Adoption Donations May No Longer Be Made Directly to Adoption Agency

**Please note that our adoption agency is NO LONGER accepting payments via a check from donors.  One of the below options would have to be utilized.  We apologize for any inconvenience.**  If you are interested in making a donation towards our adoption travel and in-country fees, please make a tax-deductible donation to our Reece's Rainbow account.  See top right sidebar for information and a direct link to our sponsorship page.

Thank-you to the many who have already donated on behalf of our adoption adventure!!  God bless you greatly!

Rees' Namesake ... In Memory ...

Dennis Rees (1/6/1937 - 7/29/2014)

Today marks one year since you went to be with Jesus.  You are the first person whose passing makes me long for heaven ... The distance alone whilst you were still here was always difficult for me … but the permanent absence has been … well, …

(Cnicht Mountain in Snowdonia, North Wales)

Completed in the place where my memories of you live … I wanted a proper “farewell”.   Being forced from here to let go of you there … well, it’s never really felt “done”.

(Llyn Llagi (lake) stands just north of the summit of Cnicht; 

these photos are internet photos of the "area" where Dennis' ashes were scattered)

I fully intended to be “there” on this day ... to travel to the spot that embraced the last bit of your physical existence ... a favourite place where you held wonderful memories and feelings of peace.  And, yet, it still goes undone …

Earlier this year, we made the decision to adopt again and this decision makes my intended travels to the UK less feasible.  I am disappointed … yes … but … the knowledge that my intent was rather selfish and that our adoption decision is the exact opposite … I guess, evens out my emotions. 

I am still reminded of you in so many ways …

Earlier this year we saw the new movie about the classic story of Paddington Bear.  There I was, sitting in the dark movie theater, tears streaming down my face as the voices of Uncle Pastuzo and Aunt Lucy made me feel as though you and Maureen were right there in the room with me.  Then we even watched the movie again when it came out on DVD and I still couldn’t stop the tears in its first fifteen minutes. 

Other movies with a British tone also remind me of you.  You are “Beaver” in Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and I hear you in the fun, animated movie Flushed Away when the term “Toe-Rag” is used!!

… I also purposely remind myself of you in many other ways …

Yorkshire Tea, according to you, only the best tea worthy of drinking,... later you preferred Chai, which is now the one I like best too.  Every cup is a cup shared with you.

Scones and Welsh Cakes - my favorite British treats!!  Several years ago, you and Maureen sent a cookbook that has traditional recipes for Scones and biscuits and other pastries.  You also emailed the recipe for Welsh Cakes (my absolute FAVOURITE) because it would be much easier for me to make my own than have you go to Wales to purchase a packet and send them through the post.

It took me several years to attempt that recipe and once I did ... oh boy ... it was the greatest treasure ever!  I have since made them many times and ALL who eat them absolutely ADORE them nearly as much as I do.  I'm sure it's because they "taste" the love and admiration that goes into them as I always think upon you and Maureen as I prepare the treasured recipe.

I have a special shelf with four full scrapbooks of times spent with you, souvenir books we bought and also those you gave us as well as several favourite photos.

My Welsh Lovespoon collection … two of which were gifts from you ... special reminders of special visits to a place of beauty and peace.

One year you sent me this book about Lovespoons with a special lovespoon as well ...

In the pages of the book you/Maureen marked the meanings of the designs in the spoon ...

- the cross represents "together in Christ" - 

- the links represent "we cannot be separated" - 

Maybe only to me, perhaps, you referred to me as “our daughter in Wisconsin” … you had your own children there and I always wished I’d known them better and I have my own parents here, who were fortunate to have met you … but you certainly were like another father to me, the one who listened, advised, suggested and supported … always with confidence and love and from a perspective of our common faith.  That always meant so much to me!

Knowing you changed my whole life … the both of you … my Dad and Mum in Christ.  So much of what I learned from and experienced with you became a significant part of who I am right now. 

As it begins to seem as though it was all a part of my imagination … I am fearful of you becoming a far and distant memory.  I do not want to forget ... with time and age and as the seasons change, I cannot allow myself to forget.

The younger of the boys we are in process to adopt … he will be my forever reminder and the namesake of a most precious part of my life … 

There, your children and grandchildren carry you with them and you live on through them.  Here, this side of "the pond", as England grows further and further away from me, Rees Solomon will be my memorial link to knowing you; he will be my constant reminder and you will live on in this little boy who already appears to possess the spirit of your name.

I am pleased to know the name Rees means "Ardent, Fiery". 

Synonyms of Ardent include "passionate", "enthusiastic", "devoted" and Fiery means "spirited", "intense" and "to burn bright".  I believe that these words will actually describe our Boy Rees one day.  We will tell him all about you and Maureen and we will share with him how special you were to us and why we named him after you.  

He will also have the name Solomon.  You told me once that you thought I should read the book of Ecclesiastes, which I did.  King Solomon is named as author of the book and Ecclesiastes 11:4 is actually the verse that propelled us to pursue this current adoption.  I don't know for certain your reason in asking me to read Ecclesiastes but its overarching theme is that "nothing means anything without the LORD".  

It was ONLY because of the LORD that our lives ever touched on June 25, 2004 and I am certain that the significance of our friendship is reinforced by our connection with the LORD. 

And that is what I will cling to ... the LORD ... because with the LORD is where you are and with all the regrets, tears, and wishes for "one more" this or that ... those bits will all disappear and all that will remain is the beauty and unspeakable joy that is our connection to one another BECAUSE OF OUR LORD.  I will see you again and I'll spend the rest of my life reminding myself ...

Changshu

Our daughter Brynn was born in or near the city of Changshu, in the province of Jiangsu.  This is the same province that Molly is from and Changshu is less than 50 miles from where Molly lived in Wuxi City.

Changshu is a city in the province of Jiangsu. Due to the mild climate and terrain there, it has enjoyed a high level of agriculture civilization since ancient times, and is named after this, for in Chinese Chang means “always, often” and Shu has the meaning of “crop harvest”.

We are hoping to visit the orphanage when we travel to China.  This is where Brynn lived until we adopted her.  

While we waited during the adoption process for Brynn, we found that that orphanage had a website that was very informative and we found our little girl in several of the photos!

The orphanage looked to be quite nice, clean and well kept.

This made waiting for her much easier.

There's our Brynn in right corner of the below photo!

Here's Brynn with the Orphanage Director.  Director Chen actually connected with us a few times by email and she also sent Brynn a letter via the regular mail.  We think that Brynn may have been a bit of a favorite there.  We learned that Director Chen retired last year but several of the caretakers may still be there.

We won't know about whether or not our request to visit the orphanage will be approved probably until right before we leave for China but we are hoping that the opportunity will be there if it is something that will positively impact Brynn's adoption story.

What We've Been Doing ...

Hi Friends!!

Well, it's been a while since we've updated and that is because we are in the longest part of the wait right now with not much to report from the adoption-front.  

If you recall, our dossier was sent to China in June and we were LID as of June 29, 2015.

Log-in-Date is the date that our dossier was registered with the CCCWA 

(Center for Chinese Children Welfare and Adoptions) and it is currently in translation.

So, in the meantime, we twiddle our thumbs and try not to go insane from the lack of news, movement, updates and "what-feels-like" endless waiting.

What have we been doing??

Actually, we've been keeping very busy ...

... working extra hours to allow us to save more money.

... doing odd jobs for friends and family to raise additional funds towards the adoption.

... selling some cool donated items on the blog, Facebook and even eBay.

... AND we've started transforming the kids' bedrooms to accommodate the change between our girls each having their own bedroom to sharing a room.

We had Molly "move out" of her bedroom (temporarily into Brynn's bedroom) while we prepare it to be Molly AND Brynn's bedroom.  The below photo shows what the room used to look like.  

When we adopted Molly, I stenciled the ladybug border because she is our little Molly-bug.  When we adopted Brynn, they shared the room for a while and I stenciled the butterflies because she is our little butterfly.

We gave them the option to do something new to the bedroom and they decided to bid farewell to the bugs and butterflies and say "HELLO" to a Cool New BLUE!!  They even helped PAINT!

Then, Brian (Baba) built a LOFT BED for Brynn.  Molly's bed will be underneath perpendicular to the loft.  This will hopefully provide a little extra space for the girls.

Now to get the room all together!!

We have a couple fundraisers coming up and one going on right now:

We have Molly's Locks -for- Love fundraiser happening right now.  So far, Molly has raised $550 and that equates to 5 1/2 inches of Molly's hair being cut.  Molly is really hoping that she will raise $1,200 and she will have TWELVE INCHES of her hair removed.  We have been told that she likely has enough hair that she will be able to have two donations come from the amount that she will have cut.  Isn't that awesome?

Molly's fundraiser not only helps us to bring home her two brothers from China ... it will also help two children who suffer from hair loss related to a medical diagnosis.

EVERY HUNDRED DOLLARS moves the INCH-O-METER another INCH!!!

We will be having a fundraiser in August where we will be the food-service provider at a local auction.  

In September, we will be having a fundraiser at Hernandez' Mexican Restaurant and when the date gets a bit closer we will begin selling tickets for this event.  If you are in the area and you would like to help us sell tickets and/or reserve a group of tickets, please let us know and/or inquire for further details!

What you can be doing for us:

Please (if you haven't already) begin praying for the remainder of our adoption process, that the paperwork continues to flow smoothly, swiftly and without issue, and that we will continue to raise money and save for our adoption fees.

Please pray for Jonah and Rees - as soon as we receive our Letter of Official Approval, we will be able to post the most recent photo we received of them TOGETHER!!  Then you can use the photo to be praying for them.

Safe Travels - starting now, it would be wonderful if you are praying that all the pieces for the best-deals and smooth, seamless travel will fall into place as we approach our departure for China.

THANK-YOU SO MUCH and stay tuned for our next update!!

Molly's Locks for Love Fundraiser

***UPDATE:  BE SURE TO FOLLOW THIS FUNDRAISER ON ITS PAGE BY CLICKING ON THE PAGE LINK UNDERNEATH THE BLOG TITLE AND DESCRIPTION!!***

When Molly was 5, she had major craniofacial surgery, which forced her to have her head shaved.  Since then, she’s wanted ONLY to grow her hair. 

As you can see, her hair has REALLY GROWN!

Molly would LOVE to help us bring home Jonah and Rees, the two special-needs boys we are adopting from China!  

She has agreed to have her hair cut, FINALLY, but ONLY for a GOOD CAUSE!  

Your donation towards the fees and expenses related to the adoption of Molly’s little brothers will move Molly’s “Inch-o-meter” closer and closer to the goal of at least $1000-$1200 ($100 per inch up to 12 inches). 

YOUR DONATION HELPS NOT JUST ONE, BUT TWO GREAT CAUSES!!!

Molly’s “locks”, will be DONATED to Locks of Love, a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss due to any diagnosis. 

Molly’s hair will be cut by Sarah Nieuwenhuis, Instructor at First Class Cosmetology School of Beloit, when the goal has been reached.  The event will be documented and posted for all our donors! 

You can donate in a variety of ways:

Send your donation via our PayPal Account and note that it is for Molly's Locks for Love fundraiser: prenderbergs@gmail.com

Send a check made out to our adoption agency WACAP to our address (your donation will be tax-deductible):  1614 Meadow Lane, Elkhorn, WI 53121  Please include a note stating it is for Molly's Locks for Love fundraiser

Donate to our Reece’s Rainbow Account (your donation will be tax-deductible). Please include a note stating it is for Molly's Locks for Love fundraiser : 

http://reecesrainbow.org/94766/sponsorprendergast

You can also follow our journey by visiting our blog:

http://crossingthejordantojonahandrees.blogspot.com/

**UPDATED ITEMS!!*** Online Adoption Fundraising Store **UPDATED ITEMS!!***

Hello Everyone!!  We created an Adoption Fundraising Store to help with raising funds for our adoption fees and expenses.  Items may be shipped and shipping costs should be added (will weigh for actual costs based on location for shipment).  

Items can be purchased by paying through our PayPal account OR you may write a tax-deductible check made out to our adoption agency and mail to us.  Once we receive, we will send you the item.  We appreciate your support and are ready to answer your questions!!  Items may be updated periodically so check back occasionally!  Thanks so much!!  Please contact us at prenderbergs@gmail.com.

***PLEASE CHECK BACK

 OCCASIONALLY AS ITEMS ARE 

BEING ADDED WEEKLY!!!***

(NEW ITEMS TYPICALLY ADDED TO BOTTOM OF PAGE)

Peacock Hair Clip/Barrette - $10 

Premier Designs Starlet Bracelet - $20 

Necklace/Bracelet set - $15 

Jewelry Set w/Hematite - $15 

Asian Flair Necklace - $10 

Vintage Butterfly Pin - $15 

Bumblebee Teapot (2 cup size) - $15 

Sheep Tea for One Teapot - $15 

Tea Set - $50 

Bowl Trio - $7

(Bowls measure 6", 5", and 4" in diameter) 

It's A Wonderful Life Ornaments - All for $5

Set of 3 Handmade Sheep Christmas Ornaments

$15/set

 

Detail of Sheep

Set of 3 Handmade Christmas Ornaments

(female gingerbread, holiday house, male gingerbread)

$12/set 

Back of ornaments 

Set of 3 Handmade Christmas Ornaments

(2 Snowmen, 1 Christmas Tree)

$15/set 

Back of ornaments 

Set of 3 Handmade Christmas Ornaments

(female gingerbread, holiday house, male gingerbread)

$12/set  

Back of Ornaments 

Set of 3 Handmade Christmas Ornaments

(bell, tree, gingerbread w/candy cane)

$15/set 

Back of ornaments 

Size 8 (Chinese size - equivalent to 4-5 US girls size)

$10 minimum donation

Size 10 Girls Party Dress

$10 minimum donation

Harley-Davidson XL Sportster 

$50 Mininum

(willing to sell at minimum plus shipping, if applicable)

Has a clear plastic covering for display

 

Handmade Baby Blanket w/coordinating hat (46" from mid-point to point an 48" from top point to bottom point)

 $25 Minimum Donation

Handmade Baby Blanket w/Cross Design (36" x 34")

$20 Minimum Donation

Handmade Baby Blanket w/coordinating hat (40" x 40" square even though the photo make it look rectangular)

 $25 Minimum Donation

Yankee Candle - Sage and Citrus

$5 Donation

Soy Wax Candle - $5 Donation

Cloud Forest Coffee (from Honduras) and Jesus wall hanging (purchased in Honduras) - $15 

Lenca Pottery Coasters (purchased in Honduras) - $10/pair

Bracelet made from paper (purchased in Honduras) - $5 Donation

Bracelet made from paper (purchased in Honduras) - $5 Donation

1" x 2" Crystal Church - originally $50

$20 Donation

Authentic Chinese Tea Set (purchased in China)

$25 Donation

Decorative Trivet (purchased in Honduras) - $10

Decorative Pine Needle Trivet (made and purchased in Honduras) - $15

Decorative Pine Needle Trivet (made and purchased in Honduras) - $15

Decorative Pine Needle Trivet (made and purchased in Honduras) - $20

Commemorative Titanic Collector Spoon - $5

Authentic Welsh Love Spoon - $20

20" x 30" photo mounted onto foam core 

Photograph taken by Chris Deletzke/Walworth, WI 

Suggested Donation - $75

20" x 30" Photograph of Red-Tailed Hawk; Framed

Photograph taken by Chris Deletzke/Walworth, WI

Suggested Donation - $100

Never opened - Digital Camera Accessory Kit - (Deluxe Digital Camera Case, 20 sheets premium photo paper, mini tripod, protective screen overlays, cleaning accessories, etc ...) - $5

Homemade Candle (soy wax), light vanilla scent (made by Kimberly) - $5

Size 10 Girls Party Dress - color is Christmas Green - $10

Never worn by my daughters

Size 10 Girls Party Dress - $10

Never worn by my daughters

Size 12 Girls Party Dress - $10

Never worn by my daughters

Summer Flower Arrangement - Handmade and Donated by Charlotte from my church

Yours for a donation to our adoption fund - minimum $5

Summer Flower Arrangement - Handmade and Donated by Charlotte from my church

Yours for a donation to our adoption fund - minimum $5 

Summer Flower Arrangement - Handmade and Donated by Charlotte from my church

Yours for a donation to our adoption fund - minimum $5 

Summer Flower Arrangement - Handmade and Donated by Charlotte from my church

Yours for a donation to our adoption fund - minimum $5 

Summer Flower Arrangement - Handmade and Donated by Charlotte from my church

Yours for a donation to our adoption fund - minimum $5