DTE!!!

We received wonderful news today!!!!!!  We are officially DTE (dossier to Ethiopia) for a girl (0-2) or sibling group (0-4) including one girl.  Those three words mean soooo much in the adoption world!  Today's date means we are officially "waiting" and will determine when we receive our referral.

Right now there are a lot of changes going on in Ethiopia.  When we first started this process we were told we were expected to wait 9-12 months for a referral...today the wait times are stated as 12-18 months....and that number is projected to increase....possibly A LOT!  Just yesterday a lady from our adoption "community" shared what the wait time trends are looking like.  For us, it was not good news.  To be honest, I was quite discouraged to hear that news. Thinking we were going to be DTE today and seeing those wait times was very hard and frustrating.

Bobby came home from work, could tell I was discouraged, and after sharing my feelings wish him he says, "Courtney, there is nothing we can do about it. God is in control, we both know we were called to Ethiopia and so we wait." 

I can honestly say that it will be hard, tough, and discouraging at times...but I know that the Lord has a plan for us and I am at peace knowing this is where we are supposed to be....so today we will rejoice knowing we are finally DTE and will wait for the plans which He has made for us!

A little glimpse of the paperwork involved with adoption:



Mailing our dossier last week
(we woke up on a Saturday morning knowing we had to get one document notarized before we could send our dossier in...I made a post on FB looking for a notary, thinking we were out of luck for a Saturday. I had a friend reply that she could meet us in 10 minutes...I had just jumped out of the shower, kids weren't dressed, and we were by no means "ready."  We scrambled as fast as we could, jumped in the car, got the document notarized, ran to make copies, and ran to the post office to over-night our dossier package....if we would have missed her that day our DTE date would have been a week later--which is a lot when you're talking DTE dates!)

At the post office nervous to send this baby off!!!! 

So, tonight we celebrate!!  We are taking my parents to a nice restaurant in Medora to enjoy the three beautiful blessings we already have and to celebrate the children (because we all know that I will not stop at just one!) who WILL BE joining our family one day...hopefully not too long from now!

Eli (5)

Ayla (3)

Owen (1)

Love from our family to yours!
(P.S. this Sunday is national Orphan Sunday....we are so ecstatic that we will be able to share our hearts with others and to charge others to get involved....will share more on Monday!)

Kisses from Katie

Most of you who know me know I am an avid reader.  I don't know the last time I went to bed without reading, took a trip without a book by my side, or didn't read at least two stories to my children on a given day.  I'm in a book club, a couple Bible studies, and my job revolves around reading.  If you can't tell, I LOVE TO READ! 

I love to read many different genres but usually end up choosing some sort of historical fiction or a good memoir.  But to me, the best book is one that I read in less than a week, one that I refuse to not pass on, and one that makes a difference in the way I live my life.

Kisses from Katie is that book.  I absolutely could not put this book down and would not only recommend it, but I will be personally handing the book on to many others, because it's
just that good.
From the inside cover:

"What would cause and 18 year old senior class president and homecoming queen from Nashville, TN to disobey and disappoint her parents by forgoing college, break her little brother's heart, lose all but a handful of her friends (because they think she has gone off the deep end), and break up with the love of her life, all so she could move to Uganda, where she knew only one person and didn't even speak the language?           

A passion to follow Jesus."

Katie's heart is poured out on the pages of her book.  Her emotions are true, her life is unbelievable and her passion to live a life following Jesus is nothing but inspiring.  She has adopted 13 beautiful Ugandan girls, has started an awesome ministry (Amazima) and is called "mommy" to hundreds of children each day. 

After writing about a couple of precious little boys Katie writes:

"And the truth is that these are only the children I know, in a very small faction of a very small country.  The truth is that there are children like this all over the world, sick, starving, dying, unloved, and uncared for.

The truth is that the 143 million orphaned children and the 11 million who starve to death or die from preventable diseases and the 8.5 million who work as child slaves, prostitutes, or under other horrific conditions and the 2.3 million who live with HIV add up to 164.8 million needy children.  And though at first glance that looks like a big number, 2.1 billion people on this earth proclaim to be Christians.

The truth is that if only 8% of the Christians would care for one more child, there would not be any statistics left.

This is the truth.  I have the freedom to believe it.  The freedom, the opportunity to do something about it.  The truth is that He loves these children just as much as He loves me and now that I know, I am responsible."

Katie takes that responsibility serious.  Her book shares hundreds of stories of lives she has changed by simply showing them love.  Love to poor, needy, hungry, hurt, lost, lonely, and dying children.  Love to children who suffer from HIV, scabies, malnutrition, and who have jiggers living in their feet. 

Often while building legos or playing "house" I'll hear my children singing their favorite songs.  The one worship song that they sing over and over again is "Glory to God Forever."  I'll hear little Ayla belting "Take my life and let it be" and Eli "All for you and for your glory. Take my life and let it be yours." 
I can tell you I will never hear those lyrics come out of their mouths again without thinking about Katie.  I have never read a story that fit those words better.  Katie lives every single day of her life for the Lord and answering His call for her life.  She is willing to give it all for Him. 

I pray that I instill a "Katie attitude" in my children's heart.  A heart that would give anything and everything to live the life God has made for them....because really, it is all for Him, isn't it????

Love from our family to yours!

I-171H Arrived

Rejoicing today!!! We received our I-171H in the mail today which means our dossier is COMPLETE!! Will be making copies tonight then overnighting the packet to AWAA tomorrow!

Dossier will get approved from AWAA then we will officially be DTE (dossier to ethiopia). 

Have a great weekend!

Living a Faith that Bleeds

I've gotten behind a bit on my blogging again...and it's not because I've been relaxing or slacking! In fact, I've been acomplishing much lately and have been in awe with the way the Lord has been speaking to me...so much that I don't even know how to respond yet try blogging about it or discussing it!

I'm not going to lie, moving to Africa has been thrown around in our house a number of times. I don't really think it will ever happen and don't necessarily feel that's what God has in store for our family...but that is definitely a little glimpse into the feelings we've had and convictions we're feeling.

We've been reading some great adoption books as well as inpirational, missional living books and each book we read brings about life transformations and realizations. The latest book I read (which Bobby is now reading) is Red Letters: Living a Faith that Bleeds by Tom Davis (same author who wrote the book Fields of the Fatherless which I blogged about in the past). Below are some points from the book (in italics) and some thoughts I had while reading and reflecting:

Jesus didn't come to earth and identify with the rich, the successful, and the most influential.   

God hid the mystery of the kingdom in the most needy. 

Jesus always stopped what He was doing to help. 

He reached out because his heart was overflowing with compassion.
As his people we are called to go and do the same.   

Who do I identify with?  Who do I spend my time with?  Who do I reach out to?  I've always thought I was a compassionate person.  Sure, I am compassionate with my husband, my children, my family.  BUT, do I show compassion to those in need?  Do I reach out to them on a day to day basis or only when I am asked to volunteer at an event or when I want an ego booster for doing good?  I most definitely do not reach out with compassion on a day to day basis as Jesus did.  Which leads me to the next point... 

It's not easy to actually DO what Jesus said to do.  How different would our world be if Christians were really living as little Christs?

What matters most is having a heart that goes out to those in need and then act on that need. Far too many of us take the easy route, the path of least resistance. The path of doing nothing. I don't think it's because we are evil, or because we want to see harm come to others; it's just easier. Safer. 

Wow.  Little Christs?!?!?!  But I am only one person.  One small itty-bitty person on this huge overwhelming earth.  What can ONE person do to make a difference?

Have you ever been evaluated by a supervisor at work?  I have.  I know that when a principal steps into my classroom I put on a game face and show them my best teaching skills and abilities.  I want them to be impressed.  I want them to see I care about education and my students. 

God is watching.  He is here with me at every moment of my life.  Watching, evaluating, calling, reaching out...I can only imgaine the life I would live and the lives I would touch if I remembered that He is not only with me, but He is watching at every moment.   I would put on a game face and live the life He wants me to at every moment.

Do we as Americans take the time in our fast paced, "keeping up with the Jones'" lifestyle?  Do we look at those in need and live out a compassionate life full of choices Jesus would make?  This books goes on to share facts of the HIV pandemic and crisis in Africa and shares stories of others who are ordinary people doing extraordinary things for people half-way around the world.  Can you fathom the life WE are living compared to THEM? 

Compared to those who live in poverty, Western and developed nations live in unbelievable abundance. 

4 billion of the 6.5 billion people in the world live on $1-2/day.

For children with no parents, no food, and no money, school is an impossible dream. (not college, SCHOOL)

12 million African children have already lost one or both parents to AIDS

17 million children die from malnutrition and starvation each year.  

33% of the world's population is malnourished.

And the list goes on.
I'm not saying we should drop everything and move to Africa.  Some are called to third-world countries to live, do work, or adopt.  Others are not.  BUT we are ALL called to do SOMETHING.   God is clear.  He wants us to reach out to the least of these and live our lives for Him, through them.  Yes, those people.  The people who we often walk by, turn our cheeks to, or roll our eyes at.  The people who live so far away that we think we can do nothing to help.

What kind of people do we want to be?  What kind of people do we want our children to be?  What kind of morals, examples, teachings and choices are we living? 

Psalm 82:3Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.
Proverbs 31:8-9
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.
Matthew 25:40I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!

Thanks, Tom Davis, for doing it again!  Breaking my heart, changing my life, and bringing me closer to our wonderful Lord! (P.S this book is only $5.60 on Amazon, as is Fields of the Fatherless!) 
(be on your toes for my next blog post that will be on another life-changing book Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis)

Love from our family to yours!

Emotional Rollercoaster

This last week was an emotional rollercoaster for our family!  We spent Sep 24-26 in Fargo...four hours away for a 10 minute fingerprinting appointment!!  It was a nice, quick getaway for our family.  We got to spend a few hours shopping (!!) and were able to catch up with my cousin, Jenna, and her sweet little man, Evan, while splashing in the pool!

We returned home on Monday to find a check in the mail...
a check for Bobby's work trailer that was damaged in a hail storm....
a check for $3,200...
a check that brings us within one hundred dollars from our dossier payment.  WOW. 
We knew God would provide once again...but we're expecting it to fall in our hands the DAY we returned home from our last step in completing our dossier.  We were expecting to have to dig into our savings account again...or to wait until more fundraising has been done.  Once again God has shown us that He is in control.  When we follow his call and open our hears and minds to His will, He will support us along the way!

Deuteronomy 10:21He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen...

We are now anxiously awaiting our I-171H (approval for a orphan petition) and then our dossier will be sent to AWAA for approval, then to ETHIOPIA for our sweet girl or sibling group!

After the high on the adoption front, we quickly faced a tough trial for our family.  Our black lab, Louie, has been struggling for about a year with nerve damage.  Slowly the damage took over his back legs and he was no longer able to do much.  Our amazing vet tried a few different approaches, and nothing worked.  Just recently the damage seemed to move to his front legs and he quickly went downhill...falling all the time, unable to walk more than few feet without falling, barely being able to lie down, and no playing.  We knew it was time to say goodbye, but making the decision was soooo hard! 

Louie has been with us since before we were married!  I picked him out when I left college in Grand Forks and made a trip across ND and MT where Bobby and I were married.  He quickly became our "child" and was my rock when I was lonely in a new place!  He was with us for SIX MOVES and three children!  He was definitely a part of our family.

Our vet called us on Friday morning and said she would be coming to our house that evening to put him down.  Bobby told me to give the kids a heads up...little did I know how much it would affect a 3 and 5 year old!  Eli quickly picked up on the fact that the vet would be "killing" him (in Eli's words) and could not let that go.  Bobby took the day off as we spent the day grieving as a family, digging a grave, and making a cross for him.  Louie was by our side most of the day, but it was hard to even look at him.  The pain was great, the emotions were high, the tears were plentiful. 


Psalm 34:18The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit

After I told the kids, I realized I maybe should have waited until it was over, as they were extremely emotional.  As a mom it was extremely hard to see my children like that!  In their short lives, this was the first time they had to face loss and grieving.  It was hard to see them so emotional and so hurt.  Looking back, I think it was good for them to go through this tough situation. It was a good time to bond emotionally as a family and helped them understand death at a personal level.
 
Matthew 5:4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

We're doing much better after the weekend has passed.  The kids still make comments about it...but Gus seems to be effected the most!  He (our chocolate lab that we got on Louie's 1st birthday) isn't eating and just lies around all day.  You can tell he is very sad and lonely! 

We are ready for this new week!  The weather is beautiful (more like PERFECT!), and we have a pretty low key week so we should be able to enjoy some family time outdoors before the ND fall/winter weather kicks in.

Love from our family to yours!

Aching for the Fatherless

We had our first James 1:27 meeting last Sunday...and had 21 people show up who want to make a difference in the lives of children in need...and 10 more that were unable to attend but wanted to!  We were blown away with this much interest and look forward to seeing what God has in store for this ministry within our church and our community! 


Bobby and I have our 1-600 fingerprinting appointments on Monday...didn't expect them to be four hours away at the nearest Adoption Support Center.  Still trying to figure out how to make the trip work!!!  BUT, even with the distance this means we are FINALLY on our LAST step towards completing our dossier!  We are still $2,000 away from our goal (need $7,700 to send in the dossier and currently have $4,900 in the adoption account...in addition to $1,000 we were planning on using from our salaries toward this step).  I have full confidence that some way or another we will make it work when we get that final piece of paper but continue to pray that God will provide and help us in this burden!

To be honest I've questioned God already in this journey...is this really what we are supposed to be doing??  I have no doubt that we are called to adopt and that we want more children in our family....but with all the slow downs in Ethiopian adoptions and the constant reminder of much money adoption costs, I find myself second guessing!

This process is a feeling that's so hard to explain.  To be in love with a country and child you've never been to or met!  To feel a constant pain for the fatherless.  To constantly be reminded of the waste and materialism of our country.  To know how expensive adoption is and know how many children need a home.  To see pictures of hurting children...lost...homeless....hungry....unloved...alone.  I want to take them all in, show them love, teach them about our wonderful Father, and show them a life they probably won't have.
 

To feel all this and then to hear that it will be AT LEAST another year before we even get a referral and can help an innocent child.  My heart aches...but I will continue to fight for the orphaned children even while we are waiting for our own child to bring home.

Love from our family to yours!

James 1:27 Ministry

We just returned from a great, fun, warm, sunny camping trip over the long Labor Day weekend!  We were able to get away for three days with some great family and friends!  I brought a pile of paperwork to get done and books to read and I am glad to say that I didn't touch ANY of it!  It was truly a nice weekend relaxing in the sun, fishing, and just letting the days go by! 

Over the past couple of years Bobby and I have really tried cutting back on commitments and appointments...simplifying our life...but it seems with three growing children, owning a business, teaching, church activities, etc we are always running from place to place or are busy planning for one thing or another.


We really  plan to place a large focus in our life not only on our personal adoption but on being advocates for orphans in our church and community.  We know God has called our family to adoption and also know He has called us to make a difference in our community/church.

It is hard seeing the support, resources, groups, ministries so many of my adoption "friends" have in their towns/churches.  Sadly, the support is very minimal in North Dakota and churches have yet made the move in joining the church movement in helping orphans.  Bobby and I have prayed and prayed about this need in ND.

We are extremely happy that our church has accepted our desires in bringing an adoption/foster care ministry to our church!  We will be announcing our ministry this Sunday during our church service and will be launching the ministry on Sunday, September 18th!!!!!  We are very excited to see how God will work in our church and community and how we can be used to make His plans a reality!

Please keep us and our church family in your prayers as we launch this ministry!  As of now we are the only family currently in the adoption process and we have one family who currently does foster care.  We pray that we will have others join us in this ministry who see the need, have a heart in this direction, and want to make a difference!

We have found many great resources for adoption ministries through Show Hope, Christian Alliance for Orphans, Orphan Sunday, Hope for Orphans, Tapestry, and a variety of videos on youtube and vimeo (click to see my adoption video playlists if you are in need of resources!). To announce our ministry this week we plan on showing these two videos (pause playlist to view):

Love from our family to yours,

New Adventures

I feel completely disconnected to the blog world these past two weeks!  I just returned home from an overwhelming work trip to NYC and I'm extremely happy to be home with my family.  Bobby has never had the kiddos overnight before...more less for 6 nights!  The trip was great: an exceptional writing conference, great food, shopping, and my first Broadway experience--Wicked.  NYC is definitely a whole different world than the openness and slower paced life we live in North Dakota. I found myself missing ND...the August evenings listening to the crickets chirping, the fields that are almost ready for harvest, and the sunsets or clouds you can see for miles. 

Travelling home was more than exhausting and frustrating (late take-off which led to missing our connecting flight, an unexpected night in Minneapolis, and then issues with the plane in MPLS)!  But I was fortunate to make it home just a couple hours before Eli's 5th Birthday Party (and fortunate to have such a great husband and mom who cleaned, cooked, and prepared for it!).  Here are a few snapshots of his baseball party:

We start inservice tomorrow and the first day of school is Thursday already!!  After the conference I am finally feeling excited to go back to work...of course I'm still a little saddened to be leaving my children, but know God had this planned for me!

Growing up, through college, and my first few years teaching math has always been the easiest subject for me.  It came naturally and was something I never had to plan/study for.  As a new teacher I found myself spending a lot of time anxiously planning my reading and writing instruction and had to work hard to teach these two subjects.  Oddly enough I spent so much time researching, planning, and educating myself in literacy instruction that I grew a huge love for literacy and teaching children how to read and write.  In the last two classrooms I had I  savored every moment of teaching literacy and developing new tools and ideas for my students! 

Now, here I am returning to education as an Instructional Literacy Coach (which is working with the teachers to develop the best reading and writing instruction for their students)...and the best part is I will be working PART TIME while my mom and sister-in-law are at my house 2.5 days a week with our children!  No more overly priced health insurance bills and a little extra income to go straight into our adoption fund!  Looking back, I can completely see how God has been planting the seeds and growing the roots to lead me to this job and this opportunity for some financial relief for our family! 

I'm thankful for all the opportunities God has placed in my life and I look forward to seeing how this new school year unfolds, how much Eli grows as a five year old, and what other experiences we will have this year!  We have our notarized home study in hand and will be sending our I-600 in TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!  Last step in the paperwork process and our dossier will be sent for our baby girl in Ethiopia! 


James 1:17     
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.        

Love from our family to yours!

Far Away...but Close to Home

Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya have been hit with the worst drought in 60 years.  Bobby and I are working with our friends in the Ethiopian adoption community to raise support for four organizations already working to provide famine relief in the Horn of Africa (where our child(ren) are!!!)

Our one day fundraiser allows you to donate any amount (as little as one dollar) to any of four organizations--World Vision, Children's Hope Chest, World Food Programme, or Doctoros Without Borders

To encourage your donation over $25 or over $50, we have created a list of items for you to shop from.  We have t-shirts, jewelry, even a full-size Scentsy warmer. 

Please visit the site to donate to one of the four organizations or to learn more:
http://adoptivefamiliesforfaminerelief.weebly.com/index.html

Whether you decide to donate today or not... please pass on this website by forwarding this email or sharing on Facebook or Twitter.  We sincerely appreciate your support!

Fundraiser ends at midnight Thursday, August 11th.
For more information on the drought and famine go to http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7372866n

Africa may be miles away, but we now have family living there.  Our very own children may be affected by the drought and may be suffering due to the lack of food/water.  Please pray for the people of Africa as this is a huge devastation for their country. 

Love from our family to yours!

 

Leaps and Bounds!!!

We are getting closer! We are STILL waiting for our Colorado background checks to get back, then will send our I-600 form in, wait for that process, THEN our dossier will be sent to Ethiopia!!!! 

We have so much to be grateful for this week!  God has answered so many prayers and we are getting so much closer to getting our dossier sent to ETHIOPIA!!!  We need $7,700 to get our dossier sent and this week brought us great strides!

A couple weeks ago the kiddos and I were running errands and decided to stop and get the car washed...which turned into a 1.5 hour adventure after we got stuck in the car wash, the arm broke on our car, we had to wait for the owner to show up to get us out, then had to take pictures of the scratches on our car, etc.  Believe it or not the 1.5 hours in the car with three hungry kiddos was not bad!  I kept my patience and was able to laugh at the situation.

Why the story?  Well, the small scratches on my car (which are almost 100% buffed out) brought us $400 in an insurance claim...of course we weren't going to use $400 for  something silly--like scratches you can't even see-- when we can put the money toward GOD's PURPOSE in our life right now!  (even got a bundle of free car washes, so the 1.5 hours was rather successful!)

THEN we've been preparing for a rummage sale for awhile now...cleaning closets, getting donations from wonderful friends and family, and setting up.  My goal in the process was $800-$1,000 and prayed that God would bring the people and money even on a rainy weekend. 

Well, God once again showed His wonders by bringing us...

$800 on the FIRST DAY ALONE...

 another $600 on the second day....

$1,400 to go straight toward our dossier payment. 

W.O.W. 

And THEN...we got our tax return a couple months ago (which some of which went toward our initial adoption costs) but were short changed $2,000 when we received our return.  We've questioned it a couple of times but it wasn't looking promising.  After our sale today I checked our bank account to find an extra $2,000 sitting  there....unexpectedly from our taxes.
That means this week we have made a huge leap and are able to add $3,800 to our adoption account!!!!!!!!  Can you say God is great...or WHAT?!??!!?

Today I was elated in all the ways God has answered our prayers and has provided for our family.  Just a few short hours after all the excitement I found myself in a situation feeling jealous and bummed out.  In that moment I had to stop, shake my head, and realize the little silly insecurities in life do not matter.  It's so easy to get caught up in the little things...at the end of the day when I sit back to reflect, I realize how small I am and how awesome He is.  I pray that God continues to show me how small I am...how silly insecurities are...how great He is. 

I pray that every one of you reading this will stop and take a moment to reflect on what God has done in YOUR life this week...month...year...life.

So much has been given to me;
I have no time to ponder on that which has been denied.~Hellen Keller

"Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever."
Psalm 136:26 

Love from our family to yours!

"Mommy, which one of us is your favorite?"

Sometimes parenting is sweet, loving, fun and easy....then there are times that leave you tired, exhausted, angry or dumbfounded.  Little Ayla (3) is just blowing me away lately with her vocabulary and the things she comes up with...she's definitely our "talker". Eli (almost 5) on the other hand is more of the listener/heartfelt child and really thinks things through (a little background information for the following story!).A few nights ago I was putting the kiddos into the car and Eli asked the question every mom is asked at least once..."Mommy, which one of us is your favorite?" 

When he asked the question I was expecting to open a whole can of worms and an in depth conversation.  I started by responding..."Of course you are all my favorites...."

He interrupted, "But who do you LOOOOVVE the most??" 

"Eli, I love you all the same but for many different reasons.  I love you all because you are my children....I love you because..."

After I tell him what I love about him he interrupts again, "Well Mommy, I love Daddy more and then you." and grins.

Of course the conversation stopped at this point as I was completely dumbfounded (a little jealous) and laughing hysterically. 

I just read this post today that covers the same topic but with a much better ending:)  It's a great little story, so I'd recommend everyone to read this post:

"In Love with Adoption"

Post by Shelley Brown 

Love from our family to yours!

Black and White

Our family was able to get away for a short trip to Polson, MT last week.  It was a great time visiting friends and family in the town which brought us so many happy memories! 

The 12 hour drive was actually quite relaxing and was great time for Bobby and I to get some of our training done...on the way we read "Black Children White Parents: Putting the Pieces Together" by Tonya Moore.  Reading this book opened us up to great conversation and helped us realize some important issues we need to start thinking about (hair/skin care, cultural differences, our judgmental society, answering tough questions, etc)

We've just started the whole adoption process and I've already been asked numerous times how I feel about having a black child.  When we started this process we didn’t have any concerns about this issue as we knew we were called to Ethiopia and know we won’t have any issues loving or accepting a child of another race. 

Living in Dickinson we believe the biggest issue for us will be incorporating the child’s heritage in our life.  Being there is not much cultural diversity in western North Dakota and we do not have any African American friends or family, we will need to work extra hard in finding some good role models for our child(ren).  By reading books such as this, I feel we will be able to learn more about the black culture and what it will take from us to incorporate African culture in our life.   We look forward to teaching our children about various cultures and how to be accepting of others no matter the color of their skin or where they come from.

I can only hope that our community will welcome our adoption with open arms, but realize there will be some who do not favor our choice of a mixed race family and racism will be an issue throughout our lives.  We hope to show others the love we have for ALL people and hope that our family can be an example for others in our community.  

I know this topic will be addressed over and over again and will be the topic of many blog posts in the future.  I would recommend this book to EVERY white parent adopting a black child or even grandparents and close relatives!  I believe that by continually educating ourselves and living our lives through love, we can be effective parents of any race!

The fact is there are millions of orphans around the world waiting for a forever family.  We do believe and acknowledge that the perfect situation would have all children in a healthly home with their biological parents.  BUT, there are millions of children from various countries/races without their biological families.  There are MILLIONS of children waiting to be adopted in Ethiopia and God has trusted us in raising one of those children. 

Love from our family to yours!

The End of Anxiety?!?

Well, we received some bummer news this week.  Some of you may recall me saying that the adoption process for Ethiopia is slowing down.  We just received word from our family coordinator that if we have our dossier sent by Sep/Oct we should expect to get a referral between September 2012 and April 2013...there goes the 7-11 month referral wait.  We happened to pick Ethiopia and sign an agreement right as this was all starting to change.  We knew this could happen when we made our decision but truly know this is where God has led us.  We will continue to pray that the process in Ethiopia speeds up again and for the MOWYCA (Ministry of Women Youth and Children's Affairs).

I've realized that putting your complete faith and trust in the Lord is not easy.  Too often I have worries and concerns in my life in which I feel I can handle myself.  Too often  I challenge God's power.  In the past year or so I have worked hard at putting God first and foremost in my every day happenings.  The more aware I am of Him in my life, the more I have realized that He is in control of EVERYTHING. 

I can't help but think about what George Muller said, "The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith.  The beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety."

Even though this seems to be bummer news, we will wait for this child(ren) as long as needed to bring them HOME!  We have been blessed beyond measure already and I cannot wait to see how this story unfolds.  Just this week God has done amazing things to help us move forward!  We sold about 20 tshirts in the past week, received a check in the mail that we have NO CLUE where it came from, and just today we received a donation from a classmate of mine whom I haven't seen or had contact with (other than Facebook!) since high school--HOW AMAZING!!! (and THANK YOU!!!)

Last night I was able to connect with a lady from Bismarck (just 100 miles away) who has adopted two children from Ethiopia.  Listening to her story and her heart for the orphans made this news hurt even more.  It's so hard to hear about the conditions that MILLIONS of children are in right now.  She told me that for every 1 child that is adopted from Ethiopia there is 2,000 more children waiting.  BUT hearing her story and being able to connect with someone "locally" was GREAT!  We are hoping to meet their family someday soon and look forward to the connections God has in store for us! 

Even though this wait is going to be long and cumbersome, I will not stop being an advocate for orphaned children.  Please take a few minutes to check out this blog!!!  What Kelly is doing for orphans is unbelievable and the stories of their time in Ethiopia (RIGHT NOW) are life-changing!

Off to enjoy a relaxing weekend with friends and family!  Looking forward to a campfire tonight, possibly fishing tomorrow, and our neighbor's birthday/movie night tomorrow night!  We have so much to be grateful for... may we continually to look at the millions of blessings we have and not be led astray by the few mishaps and discomforts!

Love from our family to YOURS!

The Road Ahead...

Our wonderful social worker came for another Home Study meeting yesterday!  She will be coming back on Sunday and then we are DONE WITH OUR HOME STUDY!!!  (well, other than waiting for the background checks to be cleared---no skeletons in any closets here so we should be clear!).

Here is a little update on how things are panning out and what is to come from here:

1. Wait for background checks to get cleared and finish our 20 hours of training (about one month)... during this wait we will get our garage cleaned out so we can have our garage sale!!

2. As soon as the background checks are done the home study will be officially completed and we can send it off to the US Government (USCIS--United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) with our I-600A form (basically a form that says we are cleared to bring an orphan to the US and have them legally join our family). 

3. Wait for I-600 to get passed (usually takes around 8 weeks) and apply for grants.

4. Send our dossier (complete pack of paperwork for our adoption) to AWAA for approval, then it will be translated and send to ETHIOPIA--(that date is commonly known as your DTE--Dossier to Ethiopia)!!  $7,700 is required when we send our dossier off--watch our fundraising thermometer and funds tracker to see how God is working in this process!

5. Officially on the wait list for our baby girl or sibling group! (will know a better time frame when we reach this point but as of now they are expecting  a 7-11 month wait time for a referral)

6. Receive/accept a referral and wait for a court date.  Pay referral and travel fees (approximately $17,000)

7. Trip 1: travel to Ethiopia to meet child(ren) and appear in court

8. Return home and wait for everything to process (I imagine this will be the hardest part of this entire journey!!)

9. Trip 2: travel back to Ethiopia to complete paperwork and bring our child(ren) HOME!!!

Just a little insight for those of you who are following our story and don't know exactly how the adoption process works.  I'm asked almost daily how old our little girl is and what her name is.  People (including me just a few short months ago!!) don't know how much time and energy goes into adopting a child.  It's sad that this much wait time is involved when there are MILLIONS of children waiting, wishing, and hoping.  We just lay this all before the Lord, ask for His guidance, and wait patiently....
Psalm 27:14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the LordIf you'd like to read about the Ethiopian program through America World Adoption, click here:

Love from our family to yours!

T-Shirt SALE !!

Well we are half-way there!  Our goal is to sell 100 t-shirts (ordered 120!) and we have currently sold 60!! 

Our adoption journey has been such an eye opener to the orphan crisis around the world.  Our family is committed to being advocates for this cause.  The need is astounding and we are privileged to have the opportunity to change lives of fatherless children. 

I've dropped the prices of our shirts, as I feel the need to raise awareness is greater than the need for our family to quickly raise the funds we need to send off our dossier.  I agree that adoption, foster care, and mission trips aren't necessarily for everyone.  But EVERYONE can be used by advocating for orphans around the world!

Click on the links on the right or shoot me a message/email if you're within delivering distance!

Plans to Give you Hope and a Future

Dossier work update:Passports renewed...check (wait to get back!)
Hague training....check
Background checks...check (wait to get back!)
Employment letters...check
Physicals...check
Application letter to MOWCYA...check
Home study underway...check


To do list:
Financial Statement
Round up last couple of reference letters
Start AAU training
Bobby finish Autobiography
Finish Home Study
Wait, wait, wait :)


The list is definitely getting smaller!  We have been feeling God's hand among us this week!  We got good news about our passports (less money and work than we thought we had to do!) and had a very great group of people join us for our Fundraising Dinner.  We have raised exactly how much we need to pay for our Home Study!  Now we will be working toward our Dossier payment which will be right around $7,800.  I know God is definitely on our side and will be moving mountains as we continue to work toward bringing our little girl HOME!! 


It's so easy to get caught up in the paperwork and fundraising of adoption that I need to bring myself back to the cause and reason behind this process! 

I strive to have the faith and love of our children.  Little Eli and Ayla are constantly reminding us to pray for our daughter and to include her in our family even now, before she is with us or possibly even born!  The other night we were sitting at the dinner table and we asked Ayla how many people are in our family (simply asking as she LOVES to count things lately)...she started around the dinner table and counted, "1...2...3...4....5....and my baby sister is 6!!"  I don't know why I was shocked at her response as she is infatuated in the idea of having a baby sister...but it warmed my heart tremendously to be put into perspective by a THREE YEAR OLD!  We ARE a family of 6...a family that God created and has wonderful plans for. 

We are reminded in Jeremiah that God has plans for us...He has hope and a future planned for our little girl and for many other orphans around the world who are waiting to be brought home to forever families.  I continue to pray for the orphans of this world...and just as much I pray for the Christians of this world who CAN make a difference in the life of children who are starving, left alone, helpless, hurt, and crying out.Jeremiah 29:11- "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

 

As we celebrated adding members to our family this past weekend and celebrated the Freedom we have in America, I can't help but dream of the day we will bring our daughter (or children) home from Ethiopia.  How they too will join our family and will be gaining freedom they wouldn't have if we weren't called to bring them HOME.

Love from our family to yours!