News about our Fundraiser

I just got an amazing email from the folks at Both Hands and Lifesong for Orphans. Our fundraising project--working on a widow's home a little over two weeks ago--has raised $10,271! And more gifts are still trickling in! Thank you to everyone who helped, who gave, who prayed. There are pictures and a video of our workday in previous posts here.

World Premiere Video Here!

Here it finally is . . . a video slideshow of our big Both Hands adoption fundraising project from Saturday.  And catch this:  It features four brand new pictures of Jillian that we received just today.  They were taken last week.  We also got some updated info about her that was very encouraging and I'll share some of that here on the blog in the next day or so.  One month for today, we depart for China!

It's Done!

Saturday was our big Both Hands project and it was a fine success.  The weather was perfect, we had an awesome team that worked long and hard, and I think it turned out very well.  I will post only a few photos here because soon I'll be able to put up a video that shows the project more completely.  To everyone who helped, I don't think we can say thank you loud enough or often enough.  We appreciate your sacrifice!

An Early Start

As I mentioned before, we are doing a Both Hands project to raise funds for our adoption expenses. You can learn more at http://palmersworld.blogspot.com/2012/08/bringing-orphan-home-by-serving-widow.html or www.bothhands.org/muntz. To put it concisely, a team of volunteers has joined us in fixing up a widow's house and we are seeking sponsors for our day of work with all donations going toward Jillian's adoption.  Our workday is this Saturday but we decided to get an early start this afternoon.  My sister and her husband came down from Seattle to help Jeannette, Jordan and me.

 This is a picture from a few weeks ago, just to give a "before" look at the back porch:

Today, we cleared all the junk out from behind the shed.  We hauled off almost two pick-up loads of garbage and yard waste.

Jamey power washed the driveway and the whole house to prepare for repainting the trim and eaves, and to clean up the siding that we won't be painting.

Jordan took down the house numbers so that we can replace them with something a little more stylish . . .

So we got a good start but Saturday is the big day.  We're expecting to have about two dozen folks working on spreading bark chips, weeding, painting, reroofing the shed and more.  Wilma's very excited!

Bringing an Orphan Home by Serving a Widow

Our Sights Set on Jillian

Since January, we have been on a journey to adopt Jillian. We hope to travel to China to get her in the next two to three months and finances have certainly been a big concern!  An adoption like this—because of fees, government forms, shipping, travel and more—will likely cost well over $30,000.  (And the costs will likely continue after she comes home, with doctor's appointments for her cerebral palsy, speech therapy, dental work, tuition for kindergarten and so on.)

Our Solution

A few months ago, we applied for a grant through Lifesong for Orphans and as we did the paperwork, we learned about a very cool, very unusual fundraising project that an organization called Both Hands developed a few years ago.  We are going to spend one big day working on a widow’s home! Here is a video of a similar project--a much bigger one than ours--so you can get the idea:

 

Our Service

In our case, we'll be serving Wilma.  She is a widow who lives in Southeast Vancouver and she has agreed to let us work on her home. She is 78 spirited years old. Wilma and Archie had been together for over 50 years when he passed away in December. She’s raised seven kids, including a grandson, and her 58-year-old disabled daughter lives with her and she loves poodles. On Saturday, September 29, a team of volunteers will gather at Wilma’s place. We plan to do some painting, some landscaping, perhaps roof her shed, and clean a little.  (The scope of our project depends on how many volunteers join us, of course.)

Your Support

So how does a day of painting and weeding equal $$$ for our adoption of Jillian??

We are asking you to sponsor our day of work, similar to the way others might have asked for your support for a charity golf outing or “free” car wash. All gifts are tax deductible go directly toward our adoption expenses.  None of the proceeds are kept by Both Hands or Lifesong for Orphans.  Our goal is to raise $20,000. 

There are two easy ways to donate:

Œ On-line: Go to www.BothHands.org/Muntz and click the “Donate” button under our family photo. Follow online instructions to pay safely with your credit card or PayPal account.

 Send a check: Make your check payable to Lifesong for Orphans. Please write “Preference Muntz Family #2947” in the memo section of your check, and mail it by October 20 to:

Lifesong for Orphans

PO Box 40/202 N. Ford St.

Gridley, IL 61744

Thank you in advance for your consideration, as well as your prayers for us, for Jillian and for this project.  If you have any questions, please get in touch with me at www.facebook.com/palmer.muntz.

Some fine print:

The project is administered through Lifesong for Orphans. Lifesong for Orphans is a certified member of the Evangelical Council on Financial Accountability. 100% of all funds raised will go directly to cover adoption costs—nothing will be taken out for Lifesong for Orphans’ administrative costs. Please note that in following IRS guidelines, your donation is to the non-profit organization Lifesong for Orphans. They retain full discretion over its use, but intend to honor the donor’s suggestion. For more information on Both Hands and Lifesong for Orphans please visit www.LifesongForOrphans.org.

An Answer to Prayer

 We received a very exciting letter on Monday, from the foundation started by Stephen Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman.  Show Hope has given us a $4,000 grant to help with Jillian's adoption expenses!  Isn't that amazing?!  Show Hope also gave us a grant--a smaller one--when we adopted MelodyJoy in 2006.