Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Getting Closer

Some really exciting things have happened with fundraising over the last few days!
Micah’s concert was this past Saturday. Nearly $1000 was raised at this event! Again, thank you so much to Arbor Village, the Cares Team, the artists, donors and attendees for your generosity!

On Tuesday, we found out that we were selected to receive a generous grant from the Gift of Adoption organization! This was super exciting and an answer to prayer!
Now, we have been offered a matching donation up to $1,000
So fromThursday the 25th at 8AM, through Monday the 29th at 8PM, any additional donations to our Reece’s Rainbow family sponsorship page will be matched up to $1K.*** So if you were waiting for an opportunity to double your donation value, this is the time to take advantage!
*To donate just go to http://reecesrainbow.org/76440/sponsorbrangers and click the PayPal donate button. In this case, online donations will work best to better track progress toward our match goal.

I cannot express how thrilled and relieved we are that we are getting nearer to being fully funded! If we are able to achieve the complete matching donation, then any additional funds raised will go toward the higher costs associated with October travel/lodging due to the Chinese Trade Fair. 

We are getting so close to the end, but really need this final push to get us over the finish line! Then all we have to do is get our butts to China and get our son!

Adoption Update:

Our Article 5 document was picked up in China last Thursday, so all we are waiting for now is travel approval (TA). If current trends continue it is possible we could receive TA next week! So far everything is progressing right on schedule.

Saturday, September 6, 2014

It's getting real!

I think it’s time for an adoption update! On September 2nd our Article 5 documents were dropped off at the US Consulate in Guangzhou, China. These documents will be picked up by a courier and sent to the CCCWA on the 18th. We have been told that if current trends continue, we should receive our travel notice about 2 weeks later. Or case manager told us that we should be able to travel 2-3 weeks after we are given travel notice. So we are still on track to travel in October!
The only down side of traveling in October is that it coincides with the China Import and Export Trade Fair, and will likely increase the cost of our airfare and hotel stay. Still, as I have told several people, if China tells us we can go get our boy, you better believe we are going, and will not delay if at all possible. Our son needs his family, and the sooner the better!
So now we just need to get this thing fully funded!  Our next fundraiser is coming up on September 20th at 7pm! It is a LIVE WEBCAST CONCERT played by local artists. If you would like to tune in to support our adoption, just follow the link to the Concert Window page, then purchase a ticket with the donation of your choice. At the time of the concert you just log in and enjoy some great music for a good cause. We will receive 70% of proceeds as the artists are donating their time and talent to help bring Micah home (the 30% is for web hosting). Link: https://www.concertwindow.com/shows/8590-bring-micah-home
This event is courtesy of Josh and Melissa Gale, the amazing Cares Team at Arbor Village Apartments, where Phil works as a  leasing specialist. They are throwing the live fundraiser concert event at Arbor Village for all the residents, which will also be webcast on Concert Window so the rest of us can tune-in online! Thank you Josh, Melissa and the staff and residents of Arbor Village for thinking of us! Recently I have been asked how people can make donations for Micah in which 100% of the gift will go toward his adoption. We have a couple of ways to make that happen. Micah has a family sponsorship page through Reece’s Rainbow (a special needs adoption advocacy organization) where they accept donations toward a grant that we will receive prior to travel. To make the most of the gift and avoid a 3% processing fee, they ask that you consider sending a check (just send a note along with it to specify it is for Micah/The Brangers Family). Any gift given through Reece’s Rainbow is tax deductible. Link: http://reecesrainbow.org/76440/sponsorbrangers We are also able to accept donations via Paypal if needed. Please contact us if you need details. And, please know that I am providing this information only because I have been asked by several people and want to make it readily available.
I am so thankful for the support we continue to receive on this adoption journey! We could not do this alone, and are so grateful for our friends, family, and even strangers who have supported us with kind words, prayer, and donations. I have been stretched and my faith has been strengthened. I can’t tell you how ready I am to get our boy home! I know life will never be the same:)