One thing we discovered very quickly when we started our adoption process was that funds seem to come due in "chunks". You pay a "chunk" to have the home study done, a "chunk" when you complete the agency contract, another "chunk" when you officially commit to your child, and another "chunk" when you submit your USCIS paperwork.
We've gotten to the point in our adoption process when the next bug "chunk" of money will be due. As soon as our "golden ticket" arrives from USCIS we will be submitting our dossier to the country we are adopting from. Along with the paperwork package our next agency payment will be due. After that payment, the "chunks" of money that are due start to get closer together as we move closer to bringing Allen home.
We are starting some new fundraising to raise the first "chunk" of $5,500. We have a lot planned and we are praying that y'all will continue to support us on this crazy journey! We are also applying for several grants, so we would appreciate prayers that those would be approved.
Here is some of what we have planned:
- "That's My Pan" fundraiser
(These are awesome pans, especially if you go to a church that has lots of potlucks!)
- Homemade candy sales
(Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are coming up!)
- Garage Sale
(November 12th - hopefully it will be below 100 degrees by then!)
Stay tuned for more information!!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Beyond Belief
This is truly mind boggling. How can people possibly treat another human being like this? How can this happen?
This beautiful little girl is ELEVEN years old. She weight TEN pounds. She is so tiny that she fits into an infant bouncy seat. Our children grew out of those by the time they were 6 months old! This precious child has spent her entire life in an orphanage where she has never gotten enough to eat, has very rarely been taken our of her crib, and has not gotten any of the therapy or medical treatment that could have allowed her to be a smiling, laughing, talking, walking, truly living little girl.
And she is not the only one. Reece's Rainbow has information on several children from this same orphanage who are in desperate need of families to love them and give them a chance that they will never have where they are now.
I don't want to believe that this type of thing happens. But it does happen. And it happens much more that anyone would like to think. I want to just close my eyes and pretend that I did not see these pictures, but I can't. I had to share this with you. Just knowing that this type of atrocity is still happening in our world is the first step in winning the war. Together we can make a difference.
This beautiful little girl is ELEVEN years old. She weight TEN pounds. She is so tiny that she fits into an infant bouncy seat. Our children grew out of those by the time they were 6 months old! This precious child has spent her entire life in an orphanage where she has never gotten enough to eat, has very rarely been taken our of her crib, and has not gotten any of the therapy or medical treatment that could have allowed her to be a smiling, laughing, talking, walking, truly living little girl.
And she is not the only one. Reece's Rainbow has information on several children from this same orphanage who are in desperate need of families to love them and give them a chance that they will never have where they are now.
I don't want to believe that this type of thing happens. But it does happen. And it happens much more that anyone would like to think. I want to just close my eyes and pretend that I did not see these pictures, but I can't. I had to share this with you. Just knowing that this type of atrocity is still happening in our world is the first step in winning the war. Together we can make a difference.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Waiting and Wondering
We finally got our FBI clearances so we are ready to submit our paperwork to USCIS (Customs and Immigration) to get our "golden ticket" that officially says we can bring our little man home! This is the last major hurdle before we travel to Eastern Europe. It is very exciting to have come this far, but it is also making the waiting much harder. It's like the last 100 miles of a cross country trip - you have already travelled so far and you know you are almost there, but everyone is tired of travelling and just wants to be there already!
I have found myself wondering a lot about Allen in the past few days. We haven't gotten an update on him since we were approved to adopt him and not knowing how he is doing is starting to make me a little crazy. I watch Eve and Zach (who are both so close to his age) and I wonder. I wonder is he smiling and laughing like Zach does when he sees any of the characters from Disney's Cars? Is he running and jumping like Eve? What does he like to eat? Will he devour yogurt and chili like our other kids? Does he talk non-stop like Eve does or is he a man of few words like Zach? Can he throw a ball across the room, jump off a chair, or even climb the stairs by himself? There is so much we don't know. We don't even know if he is healthy and safe. I am praying that we get an update from the orphanage soon and that our I-800A is processed very quickly so that we can go meet him.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. - Philippians 4:6
He tells us to be anxious about nothing, to trust him for everything, and to bring it all to Him in prayer. And that is what I am trying to do today.
Prayer Requests:
Health and safety for Allen and all of the other orphans around the world and in Eastern Europe specifically
Patience for me (Kelsey) as we continue to wait. Eric is doing much better with the waiting than I am!
The Hays Hills Baptist Church Love the Least Foundation - that God would use us to start a revival in orphan care through Hays Hills
I have found myself wondering a lot about Allen in the past few days. We haven't gotten an update on him since we were approved to adopt him and not knowing how he is doing is starting to make me a little crazy. I watch Eve and Zach (who are both so close to his age) and I wonder. I wonder is he smiling and laughing like Zach does when he sees any of the characters from Disney's Cars? Is he running and jumping like Eve? What does he like to eat? Will he devour yogurt and chili like our other kids? Does he talk non-stop like Eve does or is he a man of few words like Zach? Can he throw a ball across the room, jump off a chair, or even climb the stairs by himself? There is so much we don't know. We don't even know if he is healthy and safe. I am praying that we get an update from the orphanage soon and that our I-800A is processed very quickly so that we can go meet him.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. - Philippians 4:6
He tells us to be anxious about nothing, to trust him for everything, and to bring it all to Him in prayer. And that is what I am trying to do today.
Prayer Requests:
Health and safety for Allen and all of the other orphans around the world and in Eastern Europe specifically
Patience for me (Kelsey) as we continue to wait. Eric is doing much better with the waiting than I am!
The Hays Hills Baptist Church Love the Least Foundation - that God would use us to start a revival in orphan care through Hays Hills
Monday, August 1, 2011
Sad Parallels
On Saturday we went to the Town Lake Animal Shelter in Austin to look at a kitten to bring into our family. The Town Lake Shelter does great work rescuing abandoned animals and finding them new homes, but it works under very tight budget constraints and in an old facility that does not come close to meeting their needs. The paint is peeling everywhere, old doors have been boarded over, supplies and kennels fill up every possible space in the entire facility, the concrete is cracking, and the smells are almost overwhelming. All of this added to the constant din of barking dogs and meowing cats makes it an unsettling place to be.
We spent 4 hours there Saturday afternoon filling out paper work, being approved to adopt, and meeting with our new kitty. Then, when we thought everything was complete and we could bring Yogi home, they told us that he still needed to be neutered and we would have to make another trip to the shelter the next day and fill out the remaining paperwork before we could bring him home.
The whole time we were at the shelter I was very uncomfortable and I just could not figure out why. But as we were leaving I realized what was bothering me. The parallels between our experience in that animal shelter and the reality of adopting a child of God from an orphanage overseas were overwhelming.
- Like that shelter, the vast majority of orphanages are underfunded, sometimes to the point of not having sufficient food for the children.
- Like that shelter, orphanage facilities are old, poorly maintained and simply depressing places to be in.
- Like that shelter, orphanages are filled with children crying out for a forever family to love them the way they deserve to be loved.
- Like the process for our new kitty, adopting internationally requires huge amounts of time and energy to complete the application process.
- Just like adopting Yogi, adopting internationally requires multiple sets of paperwork and several trips before your child can officially become a part of the family and come to his or her new home.
- And just like when we brought Yogi home, for every child who finds a forever family there are dozens upon dozens still waiting. Still crying. Still living their lives in awful places and terrible circumstances.
Just like I wish I could bring every kitty in the Town Lake Shelter home with me, I wish that I could give every orphan in the world a home. All 147 million of them. Obviously, one family can not make that happen. But one family who influences a church, that reaches a town, that educates a state, that changes a government CAN make a huge difference in the lives of these children. And if that one family can influence another family who influences another church, etc. then we can really make a difference!
My heart is just hurting today. I want my son HOME and away from the circumstances that are difficult even in the very best orphanages. I want the number of orphans to start decreasing instead of steadily increasing each year. I want more people to be aware of the orphan crisis both in the U.S. and throughout the world. I want to figure out a way to have a positive influence in the lives of those orphans that we have to leave behind when we bring our son home. And there are so many other things on my heart today...
Please pray for all of the families who are currently going through the adoption process. It it a long, hard road. Please pray for all of the children who are waiting for their families. And please pray that I will have patience and endurance as we continue to wait for all of the boxes to be checked so we can bring Allen home. Thank you!!
We spent 4 hours there Saturday afternoon filling out paper work, being approved to adopt, and meeting with our new kitty. Then, when we thought everything was complete and we could bring Yogi home, they told us that he still needed to be neutered and we would have to make another trip to the shelter the next day and fill out the remaining paperwork before we could bring him home.
The whole time we were at the shelter I was very uncomfortable and I just could not figure out why. But as we were leaving I realized what was bothering me. The parallels between our experience in that animal shelter and the reality of adopting a child of God from an orphanage overseas were overwhelming.
- Like that shelter, the vast majority of orphanages are underfunded, sometimes to the point of not having sufficient food for the children.
- Like that shelter, orphanage facilities are old, poorly maintained and simply depressing places to be in.
- Like that shelter, orphanages are filled with children crying out for a forever family to love them the way they deserve to be loved.
- Like the process for our new kitty, adopting internationally requires huge amounts of time and energy to complete the application process.
- Just like adopting Yogi, adopting internationally requires multiple sets of paperwork and several trips before your child can officially become a part of the family and come to his or her new home.
- And just like when we brought Yogi home, for every child who finds a forever family there are dozens upon dozens still waiting. Still crying. Still living their lives in awful places and terrible circumstances.
Just like I wish I could bring every kitty in the Town Lake Shelter home with me, I wish that I could give every orphan in the world a home. All 147 million of them. Obviously, one family can not make that happen. But one family who influences a church, that reaches a town, that educates a state, that changes a government CAN make a huge difference in the lives of these children. And if that one family can influence another family who influences another church, etc. then we can really make a difference!
My heart is just hurting today. I want my son HOME and away from the circumstances that are difficult even in the very best orphanages. I want the number of orphans to start decreasing instead of steadily increasing each year. I want more people to be aware of the orphan crisis both in the U.S. and throughout the world. I want to figure out a way to have a positive influence in the lives of those orphans that we have to leave behind when we bring our son home. And there are so many other things on my heart today...
Please pray for all of the families who are currently going through the adoption process. It it a long, hard road. Please pray for all of the children who are waiting for their families. And please pray that I will have patience and endurance as we continue to wait for all of the boxes to be checked so we can bring Allen home. Thank you!!
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