So - while I wait on news regarding our adoption from the Philippines, I thought I could turn my attention to the adoption crisis in Russia. Very recently the Russian president signed an order that literally stops all adoptions of Russian children to US parents. This is basically a political game and has nothing to do with American parents or the adoption process. It definitely has nothing to do with the urgent need for families for these children. My heart is breaking for those children who could now be receiving a death sentence with the swipe of the president's pen. I know that sounds so harsh but it is true. Many of the children who are adopted out of Russia are special needs and unless adopted, they will spend their entire (sometimes too short) lives in a dirty, under funded, under staffed, stale & pale institution. Because the care is so poor, many of these children die at a very early age.
Take a moment to read this article and then you'll have a tiny understanding (I'm sure there is no way to completely grasp the meaning unless we see with our own eyes).
Why We Should Care About Russia's Orphans
As a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, I feel we have a duty to care for the world's orphans. This does not always mean adoption - not everyone is called to adopt. Some folks are called to foster children. Sometimes this means giving of your time to a local Children's Home. Maybe it means that you put together care packages for you local Foster Care program. Maybe it means that you donate a little money to a family that is in the process of adoption. Maybe it means you leave the comfort of your home for a week or two and go to a foreign land to love on these precious children. Maybe it means that you become a sponsor of a child through groups like World Vision, World Hunger or Compassion International. God calls us all in different ways to get involved with the care of our orphans. Just because you don't feel you can adopt a child, doesn't mean you can't make a difference in an orphan child's life.
As we start this new year, it is my greatest wish that everyone will find a way to get involved with God's cry for the orphan. Just google orphan care and you will find many ways that you can get involved. But if you are still unsure of where to start, here are a few organizations to help you get started...
Help for so many: Lifesong for Orphans
Amazing work: Show Hope
Incredible way to care for orphans & widows: Bring Love In
Dear to my heart: Children's Shelter in Cebu - Philippines
Check our local church. Check your local Department of Social (or Family) Services.
Happy 2013 to you and may God rain down His blessings upon you.
For His Glory,
Christina
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Sunday, December 30, 2012
As 2012 Comes To A Close
Today is the last Sunday of 2012. It's the last day of NFL football for 2012. And possibly 2012 will be the last year that we will be a family of four. We are still waiting for our approval from the Philippines ICAB (Inter-Country Adoption Board). It has been over 5 weeks since our last bit of required information was provided to the Philippines. Typically it is supposed to take about 3 weeks to receive back a decision but as everything has been, there seems to be delays (holidays, training and a Typhoon have gotten in the way).
However, we have received some good news that a sibling group of 3 (1 boy & 2 girls) that we have inquired upon every month since October is available and has been put on hold for our agency. We have received about 40 pages of paperwork - medicals, psychologicals, family history, education standardized test results and progress reports. A lot of information to review, a lot of stuff to learn and a lot of things to think about. After lots of review, various conversations, lots of "what if" scenarios and many "how would we" discussions we responded to our agency with affirmation that we desired to pursue adoption of this sibling group.
The next step? Well we had to write a letter to the board expressing our desire for these children and why we feel they would be a good match for our family. After asking what should be in such a letter and getting back a response of "it's not a big deal" and "just write it from your heart", I sat down to put my thoughts & feelings onto paper. The words seems to flow naturally and I hit send with more enthusiasm than I've had in weeks. Of course it was a short lived excitement because the next day, the agency sent me back a message asking for the letter to be redone (toned down were the exact words) and that I needed to address a few key "concerns". While I totally understood why those things needed to be addressed, I was disheartened because I knew this meant additional delays (since Christmas was just a couple days away). The creation of the second letter proved to be very difficult.
Some of the items that needed to be addressed?? Two of the children are very close in age to Jason. The oldest being exactly 8 months older and the middle girl being 11 months younger. So, we needed to explain how we would handle the issue of "twinning" - especially since this adoption would mean a change in birth order for Jason. I understand the issue and I know that we can handle the issue - I just had a very difficult time putting into words "how" we would handle it.
After a couple of days trying to focus and re-write the letter I finally forced myself the day after Christmas. I told myself that I was not going to move from the couch until I had something reasonably acceptable typed out. This time, we didn't even print & sign it. I just sent it back to the agency and asked for a review (why take the time to print & sign if I was just going to need to redo it again - most likely). So, Wednesday night the letter made it's way through the internet super highway to CAS. On Thursday, the agency responded and said that they have asked for these children to be put on hold specifically for us. They also said that they would review the letter and get back to us by the next morning. By Friday afternoon, no response (this is the part of this process that is really driving us - especially Brian - crazy - guess it's our "business" world training) so I sent a follow up message. Today I got an email saying that they have forward our letter to the ICAB. Now originally we were told the letter needed to be signed and this second letter is not signed. So - is this going to cause further delays??? Sometimes you just have to laugh at the situation.
On an interesting note, since we were informed that this sibling group was available, the 2 girls have both celebrated birthdays. One turned 13 on December 25th and the youngest turned 10 on December 29th. It is my greatest hope that these are the last birthdays that they spend away from their forever family (even if it's not us). Both days I quietly celebrated to myself - lest I get my hopes up too high - but I had to acknowledge - even if only to myself - their special day.
With 2013 right around the corner, I am hopefully that the new year will bring new hopes and re-newed excitement for the expansion of our family through this adoption process. At the same time, my heart is breaking for the children in Russia that may not have an opportunity for a forever family due to politics and other evil works. And my heart aches for those families who have been working so hard to bring a Russian child to their home. It is truly a terrible situation where there are no winners and for many children, this decision means a death sentence (the conditions there truly are terrible). God is in control and I know that He will protect, comfort and keep His children at all times. As you celebrate the new year, please keep these children and families on your prayer list. Please continue to pray for our process. Please pray for our friends the Barfields who will be leaving on Jan 7th for India to bring home their little girl Angel. Please pray for our friends the Habbicks who are waiting final court hearings for their little girl in India. Please pray for my friends the Gales & Listers as they continue to adjust & bond to their little girls from Ecuador. God is amazing and I feel so blessed to be a tiny part of all these miracles. Also, I am praying for all of you - my family & friends - for a wonderful and very blessed 2013.
For His Glory,
Christina
However, we have received some good news that a sibling group of 3 (1 boy & 2 girls) that we have inquired upon every month since October is available and has been put on hold for our agency. We have received about 40 pages of paperwork - medicals, psychologicals, family history, education standardized test results and progress reports. A lot of information to review, a lot of stuff to learn and a lot of things to think about. After lots of review, various conversations, lots of "what if" scenarios and many "how would we" discussions we responded to our agency with affirmation that we desired to pursue adoption of this sibling group.
The next step? Well we had to write a letter to the board expressing our desire for these children and why we feel they would be a good match for our family. After asking what should be in such a letter and getting back a response of "it's not a big deal" and "just write it from your heart", I sat down to put my thoughts & feelings onto paper. The words seems to flow naturally and I hit send with more enthusiasm than I've had in weeks. Of course it was a short lived excitement because the next day, the agency sent me back a message asking for the letter to be redone (toned down were the exact words) and that I needed to address a few key "concerns". While I totally understood why those things needed to be addressed, I was disheartened because I knew this meant additional delays (since Christmas was just a couple days away). The creation of the second letter proved to be very difficult.
Some of the items that needed to be addressed?? Two of the children are very close in age to Jason. The oldest being exactly 8 months older and the middle girl being 11 months younger. So, we needed to explain how we would handle the issue of "twinning" - especially since this adoption would mean a change in birth order for Jason. I understand the issue and I know that we can handle the issue - I just had a very difficult time putting into words "how" we would handle it.
After a couple of days trying to focus and re-write the letter I finally forced myself the day after Christmas. I told myself that I was not going to move from the couch until I had something reasonably acceptable typed out. This time, we didn't even print & sign it. I just sent it back to the agency and asked for a review (why take the time to print & sign if I was just going to need to redo it again - most likely). So, Wednesday night the letter made it's way through the internet super highway to CAS. On Thursday, the agency responded and said that they have asked for these children to be put on hold specifically for us. They also said that they would review the letter and get back to us by the next morning. By Friday afternoon, no response (this is the part of this process that is really driving us - especially Brian - crazy - guess it's our "business" world training) so I sent a follow up message. Today I got an email saying that they have forward our letter to the ICAB. Now originally we were told the letter needed to be signed and this second letter is not signed. So - is this going to cause further delays??? Sometimes you just have to laugh at the situation.
On an interesting note, since we were informed that this sibling group was available, the 2 girls have both celebrated birthdays. One turned 13 on December 25th and the youngest turned 10 on December 29th. It is my greatest hope that these are the last birthdays that they spend away from their forever family (even if it's not us). Both days I quietly celebrated to myself - lest I get my hopes up too high - but I had to acknowledge - even if only to myself - their special day.
With 2013 right around the corner, I am hopefully that the new year will bring new hopes and re-newed excitement for the expansion of our family through this adoption process. At the same time, my heart is breaking for the children in Russia that may not have an opportunity for a forever family due to politics and other evil works. And my heart aches for those families who have been working so hard to bring a Russian child to their home. It is truly a terrible situation where there are no winners and for many children, this decision means a death sentence (the conditions there truly are terrible). God is in control and I know that He will protect, comfort and keep His children at all times. As you celebrate the new year, please keep these children and families on your prayer list. Please continue to pray for our process. Please pray for our friends the Barfields who will be leaving on Jan 7th for India to bring home their little girl Angel. Please pray for our friends the Habbicks who are waiting final court hearings for their little girl in India. Please pray for my friends the Gales & Listers as they continue to adjust & bond to their little girls from Ecuador. God is amazing and I feel so blessed to be a tiny part of all these miracles. Also, I am praying for all of you - my family & friends - for a wonderful and very blessed 2013.
For His Glory,
Christina
Friday, December 14, 2012
Waiting, waiting and wait some more
Well as you can see, it has been awhile since I have made any blog updates. That has been for a few reasons - time, work and waiting. I feel a little funny about posting every day or even every week just to say "we are still waiting". That is sort of how things go with the adoption process. You rush and do a bunch of stuff and then you sit and wait for the next step. So much of what needs to be done is out of your control. And if you like control - well - it becomes a real challenge to get from one day to the next knowing there is nothing you can do to make it go faster.
A few things have happened since the fingerprints. We did finally get our US Immigration approval (the greatly anticipated I-797 form). It's so funny how our government can work at times and the process of our own state did not help matters. Long story short - USCIS (Immigration/Homeland Security) received all of our necessary information by Oct. 9th. We did our fingerprints on Oct.24 and the Nov 2 we receive a notice that they were missing our Homestudy (which was delivered & signed for on 10/9). So I make some phone calls and USCIS works to track it down. I follow up a week later and our agent still does not have it - she agrees to track it down. She calls me back about 30 minutes later and it has been found - she is now reviewing. She then calls me less than 2 days later to say it is being approved. It takes another week before the actual I-797 form is received. This is just a minor 3 week delay as we jump through hoops, stand on our head and beg for our info to be tracked down. It's frustrating but I hold to the fact that God has a plan and the delay is working for His greater purpose.
So - this last, very critical piece gets sent to the Philippines to officially complete our Dossier. Now we just wait for their approval. This is the hardest part because this is the show stopper. It's almost like waiting for those test results from the doctor's office. Time ticks by slowly and every chime of an incoming email sends goosebumps up your spine - will this email be the one you have been waiting and wanting to receive? Will the news be good or bad? Are we taking the next step in the process or did our journey come to an end? At times I'm amazed that I still have hair on my head and nails on tips of my fingers. Again I just hold to the hope that this is all part of God's plan. That while I cannot see or understand the reason, this is how He needs this process to procedure for us. That the slow response is necessary to ensure that our child/children will be ready for us.
One really good thing that did come through this week was our Lifesong approval for fundraising. As soon as we have the Philippines approval, then we will get our Lifesong account information out to everyone. Hopefully this will be before the end of 2012 so folks can take advantage of the tax deduction for this year. We do not want to do any fundraising until we have the approval from the Philippines. We have also applied for a Matching Grant but we will not have a decision on that until sometime in January.
I appreciate all of the support and words of encouragement that we get from family & friends as we move through this process. It seems like just when I am in that deep pit of depression and the enemy is attacking my mind, someone calls or emails or comes to me in the store to give me hope & encouragement again. My little angels and my big God reminding me that He is in control and He has a plan. Please continue to be in prayer for our Philippines approval!!
For His Glory,
Christina
A few things have happened since the fingerprints. We did finally get our US Immigration approval (the greatly anticipated I-797 form). It's so funny how our government can work at times and the process of our own state did not help matters. Long story short - USCIS (Immigration/Homeland Security) received all of our necessary information by Oct. 9th. We did our fingerprints on Oct.24 and the Nov 2 we receive a notice that they were missing our Homestudy (which was delivered & signed for on 10/9). So I make some phone calls and USCIS works to track it down. I follow up a week later and our agent still does not have it - she agrees to track it down. She calls me back about 30 minutes later and it has been found - she is now reviewing. She then calls me less than 2 days later to say it is being approved. It takes another week before the actual I-797 form is received. This is just a minor 3 week delay as we jump through hoops, stand on our head and beg for our info to be tracked down. It's frustrating but I hold to the fact that God has a plan and the delay is working for His greater purpose.
So - this last, very critical piece gets sent to the Philippines to officially complete our Dossier. Now we just wait for their approval. This is the hardest part because this is the show stopper. It's almost like waiting for those test results from the doctor's office. Time ticks by slowly and every chime of an incoming email sends goosebumps up your spine - will this email be the one you have been waiting and wanting to receive? Will the news be good or bad? Are we taking the next step in the process or did our journey come to an end? At times I'm amazed that I still have hair on my head and nails on tips of my fingers. Again I just hold to the hope that this is all part of God's plan. That while I cannot see or understand the reason, this is how He needs this process to procedure for us. That the slow response is necessary to ensure that our child/children will be ready for us.
One really good thing that did come through this week was our Lifesong approval for fundraising. As soon as we have the Philippines approval, then we will get our Lifesong account information out to everyone. Hopefully this will be before the end of 2012 so folks can take advantage of the tax deduction for this year. We do not want to do any fundraising until we have the approval from the Philippines. We have also applied for a Matching Grant but we will not have a decision on that until sometime in January.
I appreciate all of the support and words of encouragement that we get from family & friends as we move through this process. It seems like just when I am in that deep pit of depression and the enemy is attacking my mind, someone calls or emails or comes to me in the store to give me hope & encouragement again. My little angels and my big God reminding me that He is in control and He has a plan. Please continue to be in prayer for our Philippines approval!!
For His Glory,
Christina
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Fingerprints Done
On Saturday we got our fingerprint appointments in the mail. This is where we have to go to a US Immigration office and be fingerprinted as part of the Immigration approval process. Don't ask me what this all really is for - I just know it is something we have to do. Anyhow, the appointment date is Nov 13th and of course that is when Brian will be out of town on business. So - this morning, Brian, Josh (because now he is an adult living in our house) and I fought early morning Charlotte traffic and went to the Application Processing Center to complete our biometrics (fingerprinting). I feel so blessed that our total wait time was only about 40 minutes. I am very glad we were able to get it done so quickly and also didn't have to wait until the 13th. The folks at the USCIS office were very nice and helpful. Hopefully all of that info gets back to Dept of Homeland Security quickly and our I-800 is approved ASAP. This is the last piece of info that we need to give to the Philippines before they will give us a decision on our adoption application. All of this work so far and we still do not truly know if we will be approved to adopt a child from the Philippines (lots of prayer is still needed in this area so that our application is approved).
On the way back from this adventure, Brian - in his "I'm so funny" humor - reminded us that we CANNOT commit any crimes now because our fingerprints are on file. Darn - that just ruined all of my plans for the weekend!! Guess I should have thought harder about that fingerprint appointment and waited just a little bit longer. Really?? I guess if I haven't committed a crime in my first 40 something years of life, I sure hope that I don't consider it anytime in my next 40. And - if I was going to commit a crime - I watch enough TV drama to know that I need to wear gloves - right?? Seriously - who does anything without wearing gloves? Well - we all got a good laugh out of it anyway because somethings you just have to laugh at - hehehe.
On another note, our friends Tim & Cindy Gale are hopefully within a few days of bring their daughter Mia home from Ecuador. Tim actually returned to the US a couple of weeks ago and Cindy & Mia had to stay in Ecuador to get a few final papers & new ID/passport done. Today they are traveling to the consulate to hopefully get all the final papers and permission to leave the country. If all goes good, then Cindy & Mia will leave Ecuador on Friday and return to Charlotte on Saturday. PRAY, PRAY, PRAY for the paperwork, the flights and little Mia. This is a really big change for her and I can't even to begin to understand how scary it must be for her to leave her country to go live in a new country with a new family. Pray for God's wonderful hand of peace & comfort to be on the entire Gale family as they end one chapter and start a new one. I am so excited for them and can't wait to meet Mia (check out their story at http://gale6.blogspot.com/).
So what's next for us you might be wondering. Well, we have to get that USCIS approval and then the Philippines approval. In the meantime we continue to review and inquire on children from the Waiting Child List in hopes that one or two (or three) of them just might be the child/ren that God has planned for our family. We are also planning our next fundraiser but that event will not happen until after we get all the approvals.
This little bit of down time is being used to focus on the boys. Sometimes they can seem to get a little lost in shuffle as I do adoption planning, research, paperwork, etc. They are both doing great in school and hopefully they are both enjoying being the big boys on campus this year (Josh is a senior and Jason is 8th gr). We are also using some of this downtime to try and prepare for Josh's college next year (college app sent to USC, scholarship searching, etc). There is rarely a dull moment around here and God is moving in so many ways.
Thank you for being part of our journey. Don't forget to check out our T-shirt store (Christmas is just around the corner) and look at the updates to our Adoption Funds page. I am also working on a Timeline page so that everyone can see where we've been and what's still ahead in this process. It's exciting, scary and amazing - all wrapped into one.
For His Glory,
Chris
On the way back from this adventure, Brian - in his "I'm so funny" humor - reminded us that we CANNOT commit any crimes now because our fingerprints are on file. Darn - that just ruined all of my plans for the weekend!! Guess I should have thought harder about that fingerprint appointment and waited just a little bit longer. Really?? I guess if I haven't committed a crime in my first 40 something years of life, I sure hope that I don't consider it anytime in my next 40. And - if I was going to commit a crime - I watch enough TV drama to know that I need to wear gloves - right?? Seriously - who does anything without wearing gloves? Well - we all got a good laugh out of it anyway because somethings you just have to laugh at - hehehe.
On another note, our friends Tim & Cindy Gale are hopefully within a few days of bring their daughter Mia home from Ecuador. Tim actually returned to the US a couple of weeks ago and Cindy & Mia had to stay in Ecuador to get a few final papers & new ID/passport done. Today they are traveling to the consulate to hopefully get all the final papers and permission to leave the country. If all goes good, then Cindy & Mia will leave Ecuador on Friday and return to Charlotte on Saturday. PRAY, PRAY, PRAY for the paperwork, the flights and little Mia. This is a really big change for her and I can't even to begin to understand how scary it must be for her to leave her country to go live in a new country with a new family. Pray for God's wonderful hand of peace & comfort to be on the entire Gale family as they end one chapter and start a new one. I am so excited for them and can't wait to meet Mia (check out their story at http://gale6.blogspot.com/).
So what's next for us you might be wondering. Well, we have to get that USCIS approval and then the Philippines approval. In the meantime we continue to review and inquire on children from the Waiting Child List in hopes that one or two (or three) of them just might be the child/ren that God has planned for our family. We are also planning our next fundraiser but that event will not happen until after we get all the approvals.
This little bit of down time is being used to focus on the boys. Sometimes they can seem to get a little lost in shuffle as I do adoption planning, research, paperwork, etc. They are both doing great in school and hopefully they are both enjoying being the big boys on campus this year (Josh is a senior and Jason is 8th gr). We are also using some of this downtime to try and prepare for Josh's college next year (college app sent to USC, scholarship searching, etc). There is rarely a dull moment around here and God is moving in so many ways.
Thank you for being part of our journey. Don't forget to check out our T-shirt store (Christmas is just around the corner) and look at the updates to our Adoption Funds page. I am also working on a Timeline page so that everyone can see where we've been and what's still ahead in this process. It's exciting, scary and amazing - all wrapped into one.
For His Glory,
Chris
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Printer Is Finally Getting a Rest
In the last couple of weeks I have really been putting my printer to the test with all of the various items of paperwork that we have been working on. That wonderful HP Officejet really stepped up and just printed it's little rollers off. Page after page, picture after picture. Between work and all the adoption forms - the poor little machine has really been working overtime. It's now time for a little rest.
A lot of happened suddenly in short amount of time. A few weeks ago our Dossier has been submitted to the Philippines. The Dossier is a big packet of papers that pretty much is the total history of our lives - our Home Study, our applications, our psychological reports, our family photos, etc. It was such a relief to get all of that together and sent off. About 2 weeks ago we send in our I-800 (immigration request) application. Last week I mailed in the application for a Lifesong for Orphans account (where you can make tax deductible donations) and a Show Hope grant application. Last week we also go our Tshirt fundraiser setup - see our store at:
Over the last several weeks we have been gathering up donations from lots of wonderful folks for our garage sale. That sale was held on Saturday and it was a wonderful success. On top of the great donations, my great sister-in-law Sherry and my BFF Lynne come over and helped be organize on Friday and mange the sale on Saturday. It was such a wonderful help and so appreciated. Saturday was on of the most gorgeous Fall days here in South Carolina and we met some really great folks that came to the sale. We were able to share our adoption testimony and I know we have a couple new prayer warriors. Putting the sale together was a lot of work but a great time.
Now we are moving into a "waiting" pattern - waiting for I-800 approval, waiting for Philippines approval and waiting for God to bring us our child(ren). As some of you may know - waiting is not one of our strengths. So - I'm going to turn my attention to our next fundraiser event - a Cornhole Tournament (stay tuned for more info on that fun) and then I won't have to think about the waiting.
Thank you for all of your love, prayers and support.
For His Glory - Chris
A lot of happened suddenly in short amount of time. A few weeks ago our Dossier has been submitted to the Philippines. The Dossier is a big packet of papers that pretty much is the total history of our lives - our Home Study, our applications, our psychological reports, our family photos, etc. It was such a relief to get all of that together and sent off. About 2 weeks ago we send in our I-800 (immigration request) application. Last week I mailed in the application for a Lifesong for Orphans account (where you can make tax deductible donations) and a Show Hope grant application. Last week we also go our Tshirt fundraiser setup - see our store at:
Over the last several weeks we have been gathering up donations from lots of wonderful folks for our garage sale. That sale was held on Saturday and it was a wonderful success. On top of the great donations, my great sister-in-law Sherry and my BFF Lynne come over and helped be organize on Friday and mange the sale on Saturday. It was such a wonderful help and so appreciated. Saturday was on of the most gorgeous Fall days here in South Carolina and we met some really great folks that came to the sale. We were able to share our adoption testimony and I know we have a couple new prayer warriors. Putting the sale together was a lot of work but a great time.
Now we are moving into a "waiting" pattern - waiting for I-800 approval, waiting for Philippines approval and waiting for God to bring us our child(ren). As some of you may know - waiting is not one of our strengths. So - I'm going to turn my attention to our next fundraiser event - a Cornhole Tournament (stay tuned for more info on that fun) and then I won't have to think about the waiting.
Thank you for all of your love, prayers and support.
For His Glory - Chris
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Home Study Approved
We finally got the news we have been waiting for - our Home Study is officially done and approved. I am so very grateful and thankful that step is complete. It was not a simple process and obviously not a quick process but it was a very necessary (and required) process. I really think the Home Study is used to weed out those folks that are on the fence or not serious about adoption or foster care. No one in their right mind would go through all of that if they truly did not want to bring a child into their family. But oh wow - what a feeling of great joy it is to know that 1 big hurdle is now behind us. Praise the Lord.
Next items on our agenda: #1 - File our I-800A immigration paperwork (& supplement 1 - because we would not want to leave out that new adult (aka: Josh) from all the fun) and #2 - Send our Dossier to the Philippines and #3 - Apply to Lifesong for Orphans for an adoption fund and possible grants (plus any other grants we can find). I'm going to put my nose to the paper this weekend and file in those final blanks for these 3 items. God willing, all 3 items will be sent to their respective designations by the end of the week. Once that is done, it will be time to wait some more as each organization reviews our paperwork. Decisions on all items should come back in 1-2 months.
In the meantime, we are going to be working hard on our garage sale and other upcoming fundraisers to help pay the various application and agency fees. We have about $5,000 in fees due right now and then we'll have a few months to raise the next set of funds needed. Keep an eye out for more fun things to do to help.
On a side note - our friends the Gale's (http://gale5.blogspot.com/) will be leaving this Sunday (9/16) for Ecuador to pick up their little girl Kayla Valentina. They will meet her on Monday and I know they are excited and scared all at the same time. Tim will be staying in Ecuador for 3 weeks to get thru some of the initial paperwork but Cindy will need to stay in Ecuador with Kayla until the adoption is final (should be a total of 6-8 weeks). That's a long time to be away from your kids, family & friends so any prayers you can send their way would be greatly appreciated. I have so enjoyed following their journey to Kayla - read their blog and you'll see the mighty hand of God at work. So wonderful and amazing.
Thanks everyone for the great love & support. It means so much. Don't forget to unload your unwanted/unused items on us and we'll sell them at our Garage Sale fundraising on 9/29. Drop me an email, text message or phone call for arrangements.
For His Glory,
Chris
Next items on our agenda: #1 - File our I-800A immigration paperwork (& supplement 1 - because we would not want to leave out that new adult (aka: Josh) from all the fun) and #2 - Send our Dossier to the Philippines and #3 - Apply to Lifesong for Orphans for an adoption fund and possible grants (plus any other grants we can find). I'm going to put my nose to the paper this weekend and file in those final blanks for these 3 items. God willing, all 3 items will be sent to their respective designations by the end of the week. Once that is done, it will be time to wait some more as each organization reviews our paperwork. Decisions on all items should come back in 1-2 months.
In the meantime, we are going to be working hard on our garage sale and other upcoming fundraisers to help pay the various application and agency fees. We have about $5,000 in fees due right now and then we'll have a few months to raise the next set of funds needed. Keep an eye out for more fun things to do to help.
On a side note - our friends the Gale's (http://gale5.blogspot.com/) will be leaving this Sunday (9/16) for Ecuador to pick up their little girl Kayla Valentina. They will meet her on Monday and I know they are excited and scared all at the same time. Tim will be staying in Ecuador for 3 weeks to get thru some of the initial paperwork but Cindy will need to stay in Ecuador with Kayla until the adoption is final (should be a total of 6-8 weeks). That's a long time to be away from your kids, family & friends so any prayers you can send their way would be greatly appreciated. I have so enjoyed following their journey to Kayla - read their blog and you'll see the mighty hand of God at work. So wonderful and amazing.
Thanks everyone for the great love & support. It means so much. Don't forget to unload your unwanted/unused items on us and we'll sell them at our Garage Sale fundraising on 9/29. Drop me an email, text message or phone call for arrangements.
For His Glory,
Chris
Friday, September 7, 2012
Getting From Point A to B Backwards
Just when you think you might get to take a step forward, you hit a snag and fall back. Oh what frustration it can bring along with disappointment and discouragement. We are still waiting for the Home Study to be finalized so that it can be sent to Columbia, SC for approval by the State. We have been on the verge of filing our HS since the end of July. Because of the delays, Josh turned 18 and we had to make some amendments (see previous blog post) to the study. As we waited for Josh's background checks, we did another review of the checklist to ensure everything was in order - it all looked great. Then last week the Home Study was finally sent to our NC agency for review and they asked for some minor adjustments and clarifications. Not a big deal but just another delay - which was slightly annoying and frustrating. So much of the adoption process hinges on this Home Study and each delay can weight very heavily on your spirit. It's the first really big step and everything else waits on the Home Study. We cannot proceed with anything until it is filed & approved. It feels a little like be stuck in the mud.
As we wait for the Home Study filing - which is so totally out of our control, I continue on my weight loss journey. To date - 33 lbs have disappeared. The stress of the Home Study put me into a bit of a plateau for a few weeks but I've finally handed that issue over to God (because there is nothing I can do about it anyway and I know He has it all under control) and the scale is once again moving in the right direction. At this time, I am 3 lbs from my BMI target to be within the acceptable range for the Philippines requirement. This major milestone has taken a bit longer than I wanted or anticipated but again - God has it in His control and He will make sure that it all works for His Glory!!!
With the Home Study just about done and my BMI almost within limits, our sights now turn to raising the funds that will be needed to bring home our child/ren. We have several things going on this month. We still have our Fundrazr in place if you have $10 or $20 or more that you'd like to donate safely & securely online directly to us (see the Adoption Funds tab or the link on the right side of this blog). We are also accepting items for our upcoming Garage Sale on 9/29. Items can also be dropped off for a consignment sale. You provide the item(s), I'll provide the sale and we'll split the proceeds. If you have items to donate or put up for consignment, please let me know by emailing me at wilsonhouse@comporium.net or calling 803-547-0270.
We may have hit several bumps in the road, got turned around and upside down, moved forward only to get pushed backwards - but we will not be stopped. God has a wonderful plan for our family and through this adoption process, we are going to see the love of Jesus, be the love of Jesus and proclaim God's grace and mercy. A beautiful testimony is already in the works. Each day I am amazed at what God is doing in our lives and others that we know that have gone thru or are in the midst of the adoption process. If I have to take several steps backwards now & then, I'll do it with a big ole smile on my face and Jesus in my heart.
For His Glory,
Chris
As we wait for the Home Study filing - which is so totally out of our control, I continue on my weight loss journey. To date - 33 lbs have disappeared. The stress of the Home Study put me into a bit of a plateau for a few weeks but I've finally handed that issue over to God (because there is nothing I can do about it anyway and I know He has it all under control) and the scale is once again moving in the right direction. At this time, I am 3 lbs from my BMI target to be within the acceptable range for the Philippines requirement. This major milestone has taken a bit longer than I wanted or anticipated but again - God has it in His control and He will make sure that it all works for His Glory!!!
With the Home Study just about done and my BMI almost within limits, our sights now turn to raising the funds that will be needed to bring home our child/ren. We have several things going on this month. We still have our Fundrazr in place if you have $10 or $20 or more that you'd like to donate safely & securely online directly to us (see the Adoption Funds tab or the link on the right side of this blog). We are also accepting items for our upcoming Garage Sale on 9/29. Items can also be dropped off for a consignment sale. You provide the item(s), I'll provide the sale and we'll split the proceeds. If you have items to donate or put up for consignment, please let me know by emailing me at wilsonhouse@comporium.net or calling 803-547-0270.
We may have hit several bumps in the road, got turned around and upside down, moved forward only to get pushed backwards - but we will not be stopped. God has a wonderful plan for our family and through this adoption process, we are going to see the love of Jesus, be the love of Jesus and proclaim God's grace and mercy. A beautiful testimony is already in the works. Each day I am amazed at what God is doing in our lives and others that we know that have gone thru or are in the midst of the adoption process. If I have to take several steps backwards now & then, I'll do it with a big ole smile on my face and Jesus in my heart.
For His Glory,
Chris
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