Grrr...frustrating!!!
I had lunch with my mother today and she AGAIN tells me to "be careful" about adopting a child with CP. She talks to her friends and they tell her horror stories or something. She tells me that she can't do any fundraising because her friends are older and they have seen more (meaning, she & they are not supportive of us adopting a SN child!). Are you kidding me?! Does that mean it is okay for someone else but not us? Or does that mean no one should? Give me a break! I try to remind myself that she does not know my God so therefore cannot possibly understand what God has laid upon our hearts, just like I could not understand such things before I began my walk with Christ.
Ugh! It's just so disappointing. Of course it changes nothing for us but ::::grumble, grumble::: it's just so ridiculous.
Anyway.......spoke with my facilitator and he tells me there is a ZERO chance of us adopting "Flower". Can I at least get a one percent chance? I mean there is a greater than zero chance that waters will part and we will be able to drive to Ukraine. :) Okay, unlikely but still POSSIBLE.
I just have such peace and hope in my heart, which reminds me of when I was going to have surgery in January (sorry if I have previously posted about this). But for a few weeks prior to surgery, right up to the moment I got off the gurney and walked my way over to the OR table, I was pretty sure that something would happen and I would not have the surgery. I later figured out that it was God giving me peace about the surgery, not God telling me it won't happen. I feel like this could be what is happening now with "Flower's" adoption, it's not so much that He is telling me it will happen but giving me peace to get through the days to come. HOWEVER, I am not without hope, I know it is still possible regardless of what we might see. God is bigger than this.
So in the meantime, we continue pray for our sweet girls, pray that God will provide the remaining funds needed and prepare our home and lives for the travel and new additions.
I should also share that I was stopped by the LPC police yesterday IN Target!! Yup, the "Little People Clothes Police" (Yana & Anthony) basically took me in custody and guided me away from the little people clothes to the check out line. I am drawn like a magnet to size 24-month girls clothing, it's insane. While they were guiding me away and telling me "Oh no you don't!" and "Control yourself, woman!" I tried to fake a quick left but they caught me. :::Sigh::: I guess I will just have to wait until "Hope" is home. :)
Please also pray that we hear back good news from the SDA this week about our request for "Faith's" referral. We hope to find out on Friday!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Random Thoughts (Adoption Related)
As you may have noticed, I have updated our FundsTracker. I have included the costs to adopt all 3 children and updated our funds (God bless all who have contributed!!!). We leave in 5 weeks and still need $15,000. So let's see, that's only $3,000 a week! LOL Yeah, right!
While we are praying we do not need to borrow any funds, we realize that more than likely we will need to. Based on my most recent calculations (I'm a nerd sometimes), if we can come up with an additional $6,000 that we have not already planned for, before we travel, I won't have to stress myself into sickness. Of course if we have all the money before we leave, that would be a beautiful and amazing blessing!
So yesterday the kids and I returned home from our week long trip to PA with a one day visit to NYC (Yana is not a fan of the city). There is so much to catch up on at home. Today we drove down to Columbia for what SHOULD BE our final apostilles. We apostilled our latest homestudy addendum (approving us for FOUR children LOL) and our Special Request Letter for "Faith". They are now on their way to Ukraine!
I bought...well, actually Mom bought, (I shopped for them though) some clothes for "Hope" while we were in PA. Of course I do not know her size but we now have a few different sizes. I know I don't NEED to bring clothes but these "pregnancy hormones" are hard to control at times :) Meanwhile, Dan was home NESTING! That's right, Papa is nesting this time. He is painting walls, moving furniture, preparing computers so they can be moved and rearranged, to make room for our girls. That just warms my heart!
Oh and I finally broke the news to my parents that we are adopting 3! LOL Yeah, we were a bit hesitant to do that because I know they worry. They worry about money, they worry about the kids we have, they worry about how we will handle it, they worry, worry, worry. To be honest, we believe this is what God wants us to do and we have no interest in hearing all the concerns they think we haven't thought about. Of course, we thought about all those things (money, emotions, children, etc.). And we still believe this is what we should be doing. I just knew there was no way we would make it through the week in PA without them finding out, although I had hoped to not tell them until they read our blog after we were in flight for Ukraine LOL But I decided I should just tell them but be straight forward as to why I had not told them sooner. That seemed to go over well and they have not been difficult about it at all. Of course I believed my mother had already known and she kind of did but of course wasn't really sure. Well, now everyone knows what our plans are and that we are not open to hearing about all the "what ifs". :)
We have received a few more donations since my last post and we continue to be incredibly grateful. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! God is just amazing and so are each of you who have listened to your hearts!
While we are praying we do not need to borrow any funds, we realize that more than likely we will need to. Based on my most recent calculations (I'm a nerd sometimes), if we can come up with an additional $6,000 that we have not already planned for, before we travel, I won't have to stress myself into sickness. Of course if we have all the money before we leave, that would be a beautiful and amazing blessing!
So yesterday the kids and I returned home from our week long trip to PA with a one day visit to NYC (Yana is not a fan of the city). There is so much to catch up on at home. Today we drove down to Columbia for what SHOULD BE our final apostilles. We apostilled our latest homestudy addendum (approving us for FOUR children LOL) and our Special Request Letter for "Faith". They are now on their way to Ukraine!
I bought...well, actually Mom bought, (I shopped for them though) some clothes for "Hope" while we were in PA. Of course I do not know her size but we now have a few different sizes. I know I don't NEED to bring clothes but these "pregnancy hormones" are hard to control at times :) Meanwhile, Dan was home NESTING! That's right, Papa is nesting this time. He is painting walls, moving furniture, preparing computers so they can be moved and rearranged, to make room for our girls. That just warms my heart!
Oh and I finally broke the news to my parents that we are adopting 3! LOL Yeah, we were a bit hesitant to do that because I know they worry. They worry about money, they worry about the kids we have, they worry about how we will handle it, they worry, worry, worry. To be honest, we believe this is what God wants us to do and we have no interest in hearing all the concerns they think we haven't thought about. Of course, we thought about all those things (money, emotions, children, etc.). And we still believe this is what we should be doing. I just knew there was no way we would make it through the week in PA without them finding out, although I had hoped to not tell them until they read our blog after we were in flight for Ukraine LOL But I decided I should just tell them but be straight forward as to why I had not told them sooner. That seemed to go over well and they have not been difficult about it at all. Of course I believed my mother had already known and she kind of did but of course wasn't really sure. Well, now everyone knows what our plans are and that we are not open to hearing about all the "what ifs". :)
We have received a few more donations since my last post and we continue to be incredibly grateful. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! God is just amazing and so are each of you who have listened to your hearts!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Shock and Awwww!
You guys, God is healing Harrison!! Miracles continue to happen and it is just so awesome to be a part of this through prayer. Please keep praying, this kid is going to be a walking testimony!! www.Caringbridge.org/visit/HarrisonLucas
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First of all, I have to tell you I was in shock today when I opened an envelope from a friend (another Ukrainian adoptive family) and found a check for $1,000 for our adoption!!!! Can you believe it?! I still can hardly believe they really were SO incredibly generous, not because of who they are or anything but just that anyone would have such an amazing and unselfish heart to help bring these girls home. I know this is hard earned money, and the economy is pretty darn lousy right now, so...just WOW!!!! THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!
I said to Dan, "Now if we could just get 10 more people to do that..." LOL
And now the "aw". I have been here in Ohio since last Wed. caring for Colleen's adorable little girls. V is 5 and L is 6. They were adopted from Ukraine in December. V has CP. When they first met her, she could not walk, or even sit up on her own! Now, just months later, she is doing AWESOME! She can walk with a walker, she can dress herself, feed herself and is just a bundle of sunshine. And when she sings Winnie The Pooh, she can melt even the hardest of hearts! If there was ever any doubt in our minds about adopting "Hope" (though our information on her still is very little), then it is surely gone now.
L is also a super cutie! She loves when I play Russian music in the car and tells me, "Make it too loud!" LOL So I do :)
We also had the pleasure of attending church with our friends on Sunday. They adopted 2 girls from the same internat at Yana, "Flower" (though she has since been moved) and "Faith". All the girls know each other. As a matter of fact, Yana is spending the night at their home now probably having the time of her life.
While at church we saw another boy who was also adopted from the same orphanage and a friend we met who was trying to adopt a boy they fell in love with from the same orphanage but ended up adopting the cutest, little angel girl. Oh my gosh this little girl is REALLLLY cute! She was also adopted in December and is 3.5 yrs old. She too has CP and was not walking (or crawling either I believe) when they met her. They were told she did not speak ANY Russian at all. Well, now she is WALKING with a walker and talking in 4-5 word sentences!!! Did I mention she is super cute! And oh my word, she is tiny, tiny tiny, like a little doll. She wears a size 18 months clothes and they still are a little big on her!! So I have decided when I get home I need to go shopping for more clothes for "Hope" that are smaller. I didn't buy anything that small! I know I don't have to by clothes now, but it's too much fun, especially when I find incredible deals, you know?!
Anyway, again, I am so ready to get "Hope". Seeing these amazing kids who have progressed so much, who have so much HOPE in them, it just kind of seals the deal for us, we are ready.
And lastly, some more awesome news! The SDA received our special request letter for "Hope" and have approved it! :) Dan is getting ready to paint and move furniture, we need to prepare her room!
Oh wait! I said "lastly" but I was wrong. More good news, I heard back from our homestudy agency today and they have agreed to expand our approval to adopt more children :) Woooo Hooooo!!!!
AND, we called a friend in Ukraine, who is also a caregiver at "Faith's" orphanage. Yana mentioned our interest in "Faith" and we heard she is doing well, still enjoying her singing and dancing. I thought that was really sweet and encouraging. You just never know as they get older and spend more time in the orphanage how they will be changed but she sounds to be doing well, still being a good girl.
Sadly there is no new news on "Flower's" situation. We are still praying for a miracle, I hope you are too!
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First of all, I have to tell you I was in shock today when I opened an envelope from a friend (another Ukrainian adoptive family) and found a check for $1,000 for our adoption!!!! Can you believe it?! I still can hardly believe they really were SO incredibly generous, not because of who they are or anything but just that anyone would have such an amazing and unselfish heart to help bring these girls home. I know this is hard earned money, and the economy is pretty darn lousy right now, so...just WOW!!!! THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!
I said to Dan, "Now if we could just get 10 more people to do that..." LOL
And now the "aw". I have been here in Ohio since last Wed. caring for Colleen's adorable little girls. V is 5 and L is 6. They were adopted from Ukraine in December. V has CP. When they first met her, she could not walk, or even sit up on her own! Now, just months later, she is doing AWESOME! She can walk with a walker, she can dress herself, feed herself and is just a bundle of sunshine. And when she sings Winnie The Pooh, she can melt even the hardest of hearts! If there was ever any doubt in our minds about adopting "Hope" (though our information on her still is very little), then it is surely gone now.
L is also a super cutie! She loves when I play Russian music in the car and tells me, "Make it too loud!" LOL So I do :)
We also had the pleasure of attending church with our friends on Sunday. They adopted 2 girls from the same internat at Yana, "Flower" (though she has since been moved) and "Faith". All the girls know each other. As a matter of fact, Yana is spending the night at their home now probably having the time of her life.
While at church we saw another boy who was also adopted from the same orphanage and a friend we met who was trying to adopt a boy they fell in love with from the same orphanage but ended up adopting the cutest, little angel girl. Oh my gosh this little girl is REALLLLY cute! She was also adopted in December and is 3.5 yrs old. She too has CP and was not walking (or crawling either I believe) when they met her. They were told she did not speak ANY Russian at all. Well, now she is WALKING with a walker and talking in 4-5 word sentences!!! Did I mention she is super cute! And oh my word, she is tiny, tiny tiny, like a little doll. She wears a size 18 months clothes and they still are a little big on her!! So I have decided when I get home I need to go shopping for more clothes for "Hope" that are smaller. I didn't buy anything that small! I know I don't have to by clothes now, but it's too much fun, especially when I find incredible deals, you know?!
Anyway, again, I am so ready to get "Hope". Seeing these amazing kids who have progressed so much, who have so much HOPE in them, it just kind of seals the deal for us, we are ready.
And lastly, some more awesome news! The SDA received our special request letter for "Hope" and have approved it! :) Dan is getting ready to paint and move furniture, we need to prepare her room!
Oh wait! I said "lastly" but I was wrong. More good news, I heard back from our homestudy agency today and they have agreed to expand our approval to adopt more children :) Woooo Hooooo!!!!
AND, we called a friend in Ukraine, who is also a caregiver at "Faith's" orphanage. Yana mentioned our interest in "Faith" and we heard she is doing well, still enjoying her singing and dancing. I thought that was really sweet and encouraging. You just never know as they get older and spend more time in the orphanage how they will be changed but she sounds to be doing well, still being a good girl.
Sadly there is no new news on "Flower's" situation. We are still praying for a miracle, I hope you are too!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Donation, Scan Results & Exhaustion
More prayers for Harrison PLEASE www.Caringbridge.org/visit/HarrisonLucas
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I am absolutely exhausted! We (Yana & I) made it to Ohio. It was a 7 hour drive which was surprisingly not that bad. It's been a long time since I have traveled this far being the only driver, so I wasn't sure I could hang anymore. Of course I had my morning coffee then had to get a boost from Starbucks on the way. I was awake but felt like I could gnaw my way through my seat belt. While a little caffeine is okay for me in the am (though I try not to anymore) caffeine (like coffee) midday after morning coffee gets me gritting my teeth and feeling like I am coming off of heavy drugs. Not enjoyable. Now I am lying in bed on the laptop (how nice to have wireless, hopefully we will have it our place soon) and getting ready to crash as I can barely see straight.
Well, we saw my Oncologist this morning and the news was good. Scratch that! The news was awesome!! My scans were clear, no concerns!!! Praise God! I almost cried when he told me. God is awesome!
Some more good news...again, scratch that...AWESOME news! I just signed on to find that we received ANOTHER DONATION!!!! That is so wonderful!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!
I just want people to know that we have received donations of $10 $20 $25 & $250 each and every donation is SOOOOO incredibly appreciated. If you feel moved to donate but have hesitated to because you felt like you didn't have much to give, please know that we believe every dollar makes a difference. We will be grateful for anything you are willing to contribute.
Okay, I must sleep now. I'm seriously way too tired. Good night and God bless!
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I am absolutely exhausted! We (Yana & I) made it to Ohio. It was a 7 hour drive which was surprisingly not that bad. It's been a long time since I have traveled this far being the only driver, so I wasn't sure I could hang anymore. Of course I had my morning coffee then had to get a boost from Starbucks on the way. I was awake but felt like I could gnaw my way through my seat belt. While a little caffeine is okay for me in the am (though I try not to anymore) caffeine (like coffee) midday after morning coffee gets me gritting my teeth and feeling like I am coming off of heavy drugs. Not enjoyable. Now I am lying in bed on the laptop (how nice to have wireless, hopefully we will have it our place soon) and getting ready to crash as I can barely see straight.
Well, we saw my Oncologist this morning and the news was good. Scratch that! The news was awesome!! My scans were clear, no concerns!!! Praise God! I almost cried when he told me. God is awesome!
Some more good news...again, scratch that...AWESOME news! I just signed on to find that we received ANOTHER DONATION!!!! That is so wonderful!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!
I just want people to know that we have received donations of $10 $20 $25 & $250 each and every donation is SOOOOO incredibly appreciated. If you feel moved to donate but have hesitated to because you felt like you didn't have much to give, please know that we believe every dollar makes a difference. We will be grateful for anything you are willing to contribute.
Okay, I must sleep now. I'm seriously way too tired. Good night and God bless!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Emotionally Maxxed Out
Keep praying for Harrison! www.CaringBridge.org/visit/HarrisonLucas
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I am exhausted! I napped yesterday for several hours and again today. I realize I am just emotionally maxed out. I'm sure the adoption uncertainties and finances play it's part but I don't think today thse are the biggest stressors for me.
First of all, my heart for Colleen and her son Harrison, is so incredibly heavy. I cannot tell you how much this has touched me. I just treasure my dear friend's friendship and want her family happy and healthy.
Then another dear friend's family had another tragedy today. We have been praying for her DH for a year now. He had Lymphoma (don't ask me which one, it is the more aggressive one though). He has been through surgery, chemo, radiation, more chemo, pnemonia, blood clots, etc. We were praying he was now on his way to recovery and good health but this morning things took an unexpected turn...he had a heart attack. I don't know much about the situation but gather he is stable at the moment or at least we pray so. Once again, my heart is so heavy for my friends and their young boys.
It is just so painful to see these friends I love hurting so bad. I can't help but hurt for them all.
Then tomorrow, it is time for my first post surgery cancer scan. While I have not been sitting around nervous about this, as it is completely unexpected that there should be anything of concern, the fear is building. What if? I mean, we weren't expecting anything last time either. It should be fine, right? As I was curled up on Dan's lap, crying on his shoulder he said, "Well, what if they find something? You already had the biggest abdominal surgery there is, what else could there be?" LOL I had to laugh, he does have a point there. Of course, no surgery or treatment or change of diagnosis (like from nonaggressive to aggressive cancer) would be best.
Anyway, we will pray for our dear friends and tomorrow's scans. I will see my Oncologist on Wednesday to hear, "Everything looks good!" then I am off for probably a week to help my dear friend in Ohio. Then I will be back for a day or so (I am guessing) and will be gone again for a week to PA with a visit to NYC (it will be Yana's first time). Then, unless Dan surprises me while we are away (he has to stay home and work :( he needs to save his vacation time for the adoption), we will likely be working in high gear to prepare the house and our bags for our trip to adopt the 3 girls! :)
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I am exhausted! I napped yesterday for several hours and again today. I realize I am just emotionally maxed out. I'm sure the adoption uncertainties and finances play it's part but I don't think today thse are the biggest stressors for me.
First of all, my heart for Colleen and her son Harrison, is so incredibly heavy. I cannot tell you how much this has touched me. I just treasure my dear friend's friendship and want her family happy and healthy.
Then another dear friend's family had another tragedy today. We have been praying for her DH for a year now. He had Lymphoma (don't ask me which one, it is the more aggressive one though). He has been through surgery, chemo, radiation, more chemo, pnemonia, blood clots, etc. We were praying he was now on his way to recovery and good health but this morning things took an unexpected turn...he had a heart attack. I don't know much about the situation but gather he is stable at the moment or at least we pray so. Once again, my heart is so heavy for my friends and their young boys.
It is just so painful to see these friends I love hurting so bad. I can't help but hurt for them all.
Then tomorrow, it is time for my first post surgery cancer scan. While I have not been sitting around nervous about this, as it is completely unexpected that there should be anything of concern, the fear is building. What if? I mean, we weren't expecting anything last time either. It should be fine, right? As I was curled up on Dan's lap, crying on his shoulder he said, "Well, what if they find something? You already had the biggest abdominal surgery there is, what else could there be?" LOL I had to laugh, he does have a point there. Of course, no surgery or treatment or change of diagnosis (like from nonaggressive to aggressive cancer) would be best.
Anyway, we will pray for our dear friends and tomorrow's scans. I will see my Oncologist on Wednesday to hear, "Everything looks good!" then I am off for probably a week to help my dear friend in Ohio. Then I will be back for a day or so (I am guessing) and will be gone again for a week to PA with a visit to NYC (it will be Yana's first time). Then, unless Dan surprises me while we are away (he has to stay home and work :( he needs to save his vacation time for the adoption), we will likely be working in high gear to prepare the house and our bags for our trip to adopt the 3 girls! :)
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Another Donation!!
Prayers, prayers and more prayers for Harrison PLEASE !!
Colleen just updated his CaringBridge site and he is off his ventilator!!! How awesome is that! There's still a LONG road of recovery ahead but one step at a time and God is showing His glory through Harrison each and everyday.
www.CaringBridge.org/visit/HarrisonLucas
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Can you believe it, we just received another donation!! Thank you soooooo much!
While I have NO DOUBT that we will be blessed to adopt 1, 2 or 3 of the girls, I hope people see the need these children have for a family. To say that we may be their only chance for a family is not any stretch of the imagination. Please pray that God will work through our family to show these girls the love of Christ, what it means to be a part of a family and give them a chance for God to work through them to help those left behind.
Thank you again for the generous donations and God bless!!!
Eph 1:5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will...
Rom 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"
Colleen just updated his CaringBridge site and he is off his ventilator!!! How awesome is that! There's still a LONG road of recovery ahead but one step at a time and God is showing His glory through Harrison each and everyday.
www.CaringBridge.org/visit/HarrisonLucas
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Can you believe it, we just received another donation!! Thank you soooooo much!
While I have NO DOUBT that we will be blessed to adopt 1, 2 or 3 of the girls, I hope people see the need these children have for a family. To say that we may be their only chance for a family is not any stretch of the imagination. Please pray that God will work through our family to show these girls the love of Christ, what it means to be a part of a family and give them a chance for God to work through them to help those left behind.
Thank you again for the generous donations and God bless!!!
Eph 1:5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will...
Rom 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"
An Incredible Friend & A Little Shopping
Check & see how Harrison is doing and continue to lift him and his family up in prayer! We are praying for full recovery in record timing (at least I am, but I am sure I am not alone in this) and peace, hope, strength and grace over my dear friend, Colleen & her beloved husband, Robert. Please keep praying! www.CaringBridge.org/visit/HarrisonLucas
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First of all, can you believe my amazing friend, going through what could easily be the most difficult time in her life has reached out to help us with our adoption by contributing to our funds?! I should have known better than to talk to her about my latest blog news :) She is such an incredible friend, I am truly blessed!
In other news, we continue to prepare for our trip (just 8 more weeks) and the excitement continues to build. We were at Walmart today and decided to pick up a few things for "Hope". I am thinking of things we can bring to do either while we visit her at the Baby House or when we take custody of her & on the plane. We have bought her a Sesame Street coloring book, Play-Doh with accessories, jumbo triangular crayons (don't now how good they are, didn't have them when Anthony was little but they say they are good for toddlers), Barney DVD, Veggie Tales DVD and 2 beach balls. I also was reading on another family's blog about the puppet they brought and think that was a great idea, so I'm going to hunt one down to bring too (they apparently do not carry them at Walmart). I was thinking maybe I will bring some of those blow sticks that come with bubbles and we can make our own with soap and water (if I can find some non-toxic soap in Ukraine) I just can't wait to meet her. We are just so sure she is meant to be ours.
Dan said today he believes we are supposed to adopting all three girls. I think that is awesome that he believes that and I am praying God will provide (though we are running short on time). Dan thinks we should go ahead and prepare for the 3 by requesting an update for our homestudy so that our INS approval will also be updated by the time we need to go to court in Ukraine. I am really feeling like I cannot leave "Faith" behind. I know I have asked this before, but please pray that we will be able adopt all 3 girls during this trip and that God will provide, work out all the details and smooth out any obstacles if it is His will.
Thank you! Happy 4th of July. I hope you had a fun and safe day. God bless!
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First of all, can you believe my amazing friend, going through what could easily be the most difficult time in her life has reached out to help us with our adoption by contributing to our funds?! I should have known better than to talk to her about my latest blog news :) She is such an incredible friend, I am truly blessed!
In other news, we continue to prepare for our trip (just 8 more weeks) and the excitement continues to build. We were at Walmart today and decided to pick up a few things for "Hope". I am thinking of things we can bring to do either while we visit her at the Baby House or when we take custody of her & on the plane. We have bought her a Sesame Street coloring book, Play-Doh with accessories, jumbo triangular crayons (don't now how good they are, didn't have them when Anthony was little but they say they are good for toddlers), Barney DVD, Veggie Tales DVD and 2 beach balls. I also was reading on another family's blog about the puppet they brought and think that was a great idea, so I'm going to hunt one down to bring too (they apparently do not carry them at Walmart). I was thinking maybe I will bring some of those blow sticks that come with bubbles and we can make our own with soap and water (if I can find some non-toxic soap in Ukraine) I just can't wait to meet her. We are just so sure she is meant to be ours.
Dan said today he believes we are supposed to adopting all three girls. I think that is awesome that he believes that and I am praying God will provide (though we are running short on time). Dan thinks we should go ahead and prepare for the 3 by requesting an update for our homestudy so that our INS approval will also be updated by the time we need to go to court in Ukraine. I am really feeling like I cannot leave "Faith" behind. I know I have asked this before, but please pray that we will be able adopt all 3 girls during this trip and that God will provide, work out all the details and smooth out any obstacles if it is His will.
Thank you! Happy 4th of July. I hope you had a fun and safe day. God bless!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Donations and Additional Funds
Keep praying for Harrison www.CaringBridge.org/visit/HarrisonLucas
Wow! So Ashley's plea for help actually touched someone who also contributed to our adoption!! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I do not know this person either, how incredible is that. God bless you!
The refund check that I mentioned in an earlier post also arrived today, so that definitely makes my heart smile. My mom also said she would contribute the funds she has built up by selling Avon, which is about $1,000. When she cuts the check, I'll update my FundsTracker :)
Well, I've begun praying for the 3 girls to adopt again. For those who weren't previously following our blog, there is a 13 yr old girl, "Faith" (previously referred to as "Buttercup") that we met while adopting Yana. She has been on our hearts and we would like to bring her home as well. We have been advocating for her for over 2 yrs. She has been available for hosting but no one is interested in a child that old (and she was 11 2 yrs ago!). The only people that seem interested in children that old, are people who have already met children that old that captured their hearts, much like us I guess. So maybe the reason is because she is meant to be OUR daughter. Of course this would mean we would need an additional $5,000 in adoption costs. So for now we will just keep moving forward as we have been, praying big and then seeing what God has planned when we get there.
Sometimes I think we are nuts for thinking of adopting 3 at a time but I also don't think we will be done after two more (Dan doesn't think we will be done after 3 more but I can promise you I will not start another adoption journey 3 months after getting home with 3 like we did after we got home with Yana). I am sick of the journey and am ready to move on with our lives. I know that if it is God's will, He will take care of us through all the obstacles of raising these kids. I just so admire large families, particularly those that homeschool. I really hope God has a plan to grow our family. I guess we will have to wait and see, huh?
EDITED AT 12:46 AM TO ADD: I just learned that "Faith's" birthday is a day before "Flower's". Weird, huh? Both girls will have their birthdays just days before we are on our way to Ukraine. So by the time we get there "Fatih" will be 14 and "Flower" will be 12. Don't know if I posted this before but "Hope" is 3.5 yr old.
Wow! So Ashley's plea for help actually touched someone who also contributed to our adoption!! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I do not know this person either, how incredible is that. God bless you!
The refund check that I mentioned in an earlier post also arrived today, so that definitely makes my heart smile. My mom also said she would contribute the funds she has built up by selling Avon, which is about $1,000. When she cuts the check, I'll update my FundsTracker :)
Well, I've begun praying for the 3 girls to adopt again. For those who weren't previously following our blog, there is a 13 yr old girl, "Faith" (previously referred to as "Buttercup") that we met while adopting Yana. She has been on our hearts and we would like to bring her home as well. We have been advocating for her for over 2 yrs. She has been available for hosting but no one is interested in a child that old (and she was 11 2 yrs ago!). The only people that seem interested in children that old, are people who have already met children that old that captured their hearts, much like us I guess. So maybe the reason is because she is meant to be OUR daughter. Of course this would mean we would need an additional $5,000 in adoption costs. So for now we will just keep moving forward as we have been, praying big and then seeing what God has planned when we get there.
Sometimes I think we are nuts for thinking of adopting 3 at a time but I also don't think we will be done after two more (Dan doesn't think we will be done after 3 more but I can promise you I will not start another adoption journey 3 months after getting home with 3 like we did after we got home with Yana). I am sick of the journey and am ready to move on with our lives. I know that if it is God's will, He will take care of us through all the obstacles of raising these kids. I just so admire large families, particularly those that homeschool. I really hope God has a plan to grow our family. I guess we will have to wait and see, huh?
EDITED AT 12:46 AM TO ADD: I just learned that "Faith's" birthday is a day before "Flower's". Weird, huh? Both girls will have their birthdays just days before we are on our way to Ukraine. So by the time we get there "Fatih" will be 14 and "Flower" will be 12. Don't know if I posted this before but "Hope" is 3.5 yr old.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
I have been blessed!
Please continue to keep Harrison and his family lifted in prayer http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/harrisonlucas
Wow! I have been so blessed today by a friend whom I've never met face-to-face. Ashley (another homeschool mom in the process of adopting a known older child), asked if she could feature us on her blog, asking for others to see our need for prayers and financial need to complete this adoption (can you believe we leave next month!!!). Just her email and thoughtfullness was a blessing to us, but then when I saw what she posted on her blog today, I was brought to tears. What a blessing she is!! Even though she is also still in need of funds to complete her own adoption, she is wanting to help us! I am just humbled by her love and compassion.
As if that weren't enough she made a very nice donation towards our adoption! God bless her!!
Of course we will continue to lift her adoption and medical needs in prayer but will also return the love by featuring her on our blog when we return. http://fumia.blogspot.com/
Wow! I have been so blessed today by a friend whom I've never met face-to-face. Ashley (another homeschool mom in the process of adopting a known older child), asked if she could feature us on her blog, asking for others to see our need for prayers and financial need to complete this adoption (can you believe we leave next month!!!). Just her email and thoughtfullness was a blessing to us, but then when I saw what she posted on her blog today, I was brought to tears. What a blessing she is!! Even though she is also still in need of funds to complete her own adoption, she is wanting to help us! I am just humbled by her love and compassion.
As if that weren't enough she made a very nice donation towards our adoption! God bless her!!
Of course we will continue to lift her adoption and medical needs in prayer but will also return the love by featuring her on our blog when we return. http://fumia.blogspot.com/
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