The Risk of International Adoption

We found out last Thursday that the Ukrainian Parliament was set to vote today on a moratorium for foreign adoptions. Since then, we have prayed and prayed and prayed some more. We knew going into an international adoption that laws could change at anytime, but we had no experience with it until now.


We received an update from our coordinator in Ukraine regarding the vote for a moratorium. The Parliament has postponed the vote. Our coordinator said that it could be postponed for a few months or for a year. At this point it's hard to tell. In any case, she feels it is unlikely the moratorium will pass. However, we are finishing our dossier as soon as possible so we can send it to Ukraine and get it registered. 


We are so grateful and we know that many families feel the same way. Please continue to pray for those who are in the process of their adoption, for the children waiting to be adopted, and for us to get our dossier registered soon. 


Much love, 

1 year Giveaway

Hey everyone,

I missed my 1 year Blogiversary, but only by about a month. So, because we have been so blessed by those around us sharing in the joy of our adoption, I want to do the same. I will be giving away a couple items to celebrate the gift of giving.

Let me know how you have been blessed lately by either giving or by receiving. That's it! Enter your post by September 19, 2010. Winners will be chosen in random order.

Here are the items-
1. Opal and Cats Eye Jewelry Set - worth $34.99

2. Set of 5 new Thank You card designs - worth $10.99

3. Set of 2 burp cloths - worth $9.99

Best of luck and much love, 

As We Wait

Hey everyone,

The adoption paperwork is moving along. We are completing what is required for the Dossier and INS paperwork this weekend. As we wait, there are many conversations in our home about when we might travel, what the process will look like once in Ukraine, and the day we are able to call ourselves "Daddy and Mommy."

As we wait, we are in the beginning stages of decorating the room, sweet friends are helping plan another fundraising event and a shower, and Chris is writing songs that take my breath away. There are times where I feel like pinching myself saying, "is this for real?" Yep, it sure is, and God is leading us every step of the way.

Our continued prayer includes asking for God's wisdom and patience. We pray Christ will be made known in all that we do and say, and for His joy to radiate. We pray for our child, the orphanage where our child might be, and the other children we will meet. We pray over how we might be able to get involved with an organization working with orphans in Ukraine and how we can be a part of supporting/encouraging/serving alongside them.

The following music video is by Aaron Ivey, off the track Amos Story. He describes the wait, and the hope, of bringing a child home. 


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I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 

Much love,

Blessed

During the past 6 weeks, we have been humbled and overwhelmed with the giving of prayers, time, and financial donations by our family and friends. God has used many people in our lives to help us in our adoption process. We had a dear friend mention Ephesians 3:20 to us, and we are now using this verse to guide us in every step of this process. "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us".

We had a HUGE multi-family garage sale on August 7th, and were blown away with what was donated to us. Check it out - we were in our front yard, driveway, and garage.

We are so grateful to have wonderful friends who served so faithfully, and never complained about the 103 temperature. We can't THANK YOU enough for all your hard work, energy, and time on a Saturday morning!!! (and the week prior with pick-ups)

With what was raised at the garage sale and with what has been donated, we have $3,500.00 to go towards our next $4,000.00 fee. God is so faithful!

Thank you, again, for blessing us more than you could ever know. 

Much love, 

Home Study Time

Time races sometimes.

And... the home study visit arrives on our door step this Saturday. I feel there are still so many things to prepare for. In my "perfect world of perfection", I like order. I prefer things to be just so. I prefer a clean house, a manicured lawn, and checking off items on my to-do list. Let's just say I am learning to let that all go.

While we will do our best to have our house sparkling, is that really what matters in the process of an adoption home visit? Definitely not.

Although it may be time for the home study, and I don't feel 100% prepared, time is precious. I desire  not to get caught up in the unknown, the uncontrollable, and the unimportant, but to prepare my heart and mind with the love of Christ. It is only because of Him that our love is able to flow out to others. I am so grateful to be going through an adoption and understanding more than ever what it means to be loved by God.

I want to focus on my time with God and what He desires to teach me this week, time with Chris and continuing the beautiful conversations we are having, and time with friends and family. Sounds perfect to me.

Time . . . how will you spend it this week?

Much love,