Wednesday, March 12, 2014

As Time Goes By....

Adoption

Oh how I wish something would be easy at times! 

Getting to bring our child home seems so far away it brings me to tears. The moments of even knowing who they are, male or female, getting to spend times with them, finding out more about them... it all seems a marathon or two away... I know it will all be worth it. I know our child will be amazing. I know that our family will feel a little more complete.... But for someone that wishes things could be done in her own timing (quickly) and her own way... This is SOOOOOOOOO hard. I just wanna see their face... 

OK mothers.. You will know.. I equate it to the last month of pregnancy. You know your life is going to change, but you can't wait. You gotta see your child's face. You gotta meet them. You gotta get them OUT of you because the anticipation is driving you nuts. I'm there... I'm ready... I wanna meet them. I wanna love them. I wanna provide for them... So much... Anybody else with me?!?!?! 



UPDATE:
We are about finished with our homestudy (yeah!) 
We have applied to immigration in the USA (yikes!)
Once they have said yes, we get some MORE fingerprints done and sent back to them
Once those are Okayed we will move on to our dossier.

We are HOPING this will take about a month for us to get things going and done. If we can get all this done hopefully we can send things in to Haiti soon! Then we are one step closer to knowing WHO will be our child! HOORAY! :) I have discovered that filling out paper work for an adoption is like a 2nd job, and once one thing is complete... there is ALWAYS another set of paperwork and tasks to finish for the next set of steps! :) My nagging husband level has increased from a level 4 to a level 7 (I'm sure he might rate me higher... ) due to the need to get paper work and "assignments" complete in a timely fashion if we are ever going to get this done! 


We also get to go in for a psych evaluation later this month! Is it weird I'm a little scared?!?! There's something about someone knowing so much about you and then deciding your sanity based on it, that kinda freaks me out! Isn't sanity all relative anyway! haha! :) 

Last, some of my workout friends put together a fundraiser for our family last week and it went SOOOOOOO well! Our family was blessed with so much! We cannot even begin to DESCRIBE how thankful we are for the people that are supporting us and helping us, and the funds that were given to us. The more our community shows their support the more comforted I am! I know how much love they will receive not just from us, but from our community and friends. AMEN!

Lord's Blessings to you All!

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Fundraising

This was written by My Man, and I'm so thankful for his input in all of this! I hope you enjoy his honesty and amazing writing as much as I did! :)


Fundraising

Tonight some members of Andrea’s workout group at church are hosting a fundraising dinner for our adoption efforts. And it feels weird.

Don’t get me wrong, I have done fundraising before. In grade school, for sports teams, for youth group growing up, and now as a part of my job I have done numerous fundraisers to support our youth group. But this is different. I have never done a fundraiser for our family.

It is an incredibly humbling thing. I don’t mean that in the vain way that athletes and movie stars say it after they win some recognition. I mean it in the, it makes you feel small- like a spec of dirt, way. Especially as the man, the head of the household, I am asking for help, like a beggar. (In my mind I think of the leper outside the temple on the streets of Jerusalem, but it is no different than the bum on the street corner of today’s world.) This humility hurts. This humility is embarrassing.

But in a good way.

Today is the beginning of Lent, Ash Wednesday. Today we celebrate by remembering that we are nothing but dirt aside from the life giving love of our powerful creator. Today we remember that as sinners we are unworthy of our Father’s righteous ear, let alone of his live and salvation. Today is a day to be humbled, to recognize our shortcomings… Check.

“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” –Romans 5:8.

This Lenten season we recognize God’s grace and mercy. His sacrifice of His own Son on our behalf. Today we are being reminded of God’s love and undeserved grace through his hands and feet, His church, as they support us in our shortcomings.

I have been meditating on Romans 12 lately and the second half of the verse speaks about what it looks like to be a follower of God;

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” –Romans 12:9-13



There’s more, but as you can see today I get to see God’s Word in action. Thanks to all the people who have and continue to help us. Your love is appreciated and your prayers continue to lift us up. I wish that we could do this without you, but… Thank you!