Today is Orphan Sunday! Is your church doing anything special? I'd love to hear about it!
Here is link to a video produced by the Christian Alliance for Orphans, "Orphan Sunday 2011."
Enjoy.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Changes
Hello to all! I've let most of my followers know already about the changes, but thought I'd post a brief update on here.
Because of our status in going to the field (see our website here), we learned recently that we will not have the time to complete an international adoption, and have time after for attachment before such a big move. (We will be moving to Brasil beginning of next summer, Lord willing, for language school.) We have been praying specifically for guidance and God has shown us that for now, international adoption is not His path for us at this time.
We are still seeking to adopt, however! We will be listing ourselves with at a few different locations, in hopes of adopting domestically. At this point, because our homestudy is complete, it won't cost much to make the change from international to domestic. If/when we are chosen (by parents seeking to place their child, or however God works it out) then there will be additional expense. We will still be doing some fundraising, so that we are prepared for that expense when it comes. It all will be building up in our adoption savings account!
If there is anything that comes up that we are able to post we will do so. We will be re-opening our blog, since we are no longer in such need of privacy.
Thank you all for caring and for your support!
Because of our status in going to the field (see our website here), we learned recently that we will not have the time to complete an international adoption, and have time after for attachment before such a big move. (We will be moving to Brasil beginning of next summer, Lord willing, for language school.) We have been praying specifically for guidance and God has shown us that for now, international adoption is not His path for us at this time.
We are still seeking to adopt, however! We will be listing ourselves with at a few different locations, in hopes of adopting domestically. At this point, because our homestudy is complete, it won't cost much to make the change from international to domestic. If/when we are chosen (by parents seeking to place their child, or however God works it out) then there will be additional expense. We will still be doing some fundraising, so that we are prepared for that expense when it comes. It all will be building up in our adoption savings account!
If there is anything that comes up that we are able to post we will do so. We will be re-opening our blog, since we are no longer in such need of privacy.
Thank you all for caring and for your support!
Friday, August 26, 2011
Homestudy complete
We have Tshirts for sale! (see above) We're asking for $20 to cover our cost to make them, and then whatever shipping is to you. (unless I can deliver in person of course). And if you feel like giving more, we won't argue with you! Raising adoption funds on top of prefield support raising is definitely a lesson in trusting God! =) Someone shared a verse today on Facebook, and I just have to share it:
The Bible says you have not because you ask not. This is one mountain that we just can't scale alone, it is totally and completely going to be of God if we are able to come up with the funds for our adoption as well raising our remainder of support in this (hopefully) last year of prefield. Even if you can't help, please be praying with us, and watching with us as God moves and does this great thing! And pray that we will have faith the size of a mustard seed, not falling and giving in to doubt. I'm so excited to see how God will move in this coming year!!
~R
Monday, July 25, 2011
Next step - $$
Quick update, our homestudy is complete, but missing some background checks. The week we requested that from the state of Minnesota (which we didn't do in advance, somehow I missed the information that we needed them from all the states we lived in since age 18), the state apparently couldn't agree on a budget? So the result for that was, the state shut down. So... here we sit, waiting for them to get things up and running again, and waiting on those results to be mailed to our agency.
We've been working on the required education, and I think over our next upcoming trip these next few weeks (for prefield) we should be able to get the majority of those requirements completed. We've already attended two of the classes at MLJ, and there are several online things we can do; trying to knock that out as quickly as possible.
Our current roadblock is the next payment. We do have a few hundred left in our "adoption savings," but its barely touching the full amount. So, back to fundraising! It seems that we've exhausted the methods we've used in the past. So we're working on Tshirts, and I'm toying with doing an online raffle, although I have no idea how to even begin something like that! Any and all suggestions & help will be absolutely welcomed!!! And especially please pray with us, I know God is going to do some amazing things to provide the funds, even though I have no clue HOW He's going to do it! =)
~R
We've been working on the required education, and I think over our next upcoming trip these next few weeks (for prefield) we should be able to get the majority of those requirements completed. We've already attended two of the classes at MLJ, and there are several online things we can do; trying to knock that out as quickly as possible.
Our current roadblock is the next payment. We do have a few hundred left in our "adoption savings," but its barely touching the full amount. So, back to fundraising! It seems that we've exhausted the methods we've used in the past. So we're working on Tshirts, and I'm toying with doing an online raffle, although I have no idea how to even begin something like that! Any and all suggestions & help will be absolutely welcomed!!! And especially please pray with us, I know God is going to do some amazing things to provide the funds, even though I have no clue HOW He's going to do it! =)
~R
Saturday, June 25, 2011
homestudy file
Our complete homestudy file was mailed the day before Father's Day.
What should have taken us only a few weeks to a couple months, ended up taking almost a year. But, we are now moving again, and as of last week have even decided what country we are hoping to adopt from! We've tossed around different options, and now have finally found one that seems to really fit our family!! We are VERY excited and can't wait to tell you!! Unfortunately, it will be a couple months yet before we do. Sorry! There are some very specific reasons why we aren't saying just yet, but don't worry, you won't have to wait TOO long. ;)
In the meantime, MLJ recieved our file last Tuesday, and literally a day later the social worker was contacted and set up an appointment with us. So, TOMORROW AFTERNOON we will be having our in-home visit and interviews with her! YIKES! I'm excited at the speed, and at the same time starting to get nervous. Thankfully we have had such a busy week this week, we've hardly stopped moving, and I haven't had time to think about it or psych myself out. =) So if you think of it, pray for us tomorrow afternoon! I'm sure it will be fine, everyone keeps telling me it will be, but this is new territory, and I think the fact that I've wanted to do this so long is a part of my excitement. Knowing Mike and I (who am I kidding, our boys too!) we'll jabber her head off and she'll be ready to leave! lol
We have another payment due, ****. (The initial homestudy fee we paid last fall when a certain child was placed with us) Praise the Lord, the jewelry I sold last summer in addition to other things raised enough that we have a little over that in our adoption savings at this point. So we'll be calling in that payment Monday morning. However, that will leave us with only a couple hundred remaining! So we now have to really focus more attention on our adoption fundraising. I've got several grant applications that we will have to start filling out (and that is quite a bit of paperwork for each one as well), but that may take quite some time to send in and then wait on word on whether or not we are chosen. (not everyone who applies gets the grants) So, on top of support raising, bring on the adoption fundraising! =)
Anyway, just wanted to post an update of what was going on. Trying to do better at keeping up with this!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Back in the Saddle Again
wow. It has been WAY too long since we've posted! Please forgive us!
We are up and moving again! For different reasons I won't go into, our adoption homestudy was unofficially put on hold (by us). We are getting the last few things together and I am hoping to have the first set of papers mailed in to our homestudy agency by Tuesday at latest!! The next step will be for them to contact us and set up our dates for their visits to our home (by a social worker).
We still do not have a set country we're planning to adopt from, we've given our homestudy agency (www.MLJadoptions.org) our choice from the different country programs they work with, but after we did that we came across a program elsewhere that we are very interested in. Still doing some research and chatting with that agency; if we do end up going with this other country program we will still use MLJ for our homestudy and the re-adoption here in the States after we bring our child home. But nothing is decided officially just yet, as far as the specific country program we will go through.
We also have many hours of adoption education we will have to go through, required not only by our agency but also by the Hague requirements (international agreement between certain countries that protects children, it helps keep corruption out of the adoption process and procedures). I am actually very thankful for all this required learning! Not because I'm full of spare time and have nothing better to do, and not because I'm a sucker for learning. (to be quite honest, I have always been a reluctant student) No, I'm thankful for it because the more adoption-educated (totally not a word, I know) families are, and the more resources they are aware of, the better prepared they can be for the unique situations they are very likely to encounter at some point-if not many points- during and after their adoption. There are just too many instances of adoption disruption and dissolved adoptions these days. Or so it seems to me. And each and every one of those children reap some grave consequences, and feel great pain and confusion as a result of such choices. Most of us may say that we would never do such a thing to a child, but in truth, any one of us could very well find ourselves there!
So hopefully by going through all the extra reading and research and classes in advance we can maybe get a better idea of what we can handle and provide for, as well where to go for help when we hit the rough spots. That is the goal anyway!
So. The next move for us while waiting for our next assignment is to figure out some creative fundraising. Our 6 year old is wanting to help, and since its summer break and he loves hands on activities, we're going to let him go crazy artistically and he's going to make us some things to sell, with maybe a little direction from Mama and Daddy. =) So our little dude is going to help us bring home his little brother or little sister, whichever they may be! So if you're looking for any specific item that can be homemade, just let us know! We'd LOVE to do it for you.
Oh and if you've got some spare time and are dying for some great reading, check out the blog at www.togetherforadoption.org SO GOOD. =)
~R
We are up and moving again! For different reasons I won't go into, our adoption homestudy was unofficially put on hold (by us). We are getting the last few things together and I am hoping to have the first set of papers mailed in to our homestudy agency by Tuesday at latest!! The next step will be for them to contact us and set up our dates for their visits to our home (by a social worker).
We still do not have a set country we're planning to adopt from, we've given our homestudy agency (www.MLJadoptions.org) our choice from the different country programs they work with, but after we did that we came across a program elsewhere that we are very interested in. Still doing some research and chatting with that agency; if we do end up going with this other country program we will still use MLJ for our homestudy and the re-adoption here in the States after we bring our child home. But nothing is decided officially just yet, as far as the specific country program we will go through.
We also have many hours of adoption education we will have to go through, required not only by our agency but also by the Hague requirements (international agreement between certain countries that protects children, it helps keep corruption out of the adoption process and procedures). I am actually very thankful for all this required learning! Not because I'm full of spare time and have nothing better to do, and not because I'm a sucker for learning. (to be quite honest, I have always been a reluctant student) No, I'm thankful for it because the more adoption-educated (totally not a word, I know) families are, and the more resources they are aware of, the better prepared they can be for the unique situations they are very likely to encounter at some point-if not many points- during and after their adoption. There are just too many instances of adoption disruption and dissolved adoptions these days. Or so it seems to me. And each and every one of those children reap some grave consequences, and feel great pain and confusion as a result of such choices. Most of us may say that we would never do such a thing to a child, but in truth, any one of us could very well find ourselves there!
So hopefully by going through all the extra reading and research and classes in advance we can maybe get a better idea of what we can handle and provide for, as well where to go for help when we hit the rough spots. That is the goal anyway!
So. The next move for us while waiting for our next assignment is to figure out some creative fundraising. Our 6 year old is wanting to help, and since its summer break and he loves hands on activities, we're going to let him go crazy artistically and he's going to make us some things to sell, with maybe a little direction from Mama and Daddy. =) So our little dude is going to help us bring home his little brother or little sister, whichever they may be! So if you're looking for any specific item that can be homemade, just let us know! We'd LOVE to do it for you.
Oh and if you've got some spare time and are dying for some great reading, check out the blog at www.togetherforadoption.org SO GOOD. =)
~R
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