I Can't Keep Quiet About the Silent Auction

Hey all,
Well, it has been some time since my last update, and ao many AMAZING things have happened!

We scheduled a silent auction to be held at our dear friends' house this past weekend. Once we started to share about the auction to raise funds for our adoption, God did the rest. Actually, He was completely in control the whole time. He allowed so many people to be a part of this event by using their time, talents, and treasures. He even allowed people we don't even know to contribute.

For instance, let me tell you about our invitations. Our friends offered to print the invitations for us, and took them to Extravaganza here in Flower Mound. When the owner of the store read the invitation, she mentioned they had adopted from Russia. It was so close to her heart, that she offered to print both the invitations and address labels for free. How generous! Then, our friends went back to pick up the invitations that afternoon. The owner asked where we were adopting from and they told her we are adopting from Ukraine. She told them her husband is from Ukraine and to tell us if we need help translating with our daughter, they are right here in Flower Mound to help. Ok, seriously? How many Ukrainians live here in Flower Mound? Maybe more than I realize, but God led us to them.

Would you like another example of God's provision? I work for a gourmet food company, and part of my job is selling at the Dallas Market. I love it and have made some very sweet friends by having the opportunity to work at various shows across the country. At the September market, my sweet friends did something that blew us away. I mentioned the auction, and they took it from there. We had items donated to go in 18 (that's right - 18) HUGE and BEAUTIFUL gift baskets valued between $100-$200 each.  Ladies, if you are reading this, we can't thank you enough for what you did. Our hearts are so full of gratitude.

Some other great items donated included a painting by talented artist and friend Brice McCasland (visit http://bricemccasland.com/),  lower-level tickets to the Dallas Stars and Dallas Mavericks, NASCAR tickets with pit access, a week's vacation at a lake house, a week's vacation at mountain home in Colorado, chiropractic consultations, a haircut and color, candles, home decor, more gift baskets, and so much more. All together, we had 44 items donated. 

On Friday,it was time to get everything set up. Our friends who hosted the event at their home made gumbo, brisket sandwiches, brie, bread pudding, chocolate sheet cake, and so many other incredible foods. We had other friends make cheese rings, fruit trays, and meatballs with a pepper brandy sauce. The decorations and center pieces were put together by a very dear friend. They were beautiful and I can't wait to share pictures with you.

Saturday was a busy, busy, day with a lot of last minute things to be done. After helping to prepare all day, Chris and I left at 3:30 to get ready, and when we returned at 5:20, everything had come together and looked incredible. God provided perfect weather for the outdoor event. It was such a wonderful time of fellowship and love. Dinner started at 6:00 and the auction soon after. Another sweet friend did such a great job organizing the auction, and made everything so smooth. We had another friend taking pictures, so we will share as soon as she is able to get them uploaded.

With all the help, donations, and planning of so many people, we were able to raise $3,400.00 towards our next $4,000.00 fee. Even as I write this, I am in tears. We are so overwhelmed by what God has done and continues to do by blessing us with the people in our lives. Even the people we don't know. Everyone gets to be a part of our daughter's homecoming. We see the generosity.We see the love of Christ.


Tomorrow, I drive to Austin with a dear sister in Christ to get our paperwork apostilled. Then, we will send it off to our agency later this week. They will forward all the paperwork to Ukraine to start the translation process. Please continue to pray over the process and over the orphans.

With so much love and gratitude,
Jessica

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,