Our Journey - Adoption Fundraising

Many of you received fundraising letters from us recently and we feel so blessed by the support you have already shown us.  We also understand that fundraising brings lots of questions.  We want to answer some of the ones we've been asked because we realize many of you may also have these same questions.

First, we know money is an awkward and taboo subject.  However, we do not want this to be uncomfortable for any of you.  We realize and completely understand that not everyone is going to feel called to donate and that is okay!

How much does it cost to adopt?
International adoptions on average cost between $30,000-60,000 and about half of that amount is due after you receive your child's referral.  This amount goes to lots of things but some of the biggest are agency fees, immigration, orphanage fees/donations, travel, etc.  What does this mean for us...we are spending about $25,000 over the next 2 months!

What happens if you don't raise enough money?
We recently readjusted our family's budget and cancelled upcoming home projects and family trips to save money.  Beyond that we 100% believe God is going to provide the money we need to complete our adoption.  We know that He hasn't brought us this far to forsake us now!

A couple of years ago we had a fairly large agency payment due and we weren't sure how we were going to cover it.  We prayed about it incessantly and felt God telling us to sell Dave's motorcycle.  Within days of listing it for sale, we received an offer for the exact amount we needed to pay our agency fee.  This is just one example of how God's shown us during this journey that He is truly in the business of performing miracles!

Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God? 

You are the God who performs miracles; 

you display your power among the peoples.

Psalm 77:13-14      

How can we help?

Pray!  The most important thing you can do is pray for us as we conclude our journey of "adoption" and start our journey as a "family of five."  And then pray about donating.  If God puts it on your heart to contribute toward bringing our son home, we will forever be grateful.

When do you need our donation?
We tried to make donating as easy as possible.  We set up two ways to donate. One is through Paypal and there is a link located on the right side of our blog.  You can also mail your donation to us at 12525 Silver Fox Court, Roswell, Georgia 30075.  While it is never too late to donate, we are hoping to travel in the next two months and all of our outstanding fees are due before then.  If you could have your donations to us by November 15th it would really help.

Can we share your fundraising letter/post? 
YES!!!  The more people that are a part of our journey the better.  There can never be too many people praying for us!

We are truly blessed to call so many of you our friends!  Thank you all for continuing to support us as we finalize everything to bring Thatcher home and become a family of 5.  As always, please feel free to ask us any and all questions you may have.

I thank my God every time I remember you. 

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy. 

Philippians 1:3-4

We can't wait for you all to meet our son!

Our Journey - BIG NEWS (Finally)

WOW...it has been a LONG time since we posted on this blog. Our journey over the past 4 years was harder than we ever imagined. There were so many setbacks and slowdowns that it just became too painful to share status updates when our hearts were breaking. When we made the decision last November to leave the Ethiopia adoption program and switch to the China program, it was the hardest decision we've ever made as a family.

When we switched programs we also had to practically start the entire adoption process over from the beginning and it definitively tested our faith. I wish I could say I never doubted His plan for us but that would be a lie. I honestly can't even begin to count the number of times I read this scripture...

Trust in the Lord with all your heart 

and lean not on your own understanding; 

in all your ways submit to him, 

and he will make your paths straight.

                                                       Proverbs 3:5-6

God is good! Even when things don't go according to our plans and we are left broken and defeated, HE never leaves us. God ALWAYS has a plan even when things seem impossible and out of reach.  

SO after 4 long years, we are beyond excited to finally introduce our son, Thatcher.

We are frantically working on completing all of the paperwork required to travel and bring our boy home.  We ask for your prayers that all of these steps and processes go smoothly and quickly.  We are so grateful for your continued support these past few years and are excited to share with the you the rest of our journey.

Our Journey - Successful Summer Adoption Update

GREAT news...we received our approval from the Immigration Department this week!

John David was very excited to officially
drop off our Immigration envelope at UPS.

After receiving our official home study write up the first week of June (thank you to our awesome social worker for working so quickly), we immediately rushed to overnight all of our paperwork to Immigration. 

Once Immigration received and processed our application, they sent us appointments to have our biometric fingerprints done the first week of July.

Our sweet little helper at our fingerprint appointment at the
Immigration office (John David decided it would be more
fun to play at a friend's house...I didn't blame him). 

Initially the Immigration Department estimated it would take about 2 1/2 months to receive their decision.  So as you can imagine, it came as a huge surprise to get our approval letter in the mail this week, almost a month earlier than expected.  I was a bundle of nerves opening the letter...

After the initial shock sunk in that we successfully completed another major step in this process, I realized I am now "behind" in our paperwork. Initially I hoped to have all of our paperwork ready so when we received our response from Immigration everything could immediately be mailed off to Ethiopia.  However since our approval came early, my procrastination caught up to me. 

SO this upcoming week is going to be CRAZY.  On the agenda...
1) Additional financial statements from the bank
2) More reference letters 
3) Fill out forms...LOTS of forms
4) Local Criminal Clearances (to go along with the federal, state and Immigration ones we already have)

Please pray for quick turn around times and fast responses from everyone involved this week.  As soon as we can get all of this final paperwork finished and submitted to Ethiopia, we will officially be placed on the waiting list.  Also please pray for patience from our sweet little ones (and mommy) as they tag along to all of our appointments this week.

Do not be anxious about anything, 

but in every situation, by prayer and petition, 

with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6      

Quick Update

I'm sorry it's been a while since I've posted anything...the past month was crazy busy trying to finish up our education hours, getting all of our medicals and physicals done, completing last minute paperwork, etc.
 
But we have GOOD NEWS...our home study is officially DONE!!! 

Now while we wait for our social worker to write up our official home study document, we have begun our application for the Immigration Department and our Dossier for Ethiopia...which is really just a fancy way of saying we are continuing "the paper chase."
 
We ask that you please pray everything continues to go smoothly; specifically that our social worker can write up our home study quickly (because we can't officially send off our paperwork for Immigration approval until we have that document) and that we receive all of the other official documents we need and are waiting on as soon as possible.

I also ask that you please pray for my hubby...during our physicals something minor came up in one of his tests.  We have been assured that it is most likely nothing serious, but he is having some additional tests/procedures done next week to ensure that everything is okay.  Even though this does not affect our adoption process, I ask that you please pray everything goes well and the test results come back favorably.

Thank you to everyone who has prayed and continues to pray for us on this journey, we are so grateful for your love and support!

And finally be on the look out for BIG NEWS coming next week...

Our Journey - Good News and Bad News

WOW!  The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of paperwork...

Between mailing our first set of forms and documents into our agency,


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Running around (with my sweet little helper) to get fingerprinted,

Saying "cheese" while we waited our
turn for FBI fingerprinting



Thank you to the Roswell Police Department...
she was a huge hit with the police officers who kept her
entertained while mommy did her GBI fingerprints!

and getting all of these additional documents and pictures together,
  













we were finally ready for our first home visit with our social worker.

Then after HOURS of cleaning, the crazy snowstorm hit Atlanta and we were forced to reschedule.  Sigh...

Luckily we were able to reschedule fairly quickly and I am thrilled to announce that
our home visit was a HUGE success!  (By the way, shout out to our social worker...she makes talking about subjects that aren't always the most comfortable feel like a walk in the park.)

 

 
Glowing from our success, I wasn't expecting to get a call from our adoption agency the next day with bad news!

When we started our adoption process the average length of time for Ethiopia adoptions was 2-3 years.  However, due to some intercountry changes our agency informed us that the timeline is now closer to 3-5 years! 

Devastation doesn't even begin to explain what I felt in my heart...I love this child as if I already know him/her...so immediately I thought how can I possibly wait 3-5 years to hold him/her in my arms???

Understanding our shock and devastation, our agency said we could always explore other programs and look into possibly switching to another country.  In weighing our options, my husband and I wondered if God was trying to give us a sign...are we on the right path???

 Commit to the Lord whatever you do,

         and he will establish your plans.       

                                     Proverbs 16:3              

 In their hearts humans plan their course,

but the Lord establishes their steps.

  Proverbs 16:9

 

Trying to understand God's plan for your life can be challenging to say the least...I often find myself asking (really it's more like begging) God for an obvious answer for what He wants me to do.  And usually I don't get a clear answer to my questions...so as Christians what are we supposed to do?

 

Honestly, I don't have the answer (sorry)!  But I can tell you that both my husband and I decided to go with our heart...SO we are sticking with Ethiopia!  Are we praying the timeline will be shorter...of course! But without a clear sign from God all we can do is pray that the feelings in our heart are the Holy Spirit speaking to God's plan.

 

AGAIN I am going to ask you to please pray for our family...

• Pray as we prepare for our individual interviews with the social worker
• Pray that God will give us peace while adjusting to the new timeline
• Pray for our child, who we desperately long to hold in our arms

 

PARENTS - WE'D ALL GO TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH

One thing we hear a lot when people first learn about our adoption is "what an amazing thing you are doing."   Although we usually give a standard answer of "thank you, we are very excited" I often find myself wanting to SHOUT "it's not amazing, we are simply normal loving parents." (By the way if you said this in the past or say this in the future please don't worry...this post is simply me expressing what is on my heart.)

When we accepted God's plan that our next child was going to come into our family through adoption I immediately felt this child was OURS (in the earthly sense because we are all really God's children).  God created this child just for our family and for us to parent with the only difference being simply his/her unconventional method of "delivery."  (see side note below)

I instantly fell in love with our child...the same way I fell in love with my first two children when I discovered I was pregnant.  As a result, I am simply doing what any other loving mother would do for her child...whatever it takes!  Yes, we are navigating through an extensive process.  Yes, the journey is going to be long and difficult.  BUT the truth is...I would go to the ENDS OF THE EARTH for my children.  And I bet most of you reading this blog post would do the same thing for your children.

So we aren't really doing anything all that amazing.  We are simply doing what other normal loving parents do for their children everyday too...being a parent is a long, difficult and extensive process in itself.

I recently saw this quote and feel it perfectly describes a parent's love for a child...

“Only God can give us a selfless love for others, as the Holy Spirit changes us from within."
Billy Graham



SIDE NOTE - I know some of you will say "wasn't this child created for his/her biological parents" and you are right.  The short answer to this hard question (which I hope to blog about someday) is - we believe God created this child with the unique opportunity to have two sets of parents, his/her biological parents and then us, his/her "forever family." (Although this is not one of my favorite terms, since I believe a child's biological parents are also his/her "forever" family, it is commonly used in adoption and at this moment I can't think of a better way to phrase it...any suggestions are welcome.)

A New Year - Goals and Challenges

As we go into 2014 most of us set goals for the new year; hoping to make this year even better than the last. As my husband and I discussed our own ideas on what the new year will bring, we realized we were not only making plans for a successful year ahead but were also planning for the challenges we already know we will face.

Before starting the adoption process, I researched and read a lot about the challenges we would encounter; the unending paperwork, the waiting, the delays, etc. In fact my husband and I have discussed (and thanks to my patient husband continue to discuss almost daily) these challenges in great depth. I hoped the more we discussed these challenges, the more prepared we would be and the easier they would be to handle. But now that we have officially started the paperwork phase...and by paperwork I mean mounds and mounds of "organized" chaos in the form of paper...I find myself struggling with "if this is God's plan for us then why isn't this journey easy." I mean seriously, how many times can two people sign their names; and we are nowhere near done.

I like to think that we are pretty decent people and we strive to live by His example. Don't get me wrong, I am a sinner just like everyone else and some days are better than others. However, I am reminded that many "good" people in the bible struggled; in fact if I am honest those people sinned much less than I do. I think of Job, who suffered even though he felt he had done nothing to deserve it. And Abraham and Sarah, who waited many years for God to fulfill his promise. If God let these people struggle, why do I think I am any different? The truth is, God never promised us an easy life. In fact, we are all guaranteed to encounter challenges along our journey.

Going into 2014, I've decided that one of my goals is to rely solely on God during all the challenges He has planned for me this year. SO in an effort to make this year even better than the last, I hope that you will remind me of this goal when I am struggling with the many challenges we will face this year in our adoption process. In return I will pray that you too know God's love whenever you face challenges in the upcoming year.

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 18:2

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:6

For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
Isaiah 41:13

Remember we can all glorify God's kingdom in everything we encounter, especially the challenges!