News

     We are still waiting on our fingerprints to come back and then we will be ready to send in to the Secretary of State. We have some GREAT news and some not so good news to share.

The GREAT news is God continues to work through people to make this Adoption possible! GOD IS GOOD! :)  He has blessed us with so much! We had a very helpful donation to the adoption this past weekend from a dear family and we are just so overwhelmed and grateful! Words cannot even describe how thankful we are to everyone who has stuck by our side and have been praying for us, helping with fundraisers and ideas and donating time and money!!  We give all the Glory to God, without Him none of this would be possible!

     Also, looking forward to see what God has planned, as he has opened up the opportunity for me (Elizabeth) to begin a second job on the weekends.

     Ok, so the not so good news is an e-mail that we received from the adoption agency. I am just going to copy and paste most of the email to the blog so you can read it...

After watching the referral trends over the last few months, we see the need to amend the wait times as some families are starting to surpass the 24 month mark of waiting.  The wait times are increasing from 18-24 months to 24-30 months for a male or female infant or toddler.  We do not have as many families requesting children four years and older and thus the wait for those families will likely be shorter than the current wait times.

 

Paperwork, specifically the clearance, is still the main contributor for the slowdown in the Ethiopia program.  If we have a child in the transition home who is completely paper-ready, but does not have a clearance, we need to wait on that final document before referring the child to a family.  Unfortunately, the clearance process is still one that is intensive and can be drawn out over many, many months; the final clearance could take one month or 1+ years to obtain.  Unfortunately, this is a process that we are not permitted to manipulate and is contingent on the governmental bodies in Ethiopia. 

 

We know this is difficult news, especially in light of the holidays.  We are excited to post our November Referral Update on our blog later this week as there were over 10 referrals this month. We want to walk through this journey with your family and will do as much as possible on our side to have these children placed in homes as quickly as possible.


     It is hard to think we are going to have to wait EVEN longer to bring home our child, but we know God has a plan. We ask that you please pray for patience for us and for the Ethiopian government to speed up their process someway, somehow! Thanks! :)
________________________________________________________________________________

 " Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." Romans 5:1-5

Fingerprinting

The fingerprinting went really well on Wednesday! We had to go to Homeland Security in Greer, SC. The people were really nice and praised us for going through this process. Two weeks prior to getting fingerprinted we were constantly cautious of messing up our fingertips, cause one cut and they won't do it. We are thankful that there were no cuts and we finally have it done! The man said I had soft fingerprints so he did it on the computer and the old fashion way with ink pad just in case the FBI denied the computer ones. I thought that was really nice of him to go out of his way just to make sure it would be approved!
 As soon as we receive our paperwork back saying we aren't criminals then we can send in to the Secretary of State. In NC we have to send in all the paperwork for the Dossier to the state to be notarized before it can be sent in to Ethiopia. They charged $10 per sheet, so it is going to cost us about $1,000 to do that! We weren't expecting it to be that much. We are excited that we have made it this far, but all the glory to God. We can't take credit for the way God has made this possible. We know that the Lord can still close the door on the Adoption at any point, but we will continue to move forward until he does. We are currently trying to come up with new fundraiser ideas and looking for grants to apply for.

Repost of another blog

I received this in an e-mail from our Adoption agency and thought I'd share it.. It is long, but so worth reading! :)

Adoption - Is It Worth It?

I’ve often wondered and been asked many times why international adoptions take so long, and are so complex. The question behind that of course is, “Is it really worth it?” “It sounds very risky?”
We have been in the process of an international adoption for almost one year. We expect to be in process for at least one more. During that time, we have had both highs & lows. We have experienced exhilaration, disappointment, confusion, and frustration along the way. I can begin to explain why adoptions take so long. I could talk about infrastructure in a third world country, government bureaucracy, child trafficking protections, and yes, even possible corruption. That would not be a good use of time, because I can’t affect any of those issues.
I would like to answer the questions behind the question and tell you about unspeakable joy & adventure in the journey itself.
Despite all the red tape, delays, hassles, costs, mosquito bites, and setbacks, it is indeed worth it! Belle & I just returned from our second trip to Haiti and had this very conversation.  We wouldn’t trade a second of this journey. It has been a profound, life altering decision and journey. We don’t know what tomorrow holds and that is just fine. Here are just a few reasons that adoption is a worth it, and you can’t put a price tag on it.

• Building a love & concern in our family for the marginalized.
• Watching my children cultivate a missional & servant mindset.
• Experiencing Jesus in deeper & more powerful ways.
• Being exposed to third world poverty and brokenness.
• Seeing our local church grow in concern for orphan care.
• Having an opportunity to love on orphans in practical ways.
• Meeting incredible people.
• Seeing the body of Christ in action in diverse ways.
• Watching miracles & seeing prayers answered.
• Observing a girl set free from modern day slavery.
• Watching my wife meet our daughter for the first time.
• Seeing our extended family support and grow in excitement for us.

Then there is Monday night 11/19/2012 at 11pm. I look down and see my new daughter fast asleep beside me on a single bed in Port au Prince. I watch her, study her, and place my hand on her back to feel her breathe. I am extra careful to make sure I don’t inadvertently roll over on her. I’m not sleeping. This is almost too much for me to take in. The events and red tape that have gotten us to this point suddenly no longer exist. Do you understand the miracle that has taken place? I’m laying next to my daughter at this point, not an orphan.  We have been given the ‘experience’ of adoption. This is something Paul talks about in Galatians, where we receive a very deep knowing (feeling) of our adoption through Christ. On human terms, as I lay beside our sleeping girl, I’m realizing this is taking place. I’m loving her with fatherly love, which is distinct, unique, jealous, and powerful! I’m also noticing that she doesn’t look like me in any way, and that doesn’t matter in the slightest.   I’m watching this all happen in the course of 48 hours, and appreciating the fact that after our embassy appointment, we will leave her behind for another long period of time.  It could be easy to become saddened over this. I am not sad. I am appreciating the journey and the joy God provides when we get engaged in the sort of activities for which we were designed. 
I don’t know exactly how this story ends. There are going to be more disappointments.  There are going to be difficult days. It’s also going to be okay, because God is in control and in the end He wins. We are learning that when we take risks like this, God will indeed provide the strength for the task just at the right time. Anyone who knows me understands that I am a sinful person prone to selfish tendencies. I’ve met some personal heroes on this trip that leave me lacking much. Somehow in God’s mercy He has placed me in the Son, and that gives us the power & strength to do anything. What is even more stunning is that God tells us that it is He Himself working, not us. There is no room for boasting here. This is God’s doing, God’s work, & God’s goodness. We just happen to have been given a front row seat!
Anthony Schultz – Haiti Adoptive Family

What's next?

     We received our appointment times for getting fingerprinted in South Carolina for the USCIS and once we get that done, we should be good to send in the Dossier to Ethiopia! Woo hoo! 
    We have been working on grants now and prayerfully sending them out! It is unbelievable how much work goes into each grant application! We pray that they will be able to help us; we will be grateful for anything!
     We praise the Lord for how far we have come and continue to pray and trust in his plan! :o)

Moving Forward

We received our Home Study paperwork last week and sent in our 1-600A form which will include being fingerprinted by the FBI. It costs $890 to complete this form, crazy huh? As soon as we get fingerprinted and raise some more money we will be able to send in the Dossier. The Dossier is the final paperwork that will be sent to Ethiopia, so we are getting close! Also, now that we have the home study we can start applying for grants!!! We just continue to trust that the Lord will provide. :)

Honestly

I have been wanting to write on the blog for a few weeks but haven't had time with my mom's hip replacement.
I don't even know where to start...

I love this time of year, the weather, the holidays approaching, the pumpkins and smells! But it has been difficult for me to see pictures of everyone's children plastered all over Facebook with the pumpkins and the family portraits. It makes me want our child to be here, to be able to take him/her to a pumpkin patch, to take family pictures and plaster them all over Facebook too! I knew the adoption process would be a journey, but it is hard for me because instead of being excited to becoming a new mom, like every mom should be; We are struggling to find fundraiser ideas, and  begging people to help us financially. I dislike our whole focus being on money, money, money. But, it kind of has to be if we will ever be able to bring this child home! I'm not the kind of person who likes to ask for help, and especially to ask people for money! This is hard for me and the only reason I continue to push forward is for our child whom is waiting on us to bring them home!  I've been anxious ever since we sent in our $2000 for the home study, which left our Adoption fund extremely low and left me wondering what in the world are we going to do? I don't want to sound ungrateful, because I am extremely grateful and we couldn't have come this far without everyone's help. We will continue to move forward,  trusting in God and knowing that he will continue to provide just as he has so far. We have a picture on the wall that says, "The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you." We believe that! :)

Another speed bump has been that when Allan lost his job in December, he was unable to get insurance until he started at Biltmore and a few months after he got insurance he had the endoscopy and colonoscopy and now the insurance is saying that because it was more than 63 days before he got insurance that everything is considered a pre-existing condition meaning they aren't going to pay for any of it. That leaves us with $15,000 in medical bills! We are overwhelmed, but continue to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding, seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take" Proverbs 3:5-6.

 We can't do this by ourselves, we are exhausted, we are anxious and overwhelmed! We just continue to give it to God, he is in control not us, we will continue to seek his guidance in what we need to do and trust in Him because HE is all we have! I just ask that you please pray for us during this time. This too shall pass! Thank you.

Zumba Fundraiser!

Wow! Zumba was a lot of fun last night, I didn't want to stop! We had three raffles, a Mary Kay basket, a Zumba basket, and a Photography Session all donated to us! Krystal really went all out and had a table with her Mary Kay in neat little baskets with candy, we had our crafts/earrings on a table, Melissa's daughter had made picture frames, and we had a table for Allan's newly started business, Scentsy.
We are so thankful, grateful and blessed  for all the help that people continue to give us through this long journey. We are thankful to Melissa and her family who donated their time, their abilities and their resources to make this Zumba fundraiser happen! We also couldn't have done this without all the help of all our friends and my mom! They continue to stand by us and show support and help in any way that they can. Words cannot even describe how blessed we are to have them in our lives. We thank God everyday for all he has done for us and all the people that he is putting in our lives! It is so neat to see God working in our lives, through the good and the bad and to know he is always there!

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

Here are some pictures from the Zumba fundraiser! 

The group from last night, minus a few!

Allan's Scentsy Table

Melissa's Daughters picture frame table

My mom at our Craft/Earring table

Krystal's Mary Kay table

Karen and Heather collecting money

Dancing!

Good News!

We finished up our last home study today with her coming to our house. Everything went well and we are so grateful! She asked more questions and she did a walk through of the inside and outside of our home. She said we are approved and now we can continue to move forward in the process. We now owe $2000 for the homestudy completion and are waiting on the bill for her travel expenses from today. We have about a 90 day wait for her to complete the homestudy paperwork and then she will send us 3 copies. When we receive that paperwork we will add it to all the other documents we have to make up our Dossier and will send that in to Ethiopia! We are making progress and give God all the Glory! He really gave me peace and calmness through these interviews as normally I'd be a hot mess! I read a lot of scripture while waiting to start each homestudy and was encouraged by Psalm 118 & 119. I also clung to Matthew 6:25-34 because I tend to worry too much!

We are so overwhelmed with love! We are so blessed that God has put so many people in our path and their willingness to help us start our family! We have another fundraiser in place for September 28th at 6:30 at the VFW in Brevard. We are so thankful for this opportunity and for the people that are making this happen for us! We couldn't do this without all their help, support and encouragement! We had a friend who put up a donation jar at her work and people donated $48! I'm just in awe of how much support we have received! We just can't thank everyone enough for their continued prayers and support! This is a long journey and we are so blessed to have all this support!  Ok, I could keep going on and on about how blessed we are. But, it is time to go to church so I'll end for now!

Here is Matthew 6:25-34 NLT for all you other worriers out there!

²⁵ “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? ²⁷ Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
²⁸ “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, ²⁹ yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. ³⁰ And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
³¹ “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ ³² These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. ³³ Seek the Kingdom of God^[d] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
³⁴ “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Homestudy!

Ok, Tomorrow we are heading to Charlotte for two days to officially start the Home Study! I am nervous because of the unknown, but ready to get it over with! Then she will be coming to our house next Wednesday. We know this is all in God's hands and we are at peace with the outcome, whatever it may be! Prayers appreciated always!! :o)

Bracelet Fundraiser

Here is our next Adoption fundraiser idea! We are excited to try and start selling plastic bracelets that say Faith, Hope, Love on one side and the other side says 1 Corinthians 13:13! One minor issue is they are not the color we were expecting, we thought we were getting a light green and this is more like a bright green, but it'll do! We are asking $3.00 each and our goal is to sell 200 of them! Can you help us out?
 

Faith, Hope, Love

1 Corinthians 13:13

Paper inside says: Three things will last forever-faith, hope and love-
and the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13
Love is the greatest of all human qualities and is an attribute of God himself.
Love involves unselfish service to others.
Faith is the foundation and content of God's message; Hope is the attitude and focus;
Love is action. When Faith and Hope are in line, you are free to Love
completely because you understand how God loves.

Thank you for purchasing a bracelet to help us bring home a child
from Ethiopia that needs Love!
-Elizabeth & Allan Pack

Sporting our new bracelets! Hope you will be willing to wear one too!

Homestudy Update

We just found out today that our home study will start a lot sooner than we thought. We were told it could be up to three months before we got in and instead it is only 3 weeks away! We have our first home study in Charlotte on Sept. 5th and will stay the night for another study on Sept 6th and then Sept. 12th she will come to our house for the last home study. So excited and nervous! This journey has really brought us closer to God and is making us rely on Only HIM! We continue to trust in the Lord and the plan he has for us, whatever that may be!
 
Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!Psalm 66:20

Homestudy

We are still waiting to hear if all the paperwork we sent in was correct for the home study. But, for all those wondering, here is some information that we were given from American World (our adoption agency) on what a Home study is:

1. What is a home study?
Once prospective adoptive parents apply to adopt a child (whether they apply to an agency,
an attorney or facilitator, or directly to the court in an independent adoption), the laws of all 50
states and the District of Columbia require that the applicants undergo a "home study." This process
involves education and preparation as well as the gathering of information about the prospective
parents. Ideally, the home study helps to build a partnership between the adoption social worker
and the applicants. A home study is a written document that provides a comprehensive picture of
your current life and background. In order for an international adoption to be finalized, a home
study must be submitted with your dossier.
2. What is discussed in a home study?
Some of the topics discussed are motivation for adoption, expectations regarding adoption:
short-term and long term, attitude towards biological parents, type of child desired: age, sex,
medical concerns, and attitudes of extended family and non-resident siblings. Your caseworker will
also explore your values related to parenting, marriage, finances, spiritual beliefs, and child-care
plans. In addition to the issues discussed, state criminal record checks, child abuse registry checks
and references will be obtained. For residents in the state of Maryland, motor vehicle clearances,
child support clearances, a home fire safety inspection, a home sanitation survey and an FBI
clearance for each adult in the home must also be obtained. Other states may have other
requirements as well.
3. General information about the home study process
There is no set format that adoption agencies use to conduct home studies. They must follow the
general regulations of their state, but they have the freedom to develop their own application
packet, policies, and procedures within those regulations. Some agencies will have prospective
parents attend one or several group orientation sessions or a series of training classes before they
complete an application. Others will have their social worker start by meeting with family members
individually and then ask that they attend educational meetings later on. America World staff
members are glad to answer any questions and to guide applicants through the process.
The home study itself is a written report of the findings of the social worker who has met with the
applicants on several occasions, both individually and together. At least one meeting will occur in
the applicant's home as this is what makes it a “home study.” If there are other people living in the
home they also will be interviewed by the social worker.

**The average home study process takes 1 to 4 months to complete, but it can take longer depending upon the size and dynamics of your family. The home study process, the contents of the written home study report, and the time it will take to complete vary from state to state. In general, the following information is included in a home study:
Personal and family background including upbringing, siblings, key events and what was learned from them Significant people in the lives of the applicants Marriage and family relationships Motivation to adopt Expectations for the child, Feelings about infertility (if this is an issue) Parenting philosophy, including discipline and integration of the child into the family Family environment Physical and mental health history of the applicants Education, employment and finances including insurance coverage and child care plans if needed References and criminal background and child.

Oh yeah!!!

Ready to mail out tomorrow!

 Allan got his doctors letters back today! Soooo, that means we finally have ALL the paperwork needed so we can start the home study! Praise the Lord! This is a big step for us! We need lots of prayers as we continue to move forward. Yay! We are so happy, thankful and blessed!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting it ready to mail out!

One step closer! Here is all the Home study paperwork!

AWESOME News...

I'm behind in updating so I'll start with the Awesome news first! Allan's procedure went really well on Monday! They were going back in to do a needle point biopsy on a spot in his intestines and when they got in there the spot was GONE! How Awesome, Faithful, Loving is our God?!? We are so blessed and relieved to have that over with! No more concerns about cancer! Praise GOD!
Allan went to doctor today to have more blood work done to see if he is still Anemic and if all goes well, they should give him the OK and finish up his paperwork so we can Finally start the Home Study!! It has taken 3 extra months to get through all these medical issues, so if you are thinking about Adopting.. Go to the Doctor First so you don't have to go through this!

I was also going to say our Adoption Fundraiser last Saturday went really well! The rain held off the entire time we were there! We are thankful for the support of family and friends whom continue to support us and the willingness of others to donate items for us to sell. We are grateful! At first, I have to admit I was only focused on the fact that this yard sale was a lot of hard work and was a Big flop because we didn't raise as much money as we had hoped for BUT then my eyes were open to all that God was doing at this yard sale. We had the opportunity to hand out several bibles, hear a women's testimony about her miracle children and a friend's testimony being shared with a pre-Christian. I am ashamed that I was disappointed when in all actuality this yard sale was a Big Win! I pray that we planted that seed in people's lives and that they will come to know the LORD as their Savior! That is so much more important than our financial gain for the Adoption because I know that God will help us financially pay for this Adoption!

We are going to look into Bowling for our next Adoption Fundraiser! But, I could use some suggestions, if anyone has any! :o) I think I have fixed the blog settings so anyone can leave a comment, even if they don't have an account!

Here are some pictures from the Yard Sale! :o) 

Trusting in the LORD

So I wanted to update everyone on what is going on and ask for prayers! Allan's doctor has scheduled him another appointment for this Monday. He had a biopsy done on a nodule in his intestine and they want to do an endoscopy with ultrasound to see if it is cancerous and to see if there are any more nodules in his intestines. All we can do is pray that it isn't cancerous and trust in the Lord's plan for us. The Lord has given us peace through this but ask that you pray for us through this time as we wait....

On a brighter note, we are having the Adoption Fundraiser yard sale tomorrow at Wellington Estates Clubhouse from 7am-1pm! Come help support us as we desperately try to move forward!

Patience

 Allan's procedure went well today, thanks for all your prayers! Praise God! We will update when we hear back from the doctors!  :o)

Update

So here is an update:

Allan had his consultation doctor appointment on Thursday and he still has to have the  procedure done, BUT they were able to work him in and he goes next Friday, June 29th! That is definitely an answered prayer as we are really running out of time to get this paperwork sent it to start the home study. We are praying that everything goes well with the procedure and that they can figure out what is going on! This doctor's report is all we lack in sending in our home study paperwork! :o) Can't believe how far we have come but know we have a long way to go too!

Allan and I decided to go ahead and have a Craft/Yard Sale here in Arden on July 14th. We are doing it at the Wellington Community Estates Clubhouse and pray it goes well. We don't really know how many people will find it or come but it is worth a try. So, if you want to come, let us know and we can give you directions! If you know where we live then you will have no trouble getting to the Clubhouse! :o) Oh, and we are still in need of yard sale items to sell if you have anything you want to donate for it too! 

We are so blessed, thankful and grateful! 

Looking Forward....

Allan and I spent time today going through the paperwork for the home study. We had not looked at the paperwork for about a month since we are waiting on the Doctor so it was so nice to get back into it and see how far we really have come. Feeling more encouraged tonight than I have in a while! :o) Continuing to press forward and Trust in the plan the Lord has for us!

Discouraged...

I really like this song by Matthew West. I have been discouraged lately with the adoption process... Allan's doctor appointment is still 3 weeks away and we just found out that the appointment is only the consultation and then the Doctor will decide how urgent it is as to when he will be seen again. Ahhh! I'm to the point of just throwing my hands in the air and giving up. All this hard work to get the paperwork ready to start this home-study and if this takes too long it will all expire and we will have to redo it all over again. This process is definitely a roller coaster of emotions! But, I'm not going to give up, I'm trusting in the Lord to get us through this. Because, I can do all things through Christ who strengths me. Philippians 4:13
If you are considering adoption, you can expect ups and downs & go to the doctor first cause you never know what will happen!

While I have so much downtime I've really been thinking/praying about the child that God has picked out for us. I wonder if the child is even born yet, since we requested 0-2 and it will take about 2 years to bring the child home. I pray for the mother's who are giving up their children because they can't care for them and the all the children who so desperately want a forever family. And for all the families who are in the paperwork process of adoption and those who have brought home their children. These things most people don't think about because they aren't in this situation, but I'm asking that you add them to your prayer list.

Also, we have decided to postpone the yard sale on June 30th until sometime in September. We know that so many helped us pull the first one off and that they probably won't be so willing to help us again so soon. This will also give us more time to hopefully acquire more items to sell at the yard sale. :o)

Time for Another Adoption Fundraiser

Mark your Calendars for Saturday, June 30th! We have reserved the VFW in Brevard for another Adoption Fundraiser. It will be a Craft/Bake/Yard sale and all proceeds will go towards the Adoption. If you have anything that you would like to donate for the yard sale, please let us know! :o) We will figure out a way to come pick it up or meet you somewhere! We think this will be the last yard sale for a while since we are running out of items to sell. But, we do plan on working with our friends, The Compton's to plan for another fundraiser in July or August! :o) Excited to see what's to come!

Waiting....

Ok, so as of right now nothing new going on in our journey to adoption. Unfortunately we are at a standstill for about another month while we wait on the Doctors. So to anyone who is looking to adoption, Go to the doctor FIRST! We waited until we were almost done with everything else because we were without insurance and  thinking that it would be no big thing to go get a physical done. Little did we know that Allan's blood work came back that he is anemic and so they want to do more testing and the next Doctor's appointment isn't until the middle of JUNE! Of course, we pray that everything is okay with Allan, that there is nothing serious going on, but it also just really sets us back almost two months while we wait! We are sooooo close to turning in one pile of the paperwork to start the home study and then this happens! Again, I'm  not trying to sound unsympathetic because we want Allan to be healthy and well before we go any further, but to have worked so hard and be sitting still is really hard! We would at least like to have the paperwork done and waiting on Ethiopia rather than the Doctors who will take their time on everything! So, that is where we are with the adoption process at the moment. If you think about it, please pray that Allan's Doctor's appointment is moved up to a closer date and that everything is OK with him. But, again it is all in God's hand and I have to remind myself that there is a reason for everything and that we can't rush his plan.

One more thing and then I'll have to end this blog cause I'm going to be late for work! Yesterday was Mother's Day and our friends The Compton's whom are adopting from Ethiopia as well brought our a very special gift. It really touched my heart! It is a globe and she put a heart on Ethiopia and wrote Love. Such a sweet thought that means so much to us!

Well, gotta go cause I'm officially going to be late to work! I'll write more soon.

Our Fundraiser!

Elizabeth's Earrings

Necklaces and Bracelets all donated!

Elizabeth's Painted Wood Items

Variety of Crafts-Some which were donated!

Allan's Cross-stitch bookmarks

Photography donated

Jonathan's donated Wood Art

All the Baked Goods that were donated!

Yard Sale Table

Yard Sale Section

VFW held quite a bit!

Yard Sale Center Section-so many donations!

Allan putting out signs!

Krystal at Mary Kay Raffle!

Erica donated Tutu's

Those are Cupcakes! How Awesome!

Amazing! "Spaghetti" cupcakes Donated for bake sale!

Chinese Take Out-all edible cupcakes!

Panda Bear cupcakes

Allan & Dustin taking time out to have some fun!

 

 

Wow! We had an awesome turn out at our Craft/Bake/Yard Sale yesterday! A big THANKS to everyone who donated items for us to sell and THANKS to everyone who came out to show support! We are so blessed and grateful! Those who were unable to make it, no worries; we plan on having another one in a month or two!  May God bless each of you! Thanks Again for helping us get one step closer to bringing home our child!

“The LORD bless you
   and keep you;
 the LORD make his face shine on you
   and be gracious to you;
 the LORD turn his face toward you
   and give you peace.”’ 

Numbers 6:24-26 NIV

Yay!

We officially have our passports now! Yay! That is so exciting to us! We are still making progress, a little at a time, but the list of documents needed is getting smaller! It'll be at least another month before we can turn in our paperwork to start our Home Study though. Allan has been blessed with another job so we will have to wait for him to get a month worth of paycheck stubs and a new letter of employment. We are so thankful that the Lord has answered our prayer and Allan has gotten another job! No more night shifts! Yay!

It is just so amazing to us how the Lord continues to provide for us through this adoption. He has put so many people in our lives, with positive, encouraging words and hearts that are happy and willing to help us in anyway they can! He has provided financially for us, like last week when we went to get our Doctor's exams and since we have no insurance right now we had to pay out of pocket and the lady gave us a discount and then two days later when we had to go back, we didn't have to pay anything! That is Not a coincidence! That is all God! This whole adoption process has definitely taken us out of our comfort zone, but God doesn't call us to stay comfortable. God promises us that he will never leave us or forsake us and the Bible says we should care for the orphans. This whole adoption process is going to be a great way for us to share our testimony! We can't wait to bring home the child that God has picked out for us and continue to share what He has done in our lives!

We are super excited about tomorrow! The Craft/Bake/Yard sale is going to be awesome! We spent over 5 hours making lots of baked goods yesterday. I have to admit I do have my moments of panic when I worry that no one will show up! But, it's all in God's hands so I can't worry about it.

Busy bee

I just want to start off by making sure everyone knows that this isn't a blog to make you feel sorry for us or think any less about Adopting. This blog is for us to have you alongside us on this journey, to share in the ups and downs that we are facing. We trust in the Lord and know he will provide for us and that is what keeps us going. We want this blog to inform others who might be considering Adoption as well. So, please continue to come back and follow us on our journey!

I actually feel like we are finally making some progress in all the paperwork! They call this part of the adoption, the "Paper Pregnancy" because it is so much paperwork! I just found out yesterday that I have made things a lot harder on us, because with all the papers I've been reading somehow I got confused and thought we had to have a risen seal for all notaries.  Well, Nope, we can have either a risen seal OR a stamp! Geez, I could kick myself for all the trouble I put us through this whole time!  We have run into some trouble with Allan's employment letter, the lady had to type it exactly as stated and she didn't and now she is refusing to retype it. We have hit another roadblock because we are required to have that letter of employment! So, if you think about it, please pray for her heart and her willingness to help us. We have our physicals scheduled for Tuesday (fun, fun) and are waiting on insurance people and the attorney to return our phone calls. Lots of little things being done that add up to a lot! :o) Yay!

Allan and I are super excited about this Craft/Bake/Yard sale coming up on April 14th at the VFW. We have been making lots of crafts to sell and finding lots of yard sale items around the house. It is such an AWESOME feeling to have complete strangers donating their time to make crafts and donating yard sale items for us to sell. It means so much to us! We have so many great friends who are also donating items and their time to help us. We are so blessed! We are thankful to my mom for her continued support and love, we really cling to her as she is the only family who is supporting us in this adoption! Words cannot even describe how grateful we are for each one of you who are making such an impact in our lives! A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who is helping us to bring a child home and into our arms!! :o)

Have a Great Weekend!

Update

It has been a while since I have posted anything but we have been staying pretty busy! Here is a little update on what we have been doing...
We went to get our passports on Friday and should get them in the mail in a few weeks. We have given all our family and friends references out for them to complete for us, we had 8 references total that needed to be completed. We did received our criminal history reports back in the mail and of course we have no criminal history so no big deal, just glad that there were no snags with the paperwork. We ordered six Adoption books that we are required to read while waiting on the adoption, we couldn't find them in the library to borrow so we bought them online at Amazon, two of them were only 1 cent each! Love bargains! :o) We did have a conference call on Thursday for our Adoption and found out that the waiting period has increased now to 18 to 24 months after the Dossier (paperwork) is sent in. So, we will have a long wait! But, it was great to hear that from January to February, 20 families brought home children from Ethiopia! That is so exciting!  And, we have been working on getting things ready for this Craft/Bake/Yard sale coming up on April 14th. It is a lot of work trying to balance out doing all this paperwork and also trying to make crafts to raise money.

I finally had one family member respond to a letter I sent out quite a bit ago. They told us we are too young and should enjoy life before children and should also look into American Adoption because it is almost free. We appreciate the feedback, it is better for us to hear SOMETHING then nothing!! We have actually had several people tell us that adopting in the United States will be cheaper. Well, Allan and I had already researched all of that before we made the final decision to adopt from Ethiopia. But, with so many people saying this, we researched it again. I found an adoption agency for North Carolina and the total fees would be around $34,600 if the mom knew who the father was, if not it could cost a lot more. I will try to attach the fee sheet below for all to look over. So, Adopting from Ethiopia is almost the same amount!

I can't seem to get the Fee's for NC Adoption page to upload on here, I'll keep working on it! 

Mark your Calendars

Super Excited! Our friend Erica has set up a craft/bake/yard sale to help raise money for the Adoption. It will be on Saturday, April 14th from 8-2pm at the VFW in Brevard! Please come support us and check out all the goodies! :o)

Progress!

Well, we have made a little bit of progress over the past week!! We finished up our 10-hour online Adoption class last weekend and have received our Hague Certificates. We got fingerprinted yesterday at the Jail and will be sending that in on Monday to the State so they can research our background. It was our first time being fingerprinted and it isn't like I'd seen on movies with an ink pad and paper. They sprayed our fingers with water and put it on a big glass screen and it uses the heat to display your fingerprint on a computer screen! Then we went and got our passport photos taken at Walgreens so we can now apply for our passports! Allan had his picture taken 4 times before they actually got one that wasn't blury! It was really funny and he couldn't laugh because you can't smile for your passport photo. This might not seem like a big deal, but it one step closer than we were before! :o)

Some encouraging words

Here a just a few bible verses and quotes that I liked and wanted to share. Enjoy! 

And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. -Matthew 18:5

I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. -1 Samuel 1:27

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you invited me in, .....
The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth,
whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me'. -Matthew 25:35,40

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds;
and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. -Matthew 7:7-8 

I know God won't give me anything I can't handle.
I just wish he didn't trust me so much -Mother Teresa

God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform. -William Cowper

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest person with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest person with the smallest mind. Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs, but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack if you help them. Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you might get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway.

The man whispered, "God, speak to me" and a Chickadee sang

But, the man did not hear.

So the man yelled "God, speak to me!" And, the thunder rolled across the sky.

But, the man did not listen.

The man looked around and said, "God let me see you." And a star shined brightly. 

But the man did not notice. 

And, the man shouted, "God show me a miracle!" And, a life was born.

But, the man did not know.

So, the man cried out in despair, "Touch me God, and let me know you are here!"

Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man.

But, the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.

Don't miss out on a blessing because it isn't packaged the way that you expect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overwhelmed

   So, where do I begin? I'm am trying my best to keep everyone up to date because I want you to be on this journey with us, to see what we will be doing and going through to adopt a child from Ethiopia. To be honest, I had no idea there would be this much involved! We received an e-mail about  a week ago with a lot of attachments to print out out; we used an entire ink cartridge printing everything! This information is very detailed and I have to say completely overwhelming when you look at it because everything has to be done exactly how it is stated. We have to get current birth certificates and marriage licenses, apply for passports, take pictures of ourselves with family and by ourselves posed in our favorite activities, get references to fill out paper work, doctors to exam us and give detailed descriptions of our health and have it notarized, detailed description of my running a stop sign 6+ years ago, questions on how we will raise this child up to know about their background and many more pages of things, each being notarized and exactly right. Crazy, huh? Yeah, I am overwhelmed but we will be taking it one step at a time and know we will get it done!
   I posted in the last blog that we'd be sending out letters to our families and friends explaining we were adopting and asking for their help. Well, so far we have had pretty negative feedback and I have to say it can be pretty discouraging. A few comments have been made that we should e-mail Angelina Jolie and ask her to give us pointers on adopting and others have questioned Why would we want to do this? Why do we want a black child? Why don't we adopt from the US? Lots of questions and negative responses but we had kind of expected it from one side of the family anyways. To be honest when I first got these responses, it did make me question our decision and I tried to give them answers but I keep going back to this: The Lord has laid this on our hearts and we might not understand it and others might not either but we are going to continue moving forward. There is a child who needs us out there, a child that God has picked out just for us.
   When I was younger, people's opinions matter way too much to me and if they would have said it was a bad idea then I wouldn't be doing it because it wasn't considered "cool." Not this time! This time we will be going against the grain! We will be the outcast, the crazies, the whatever you want to call us. As the world sees this as an impossible task, I see the Lord moving in ways I have never seen before. I don't understand why people question us adopting a Child?! Does it really matter that much about the child's skin color? Apparently in the world around us, it does, it is socially acceptable to adopt a child from China or Russia but to adopt from Ethiopia is unheard of. I don't see the difference, they are all children desperately needing a family, a home, love, food and shelter.
     We are clinging to the love and support from those around us. We are blessed to have so many great people in our lives! We continue to move forward, trusting in the Lord every step of the way! Thanks for walking this journey with us! :) God is AWESOME!
                                 Elizabeth

What's going on...

     Yesterday we paid our $200 and registered for our 10 hour online Adoption class and we have 8 weeks to complete it. I thought we'd get to do it together but each of us have to take this class separately and then will both receive a certificate at the end. I did about two hours of it yesterday and it has some really neat video clips and information. I look forward to moving forward and learning new things! We are waiting on a family coordinator to be assigned to us so we can continue to move forward and start the home studies. We have typed up a letter to send out to our families and friends asking them for prayers and donations. It is hard to ask for money when we know everyone is in the same financial hardship as us but we also know it doesn't hurt to ask! So, if you don't receive a letter from us in a week or so and would like one, please send us your address and we will get one to you! We ask that you please keep praying for us on this journey and we will continue to keep everyone up to date! :o)

Crafting for Adopting

I know most people have already seen this on Facebook but I wanted to put it on the blog for those that might not have! Allan and I have started making crafts and are trying to sell them to raise money for the adoption. So far we have made lots of earrings, cross-stitched bookmarks and picture frames, and wooden picture frames. Check out our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crafting-for-Adopting/332534806771114 when you have a chance. Also, we'd love to hear your (Positive) comments about the blog, about the crafts or just in general! Thanks! :o)

What the money is going to...

I've had a few people asking me why it costs so much to adopt and where all that money is going so I thought I'd post it so you can see!This is the website that I copied it from: http://www.awaa.org/programs/ethiopia/cost.aspx

APPLICATION & DOSSIER BUILDING

Application Fee

$250

1st Installment of Program Fee

$1,500

Home Study (varies by state)

$1,200 - $2,500

Additional Home Study Documentation Prep. Fee (varies by process)

$0 - $100

Home Study Visit Travel Fees
(could include mileage, etc. based on current federal mileage rates)

$0 - $200

Adoptive Parent Training (2 adults)

$175

Documents/Background Checks/Miscellaneous
(varies by state and number of states previously lived in)

$100 - $1,000

USCIS Fee & Update Fee + Fingerprinting

$890

Notarization, Certification & Authentication (varies by state)

$400

DOSSIER SUBMISSION & WAITING

Courier Service

$150

2nd Installment of Program Fee

$2,000

Post Adoption Report Deposit
(fully refundable if all post-adoption reports are returned on time)

$1,000

Dossier Service & Translation

$800

1/2 International Program Fee (1 child) •••

$3,750

REFERRAL & TRAVEL

International Specialist Consultation (varies by specialist)

$100 - $400

3rd Installment of Program Fee

$1,500

Post Adoption Administrative Fee

$385

1/2 International Program Fee (1 child) •••

$3,750

Trip 1 - Airfare (2 adults; prices will vary by season and location)

$2,400 - $4,000

Trip 1 - In-Country Travel Package (2 adults) ••••

$1,400 - $2,500

Trip 1 - Visas (2 adults)

$40

Trip 2 - Airfare (2 adults; prices will vary by season and location)

$2,400 - $4,000

Trip 2 - Airfare
(1 child; prices will vary by season, location and ticket - ie: lap pass or child seat)

$250 - $1,000

Trip 2 - In-Country Travel Package (2 adults) ••••

$1,000 - $2,000

Trip 2 - Visas (2 adults)

$40

Visa/Embassy Fee (1 child) •••••

$404

POST ADOPTION

Post Adoption Visits (varies by state)••

$600 - $1,300

Post Adoption Visit Travel Fees
(varies by state and location from social worker)

$0 - $300