Exciting updates!!!
We had a second jewelry fundraiser that ended right after Thanksgiving and raised a grand total of $225!!! Thank you sooo much to everyone who went shopping, and a big thank you to Allison who was willing to host the fundraiser and give all of her profit to our adoption. We are so very thankful!
You may remember that we planned to end our puzzle fundraiser on Thanksgiving Day. When we announced at the end of September that we would be ending the puzzle fundraiser, only 327 out of 1008 pieces had been sponsored. Over the next two months, many people sent us their support and claimed pieces of the puzzle. By the day after Thanksgiving, 784 pieces had been sponsored!! We were waiting on a few more gifts that we knew were in the mail, so we didn't close up shop yet. What's crazy is that over the next month, donations continued to trickle in! We thought the puzzle was finished with 75 pieces remaining about two weeks ago, and we were THRILLED! We planned to use the remaining pieces to write the names of families that had supported us before this fundraiser. Well, God had other plans. On Christmas Eve, a Christmas gift for our little one arrived that filled those last 75 pieces, and then some! And here is the funny thing about how God works: The pieces were $3 each, right??? So math tells you we should have raised $3,024 from this fundraiser. Want to know how much we actually received?
$4,432.65
Haha, don't you think God might be laughing at us a little? We worry about things not going our way, or the way we expected, we worry that we won't have enough, we worry, worry, worry. We settle for the puzzle not really being finished. Meanwhile, he is providing over $1,000 more than we were hoping for. So many of you gave an extra dollar, or two...some of you really cheated and gave a certain amount of money and then only wanted a few pieces. Then there was the two of you who left $100 on our kitchen table sticking out from under the puzzle after Bible Study one night...but never told us who you were :P
We feel so very blessed. I wish I could come up with some magical words to express how totally thankful we are! The way you have all come along side us to help fund this adoption is overwhelming. What really blows our minds is that some of you are truly struggling financially, and yet you gave. You sacrificed out of your own needs to give to our little one. How loved he or she is and has yet to meet even one of you! And the gifts have come from all over--from our past and present. Middle school small group leader, high school friends, high school friends' parents, college friends, coworkers, friends, family...I could go on and on. I feel like the Grinch at the end of the book...as I counted up the total my heart must have grown three sizes! The puzzle will be hanging on the wall as soon as I buy some puzzle glue and write the names of those of you who gave before this fundraiser around the edges of the frame. Really--I could go on and on, but I'll end with this: Thank.you.so.much!
By the way, Kyle and I have decided to stop the fundraising for the foreseeable future. We want to wait until we get a referral to get a better idea of exactly how much more we will need. God works in crazy awesome ways, so for all we know he will come up with a way to make the money we have go all the way, or provide more in an unexpected way!
Stay tuned in the next week or so for an update about where we are in the process!!
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Friday, November 28, 2014
Thanksgiving, 2014
Don't you just love Thanksgiving?
My parents and my little sister came up to spend several days with us. It is hard to put in to words how wonderful the week was. I had a BLAST with my silly little sister.
In case you missed out on this last year, my parents adopted Janya exactly one year ago today (Nov 28), on Thanksgiving, 2013. Yes, my parents are in their 50's; yes, they have two grown children; yes, they are at the point in their lives where people are usually counting the days to retirement. But when God wants you to do something, you do it! My dad describes it as a journey God sent them on, piece by piece. We stayed up late on Monday night (like after midnight, which if you know my daddy is shocking!) talking about life and family and adoption. It really struck me as I listened again to all the events that led up to their decision to adopt how intimately God is involved in every single aspect of our lives; how he can weave the good and the bad into a beautiful picture of his glory and grace. Standing on this side of the adoption and looking back, Dad even said he was glad that he didn't always know God's whole plan.
Tuesday we kicked off the day with haircuts for Matthew and Kyle and a trip to the Popcorn Bag (duh). As we were leaving to head back home, my dear friend commented on how good it was to see an answered prayer in the flesh (meanwhile Janya was bounding out the door and skipping to the car, haha). And she was so right!
I realized that I have been sitting here for the last several months thinking how hard adoption is and how I'm pretty sure some people think we are crazy and how sometimes I FEEL crazy, but how I know this is where God is leading us. It is so easy to feel sorry for ourselves and feel like God isn't answering our prayers anymore.
But that is such a narrow view of the world. My parents certainly had people look at them like they were crazy. They had MANY many setbacks. There were times where they wondered if they were wrong. But as daddy told us on Monday night, when he doubted, Momma was still driven and committed. They balanced each other out...and all along the way they felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to continue to pursue the adoption of a little girl. And because they were obedient, I get to spend holidays with this girl:
God IS answering prayers. We have to be willing to wait on His timing for our little miracle to arrive. But I know that adoption is close to the Father's heart, and I trust and believe that he will see this adoption through to completion. I don't know when, I don't know how, but I know we will someday see the end.
As we went around the table Thanksgiving Day and said what we were thankful for, it was certainly heartwarming to hear Janya say she was thankful for her family.
But what really stuck with me was one thing my dad said. He said he was thankful that God has incredible plans for us that we can't even imagine. What are you thankful for today, this day AFTER Thanksgiving? I am thankful for parents who follow God wherever he leads, even if it appears crazy to the world and even most Christians. I'm thankful for a sister who fills our family with laughter and pictures like this:
PS: Stay Tuned in the next few weeks for fundraiser totals and an update on the process!
My parents and my little sister came up to spend several days with us. It is hard to put in to words how wonderful the week was. I had a BLAST with my silly little sister.
In case you missed out on this last year, my parents adopted Janya exactly one year ago today (Nov 28), on Thanksgiving, 2013. Yes, my parents are in their 50's; yes, they have two grown children; yes, they are at the point in their lives where people are usually counting the days to retirement. But when God wants you to do something, you do it! My dad describes it as a journey God sent them on, piece by piece. We stayed up late on Monday night (like after midnight, which if you know my daddy is shocking!) talking about life and family and adoption. It really struck me as I listened again to all the events that led up to their decision to adopt how intimately God is involved in every single aspect of our lives; how he can weave the good and the bad into a beautiful picture of his glory and grace. Standing on this side of the adoption and looking back, Dad even said he was glad that he didn't always know God's whole plan.
 |
| Outside the Orphanage, Gotcha Day 2013 |
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| One Year Later, Gotcha Day 2014 |
Tuesday we kicked off the day with haircuts for Matthew and Kyle and a trip to the Popcorn Bag (duh). As we were leaving to head back home, my dear friend commented on how good it was to see an answered prayer in the flesh (meanwhile Janya was bounding out the door and skipping to the car, haha). And she was so right!
I realized that I have been sitting here for the last several months thinking how hard adoption is and how I'm pretty sure some people think we are crazy and how sometimes I FEEL crazy, but how I know this is where God is leading us. It is so easy to feel sorry for ourselves and feel like God isn't answering our prayers anymore.
But that is such a narrow view of the world. My parents certainly had people look at them like they were crazy. They had MANY many setbacks. There were times where they wondered if they were wrong. But as daddy told us on Monday night, when he doubted, Momma was still driven and committed. They balanced each other out...and all along the way they felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to continue to pursue the adoption of a little girl. And because they were obedient, I get to spend holidays with this girl:
God IS answering prayers. We have to be willing to wait on His timing for our little miracle to arrive. But I know that adoption is close to the Father's heart, and I trust and believe that he will see this adoption through to completion. I don't know when, I don't know how, but I know we will someday see the end.
As we went around the table Thanksgiving Day and said what we were thankful for, it was certainly heartwarming to hear Janya say she was thankful for her family.
But what really stuck with me was one thing my dad said. He said he was thankful that God has incredible plans for us that we can't even imagine. What are you thankful for today, this day AFTER Thanksgiving? I am thankful for parents who follow God wherever he leads, even if it appears crazy to the world and even most Christians. I'm thankful for a sister who fills our family with laughter and pictures like this:
PS: Stay Tuned in the next few weeks for fundraiser totals and an update on the process!
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Trust Falls
Kyle and I were recently asked, "What is your greatest source of joy in your life right now? What is something joyful in your life?"
As I listened, I was kind of stumped...You see, we were still reeling from our last dose of bad news on this never ending adoption. And in the same way my sister-in-law's head is consumed with thoughts of the sweet baby growing inside of her, in the same way she would be consumed with worry if the doctor told her something was wrong...adoption has a way of totally consuming your thoughts. When things aren't going well...it can take over your life in a way that might push out joy.
Our bad news?
Because we are having to rebuild so much of our dossier,
Because we will have to have it translated again,
Because we will have to submit it to Azerbaijan again as if it had never been there before,
We need to pay all of the fees required by our new agency. All of them.
They are graciously giving us a discount that we will pay back if we are able to get more money back from the old agency...but we still have to repay almost everything we have paid up to this point in our adoption journey.
When I made another fancy spreadsheet to add it all up--fees to the agency for helping us understand and navigate the process, fees to the country for their time to process and review our paperwork, translations, plane tickets, travel fees, food during travel, a place to stay in AZ, etc...
deep breath.
$60,000.
Good news...bad news.
Good news! Through my two years working as a teacher and the donations we have received along the way, in addition to the roughly $25,000 we have already spent on this adoption, we have $39,000 saved!!!
Bad news...Raise your hand if you have heard me gushing about staying home with Matthew because we had all the money saved that we would need for the adoption?! ha. yeah.
So we are about $20,000 short. The school year has already begun, so no easy income (not that teaching is easy...just that the paycheck is a sure thing).
Can I tell you something, though? Kyle and I came to a conclusion in the midst of our "Holy crap, where will we find that kind of money?!?!?!" We realized that God could have easily arranged things so that we would have learned about how much we would be re-paying back in June...July...August. I don't believe it is a coincidence that we didn't realize until it was too late for me to find a job.
So the only conclusion we can draw is that HE plans to provide this money in some other not so obvious way.
And as I sat in that room, listening to others share about the Joy in their lives, I realized that this adoption journey IS bringing us joy.
Think of all the times God has already come through for us...providing money, encouragement, answers right when we need them. Our joy comes from learning to trust Him more each time a rock falls in our path. Our joy comes from growing closer to God and to each other as we navigate these dark and confusing waters. Our joy comes from the opportunity for me to stay home for *hopefully* a few years, watching Matthew grow and learn new things.
Faith is not easy. In fact, it is the hardest thing about following after what God has called us to. Each trust fall is bigger, farther, than the one before it.
But you know what?? Now that we have survived the initial shock of how much money we need God to provide...we are actually excited to see how He does it.
One more thing before I let you go:
We have decided to put a cap on the puzzle fundraiser. When our adoption started falling apart back in March, we kind of dropped the ball and lost all momentum on this fundraiser. We think it would be best to give it until Thanksgiving Day and then we are going to fill up any empty pieces with the names of people who have already given before the puzzle fundraiser. SO if you were planning to buy a puzzle piece and time got away from you--You have until Thanksgiving day to get us the money!! There is a pay pal link you can use here on the blog, or you can hand us cash, or check, or mail it!
Thank you for your support through prayer and giving and especially encouraging us when we feel hopeless. Adoption can be exhausting, and we are so so thankful for the support all of you give us so consistently.
As I listened, I was kind of stumped...You see, we were still reeling from our last dose of bad news on this never ending adoption. And in the same way my sister-in-law's head is consumed with thoughts of the sweet baby growing inside of her, in the same way she would be consumed with worry if the doctor told her something was wrong...adoption has a way of totally consuming your thoughts. When things aren't going well...it can take over your life in a way that might push out joy.
Our bad news?
Because we are having to rebuild so much of our dossier,
Because we will have to have it translated again,
Because we will have to submit it to Azerbaijan again as if it had never been there before,
We need to pay all of the fees required by our new agency. All of them.
They are graciously giving us a discount that we will pay back if we are able to get more money back from the old agency...but we still have to repay almost everything we have paid up to this point in our adoption journey.
When I made another fancy spreadsheet to add it all up--fees to the agency for helping us understand and navigate the process, fees to the country for their time to process and review our paperwork, translations, plane tickets, travel fees, food during travel, a place to stay in AZ, etc...
deep breath.
$60,000.
Good news...bad news.
Good news! Through my two years working as a teacher and the donations we have received along the way, in addition to the roughly $25,000 we have already spent on this adoption, we have $39,000 saved!!!
Bad news...Raise your hand if you have heard me gushing about staying home with Matthew because we had all the money saved that we would need for the adoption?! ha. yeah.
So we are about $20,000 short. The school year has already begun, so no easy income (not that teaching is easy...just that the paycheck is a sure thing).
Can I tell you something, though? Kyle and I came to a conclusion in the midst of our "Holy crap, where will we find that kind of money?!?!?!" We realized that God could have easily arranged things so that we would have learned about how much we would be re-paying back in June...July...August. I don't believe it is a coincidence that we didn't realize until it was too late for me to find a job.
So the only conclusion we can draw is that HE plans to provide this money in some other not so obvious way.
And as I sat in that room, listening to others share about the Joy in their lives, I realized that this adoption journey IS bringing us joy.
Think of all the times God has already come through for us...providing money, encouragement, answers right when we need them. Our joy comes from learning to trust Him more each time a rock falls in our path. Our joy comes from growing closer to God and to each other as we navigate these dark and confusing waters. Our joy comes from the opportunity for me to stay home for *hopefully* a few years, watching Matthew grow and learn new things.
Faith is not easy. In fact, it is the hardest thing about following after what God has called us to. Each trust fall is bigger, farther, than the one before it.
But you know what?? Now that we have survived the initial shock of how much money we need God to provide...we are actually excited to see how He does it.
One more thing before I let you go:
We have decided to put a cap on the puzzle fundraiser. When our adoption started falling apart back in March, we kind of dropped the ball and lost all momentum on this fundraiser. We think it would be best to give it until Thanksgiving Day and then we are going to fill up any empty pieces with the names of people who have already given before the puzzle fundraiser. SO if you were planning to buy a puzzle piece and time got away from you--You have until Thanksgiving day to get us the money!! There is a pay pal link you can use here on the blog, or you can hand us cash, or check, or mail it!
Thank you for your support through prayer and giving and especially encouraging us when we feel hopeless. Adoption can be exhausting, and we are so so thankful for the support all of you give us so consistently.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Like the string on a balloon...
I bought a book for our little one over a year ago. I keep it sitting in the bedroom that will one day belong to him/her (MAN I can't wait for the day I can stop saying "him/her").
This page.
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This is where we are right now. And it is HARD.
But here is the update: We had a great visit with our social worker a couple of weeks ago. We found out that our medicals and background checks are expired and have to be updated in order to update the home study. We will also need new DMV records, new employment verification and a letter from the bank. whew.
We are unfortunately in a time crunch right now (adoption is all about "hurry up and wait"). Our immigration approval will expire on October 1st. You can receive one free update/extension but you have to apply for it before the expiration. In order to apply, you need an updated home study...and in order to get an updated home study, you need allll the paperwork I mentioned above. Most of the items will be easy to receive in time. The only one we are worried about is the Virginia Child Abuse Clearances...They usually take several weeks. If we get it back soon, we will be able to apply for the extension. If we do not receive them until after October 1st, I am pretty sure we will have to reapply for approval and pay the fee again (over $900). Not the end of the world, but we would love to avoid that!
So, for now we are simply asking for your prayers. Could you please pray that our clearances will arrive in time?
This page.
This is where we are right now. And it is HARD.
But here is the update: We had a great visit with our social worker a couple of weeks ago. We found out that our medicals and background checks are expired and have to be updated in order to update the home study. We will also need new DMV records, new employment verification and a letter from the bank. whew.
We are unfortunately in a time crunch right now (adoption is all about "hurry up and wait"). Our immigration approval will expire on October 1st. You can receive one free update/extension but you have to apply for it before the expiration. In order to apply, you need an updated home study...and in order to get an updated home study, you need allll the paperwork I mentioned above. Most of the items will be easy to receive in time. The only one we are worried about is the Virginia Child Abuse Clearances...They usually take several weeks. If we get it back soon, we will be able to apply for the extension. If we do not receive them until after October 1st, I am pretty sure we will have to reapply for approval and pay the fee again (over $900). Not the end of the world, but we would love to avoid that!
So, for now we are simply asking for your prayers. Could you please pray that our clearances will arrive in time?
Monday, July 14, 2014
Waiting in the Hallway
I really wanted to call this one "Waiting in the Hallway for the Stupid Door to Open" but I decided that was a bit too harsh...
You know that phrase? "When God closes a door he always opens a window."
I submit to you that phrase is not always true. I believe that sometimes God closes a door and asks you to wait in the hallway with no guarantee of when he will open the door. I believe that sometimes we are so desperate for answers that we try to pry open the window, when really God just wants us to sit in that hallway and wait...and wait...and pray...and wait...
So I think I should probably give you guys an explanation of what has been going on in our adoption lately...it is messy, so hold on. I'm afraid this will be a long one.
Remember in February when I told you that Azerbaijan wasn't passing out any referrals? Well after a month or so of waiting, I decided to do a little research. In March I found this article here and this one here that both talk about new legislature being passed in Azerbaijan in regards to international adoption. So I promptly sent an email to our agency asking if we needed to file any new paperwork. I was emailed the next day and told "Things really are that bad in Azerbaijan. They have enacted new legislation that prevents families not from Azerbaijan from adopting. We are asking all of our families to allow us to move their files to other countries because Azerbaijan does not appear to be a viable option for US families to adopt right now. "
...devastated.
So I immediately started prying open windows..."What about India? We could adopt from India, Kyle!"
Kyle is a good deal more steadfast than me. He knew that I had been doing research and had noticed that adoption.state.gov didn't have any updates indicating that Azerbaijan was essentially closed to most Americans. After a few days of me begging him to make some kind of decision, he said we needed to figure out what was really going on. I knew of an agency in Atlanta, Georgia that also had a adoption program in Azerbaijan. I decided to call and ask them some questions.
Turns out Azerbaijan isn't closed. All that those articles say...all that they mean...is that paperwork has to be approved by an additional group. We also learned that the agency in Georgia is the only agency that is actually accredited in AZ to facilitate adoptions there. The only one. While our old agency didn't necessarily lie about accreditation, they weren't totally forthcoming with the truth either.
So we decided to switch agencies. But before switching, we needed to find out the location of our dossier and translations. So our new agency (Illien Adoptions International) set up a meeting with the State Committee in Baku, AZ to inquire about our dossier. They were able to find out that yes, our dossier had been there, and yes we were in fact eligible to adopt from AZ...but that they didn't have it any more...it had been sent back to our agency.
At that point we contacted the old agency and told them we were ready to part ways and would like to have our dossier and translations sent back. Unfortunately, we only received the original dossier. We are not sure what happened to the translations, and are hoping to get some money back since we paid to have them translated.
We are currently working on a contract with Illien...I have to say, it amazes me that they have helped us so much already and we still haven't paid them a dime. We got pretty nervous about them because they have taken a while to get certain paperwork to us, but after some investigation over the past few days we have found that Illien is a part of the Joint Council, which means that in adoption world they are trustworthy. The director of the agency is working directly with us (rather than the director of the AZ program), and she is a busy lady. *Patience* We are going to have to update the home study and the documents that go along with them, so it will still be a few months before we can get back on track.
I have to confess...I am a roller coaster of trusting God and questioning Him. One day I am certain that this adoption will eventually be completed with a new child in our home...the next day I am ready to give up. I've been reading and rereading the chapters in Genesis about Abraham and Sarah. Remember them? God told them to move to a new place but didn't tell them where. Said He would make them into a great nation (aka...you will have kids). They went. Abraham was 75. Abraham promptly screwed up in Egypt. God reminded him of the promise...Abraham worshipped Him. God promised Abraham again that he would have children. The Bible says Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Real Faith. Of course on the very next page of the Bible Sarah tries to pry open a window by convincing Abraham to have a baby with another woman instead of her. Yikes...But I am so glad that Abraham can have real faith one day and totally screw up the next...makes me feel a little better, ya know? Abraham was 86 when Ishmael was born to Abraham and Hagar (the lady friend)...11 years after he was first told he would have a child. But God wasn't finished. He came to Abraham when he was 99 (yes, 99 is old) and told him he would have a child with his wife. Finally, a year later when Abraham was 100, Sarah had a son...the one who actually fulfilled the promise. Isaac.
Can you imagine waiting in the hallway for 25 years?
I know this is long, so let me wrap it up. We are working on getting our home study updated. We hope to resubmit our dossier in the fall sometime. We could use your prayers and encouragement...alot. We are asking God to move the mountain that is international adoption. We are asking for faith, faith, faith. We are trying to trust that "in the silence, in the waiting, still we can know You are good. All Your plans are for Your glory, yes we can know You are good." (song...The Lord Our God. It's a good one).
Now that we have a plan and a direction, you can expect more updates and more pictures of the puzzle. Thank you for your continued support through this VERY LONG process! We appreciate it so much more than we can express.
You know that phrase? "When God closes a door he always opens a window."
I submit to you that phrase is not always true. I believe that sometimes God closes a door and asks you to wait in the hallway with no guarantee of when he will open the door. I believe that sometimes we are so desperate for answers that we try to pry open the window, when really God just wants us to sit in that hallway and wait...and wait...and pray...and wait...
So I think I should probably give you guys an explanation of what has been going on in our adoption lately...it is messy, so hold on. I'm afraid this will be a long one.
Remember in February when I told you that Azerbaijan wasn't passing out any referrals? Well after a month or so of waiting, I decided to do a little research. In March I found this article here and this one here that both talk about new legislature being passed in Azerbaijan in regards to international adoption. So I promptly sent an email to our agency asking if we needed to file any new paperwork. I was emailed the next day and told "Things really are that bad in Azerbaijan. They have enacted new legislation that prevents families not from Azerbaijan from adopting. We are asking all of our families to allow us to move their files to other countries because Azerbaijan does not appear to be a viable option for US families to adopt right now. "
...devastated.
So I immediately started prying open windows..."What about India? We could adopt from India, Kyle!"
Kyle is a good deal more steadfast than me. He knew that I had been doing research and had noticed that adoption.state.gov didn't have any updates indicating that Azerbaijan was essentially closed to most Americans. After a few days of me begging him to make some kind of decision, he said we needed to figure out what was really going on. I knew of an agency in Atlanta, Georgia that also had a adoption program in Azerbaijan. I decided to call and ask them some questions.
Turns out Azerbaijan isn't closed. All that those articles say...all that they mean...is that paperwork has to be approved by an additional group. We also learned that the agency in Georgia is the only agency that is actually accredited in AZ to facilitate adoptions there. The only one. While our old agency didn't necessarily lie about accreditation, they weren't totally forthcoming with the truth either.
So we decided to switch agencies. But before switching, we needed to find out the location of our dossier and translations. So our new agency (Illien Adoptions International) set up a meeting with the State Committee in Baku, AZ to inquire about our dossier. They were able to find out that yes, our dossier had been there, and yes we were in fact eligible to adopt from AZ...but that they didn't have it any more...it had been sent back to our agency.
At that point we contacted the old agency and told them we were ready to part ways and would like to have our dossier and translations sent back. Unfortunately, we only received the original dossier. We are not sure what happened to the translations, and are hoping to get some money back since we paid to have them translated.
We are currently working on a contract with Illien...I have to say, it amazes me that they have helped us so much already and we still haven't paid them a dime. We got pretty nervous about them because they have taken a while to get certain paperwork to us, but after some investigation over the past few days we have found that Illien is a part of the Joint Council, which means that in adoption world they are trustworthy. The director of the agency is working directly with us (rather than the director of the AZ program), and she is a busy lady. *Patience* We are going to have to update the home study and the documents that go along with them, so it will still be a few months before we can get back on track.
I have to confess...I am a roller coaster of trusting God and questioning Him. One day I am certain that this adoption will eventually be completed with a new child in our home...the next day I am ready to give up. I've been reading and rereading the chapters in Genesis about Abraham and Sarah. Remember them? God told them to move to a new place but didn't tell them where. Said He would make them into a great nation (aka...you will have kids). They went. Abraham was 75. Abraham promptly screwed up in Egypt. God reminded him of the promise...Abraham worshipped Him. God promised Abraham again that he would have children. The Bible says Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Real Faith. Of course on the very next page of the Bible Sarah tries to pry open a window by convincing Abraham to have a baby with another woman instead of her. Yikes...But I am so glad that Abraham can have real faith one day and totally screw up the next...makes me feel a little better, ya know? Abraham was 86 when Ishmael was born to Abraham and Hagar (the lady friend)...11 years after he was first told he would have a child. But God wasn't finished. He came to Abraham when he was 99 (yes, 99 is old) and told him he would have a child with his wife. Finally, a year later when Abraham was 100, Sarah had a son...the one who actually fulfilled the promise. Isaac.
Can you imagine waiting in the hallway for 25 years?
I know this is long, so let me wrap it up. We are working on getting our home study updated. We hope to resubmit our dossier in the fall sometime. We could use your prayers and encouragement...alot. We are asking God to move the mountain that is international adoption. We are asking for faith, faith, faith. We are trying to trust that "in the silence, in the waiting, still we can know You are good. All Your plans are for Your glory, yes we can know You are good." (song...The Lord Our God. It's a good one).
Now that we have a plan and a direction, you can expect more updates and more pictures of the puzzle. Thank you for your continued support through this VERY LONG process! We appreciate it so much more than we can express.
Monday, May 12, 2014
I don't know what to call this blog post...
I know our updates have been MIA for a while. To tell you the truth, there is a lot going on with our adoption, but not much we can post on a public blog. We are experiencing many disappointing setbacks and facing some potential increased expenses. We fluctuate several times daily it seems between joyfully trusting God, and crumbling under the disappointment and frustration of knowing we have accomplished what seems like nothing over the last 7 months. Our dossier is sitting on the kitchen table again. And we are in the process of moving to a new placing agency. Because so much time has passed, we are unsure of how much of the paperwork may have to be redone and then notarized and apostilled again.
Soooo, pray for us. We really need it. We miss the child we haven't met. We are determined to push forward, though. We may not always understand why things happen the way they do, and we certainly feel frustrated and discouraged at times (lots of times), but we trust that God knew this was coming and sent us anyway. He is in control of all of this and He knows our child, even though we don't. Just to add an extra boost to our faith, He sent an encouraging card and a generous donation by way of some sweet friends yesterday. How can we doubt that this will work out when He is constantly reminding us that He has this?!
In other news, since I haven't been posting updates, we still have a ways to go on the puzzle!! Want to contribute? You can use the pay pal button above, or give us the money in person, or stick it in the mail. Here is a picture of what we have so far:
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Exciting! But still a long way to go! Remember, each piece is $3. We hope to raise a little over $3,000 with this fundraiser.
Also...Happy Mother's Day!! Kyle brought tears to my eyes with this sweet gift he gave me yesterday:
It is the adoption Willow Tree figure. Bittersweet gift. Kyle told me he bought it at Christmas time, planning to give it to me for mother's day either from our little one or maybe with a picture of our little one...because we really thought we would know him/her by now.
Gracious...I've gone from discouraged to joyfully trusting and back to discouraged at least three times just in typing this blog post. Did I mention that we could use your prayers? Here is the verse Kyle texted me today:
Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you."
Let it be so.
Soooo, pray for us. We really need it. We miss the child we haven't met. We are determined to push forward, though. We may not always understand why things happen the way they do, and we certainly feel frustrated and discouraged at times (lots of times), but we trust that God knew this was coming and sent us anyway. He is in control of all of this and He knows our child, even though we don't. Just to add an extra boost to our faith, He sent an encouraging card and a generous donation by way of some sweet friends yesterday. How can we doubt that this will work out when He is constantly reminding us that He has this?!
In other news, since I haven't been posting updates, we still have a ways to go on the puzzle!! Want to contribute? You can use the pay pal button above, or give us the money in person, or stick it in the mail. Here is a picture of what we have so far:
Exciting! But still a long way to go! Remember, each piece is $3. We hope to raise a little over $3,000 with this fundraiser.
Also...Happy Mother's Day!! Kyle brought tears to my eyes with this sweet gift he gave me yesterday:
Gracious...I've gone from discouraged to joyfully trusting and back to discouraged at least three times just in typing this blog post. Did I mention that we could use your prayers? Here is the verse Kyle texted me today:
Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you."
Let it be so.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Waiting
We found out on Monday that Azerbaijan is not passing out any referrals right now. Basically there have been families who adopted from AZ previously and are not sending in the post placement reports. Post placement reports are sent to the child's birth country so the country knows you are taking good care of the child. Without these reports, a country like Azerbaijan has no way of knowing if the kids are in a good place. Because some families have not been diligent in sending these reports, Azerbaijan has launched an investigation. Our agency has told us that they have not seen any referrals come out of AZ since the investigation began. We do know that our dossier is in Azerbaijan, has been translated, and the country is aware that we are waiting for a referral. There is no way to know how long Azerbaijani adoptions will be on hold.
*sigh*
The hardest part about adoption is the question mark. When I was pregnant with Matthew, I knew there was an "expiration date!" I knew that once my due date hit, it was only a matter of two weeks before they would MAKE Matthew arrive!!! Unfortunately, there are no due dates with adoption.
God has put this verse on my heart, and I am holding on to it tightly:
*sigh*
The hardest part about adoption is the question mark. When I was pregnant with Matthew, I knew there was an "expiration date!" I knew that once my due date hit, it was only a matter of two weeks before they would MAKE Matthew arrive!!! Unfortunately, there are no due dates with adoption.
God has put this verse on my heart, and I am holding on to it tightly:
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart;
wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27:14
Kyle and I are not ready to jump ship on Azerbaijan. We have only been waiting 4 months, and we are going to stick it out with AZ as long as we feel it is where God wants us to adopt from. We are going to trust God's timeline and wait for Him. Would you pray for us to have patience, faith, and joy as we wait?
As we are waiting, we are continuing to work on the puzzle fundraiser. Check out these pictures!
January 26, 2014
February 2, 2014
February 13, 2014
And here is the amazing snow man we built with some of our friends on Thursday:
It is hard to tell in this picture, but he is almost 6 feet tall!!! Alabama friends, feel free to leave a comment about how jealous you are! ;)
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
3 months and 11 days
We've been waiting 3 months and 11 days. 3 months out of...??
The first two months were pretty easy. I mean, we sent our paperwork October 10. After that we were busy, busy with school and church...then the holidays. But I have to tell you. These last few days are driving me a bit crazy! It isn't that I am impatient to get our kiddo home (although of course we want him/her here as soon as possible). I totally trust God's timing. I know that he knows when and who and how. I don't want to change his timeline.
I just would really really like to KNOW the timeline...ya know?!?!
Anyway, enough complaining...Let me tell you what we are doing to keep busy!
I found this blog a while back written by a lady from Azerbaijan. She is currently living in California, but recently took a trip back to Azerbaijan to visit family. I check her blog often because I love to see the authentic recipes from her home country and I am fascinated by the photographs she posts of the place our child is coming from.
Meanwhile, Kyle and I have been discussing our next fundraiser for several months now. Enough of you know others who have adopted or are adopting, so I'm sure many of you have heard of the puzzle fundraiser. In case you haven't, let me fill you in. Basically the adopting family buys a puzzle and then other people sponsor a piece of the puzzle for a certain amount. As each piece is sponsored, the family writes the sponsor's name on the back and begins to assemble the puzzle. All money donated goes to help fund the adoption. When the puzzle is fully funded and assembled, the adopting family frames it in a frame with glass on both sides and hangs it in the child's room or in the home as a reminder of how many people contributed to making the adoption happen.
We really wanted a picture that would be meaningful and fit in our home long after the adoption is complete. It took a while for the idea to come to us, but one day as I was looking at the pictures on Feride's blog, I thought, "HEY! A picture from Azerbaijan!" Kyle took some time to look at all of the pictures and found one he really liked. I emailed Feride and asked for permission to use her picture and she graciously agreed. Kyle had a friend from work edit and add this verse:
"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." John 14:18
We were able to order the puzzle a couple of weeks ago and it finally arrived!! Once it is assembled, this is what it will look like:
The puzzle has 1,008 pieces. After much prayer and discussion with family and friends, we have decided to ask for $3 per piece. When the puzzle is finished, we will be $3,024 closer to having our adoption fully funded!
So, the question is: Will you help? You can sponsor as many pieces as you feel led to sponsor. You can sponsor as a family, as an individual, as a group of people. We would love your help in this!
If you are interested in sponsoring a piece, there are a few ways to get your money to us. If you live in Virginia and see us alllll the time, you can just hand it too us...cash or check :) If you live far away, you can send us an email or Facebook message and we can give you our mailing address. OR near or far, you can also use the Paypal donation button at the top right hand corner of this page to donate. Just be sure to leave your name when you "check out" using the Paypal button...otherwise we won't know who donated!!
Oh! One more thing: we really wanted those of you who have already donated to know that we don't at all expect you to give more. We are planning to write names around the frame of people who donated money before the fundraiser...although if you want to sponsor a puzzle piece, too, we won't argue. ;)
AND to the person/people who gave that one anonymous donation...you know who you are, and we wish we did. You will be remembered, even if we don't know your name!
We will keep everyone posted on the progress of the puzzle!
The first two months were pretty easy. I mean, we sent our paperwork October 10. After that we were busy, busy with school and church...then the holidays. But I have to tell you. These last few days are driving me a bit crazy! It isn't that I am impatient to get our kiddo home (although of course we want him/her here as soon as possible). I totally trust God's timing. I know that he knows when and who and how. I don't want to change his timeline.
I just would really really like to KNOW the timeline...ya know?!?!
Anyway, enough complaining...Let me tell you what we are doing to keep busy!
I found this blog a while back written by a lady from Azerbaijan. She is currently living in California, but recently took a trip back to Azerbaijan to visit family. I check her blog often because I love to see the authentic recipes from her home country and I am fascinated by the photographs she posts of the place our child is coming from.
Meanwhile, Kyle and I have been discussing our next fundraiser for several months now. Enough of you know others who have adopted or are adopting, so I'm sure many of you have heard of the puzzle fundraiser. In case you haven't, let me fill you in. Basically the adopting family buys a puzzle and then other people sponsor a piece of the puzzle for a certain amount. As each piece is sponsored, the family writes the sponsor's name on the back and begins to assemble the puzzle. All money donated goes to help fund the adoption. When the puzzle is fully funded and assembled, the adopting family frames it in a frame with glass on both sides and hangs it in the child's room or in the home as a reminder of how many people contributed to making the adoption happen.
We really wanted a picture that would be meaningful and fit in our home long after the adoption is complete. It took a while for the idea to come to us, but one day as I was looking at the pictures on Feride's blog, I thought, "HEY! A picture from Azerbaijan!" Kyle took some time to look at all of the pictures and found one he really liked. I emailed Feride and asked for permission to use her picture and she graciously agreed. Kyle had a friend from work edit and add this verse:
"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." John 14:18
We were able to order the puzzle a couple of weeks ago and it finally arrived!! Once it is assembled, this is what it will look like:
The puzzle has 1,008 pieces. After much prayer and discussion with family and friends, we have decided to ask for $3 per piece. When the puzzle is finished, we will be $3,024 closer to having our adoption fully funded!
So, the question is: Will you help? You can sponsor as many pieces as you feel led to sponsor. You can sponsor as a family, as an individual, as a group of people. We would love your help in this!
If you are interested in sponsoring a piece, there are a few ways to get your money to us. If you live in Virginia and see us alllll the time, you can just hand it too us...cash or check :) If you live far away, you can send us an email or Facebook message and we can give you our mailing address. OR near or far, you can also use the Paypal donation button at the top right hand corner of this page to donate. Just be sure to leave your name when you "check out" using the Paypal button...otherwise we won't know who donated!!
Oh! One more thing: we really wanted those of you who have already donated to know that we don't at all expect you to give more. We are planning to write names around the frame of people who donated money before the fundraiser...although if you want to sponsor a puzzle piece, too, we won't argue. ;)
AND to the person/people who gave that one anonymous donation...you know who you are, and we wish we did. You will be remembered, even if we don't know your name!
We will keep everyone posted on the progress of the puzzle!
Thursday, January 2, 2014
All Mixed Up
We have been on a little bit of an emotional roller coaster lately.
Stress...tying up loose ends at school and church, Christmas parties, buying gifts, cleaning, Christmas parties, packing, Christmas parties...
Excitement...Christmas with a two year old! Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.
Peace...Understanding the true meaning of Christmas. Reading about Christ's birth in the Bible. Attending the Christmas Eve service.
Sadness...looking at the extra stocking hanging above our fireplace...wondering if our little one will be home for next Christmas.
Disgusted...Matthew vomited all over the car and even in Becca's face. Nope, not exaggerating. FACE.
Exhausted...A 10 hour trip to Alabama on Christmas Day.
JOY!!!Meeting my newly adopted sister for the first time. Hugging her, talking to her, playing with her, eating with her, catching up on almost 9 years of lost time.
Happiness...Spending time with family and friends for an entire week.
Exhaustion...A 15 hour trip back to Virginia by way of North Carolina (happiness seeing more family).
Sorrow...hearing of my (Becca) Memaw's death on New Years Day.
Exhaustion...unpack, laundry, dishes, buy a black dress, more laundry, text family, laundry, call family, laundry, move doctor appointment, email bosses, find someone to take nursery duty, fold laundry, haircut (best part of the day...thanks, Brooke!), pick up the munchkin from the fabulous babysitter (that might have been the best part of the day actually...Thanks, Lenora!), pizza, play with trains, fold more laundry, bath time, bed time, pack, pack, pack
I am not looking forward to another 10 hour trip tomorrow, followed by the return trip on Monday.
I am not looking forward to attending my Memaw's funeral.
I am looking forward to more time with my new sister and my sweet niece, who I rarely get to see.
I am looking forward to seeing my cousins...I think the last time we were all together was 12 years ago, at PawPaw's funeral...is that right?
I can't wait to meet my...ummm 1st cousin once removed?? (My cousin's kid)
And I will be totally honest with all of you people...I will miss my Memaw, but I believe that she is finally with PawPaw and in a much better place. For the first time in...a very long time...she is healthy and whole and worshiping God in His very presence. I can't help but smile, thinking about that.
Sooo, I'm going to sit here on the couch for a little while, pretend to watch the Sugar Bowl, actually watch the snow fall, and let God deal with my jumble of emotions.
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