News...

There's so much my heart is aching to tell our supporters, but I can't. I want to shout it out, and yet, I can't. Those of you that know me personally know how hard it can be for me to keep my mouth shut!  :-O So here is the news I can tell you.

We are about half way there with our fundraising efforts. We don't have all of this money in our hands, but it has been pledged and we are so very thankful to God and for these "senders." Proverbs 16:3 says, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." He shows us each day how He is working to bring our daughter home to us.

We are as thankful to those who give what they can, when they can as we are to large donors who we've never met. We've received donations from my best friend from K-2nd grade who she hasn't seen since jr high, from a friend who gave us $8 in an envelope because that's all she could, and from church members who are saving to move to Africa to do full-time missions. These are some of the donors that bring tears to my eyes - I see the promises of God in these people.

As far as grants go, we applied to 4 and were granted 2 so far. Our matching grant through Grace Haven (gracehavenhome.net) should be close to being matched and hopefully will be by Friday as we do our iPad giveaway drawing on Saturday. You can get details on that by clicking on the iPad giveaway link at the top of the page.

We were awarded $6,000 by the JSC Foundation which is part of the National Christian Association. This check went directly to our agency. Praise God!

Lifesong for Orphans did not have grant funds available, however they are setting us up with fundraising support. In the coming days, I will be writing a support letter to send out. I will also post that here!

There is still one more we are waiting to hear on. It is a secular organization called Gift of adoption. Their avg. grant is $3,500, but can go up to $7,500. Please keep that one in your prayers!

I've got to get to a dentist apointment. I'd like to leave you with this thought.

Ephesians 2:10 tells us we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

This is not a path Jason and I knew we would be going down. While I started considering adoption years ago, It's only been since about two years ago that it even crossed Jason's mind. But this is what God prepared for us to do in advance. Through it, He is working so many wonderful things in us! We want you to experience ALL that God has for you!

YOU are a MASTERPIECE in the mind of the creator of the Earth. When we think of masterpieces, we think of art. People pay $35MILLION for a painting. Jason and I are paying $45,000 for a child. Sometimes we feel the "unfairness" of this, and all too often people tell us why that is too much. But think about this.

Christ gave His life for us - all of us. That is PRICELESS! Our daughter is PRICELESS! You are PRICELESS!

Listen to God speaking to your heart and follow. Do something priceless with your life!

Dossier

As defined at dictionary.com:

dos·si·er

  [dos-ee-ey, -ee-er, daw-see-ey, -see-er; Fr.daw-syey]  noun

a collection or file of documents on the same subject, especially a complete file containing detailed information about a person or topic.

As defined by me: The first trimester of adoption. Months of paper-chasing. Notarizing and re-notarizing. Having friends and family in different states visit courthouses to obtain certified documents. Having all of those documents apostilled. A roller-coaster of emotions when something is returned or takes an unexpected amount of time to be completed. The single most nerve-wracking package I've ever mailed!

For us, it included over 60 documents...some of them several pages...nearly 2 1/2 pounds of paper. 

It represents the culmination of all that has to be done in America to proceed with our international adoption. 

It will now be checked by our agency, and if it is all correct (please pray that it is!), it will be sent to Eastern Europe where it is translated and notarized yet again. Then, we can be registered an receive a formal invitation to travel and receive an official referral. That's when we get to meet our daughter!

It also represents over $5,000 in paperwork, agency fees, international fees, postage, etc. We would like to thank all of you who have helped in our fundraising efforts to help us make these payments!

If you'd like to continue in helping us in this journey, you can do that by entering our iPad giveaway. There are details under the iPad tab at the top of the blog. The drawing will be held on June 30th.

Above all, please join us in prayer for a wedge of protection over our daughter, our family, and our friends who are in the midst of adoption in Eastern Europe. Pray for the US to have favor with the E.European politicians in regards to American adoption and favor for our family in the choosing of grant recipients. 

Thank you. Be blessed!

A little favor...

Hello Friends, family, and supporters from around the .... well ... world! If you would do me a great favor before I actually start blogging and leave a comment when you visit with your name and city, it would greatly help me! I'm working on having a safer blog, without having to make it private. So, I have installed an IP tracker and I can label your IP address so that when I check, I know how many familiar people I have visiting, and how much "stranger danger" traffic I've got. Call me papranoid - but not really...it's for the protection of my babies.

While I don't have blogs up, you can check out the page tabs at the top. They are complete with information.

Thanks & have a blessed day!