. With this note/message, you will be purchasing a piece of the puzzle, investing in Guan Ya and we will enter you into the drawing for the ATV.
   Also, make sure you have ways for us to contact you - phone number, email, and address would be best! 

You can also, pay through the Go Fund Me HERE or (put in the notes "piece of the puzzle" only) 

Thank you and please let us know if you have any questions.

SHARE, SHARE, SHARE!!!!

There are going to be 300 pieces sold to the puzzle so the quicker they are sold & the puzzle completed, the quicker the prize is going to be drawn! :0)

If we complete the puzzle by Valentine's Day, we will consider doing another one so Start Buying your tickets and SHARING!!!

Fundraisers

Don't  for get about http://coupaide.com/deal/smith-adoption-fund/ 
$50 Restaurant.com Gift Certificate for $20 - $10 will help bring Guan Ya home.

PLEASE don't forget about the Tupperware party online for us that MaryAnn Latch was so kind to set up for us!

http://order.tupperware.com/pls/htprod_www/!twx$eparty_ctl.p_guest_welcome?pv_eparty=f242f13b571d3a3

we are about a month a way from travel and have huge expenses ahead of us! Phil & I have been brainstorming about things we can do to raise funds.

We are trying to plan some fundraisers over the next few weeks prior to leaving to help assist with fundraising.
Even with the very generous people that have donated to us, we still lack around $20,000 in the next month. As you all know if these funds are not raised, our daughter forever remains an orphan. I believe there are some wonderful people that are in our area that would be willing to help us with a fundraiser, but we need you to come forward to help!

I will post information on the fundraisers as soon as we know more information.

Please continue the prayers as 3 of us (including me) have strep throat and don't feel so hot. Time is getting so close and we are still a long way from our goal! Faith is believing the things not seen!  Our God is bigger than any problem we have!  He has led us to our daughter so we will have to see how He will provide.  I don't know which ones of you He will use, but you know if He is calling you!

Thank you so much for all the support you have shown to us!  I will keep you updated!  God Bless!

Heartbroken!

I know I told you I'd write on my blog tonight!  I posted on FB before I thought to post here so if you read my FB page, you may have read this.

 

I was working on my speech for tomorrow for Blue Mountain College -which I cannot figure out how much to work on it. I mean this is my story/my life/my experiences so I cannot figure out what cue cards I might need. You've read my blogs and while I can give statics and such orphans have so burdened my heart that I know all the "big" facts.
I decided to put some pictures because as big as my heart is for each precious life, one might quickly get bored listening to my country accent! I came across this picture. And tears really began to fall down my face as I remembered an image I've tried to put to the back of my mind because it hurts to bad. It hurts knowing GiGi spent 21/2 years of her life here! It hurts knowing the ones left behind! I praise God for breaking my heart for these precious children but man my heart is in millions of pieces for them! Adoption isn't for the faint at heart because it's sometimes more than I can handle thinking of these children without families to love them!!!

Well, as tears rolled down my face from the lat picture, I came across this one and I almost couldn't breathe! What if, what if.........what if this was my daughter? I know this particular girl is not but she seemed about the age of our daughter. Please we cannot let these older children age out without the love of a forever family- NONE of the children need to go without family! Wow, I do not know if I will get through this speech at the college tomorrow with out crying everywhere! Prayers requested!  I think this is going to be harder than I thought and no because I'm not a great public speaker but the flashbacks are going to get me!

Guan Ya has a little over a month to be adopted or she will forever not have a family! We cannot let our daughter age out! WE CANNOT!!!!! 

I've been down today but seeing this picture and remembering these children without families just reminded me how hard we have to be their fighting voice! They have no voice without us! WE ARE THEIR VOICES!!!! These children need and deserve love! Look, there are millions of orphans so these pictures are not representative of the vast number of orphans that go without a family! If you cannot adopt/do not feel led to adopt, please help orphans WORLDWIDE in anyway you can!
God loves the little children! ALL the little children of the world!!!

“Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they’re not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes.” -David Platt

Please pray for these children and pray for us! These are God's wonderfully made children!

 

Video from WREG 3

Watch WREG TV 3 @ 10pm

Watch WREG TV 3 @ 10pm for our hick town interview. 

It's typical of our family - wild kids, GiGi crawling on the table and squealing , cookie stealing, nasty cookie faces, just keepin' it real n wild! Whew! We may have given H*ney B** B** a run for her money tonight!  
I'm sure everyone will be convinced we need more children after that interview. O_o but it's REAL Life! & No doubt it will be entertaining!  
Note: You will probably be able to locate it under the circus tab of WREG! =D

For people that are new, you can read more about  Our Story.... http://long-road-to-china.blogspot.com/2012/12/and-this-is-our-story.html 

We are still in need of over $20,000 in less than 45 days to bring home our daughter or she will age out of the system and forever be an orphan.  That estimate is only for fees for my husband and I going to China to unite with her.

I'm going to try and recap all the ways you can make donations if you feel led:

Trustmark National Bank account set up:

Donations can be made nation wide at any Trustmark National Bank through the account:

Phillip Smith or Niki J. Smith's Adoption Account

If you would like to mail a donation, please mail it to

Phil or Niki Smith

P.O. Box 332
Rienzi, MS 38865

You can find this link to the right of our page and it is our Paypal - I believe the purpose still states GIGi, but we are using the same account for GUan Ya that we did for GiGi so it is the correct   (you can use any type of credit cards to donate)

https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=CKLwDfIzRe4gtrIzQi0PDKg1JAzstfN6vYJ1MinN9Q4IFSAywL_sR1DiGba&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8d0b7e678a25d883d0fa72c947f193f8fd

Also to the right of our blogspot page you can find our CHip-In page (you can use any type of credit cards to donate)

Chip-In

If  anyone would like to verify our adoption, we are using Lifeline Children's Adoption Agency out of Birmingham, AL  http://lifelinechild.org/ 

2104 Rocky Ridge Road

Birmingham, AL 35216

T: 205.967.0811

E: lifeline@lifelineadoption.org

Our social worker at lifeline is Morgan Cheek.

You should also be able to ask Morgan how you can send a donation to the adoption agency on our behalf if you would like to send it there.

As most of you know we are in a huge time crunch to raise funds because our daughter (deaf-mute) ages out of the system at the age of 14 years old (March 9, 2013). If  we do not have all the funds raised and our adoption is not complete by that time, our daughter will never have the opportunity to be adopted.  

Please consider donating not to us but to Guan Ya so that she will know the love of a forever family. PLEASE do not feel any amount is too small!  We've had over 22,000 hits to this page.  If each person that clcked on our page donated on $1, Guan YA would have the funds needed to come to her forever home!
 If you do not feel led to donate, please pray without ceasing!  God has a plan and we have FAITH!  Please share our story and blogspot so others can watch a modern day miracle unfold!  God led us here and He will provide!  Will He use you to help provide?

We have faith and are getting excited to see how God will provide!  Thank you for following our story and for your prayers &/or donations!  God bless you!

AND if I could ask one last favor of you

PLEASE go here

 1$ to get gaun ya that we love so much

and 

"LIKE"

that page!  Colt & Macy Jade wanted to draw attention to their sister's adoption and I want them to know kids CAN make a difference!  Your 'LIKE' will let kids know they aren't too small to make a difference!

Thank you!!!!

LONG but worth the read!!!!! Betcha =D

LONG but worth the read!!!!! Betcha =D
We have been blessed, blessed, blessed! All praise and Glory to the Lord! I think we are getting closer to Heaven because the devil's fire isn't on here - oh wait, that's just the heat that went out last night - NOPE not kidding - our heating unit isn't working but the devil isn't driving us out!

 Just Smiling (in a chattery fashion) =D

The people that have shown love for Guan Ya and for her to have a forever family is incredible! Thank you for praying, sharing and donating for Guan Ya to have a forever loving family she deserves! PLEASE don't stop - we have 45 days or less to get this baby girl adopted!!!!!!

I know over the last few days, your head is probably spinning from me saying like here and like there, here a like, there a like, everywhere a like, like.
'Ol' the Smith's have a crazy (Cold) home Eho.mEE, Eho.mEE, O'
(for those of you that might be definition illiterate, I'll define Eho.mEE just this once time. Eho.mEE is GiGi's FAVORITE thing to say (outside of NO) - I'm not sure if she is part donkey (as it sounds much donkeyish) She runs her words completely together when she wants me to hold her. Eho.mEE = you hold me (GiGi style so dont' go copy-catting it! =D ) So how in the world did you not know that definition? That definition is probably contributing to my back pain - well or falling off that stool yesterday as my vertically challenged self was trying to clean the ceiling fan.

Anyway, I'm pretty certain CMT just hasn't figured out how to contact us yet so if they call you by mistake just direct them to the crazy house! Between my jingle above and Colt's rap/Macy Jade's ummm, ummmm backup dancing https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=363469307084943&set=vb.418416251583634&type=2&theater
I'm sure they are fighting over just which one will sign us firsts! =D
And that link with my kiddos (yeah above, that's a like, like - along with the page it's made for) The first thing the kiddos asked before feet ever touched th floo' "Do we have anymore likes?" Just go like that page and LIKE then SHARE, SHARE , SHARE everywhere a Share Share - groups and pages, blogs too, yahoo, Google groups too - woah Nellie, I'm on a jingle roll this am. Must be my brain freezing in this cold house! lol

Since we are talking about sharing and liking. My precious friends the Bennett's that we traveled with (July) have started a page trying to encourage others (hint, hint Others=You) to collect change over the next month. It's a great time to get the kids to clean out the couches and washing machine for change. Just put a bucket to the side and let's see which family can collect the most change for GuanYa's journey home!!!! I LOVE to get my kids involved and let them know they can make a difference - kids can set up a face paint booth, lemon-aid (if you are unsure how to go about this I've heard Honey Boo Boo has a special about setting up a Lemon-aid stand - a must see I'm sure), or do small chores to grab some change if they want to help! Don't leave those kiddos out - they are our future and we need to let them know they CAN make a difference too! So LIKE & SHARE #2 for the day
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Change-A-Childs-Life/430628360341115


And if you are still following by now (yeah, I probably lost most of you within the first couple sentences - YAWN) but if you are still hear, there's a little bit of dust to stir (If you know me, you know I'll have on my boots! =D ). I wrote this last night https://www.facebook.com/TimMcGraw/posts/10151384187828556?notif_t=likehttps://www.facebook.com/TimMcGraw/posts/10151384187828556?notif_t=likehttps://www.facebook.com/TimMcGraw/posts/10151384187828556?notif_t=like(as I will try to reach out to anyone to bring my daughter home -wouldn't you if your rugrat was on the other side of the world and you had less than 45 days to get him/her? Yeah, I know sometimes you want to leave them, but really you'd never think about leaving your child! 'fo-real' That is EXACTLY where we are at with Guan Ya! Dude, they are holding her with a ransom AKA adoption fees! We must pay the high toll to get her! But could you just leave your child? NOPE! Well, me either! Oh yeah, where was I at.......I wrote on Tim McGraw's wall last night and Faith Hill's wall last week asking for a shout out for our GUan Ya! If you are not familiar with how close adoption is to both Tim & Faith's life, go do your research & ya just might learn ya something! Anywhooooo, I was reaching out to him last night and the next thing I know you goofwadz saw it (oops didn't know that was going public; however my BMs will probably be public next if it will get my daughter home - sorry TMI!). Last I looked at that post it had 45 "likes" (45 is that magic # ya know - how many days until our darlin ages out and will forever be an orphan if we don't complete the adoption). Since we are just LikIng and a Sharing today, head on over to Mr. Tim's site and like our post.https://www.facebook.com/TimMcGraw/posts/10151384187828556?notif_t=like
LIKE, COMMENT if ya wanna & tell others to get over there and stir a little dust. He knows how important adoption is for children!
Tell him about us if you feel led. Let's see if we can wake him up this morning! If you know of anyway to reach him, Faith, or anyone else that might help, hollar at me or hollar at them.
Look, it maybe a far shot, but my daughter is on the other side of the world so Ima ups to about anything (legal & pleasing to God) to bring this one precious orphan child home - this one orphan that will soon age out and forever carry the orphan status UNLESS, her family (Us) comes after that sweet pea in the next few weeks officially making her our daughter/sister - she is already here in our hearts but the USA or Chinese government doesn't recognize the writing on our hearts yet.

Now Remember here a like, there a like, everywhere a like, like.
'Ol' the Smith's have a crazy (Cold) home Eho.mEE, Eho.mEE, O'

(3 places mentioned above to like, like, like).
Thanks & yall come back now ya hears!!!! =D

Get Gaun Ya home

give 1$ from each person that watch to get our sister home http://long-road-to-china.blogspot.com/

Video made by Colt and Macy Jade

 CMT would be interested in Colt's rapping or Macy Jade's background dancing? hehehe https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=363469307084943&set=vb.418416251583634&type=2&theater

Get Gaun Ya home

give 1$ from each person that watch to get our sister home http://long-road-to-china.blogspot.com/

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