Birthday Donation

This month, our Warrior turns six!  On the day of his birthday, we plan to have a birthday celebration in his honor.  Even, though he won't be here to participate in it, hopefully he'll know we're thinking of him.  In honor of his Birthday month, would you consider a $6 dollar donation?  ...or any amount with a "6" in it?  Please use the PayPal button below.  All donations will get transferred to a special bank account solely dedicated to Warrior's adoption cost.  Thanks ahead of time for your generosity!

Our Adoption Story

This week is a busy week.  I'm putting the final touches on our video for Give1Save1 fundraiser for the week of April 22nd. 

Adoption is NOT for me...

That's what I thought for many years. Once Matt and I started our own family, I think we both realized maybe one day we would adopt. Adoption was something Matt and I seemed to just joke about and toss the idea around as if it may never actually happen. Well, let me tell you adoption is for EVERYONE whether you realize it or not. God makes it very clear in the Bible how He holds the orphans and widows very close to His heart as we should ("A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,is God in his holy dwelling.God sets the lonely in families..."-Psalm 68:5-6). Why did I not know this? To be honest, I did know this, but like many, I chose to gloss over those verses because at the time they really didn't apply to me. God has the amazing ability to see straight through our hearts and convict us of what we are doing wrong. What were we doing wrong? We were ignoring the orphans. It is very easy to ignore the orphans when you have your own family and all your needs are met. You can see them in a picture or on tv and think oh, that's sad and then flip the page or change the channel. But, when you welcome one into your home, you can no longer ignore there is a tremendous need for these children who are without a family. You can no longer pretend those verses don't apply to you. You can no longer believe these orphans don't matter. They matter to Him and they should matter to us!

Now am I saying everyone is called to adopt? NO, absolutely NOT!!!! There are people out there who shouldn't adopt and people out there who are being called to adopt, but aren't obeying God's call for their lives. I can admit that I was one of those until now. I can no longer be silent. I can no longer look at pictures of orphans and see them on tv and not be moved to the core. You might be reading this and thinking how can you help or you might be thinking I am just another crazy nut who jumped on the adoption train. Either way, there is something everyone can do to help. It is unacceptable to God to just sit around and do nothing like I once did. You can help by praying for those who are adopting and pray for the orphans who hope to be in a family one day.

Did you know before you accepted Jesus Christ, you were an orphan? Do you remember how it felt to be without hope and a family (the body of Christ)? I can't imagine living a life without HOPE! Everyday, these orphans face the reality they may never be in a family. Sadly, many of them will age out of the system before ever being adopted and turn to drugs, prostitution or even suicide. Where is their HOPE? Jesus is their hope and as Christians we are supposed to be the hands and feet of Jesus. PRAY for them! Pray for those who are adopting. This adoption journey is not an easy one.

Another way you can help is by donating to a family who is adopting. Not everyone is financially able to give money, but there are some who are and don't. Once again, I admit I was one of those. It just didn't apply to me and my life. How quickly (like many others) I forgot God's word and how I am supposed to take care of the widows and the orphans. I could have given, but I didn't. Are you able to give, but aren't? My dream one day (once we are debt-free) is to be able to fully fund someone's adoption. Unfortunately, many choose not to adopt because they can't afford it. Part of our journey is going out on faith God will provide our funding and last time I checked, God is a faithful God!

Did we choose adoption for our family??? The simple answer is no. I believe God chose adoption for our family and we are being obedient to what God has led us to do. This journey has been hard and at times I have felt like I just can't go any further. But, that is what Satan wants me to believe. He wants us to think we can't do this and we will never have all the money we need. These are lies and we will choose to stand on the truth!

As you go through your week, please take a moment and pray for us and our Warrior. He is only one, but he is one LESS! Thank you for all who have prayed and given so far. May God bless each of your families for your faithfulness to Him.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." -James 1:27

Give1Save1 Europe

Don't forget, we're going to be the feature family the week of April 22nd at Give1Save1 Europe.   We're currently putting the final touches on our video that will be posted on Give1Save1 that week.  All blog readers are asked to give $1 via PayPal during that week. The idea is that if every viewer of the blog would give just $1, then financial barriers to international adoption would disappear.   All the money we receive that week will go straight toward the remaining costs for Warrior's adoption.

Here's a preview of our video...

Yesterday, Kristie and I had a date...in Atlanta...no kids...  We had our final round of fingerprinting at the USCIS application office!

Now, I can officially say that this adoption is 100% out of our hands.  No more forms, notaries, fingerprints, or medical physicals.  We will now wait for an email from Lat*ia with the date and time of our court appearance.  We will literally be given two weeks notice of the court date.

Both Encouraged and Discouraged

Today, I am both encouraged and discouraged.

I am encouraged that the process is moving along faster than we thought. We have our final fingerprinting in Atlanta this coming Friday afternoon, April 5th.  About one week after that, we should get USCIS approval.  The approval letter will be scanned and emailed to Lat>ia to complete our dossier.  We expect that 4 to 6 weeks after that, that we will get a referral email from Lat>ia (our 2 weeks notice of a court date in Riga).  In other words, I think we are seven to eight weeks away from travelling!  This seems to be happening way too fast!

However, that brings me to my discouragement.  So far we have not been able to raise the money that we had hoped, meaning that all of our expenses are paid for out of pocket.  While we have the money to pay for the travel and this adoption, I am concerned that we will drain our savings and as a result, this will put us in a really uncomfortable situation.  We have applied for two grants, but I am not optimistic about getting approved.  We are not eligible for most of the grants that I have found for various reasons.  Additionally, my employer doesn't offer any kind of adoption assistance.  I know that God will provide for us since we were led by Him to adopt.

On a more upbeat note, we found out today that the husband of Rebekah's soccer coach is Lat>ian!  Not only that, he has the same first name as our Warrior!  What are the chances?  We have known this family for several years, but never knew that he has a Lat>ian heritage.  I found out that his grandparents and father immigrated to America when the Russians occupied Lat>ia during World War II.  

Happy Birthday Nana!

Happy 94th Birthday to Nana...!

Big Necklace Day

Tonight, we were cranking out the Warrior Necklaces.  Our dining room has been turned into a necklace factory.  Our hands are sore from working with plyers.  The Quality Control department is in full swing making sure the little elves aren't doing rush jobs!  Tomorrow is our weekly homeschool coop meeting/classes.  The girls are prepared to deliver the pre-paid necklaces that were ordered last week.  Additionally, they have many new designs that they intend to display.  So praying for a big selling day Thursday.  The girls even have a sign that reads:

"THANK YOU FOR HELPING US BRING OUR BROTHER HOME FROM LAT>IA"

Thanks to eBay where we found some good quality, very affordable supplies.  I'm even toying with the idea of selling Warrior Necklaces on eBay.  I have my first eBay listing ready to go.  Stay tuned to this blog, because I'll be posting some new designs that they've been creating.

Found out today that the Lat>ian Ministry takes an extended holiday during July.  So, I know which month we won't be travelling...!

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