Hi everyone!
I wanted to write you really quick and tell you about a family we
know that is in dire need of help, and especially PRAYER! Their names are
Brian and Ruth Christine, they have five girls Bethany, Miriam, Lydia,
Olivia and Abbey Rose.

Some of you who are from Oregon may have heard of this family as their
case has received quite a lot of media coverage. For those of you receiving
this who are unfamiliar with the Christine family, I will try to give you a
brief account of their situation.

Brian and Ruth are a young married couple who, after meeting and
marrying in Ruth's native England, moved to Indiana where Brian was born.
As they began to have a family their desire for their children was to give
them a Christian based homeschooled education. Brian had a lifelong dream of
converting a bus and traveling around the United States, so the couple set
to work customizing a home on wheels with all amenities. Their intention was
to incorporate their travels into the children's education while they were
still young, giving them a hands on experience. For example, while studying
rock formations, visit Carlsbad Caverns... you get the idea. Brian had an
internet based business which allowed him to work while they traveled the
country for about a year, very happily, when they arrived in Grants Pass,
Oregon. They made friends, got involved with the community and thought that
they had found a place where they might want to stay for good when their
traveling adventure was over.

Then the unthinkable happened.

The Christines had been participating in a program at the public
library with their oldest daughter Bethany, then 5 years old, whom they
had taught to read. They had occasionally parked their bus at the library
while the children took part in library programs and Brian did computer
work. Someone observed their bus parked behind the library, and for reasons
unknown, made an anonymous call to child protective services say that their
were some kids living in a bus behind the library who looked hungry.

Ironically, when the police showed up the children were in the bus
sitting at the table eating sandwiches for lunch. Their mother was taken
aback when the armed policemen and child services workers indicated that
they were seeking the children. Surely this must be a mix up and they were
looking for someone else! Ruth promptly sought Brian, who was working in the
library. By the time the family returned to their bus it was surrounded by
police cars. When they refused to let the children go with social workers,
Brian was arrested and the three oldest girls Bethany, Miriam and Lydia were
whisked to the hospital for physical evaluations. Ruth, who was at the time
pregnant with their fourth child, followed the children to the hospital,
distraught and wondering what to do.

At the hospital the three oldest girls were subject to interviews
filled with leading questions which manipulated the toddlers into answering
in a way that would make the parents guilty of abuse. they were also given
thorough physical examinations which diagnosed one of the girls who had a
Band-Aid on her forehead as having a minor skull fracture, although no
x-rays were presented to prove this when the parents requested them. The
children also had to go through invasive sexual examinations although there
were absolutely no allegations of sexual abuse. They were then placed in
foster care.

Brian and Ruth were told that they would be given visitation with the
possibility of having their children restored to them, only after they went
through evaluations and the proper rehabilitation programs. They were
obviously furious and refused. Over the course of the next several months
they went on radio shows, picketed the court house and fought in court to
get their children back. During this time Ruth gave birth to Olivia, their
fourth daughter, and placed her in the care of Brian's mother in Indiana.

The state of Oregon sought relentlessly to obtain custody of Olivia as
well. It seemed that the more Brian and Ruth drew attention to the abuse of
power exercised by Child Protective Services and the harder they fought, the
more the state sought to demonize their character to the media. Being of
limited financial resources and seeing no end in sight, Brian and Ruth
finally decided to play the State's game to get their kids back. But the
couple were then told that it was too late and their children were to be
adopted out soon. Brian and Ruth were however awarded visitation with
their children.

With their backs up against a wall, they did what most parents would
do, they took their kids back. After a visitation, Brian followed the social
workers van and allegedly at gunpoint ordered the workers out of the
vehicle. They got as far as Montana with their children. They were then
captured and Brian and Ruth were sent to jail. Some months later, Ruth gave
birth to their youngest daughter, Abbey Rose while shackled to a hospital
bed.

You may be asking yourself, why would the State go this far if they
were innocent?? It's not a pretty answer. Child Protective Services in the
state of Oregon is an agency with little or no checks or balances. For every
child in foster care and every family going through "rehabilitation," they
receive large amounts of funding. The system is clotted with cases that are
not authentic abuse or neglect, for instance, cases where a parent spanked a
child in a public place, or if someone deemed a child the child looked
dirty. ( Anyone with children who play outside knows how easily children get
dirty!)

Recently, federal policies have been put place to provide the state
with thousands of dollars for every child that is adopted out from their
system. It has become a lucrative business, with no accountability.
Basically it's all about money, and rules that are not
right. Many of you receiving this email who are from Oregon have seen first
hand the corruption in our state.

So what can we do? A LOT! Currently Ruth Christine is out on bail
trying to prepare for their trial which will be in Roseburg, Oregon
beginning April 30. Pray for the jury selection. Pray for the trial. Pray
also for their children. After a heated court case and lots of negative
publicity for Oregon CPS, the three oldest children were adopted out to
Ruth's parents in England and the two youngest girls are under guardianship
with Brian's mother.

Forward this email to others.

Donations. Ruth is trying to raise money to provide for legal
assistance and Brian's bail. If Brian were out on bail it would enable him
to have more contact with an attorney and better prepare for their trial.
Also if Brian and Ruth are sentenced to terms in prison this time would be
invaluable to them to be together before being separated. Brian's bail is
set at $60,000, currently $11,500 has been raised. Donations can be sent to:

Ruth Christine
c/o Sallie Vandagrift
P.O. Box 423
Jacksonville, Oregon 97530

Watch Ruth tomorrow April 18th on NBC's The Today Show at 7:30 am and
find out more about them. Since Ruth has been out on bail I've had the
privilege of spending a week with her. I can't tell you how much it has
blessed my life and my children's life. I continued to be amazed at how in
the midst of so much she has a way of ministering to others and glorifying
God even in her trials. I believe Brian and Ruth to be sincere and innocent
individuals, and I hope that you will join me in doing what we can for this
family in need. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact
me at:

[email protected] or by phone.

God's blessings on you and yours,
Sallie