Thursday, December 27, 2012
Oh, My, what a terrible blogger I am. I knew it had been a long time since I last posted anything, but then I looked--almost 3 months! Yikes! Sadly, I don't have any amazing news to post or really much progress. But we are still here and we are still pressing on! Our court papers have arrived in our children's country and we are just waiting on the edge of our seats to receive our court date. We had been hoping for a January trip to have court, but with all the recent political "stuff" that has just exploded between our country and our children's birth country we don't really know what to expect. But we are choosing to trust in the one who holds our sweet children--and who holds our hearts in the midst of this turmoil. Please pray with us that the cry of the orphan will be heard and that hearts would be softened, and that the fatherless would find the love of a family.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Be a Part of the Puzzle!
We are now well into Fall here, in Northern Minnesota. The trees have dressed for the the occasion and are now beginning to shed their colors and get ready for a long winters sleep. A chill is in the air, and we may actually get our first flakes of snow later this week. The weather is changing, the seasons are changing. We feel a lot of change happening around us as well, as we move forward with our adoption of our two precious Babies.
These past two months have been difficult, to say the least. But we are still here, and we are still fighting to save these sweet little ones. I am so thankful that I am healing well from my surgery. It will have been five weeks ago tomorrow--how can time pass so quickly? I am feeling great and so thankful to be able to care for my family again. We are so thankful for sweet friends and family who stepped in to help with meals and with our children those first couple of weeks.
Valerie is loving her pre-school three mornings a week. Her highlight is riding the bus. She LOVES the bus. It is too cute. Freddie and I are deep into the adventure of 1st Grade homeschooling this year. Aside from the daily battle over handwriting exercises, it is going really well and we are both enjoying the activities, books and the time spent learning together.
Although Tim and I have traveled to meet our Babies, we still have a long road ahead of us to complete our adoption. Right now we are in the middle of gathering all the documents that we need to submit for court in EE, as well as finishing all the training requirements for our children's Birth Country. We are hoping to have this completed by the end of the month. Then we wait for a court date to be assigned. Honestly, I have no idea how long we will wait for a court date. We will pray and trust that God will provide the date in His perfect timing. Originally we were hoping to have our Babies home by Christmas. While this is still possible, it is looking less likely, as we see how slowly things have been moving in-country.
While we work on documents and wait for court and prepare for our Babies, we still have to work on raising funds for bringing our little ones home. For the last two months we have not seen our RR grant move or our chip-in grow. With travel and surgery I have not had time to do any fundraising at all. And then yesterday, a VERY generous gift from friends of ours to our chip-in. Thank you so very much! Your gift is such a blessing to us and such an encouragement--it not only helps provide much-needed funds for adoption expenses, but it lifts our spirits and helps us feel the support of our community, family and friends. Thank you for being such a blessing to our family!
I have watched several other families do a Puzzle Fundraiser, and I have loved the idea. I bought 2 puzzles a while ago and have been waiting for the right time to launch it. Well, this time seems as good as any to begin! This is how it works. Each puzzle piece is "sold" for $5. When you "purchase" a puzzle piece, we will write your name on the back. When we have sold all the pieces and put the puzzle together, one one side will be a beautiful picture, and on the other side will be even more beautiful--a mosaic of those who came along side us to be part of the puzzle of bringing our Babies home. We will frame the puzzles in a way that both sides will be visible, or perhaps we will photograph the Name Side and hang it next to the photo side of the completed puzzles.
The St. Basil's puzzle has 300 pieces, and the Noah's Ark puzzle has 500 pieces. That is 800 pieces! There are several ways that you can "buy" your puzzle piece. There is the chip-in at the top right of the blog; OR if you want to give a tax-deductible donation, you can do so through the Reece's Rainbow donation give button (with the photos of our babies), a little under the chip-in on the right side of the blog. OR you can just give the donation to me personally and tell me that you want to be part of the puzzle! Please, if you give on RR on chip-in, be sure to let me know, so that I can add your name!
Help us spread the word, and Please consider being Part of the Puzzle to bring our Babies Home!
These past two months have been difficult, to say the least. But we are still here, and we are still fighting to save these sweet little ones. I am so thankful that I am healing well from my surgery. It will have been five weeks ago tomorrow--how can time pass so quickly? I am feeling great and so thankful to be able to care for my family again. We are so thankful for sweet friends and family who stepped in to help with meals and with our children those first couple of weeks.
Valerie is loving her pre-school three mornings a week. Her highlight is riding the bus. She LOVES the bus. It is too cute. Freddie and I are deep into the adventure of 1st Grade homeschooling this year. Aside from the daily battle over handwriting exercises, it is going really well and we are both enjoying the activities, books and the time spent learning together.
Although Tim and I have traveled to meet our Babies, we still have a long road ahead of us to complete our adoption. Right now we are in the middle of gathering all the documents that we need to submit for court in EE, as well as finishing all the training requirements for our children's Birth Country. We are hoping to have this completed by the end of the month. Then we wait for a court date to be assigned. Honestly, I have no idea how long we will wait for a court date. We will pray and trust that God will provide the date in His perfect timing. Originally we were hoping to have our Babies home by Christmas. While this is still possible, it is looking less likely, as we see how slowly things have been moving in-country.
While we work on documents and wait for court and prepare for our Babies, we still have to work on raising funds for bringing our little ones home. For the last two months we have not seen our RR grant move or our chip-in grow. With travel and surgery I have not had time to do any fundraising at all. And then yesterday, a VERY generous gift from friends of ours to our chip-in. Thank you so very much! Your gift is such a blessing to us and such an encouragement--it not only helps provide much-needed funds for adoption expenses, but it lifts our spirits and helps us feel the support of our community, family and friends. Thank you for being such a blessing to our family!
I have watched several other families do a Puzzle Fundraiser, and I have loved the idea. I bought 2 puzzles a while ago and have been waiting for the right time to launch it. Well, this time seems as good as any to begin! This is how it works. Each puzzle piece is "sold" for $5. When you "purchase" a puzzle piece, we will write your name on the back. When we have sold all the pieces and put the puzzle together, one one side will be a beautiful picture, and on the other side will be even more beautiful--a mosaic of those who came along side us to be part of the puzzle of bringing our Babies home. We will frame the puzzles in a way that both sides will be visible, or perhaps we will photograph the Name Side and hang it next to the photo side of the completed puzzles.
The St. Basil's puzzle has 300 pieces, and the Noah's Ark puzzle has 500 pieces. That is 800 pieces! There are several ways that you can "buy" your puzzle piece. There is the chip-in at the top right of the blog; OR if you want to give a tax-deductible donation, you can do so through the Reece's Rainbow donation give button (with the photos of our babies), a little under the chip-in on the right side of the blog. OR you can just give the donation to me personally and tell me that you want to be part of the puzzle! Please, if you give on RR on chip-in, be sure to let me know, so that I can add your name!
Help us spread the word, and Please consider being Part of the Puzzle to bring our Babies Home!
 |
| First Puzzle to Complete: St. Basil's Cathedral 300 Pieces |
 |
| Second Puzzle to complete: Noah's Ark 500 Pieces |
Saturday, September 8, 2012
A Journey of Faith
This post is long overdue, I know. The last six or so weeks at our house has been nothing short of crazy. Between getting our travel dates just before our long-planned family trip to the East Coast to spend time with Tim's family, and drama with getting passports and visas squared away, to almost calling off the trip overseas and delaying it due to health concerns that ultimately resulted in me having major surgery last week....ya it's been a little crazy here.
It has been a very stretching time as we have felt overwhelmed and been tested to the limits of our emotions, our faith and of our physical abilities at times. But God has been with us all the way and continues to prove Himself faithful. And we press on in obedience to the one who calls us His own.
Sometimes when we are walking in obedience to Christ, the journey of our faith takes unexpected turns and we end up places where we never dreamed possible. Sometimes these turns bring unspeakable joy and beauty. Sometimes they bring anguish and pain. Sometimes the same twist in the journey brings both.
This is exactly where we find ourselves right now. As we have sought after God and followed His leading, He has been faithful and has brought is along to just where He wants us and has made His plan for our family clear to us. But so different from what we were expecting. This has been a time of grieving loss as well as counting blessings. And always clinging to our Savior as the One who orders our lives and has ordained all our days.
Let me share our first trip with you and the twists and turns of the Journey:
It was a really difficult trip and I am still reeling from the exhaustion—more emotional than physical. When we got to Russia and met with the MOE (Ministry of Education), Orphanage Director and the caregivers and nurses at the orphanage, they all urged us to not adopt Joshua. They told us that in the last few months he had developed some very troubling behaviors and they were very concerned that he would not be a good fit with our family. Last month he began taking an anti-psychotic medication. This was like a kick in the gut and we felt like everyone was “against” him.
Of course we got Joshua’s official referral and we had 5 visits with him. The first two visits were hard, as Joshua really did not want to be there. He was moving constantly, refused any physical contact, did not speak and lacked any show of emotion. He did enjoy the toys we brought. We figured that he was shy and scared and that he was feeling overwhelmed and overstimulated, we gave him space and grace and as much love and attention as he would accept. Visits 3 & 4 seemed to be going much better. Joshua would sit with us for a couple of seconds before moving on. He was allowing us to pick him up briefly to reach for toys on a shelf, and we taught him to “high-five” with us. He still was not showing much emotion, and we only saw a hint of a smile here and there. We figured that most of his “issues”were caused by lack of stimulation, boredom, lack of instruction in proper behavior.
Then visit 5 happened. At first things seemed to be OK as we were outside playing with his groupa, and then Joshua had a psychotic episode where he became very violent toward me. After spending hours with him and seeing no emotion, It was shocking to see his full out laughter as he tried to hurt me. Oksana (our adoption facilitator), who was with us and witnessed the whole thing, said I turned white. I could feel myself shaking. It was like he was a completely different child. The caregivers told us that this was reality for him. I felt our hopes and dreams for him shattering. He is very big for his age, and very strong. Our daughter is very small and more vulnerable with her having Ds.
It was a very quiet ride back to our hotel as we each went over what happened in our minds and knew we had to make a decision that evening as we had just one day left in the country. Devastated does not even begin to describe how I felt (and still feel). We wept and prayed, and we both knew that we would not be able to bring Joshua home, as it would be putting our other young children in serious danger. I am beyond sad. We were prepared to deal with Joshua’s medical issues, but the mental health needs are far more than we feel equipped to handle. We spoke with Oksana (our in country facilitator) and late that evening and told her our decision that we would not be able to accept Joshua’s referral. She was relieved to hear that and agreed to make arrangements for us to go to the MOE in the morning for a new referral.
It was hard to go back for another referral with our hearts breaking so much, but we knew that we still wanted to adopt, and that there are so many children with medical needs that desperately need families. This time, the choice of the referral was from the MOE, and the Director of the Orphanage gave approval of the child for adoption.
So, the Blessing in all this sadness is that we have accepted the referral for TWO little ones who are have the same medical needs as Joshua and who also desperately need to find a forever family. Baby Girl is 18 months old, and Baby Boy is 21 months old. We are still working on the names. Strangely enough, both babies look like my husband, Tim. I am still feeling incredible sadness and guilt—I will always love Joshua. But we know that we made the necessary decision for our family. And there are two sweet babies who will be orphans no more. Please keep us in our prayers as we grieve Joshua and rejoice in our Babies. And please joins us as we continue to pray for Joshua and for a family to step forward who will be equipped to meet all of his needs.
This journey has been tough, and we still have a long road ahead of us as we will be making two more trips to the country where our children are waiting. Our next step is to gather the papers that need to be submitted for court. And we continue to pray and let God heal our hearts, as he also heals my body from the surgery.
And we continue to put our trust in God's provision for the expenses that are still needed to complete this adoption. We will need about $20,000 more, in addition to what we have already raised and paid ourselves. The additional child fee is about $10,000, and each trip to the country will be about $5,000. If you feel led to help out with the financial aspect of our adoption, we would be so very thankful to have you fight with us for the lives of these precious orphans!
It has been a very stretching time as we have felt overwhelmed and been tested to the limits of our emotions, our faith and of our physical abilities at times. But God has been with us all the way and continues to prove Himself faithful. And we press on in obedience to the one who calls us His own.
Sometimes when we are walking in obedience to Christ, the journey of our faith takes unexpected turns and we end up places where we never dreamed possible. Sometimes these turns bring unspeakable joy and beauty. Sometimes they bring anguish and pain. Sometimes the same twist in the journey brings both.
This is exactly where we find ourselves right now. As we have sought after God and followed His leading, He has been faithful and has brought is along to just where He wants us and has made His plan for our family clear to us. But so different from what we were expecting. This has been a time of grieving loss as well as counting blessings. And always clinging to our Savior as the One who orders our lives and has ordained all our days.
Let me share our first trip with you and the twists and turns of the Journey:
It was a really difficult trip and I am still reeling from the exhaustion—more emotional than physical. When we got to Russia and met with the MOE (Ministry of Education), Orphanage Director and the caregivers and nurses at the orphanage, they all urged us to not adopt Joshua. They told us that in the last few months he had developed some very troubling behaviors and they were very concerned that he would not be a good fit with our family. Last month he began taking an anti-psychotic medication. This was like a kick in the gut and we felt like everyone was “against” him.
Of course we got Joshua’s official referral and we had 5 visits with him. The first two visits were hard, as Joshua really did not want to be there. He was moving constantly, refused any physical contact, did not speak and lacked any show of emotion. He did enjoy the toys we brought. We figured that he was shy and scared and that he was feeling overwhelmed and overstimulated, we gave him space and grace and as much love and attention as he would accept. Visits 3 & 4 seemed to be going much better. Joshua would sit with us for a couple of seconds before moving on. He was allowing us to pick him up briefly to reach for toys on a shelf, and we taught him to “high-five” with us. He still was not showing much emotion, and we only saw a hint of a smile here and there. We figured that most of his “issues”were caused by lack of stimulation, boredom, lack of instruction in proper behavior.
Then visit 5 happened. At first things seemed to be OK as we were outside playing with his groupa, and then Joshua had a psychotic episode where he became very violent toward me. After spending hours with him and seeing no emotion, It was shocking to see his full out laughter as he tried to hurt me. Oksana (our adoption facilitator), who was with us and witnessed the whole thing, said I turned white. I could feel myself shaking. It was like he was a completely different child. The caregivers told us that this was reality for him. I felt our hopes and dreams for him shattering. He is very big for his age, and very strong. Our daughter is very small and more vulnerable with her having Ds.
It was a very quiet ride back to our hotel as we each went over what happened in our minds and knew we had to make a decision that evening as we had just one day left in the country. Devastated does not even begin to describe how I felt (and still feel). We wept and prayed, and we both knew that we would not be able to bring Joshua home, as it would be putting our other young children in serious danger. I am beyond sad. We were prepared to deal with Joshua’s medical issues, but the mental health needs are far more than we feel equipped to handle. We spoke with Oksana (our in country facilitator) and late that evening and told her our decision that we would not be able to accept Joshua’s referral. She was relieved to hear that and agreed to make arrangements for us to go to the MOE in the morning for a new referral.
It was hard to go back for another referral with our hearts breaking so much, but we knew that we still wanted to adopt, and that there are so many children with medical needs that desperately need families. This time, the choice of the referral was from the MOE, and the Director of the Orphanage gave approval of the child for adoption.
So, the Blessing in all this sadness is that we have accepted the referral for TWO little ones who are have the same medical needs as Joshua and who also desperately need to find a forever family. Baby Girl is 18 months old, and Baby Boy is 21 months old. We are still working on the names. Strangely enough, both babies look like my husband, Tim. I am still feeling incredible sadness and guilt—I will always love Joshua. But we know that we made the necessary decision for our family. And there are two sweet babies who will be orphans no more. Please keep us in our prayers as we grieve Joshua and rejoice in our Babies. And please joins us as we continue to pray for Joshua and for a family to step forward who will be equipped to meet all of his needs.
This journey has been tough, and we still have a long road ahead of us as we will be making two more trips to the country where our children are waiting. Our next step is to gather the papers that need to be submitted for court. And we continue to pray and let God heal our hearts, as he also heals my body from the surgery.
And we continue to put our trust in God's provision for the expenses that are still needed to complete this adoption. We will need about $20,000 more, in addition to what we have already raised and paid ourselves. The additional child fee is about $10,000, and each trip to the country will be about $5,000. If you feel led to help out with the financial aspect of our adoption, we would be so very thankful to have you fight with us for the lives of these precious orphans!
Saturday, July 28, 2012
We Have a Travel Date!!!!!!
SO EXCITED!!!!! The last few days have been a whirl-wind of business as we try to wrap our minds around this--we are finally going to travel to meet our sweet boy!!! To make matters more complicated, we are away from home, visiting with Family on the East Coast as we work out our travel plans. But that is OK--we are beyond thrilled to finally have our invitation to meet our Joshua and really get things moving with this adoption.
Who wants to know when we are going????
August 18th!!!!! In just a couple of weeks that I know will fly right by!
I hope to blog more soon, but just couldn't wait any longer to share this amazing news that we have been waiting for.
Mama and Daddy are coming, our Sweet Boy!
Who wants to know when we are going????
August 18th!!!!! In just a couple of weeks that I know will fly right by!
I hope to blog more soon, but just couldn't wait any longer to share this amazing news that we have been waiting for.
Mama and Daddy are coming, our Sweet Boy!
Monday, July 2, 2012
Winners Announced!!!
The Giveaway is officially over and we have drawn the winners!!!! Before I announce the names, I want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who participated in this fundraiser! We deeply appreciate every donation, every Facebook share and blog share. This fundraiser was a success because of everyone who stepped in to help us with the overwhelming task of raising enough funds to bring our sweet Joshua home.
The Giveaway Blog post received 888 views, 30 people donated, and an additional 21 others shared on facebook or on their blog. All together there was a total of 765 entries. Two of the generous friends who donated, did not even want to be entered into the giveaway.
We used random.org to create a randomized list of all the entries, and then used the random number generator to select the winners.
Through this giveaway, $2,155 was raised to help with adoption expenses!
Now, the winners:
Prize #1, the Kindle Fire goes to........Connie Lindquist!!! Congratulations, Connie!!!
Prize #2, $25 Target Gift Card..........Jay and Adair LeMaster
Prize #3, $15 Starbucks Gift Card.......Pat Addler
Prize #4, $15 Cold Stone Creamery Gift Card......Liz Blauer
Prize #5, $15 Bath and Body Works Gift Card.....Kathy Hackenberg
Prizes 6-10--The following each won a handmade bracelet: Julie Frank, Mary Singleton, Kari Termont, Rose Burpo, and Addie Talley
Prizes 11-15--The following people each won a handmade coffee sleeve: Tanna Smith, Jamie Carpenter, Justin Burpo, Rachel Kleinenberg, and Bonnie Blom
Prizes 16-20--The following people each won a handmade Key Fob Key chain: Natalie Krier, Katie Carpenter, Lori Mulkey, Daniel Carpenter, and Faye Reigert
Congratulation to everyone who won!!! If you won a key chain, coffee sleeve or bracelet, please email me or send me a message on Facebook, or comment on this post, to let me know your color preference, or special order. My email address is: heidihopkins0607@hotmail.com
Wait! There are a couple more Winners!!
I thought it would be fun to have a few "surprise" winners, so, here it goes!
First person to give goes to.......Addie Talley!
Last person to give goes to........Emily Riegert!
The person who shared the most often on Facebook.....Connie Lindquist!
The persons who most often "bumped" my post of RR group.....Jessica Gorrell and Lori Mulkey!
Then I chose two random numbers from the list of those who gave and shared......those lucky two are............Cindy Stevens and Heather Dismuke!
You will all receive a surprise from me! :) Thank you all for your love, prayers and support!
The Giveaway Blog post received 888 views, 30 people donated, and an additional 21 others shared on facebook or on their blog. All together there was a total of 765 entries. Two of the generous friends who donated, did not even want to be entered into the giveaway.
We used random.org to create a randomized list of all the entries, and then used the random number generator to select the winners.
Through this giveaway, $2,155 was raised to help with adoption expenses!
Now, the winners:
Prize #1, the Kindle Fire goes to........Connie Lindquist!!! Congratulations, Connie!!!
Prize #2, $25 Target Gift Card..........Jay and Adair LeMaster
Prize #3, $15 Starbucks Gift Card.......Pat Addler
Prize #4, $15 Cold Stone Creamery Gift Card......Liz Blauer
Prize #5, $15 Bath and Body Works Gift Card.....Kathy Hackenberg
Prizes 6-10--The following each won a handmade bracelet: Julie Frank, Mary Singleton, Kari Termont, Rose Burpo, and Addie Talley
Prizes 11-15--The following people each won a handmade coffee sleeve: Tanna Smith, Jamie Carpenter, Justin Burpo, Rachel Kleinenberg, and Bonnie Blom
Prizes 16-20--The following people each won a handmade Key Fob Key chain: Natalie Krier, Katie Carpenter, Lori Mulkey, Daniel Carpenter, and Faye Reigert
Congratulation to everyone who won!!! If you won a key chain, coffee sleeve or bracelet, please email me or send me a message on Facebook, or comment on this post, to let me know your color preference, or special order. My email address is: heidihopkins0607@hotmail.com
Wait! There are a couple more Winners!!
I thought it would be fun to have a few "surprise" winners, so, here it goes!
First person to give goes to.......Addie Talley!
Last person to give goes to........Emily Riegert!
The person who shared the most often on Facebook.....Connie Lindquist!
The persons who most often "bumped" my post of RR group.....Jessica Gorrell and Lori Mulkey!
Then I chose two random numbers from the list of those who gave and shared......those lucky two are............Cindy Stevens and Heather Dismuke!
You will all receive a surprise from me! :) Thank you all for your love, prayers and support!
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Last day of Giveaway!
This is it! Last day to enter the Kindle Fire Giveaway! The cut off to enter is midnight tonight. You can donate to Joshua's grant--tax deductable! Or donate using the chip-in. Either way, it all goes to help us bring home our sweet Joshua. You can get a free entry by sharing on your Face book page or blogging about our giveaway. Read here for all the giveaway details:
http://hopkinsfamilyadoption.blogspot.com/2012/05/kindle-fire-giveaway.html
Also--there will be a few additional **suprize** winners that will be announced on Monday as well! :)
Help us make this fundraiser as successful as possible!!
Blessing to you all!
http://hopkinsfamilyadoption.blogspot.com/2012/05/kindle-fire-giveaway.html
Also--there will be a few additional **suprize** winners that will be announced on Monday as well! :)
Help us make this fundraiser as successful as possible!!
Blessing to you all!
Monday, June 25, 2012
One more week to go!
This is the final week for our Kindle Fire giveaway!! If you have been thinking about entering, but you have not gotten around to it--well, you had better do it now! We need everyone to share it with others on Facebook and your blogs (you get a free entry!), and to donate. Really, $10 can make a big difference, if enough people pitch in! Donations to Joshua's grant through Reece's Rainbow are tax-deductible, or you can donate through the Chip In and the funds will go directly to us. How great is that?! We are hoping that we will have travel news in about a week--maybe we will get to have that exciting news along with announcing winners! Wouldn't that be a fun announcement! Since it is peak travel time right now, our air fare is looking like it is going to be more than we were anticipating. It would be such a blessing to us if we knew there was enough money in Joshua's grant to fund our first trip--one less thing to worry about. Please consider being a part of our Journey to Joshua!
Go here for all the details of the giveaway:
http://hopkinsfamilyadoption.blogspot.com/2012/05/kindle-fire-giveaway.html
Go here for all the details of the giveaway:
http://hopkinsfamilyadoption.blogspot.com/2012/05/kindle-fire-giveaway.html
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Kindle Fire Giveaway--10 more days!
Ten more days to enter in the Kindle Fire giveaway! We are hoping that our grant for Joshua will get to the $5,000 mark with this giveaway. We have $550 left to go. Each $10 can add up and make a difference! Please consider this opportunity to help us bring Joshua home, and at the same time, you have a chance at willing some really great prizes! See here for details:
So, just the other night, I was adding up what the total cost for the adoption was going to be and--yikes!! Looks like it is going to be quite a bit more than we were expecting. Part of this is because airfare is really high right now, and so hopefully our 2nd and 3rd trips will be more reasonable as far as plane tickets.
We are officially registered and waiting out the 10 day period as the officials in Joshua's country go over all our paperwork and decide if they need any additional information. We are praying that they will be satisfied with what they have and that they would then invite us to travel!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
15 Days, Fingerprints and a Llittle Family Fun!
It is 15 days into the month of June. We are 15 days into our Kindle Fire giveaway. 15 days left to join in! So far we have had a couple of generous donations, lots of shares on Facebook, and a couple of blog links. We have a long way to go to make our goal for this fundraiser, but it is so very possible! We are hoping and praying that we will be making plans soon for buying visas and plane tickets to meet our precious boy. Please help our Joshua grant to grow as we move closer to the time that we will be traveling to meet him! Your donation of $10 really can make a big difference! For all the details for the giveaway, please see here:
Yesterday morning we had to be in Fargo, ND to be fingerprinted by the FBI for immigration. We have submitted all the paperwork, so now we wait for the approval letter from Homeland Security, allowing us to bring Joshua into our country. We need to have this approval before we have our court date in Joshua's country, but not before our first trip to meet him.
Since we had to be in Fargo bright and early, we drove down the night before (we are about 3 hours away). Our fingerprinting appointment went well and we were in and out of the office quickly. So we took the kids to the Red River Zoo where we spent the rest of the of the beautiful morning. Freddie had so much fun seeing the animals. He especially loved the armadillo, the meercats, and the peacocks with their little chicks. Valerie had fun pushing around her stroller, and they both enjoyed a ride on the carousel.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Kindle Fire Giveaway!!!
I am so excited to announce our Kindle Fire Giveaway fundraiser! It is going to be so much fun! And, I hope and pray that it will move our grant fund for Joshua up, up, up, and bring us that much closer to bringing him HOME. Keep reading for the exciting details!!
Why are we fundraising? Let me tell you--it is hard! It is hard to ask for help from others. It is humbling to admit that we need others to be involved in our lives and in our adoption process. But it is good! And God is good. All the time. God has lead us to pursue this adoption, and we are joyfully walking in obedience to what He has called us. We are stepping out in faith that God will meet all our needs, as He has promised.
"And God will meet all your needs according to His glorious richness which is in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19.
"And God will meet all your needs according to His glorious richness which is in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19.
International adoption is very costly. There are agency fees, homestudy fees, country fees, visas, immigration fees, travel expenses for the multiple trips required for Joshua's adoption. We are estimating that the total adoption expenses for Joshua's adoption will be about $40,000. This seems like an impossible mountain to overcome!
"The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the lord of all the earth." Psalm 97:5
We have already been so blessed by the love and generosity that has been poured on us and on our sweet Joshua. We are SO THANKFUL for those who are eagerly waiting with us for Joshua to come home. We are so excited to see how God is going to move and how He is going to provide. We are ready to see some mountains melting!
Now, on the the details of the Giveaway!
The giveaway will run for the month on June, beginning June 1st, and ending on June 30th. The winners will be announced here on the blog on July 2nd.
How to enter the Giveaway:
There are two ways to enter the giveaway--DONATE and SHARE
DONATE:
*** All donations through the Reece's Rainbow grant (on the right) are tax-deductible!
$10 = 1 entry
$25 = 5 entries
$50 = 20 entries
$100 = 50 entries
$50 = 20 entries
$100 = 50 entries
Share:
Help us spread the word about our giveaway!
Share on Facebook, Twitter, etc. = 1 entry
Blog about our giveaway = 1 entry
PLEASE be sure to leave a comment/send me an email to let me know that you have donated/shared so that I can enter you! Please let me know the amount that you donated so that I can give you the correct amount of entries.
Winners will be randomly selected and will be announced on the blog on July 2nd.
Here are the FABULOUS prizes!!
First Prize = Brand New Kindle Fire!
Second Prize = $25 Target Gift Card
Third Prize = $15 Starbucks Gift Card
Fourth Prize = $15 Cold Stone Creamery Gift Card
Fifth Prize = $15 Bath & Body Works Gift Card
Prizes 6-10 = Handmade Bead Bracelet
Prizes 11-15 = Handmade Coffee Sleeves
Prizes 16-20 = Handmade Key Chains
This will be so much fun! And we will have 20 winners! Please DONATE and share, share, share! We are hoping and praying that this will MELT SOME MOUNTAINS!!!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
A New Blog Design!
I am super excited about this lovely new design for our blog! Thank you, Nikki--I love it!
http://www.madebynikki.blogspot.com/
Our Dossier (all the paperwork required by Joshua's country) has arrived in Eastern Europe! It has all been translated! We are expecting the papers to be registered in 2 weeks--so excited for that! I am hoping and praying that we won't be asked for more documents and that we will quickly receive Joshua's official referral. Our first trip to meet Joshua could happen soon--or may still take a little while. It is an exercise of patience, and trusting in God's perfect timing in all things.
We have a super fun and exciting fundraiser giveaway coming really really soon!!! I am so excited to share about it! Stay tuned.........
http://www.madebynikki.blogspot.com/
Our Dossier (all the paperwork required by Joshua's country) has arrived in Eastern Europe! It has all been translated! We are expecting the papers to be registered in 2 weeks--so excited for that! I am hoping and praying that we won't be asked for more documents and that we will quickly receive Joshua's official referral. Our first trip to meet Joshua could happen soon--or may still take a little while. It is an exercise of patience, and trusting in God's perfect timing in all things.
We have a super fun and exciting fundraiser giveaway coming really really soon!!! I am so excited to share about it! Stay tuned.........
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Our Dossier Is On Its Way!!
Finally, I feel like we are getting somewhere! It is so exciting to know that our paperwork (Dossier) will be received in Joshua's country sometime this week, and all the documents will then be translated into his country's native language and registered in Joshua's region of that country. Although it seemed to take forever to bring us to this point, I know that the timing is all in God's hands, and I am choosing to trust Him in all things. It won't be too long now before we get our dates for our first trip to meet our precious Joshua!
I thought that I would take some time to give you a little peek into this adoption process. Every country has different rules and requirements, and a different process. For Joshua's adoption, things are way different than our experience of adopting Valerie from Hong Kong. But no matter what country, International Adoption is not for the faint of heart! It is a long, grueling process that is every bit as emotionally draining as it is financially exhausting.
International Adoption involves stacks of paperwork and red tape, multiple finger-printings by the police and the FBI. We have gotten to know several local notaries on a first-name basis. We have gone through several interviews with our Social Worker where have discussed basically everything we ever did, said, or thought about! (At least that is how it feels!) We have had to make detailed lists of finical assets and liabilities to prove that we can adequately care for an adopted child and that we are financially stable. The paperwork and forms that need to be filled out seem to be never-ending. We have to receive 30 hours of training classes, which we are doing on-line.
Sometimes in the middle of all of this, we stop and say, "Why are we doing all this? It is so inconvenient. It is so hard. It is so exhausting. It is so expensive." But then when we look at Joshua's sweet face, we know that it will all be worth it, so we press onward toward the prize. We know that we are following where God is leading us, and we find peace and rest in knowing that we are obeying His calling in our lives.
So here we are, with our Dossier en route to Joshua's country! This week we also sent in our I-600A application, which is basically seeking approval for Joshua to immigrate to our country, where he will be a US citizen once the adoption is finalized in his country. What do we still have to do?
* Our Dossier has to be translated
* Our Dossier will be registered in Joshua's region of his country
* The country may ask for additional documents (pray that they won't!)
* Make our 1st trip to meet Joshua and formally accept his referral
* Get appointment for FBI finger-printing for the I-600A
* Get I-600A approval
* Wait for court date in Joshua's country (usually 2-3 months after 1st trip)
* Make our 2nd trip to Joshua's country for court
* Wait for 30 days after court, for court documents to be released (back in the US)
* Return to Joshua's country after the 30 day wait, get his US passport and visa
* Bring Joshua HOME!
Please pray for us and with us as we work hard toward bringing Joshua home! And please pray for Joshua, for his health, safety and protection--that he would know that he is loved!
I thought that I would take some time to give you a little peek into this adoption process. Every country has different rules and requirements, and a different process. For Joshua's adoption, things are way different than our experience of adopting Valerie from Hong Kong. But no matter what country, International Adoption is not for the faint of heart! It is a long, grueling process that is every bit as emotionally draining as it is financially exhausting.
International Adoption involves stacks of paperwork and red tape, multiple finger-printings by the police and the FBI. We have gotten to know several local notaries on a first-name basis. We have gone through several interviews with our Social Worker where have discussed basically everything we ever did, said, or thought about! (At least that is how it feels!) We have had to make detailed lists of finical assets and liabilities to prove that we can adequately care for an adopted child and that we are financially stable. The paperwork and forms that need to be filled out seem to be never-ending. We have to receive 30 hours of training classes, which we are doing on-line.
Sometimes in the middle of all of this, we stop and say, "Why are we doing all this? It is so inconvenient. It is so hard. It is so exhausting. It is so expensive." But then when we look at Joshua's sweet face, we know that it will all be worth it, so we press onward toward the prize. We know that we are following where God is leading us, and we find peace and rest in knowing that we are obeying His calling in our lives.
So here we are, with our Dossier en route to Joshua's country! This week we also sent in our I-600A application, which is basically seeking approval for Joshua to immigrate to our country, where he will be a US citizen once the adoption is finalized in his country. What do we still have to do?
* Our Dossier has to be translated
* Our Dossier will be registered in Joshua's region of his country
* The country may ask for additional documents (pray that they won't!)
* Make our 1st trip to meet Joshua and formally accept his referral
* Get appointment for FBI finger-printing for the I-600A
* Get I-600A approval
* Wait for court date in Joshua's country (usually 2-3 months after 1st trip)
* Make our 2nd trip to Joshua's country for court
* Wait for 30 days after court, for court documents to be released (back in the US)
* Return to Joshua's country after the 30 day wait, get his US passport and visa
* Bring Joshua HOME!
Please pray for us and with us as we work hard toward bringing Joshua home! And please pray for Joshua, for his health, safety and protection--that he would know that he is loved!
Friday, April 27, 2012
Waiting.....and Working
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I wish that I had a real update to give everyone. I wish that we could be celebrating another step closer to our Sweet Joshua, instead......we are still waiting. Waiting is hard work. Waiting is exhausting. It would be so much easier to be doing something. Soon, soon I hope we will have news of progress--but for now we wait, and we trust in God and we quietly ache for Joshua who still does not know how he is loved. Oh, how he is loved! I long to snuggle him into me and kiss his precious cheeks and whisper love to him--each day that slips by with out a family is another day too long. Soon, soon, Darling Boy!
In the mean time, as we wait, we do stay very busy. We are working hard to be ready for Joshua's arrival. We are working hard to raise the money that is needed to bring him home. We had a garage sale last weekend and we did well. Now we will be having another on May 5th, and we are praying to raise even more adoption funds. Please let me know if you have items that you can donate to our sale!
We are SO Grateful and so Thankful for those who have lovingly given to our adoption fund! It is such a blessing and an encouragement to our family! It is so humbling to see how God is working in our lives and in the lives of many people who we love--and even some people who we don't even know--to supply the needed funds to bring Joshua home. There is no better way to "store up treasures in heaven!" We continue to trust God, as we still have a long way to go with funds--but we know that He is ABLE!
Please keep us in your prayers as we wait!
Friday, April 13, 2012
Garage Sale Fundraiser!
Friday, April 6, 2012
Isaiah 53--What Easter is All About
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
31 Product Fundraiser--Today and Tomorrow Only!
Have you checked out all the cute products that 31 has??
My sweet friend, Lauralee, has graciously offered to donate all her proceeds from her 31 business--to Joshua's adoption fund--from all sales made from NOW until MIDNIGHT TOMORROW (Wednesday)!!!
Check out the link below to see the catalogue of cute bags and purses and other great items!
Happy Shopping! You can order by calling Lauralee at 218-330-2008
http://www.mythirtyone.com/lauraleetupa/
Getting Closer! We need your help!
And speaking of mountains moving, I am trying not to panic. I believe that God means what He promises in His word, "And I will meet all your needs, according to the glorious richness in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19. But this mountain feels impossible. Again, I believe God's words when He says that "With God all things are possible" Mark 10:27.
Like I said, trying to hold onto Jesus and not panic. However we have an impossible amount of money that we need to raise in a very short amount of time. We have already had many family and friends give generously and sacrificially, and we are so humbled and thankful for each and every gift. I have been working until the wee hours of the morning on fundraising and sewing items to sell. Tim has gone through his coin collection and sold many items to help cover adoption expenses.
This week we have to write a big check to our adoption placement agency--$8,000. And praise Jesus, we have it all! He has met that need! We are so thankful.
However, before we can travel to meet Joshua we need to pay our country fee, which is $16,500--ouch! We do not have this money!!! We need help!! Please join us in praying for God's miraculous provision--and please be a part of the miracle! If we all give what we can, we can throw this mountain into the sea!
Remember, gifts given to the RR account are tax-deductible! Please give to Joshua--this little boy needs to know that he is LOVED, that he is WANTED, that he in not an outcast! We are hoping to travel in May, so we have about a month to raise this money. Please help us reach this impossible goal of $16,500. Let's see God do a miracle!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
We have an Approved Homestudy!
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| This was just taken a couple of weeks ago! Now we don't have any snow |
I have been waiting MONTHS to hear this good news!! We are so excited!! Now we are busy gathering the last couple of documents that we need for our Dossier--the big stack of papers that will go to Joshua's country so our papers can be registered there and we can get a travel date. Finally some progress! I am so thankful, and continuing to trust in God's perfect timing as well as His provision to meet our needs to cover the expenses of this adoption. We are hoping to get all our paperwork sent to our adoption placing agency by the end of next week. We are getting closer, little Joshua!
This morning I had the privilege of speaking at our local Christian school, where Freddie attends Kindergarten. It was an honor to share at their weekly chapel service, the passion that God has given me for the orphan and for adoption. The kids really seemed interested, and I was so encouraged! Their eyes grew so big when I shared about what 165 million looks like--it is so hard to wrap my mind around that number. I hope that I could help the children learn a little bit about orphans around the world, and what they can do to make a difference.
In honor of our homestudy approval, I will add a couple of pictures of our home--just for fun! :)
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| Valerie's Room |
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| Very Pink |
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| Freddie's Room Soon to be Freddie's and Joshua's Room! |
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| Lots of Animals! |
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Grateful
All week I have been planning to sit down to report about our spaghetti meal last Sunday. Well, I am finally getting around to doing it. :) We are so very grateful for the many, many people who made the meal possible: those who helped with the set-up, the cooking, the serving, all the ladies who made the wonderful desserts, those who came and ate and stayed to listen as Tim and I shared about what God has placed on our hearts. We are just so grateful for the support of our church, our family and our friends--it is truly humbling to be so blessed by so many. We served about 150 people on Sunday, and all together we raised $2,500 to help with adoption expenses! Here are a few photos from Sunday. I wish that I had taken some pictures during the meal, but I was so busy that I didn't think of it at the time.
If you were not able to come to the spaghetti meal, but would still like to help with the enormous cost of bringing Joshua home, you can do that right here on our blog! If you use the Reece's Rainbow give button, your donation will even be tax-deductible!
We will hopefully be doing a fun fundraiser thorough the blog soon, so keep an eye out for that!
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| Freddie and Elijah check out the dessert table |
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| Valerie helping out |
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| Table decorations and Joshua Jars |
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| Display Table |
If you were not able to come to the spaghetti meal, but would still like to help with the enormous cost of bringing Joshua home, you can do that right here on our blog! If you use the Reece's Rainbow give button, your donation will even be tax-deductible!
We will hopefully be doing a fun fundraiser thorough the blog soon, so keep an eye out for that!
Friday, March 16, 2012
Spaghetti Sunday!
This Sunday, Tim and I will be hosting a spaghetti lunch at our Church, following the 2nd service, (at about 12:30 pm) in the Outreach Center. We will have pasta, salad, garlic toast and lots of yummy desserts! We will be sharing about our journey to adopt Joshua and what God has been teaching us lately. Please come fellowship with us and learn more about adoption/orphan care and how you can be involved.
A freewill offering will be taken to help with the enormous cost of bringing Joshua home from an orphanage in Eastern Europe. There will also be some of my craft items for sale, goodies, and my very talented brother (Micah Carpenter) will have some of his music CDs available for purchase with all the proceeds going to help us with adoption expenses. We would love to see you there! If you are not able to come to the meal, but would still like to make a donation to help bring Joshua home, you can do that by clicking on the RR donation button for a tax-deductible gift, or on the chip-in for a gift that is not tax deductible. Here is a link to Micah's music blog: http://micahcmusic.blogspot.com/ You can hear his music right on his blog--he is amazing! |
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Held
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Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Saturday at Maplelag
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Paperwork and Prayer
Adoptions are made up of lots of paperwork and ever so much prayer! I wanted to give a little up-date on where we are at in this process. Hopefully soon we will have some real news, but right now we are mostly waiting. Our Social worker is finishing up writing our homestudy, and I am really trying to be patient, but it is not easy. We are working on our Dossier paperwork that will be submitted to Joshua's country as soon as our homestudy is complete. We have a few more forms to fill out, and then we have to have everything notarized. After it is all together and notarized, we will have to visit the Secretary of State to have a special seal, called an Apostille, placed on each document to make it even more official. Then our Dossier will head overseas to be translated.
We have been busy getting a family newsletter/support letter ready. One more review from the editor (Tim, of course!), and then I can start printing. The letters should be ready to mail by Monday, at the latest. Send me an email, if you would like to receive our letter, and you are not already on our address list.
Last week we got approval from our Church to host a fundraiser lunch after our church service on Sunday, March 18th! This is a big answer to prayer and a huge blessing to us. Hopefully we will be able to raise some desperately needed funds for adoption expenses. But even more important than that, we will have the support of our church family and have the opportunity to share what God has been doing in our hearts and lives. We know that He will provide what we need!
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| Here is a fun picture, just because! These two are Sunshine! |
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Please take 2 and a Half Minutes
Please take 2 and a half minutes to watch to video clip that I added just above this post! It will be time well spent. It asks the vital question, "How should Christians respond to the orphan crisis?" I encourage you to think about that, and to pray about how YOU can be involved.
Over 26,000 children die everyday around the world from lack of care. There are over 163 MILLION orphans around the world.
In the book of James, we are called to care for the widows and orphans. It is not optional, if we want to be living in obedience to Christ. James does not say that IF *SOME* of you are moved by compassion, then maybe you should do something. No he says that TRUE RELIGION that is acceptable and pleasing to God, is to care for the widow and the orphan. Our faith is defined by our actions.
Adoption is certainly about giving a child a family and meeting the real physical needs. But it is more than that. It is about giving children the gospel. When we adopt a child into our home, they gain a mother, a father, siblings, a safe place to live, healthy food and medical care, education, love and attention. All those things are very important, but they are not the MOST important. When we adopt a child into our home, we give him JESUS. We give him life! This is the gospel. This is missions.
As a church we need to step up to embrace children and embrace the culture of life that our society seems to be at war against. We need to be willing to take a stand for life. We need to be ready to adopt, to come around families who desire to adopt and provide support and encouragement. We need to to help the single mother and the woman facing an unplanned pregnancy. We need to rally around the couple who just found out that the baby they are expecting has a chromosomal abnormality or other serious health issues. Children are a blessing--all children.
Tim and I are so thankful that God has grabbed ahold of our hearts and is walking with us down the road of adoption. We are responding to Him in obedience, and we are praying that many others will want to be part of our journey to bring Joshua home. We are trusting in God to provide and meet the financial needs that we will encounter through the course of the adoption. Tens of thousands of dollars. Joshua is worth it! His life, his soul--is worth it! Please consider how you can help!
Over 26,000 children die everyday around the world from lack of care. There are over 163 MILLION orphans around the world.
In the book of James, we are called to care for the widows and orphans. It is not optional, if we want to be living in obedience to Christ. James does not say that IF *SOME* of you are moved by compassion, then maybe you should do something. No he says that TRUE RELIGION that is acceptable and pleasing to God, is to care for the widow and the orphan. Our faith is defined by our actions.
Adoption is certainly about giving a child a family and meeting the real physical needs. But it is more than that. It is about giving children the gospel. When we adopt a child into our home, they gain a mother, a father, siblings, a safe place to live, healthy food and medical care, education, love and attention. All those things are very important, but they are not the MOST important. When we adopt a child into our home, we give him JESUS. We give him life! This is the gospel. This is missions.
As a church we need to step up to embrace children and embrace the culture of life that our society seems to be at war against. We need to be willing to take a stand for life. We need to be ready to adopt, to come around families who desire to adopt and provide support and encouragement. We need to to help the single mother and the woman facing an unplanned pregnancy. We need to rally around the couple who just found out that the baby they are expecting has a chromosomal abnormality or other serious health issues. Children are a blessing--all children.
Tim and I are so thankful that God has grabbed ahold of our hearts and is walking with us down the road of adoption. We are responding to Him in obedience, and we are praying that many others will want to be part of our journey to bring Joshua home. We are trusting in God to provide and meet the financial needs that we will encounter through the course of the adoption. Tens of thousands of dollars. Joshua is worth it! His life, his soul--is worth it! Please consider how you can help!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Wristlet Keychains!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
A Different Kind of Waiting
When I was pregnant with my son, I could hardly wait to meet him! I loved feeling my belly swell and knowing that he was growing and healthy. I loved feeling him move and kick, and knowing that he was nestled in so safe and warm under my heart. Even though I had only seen his shadowy form on the ultrasound photo, I knew he was beautiful. He and I were one, connected, always together. Everything I did, I made sure that he was protected, safe, nourished, loved. I could hardly wait to meet him, hold him in my arms and count each finger and toe and cover him with kisses. Yet, the waiting was good. He needed to grow and be ready for life in the world outside my womb--I didn't want him to come early, but only when the time was right. And we had to get everything ready for him! There was the nursery to paint and decorate. Darling little sleepers to shop for. Parenting books to read. Doctor visits to attend. I waited, but I waited full--he was already with me.
When I was paper-pregnant with my daughter, I could hardly wait to meet her! As she grew in my heart, I was filled with love for her, and anticipation and hope. But my arms and womb were empty. It was a different kind of waiting. I had a small photo of her, and I knew that she was beautiful, but she was growing, and I was missing it. I longed for her--to hold her in my arms, to keep her close, to kiss her little button nose. Was she safe? Were her needs being met? Was there someone to sing her to sleep and hold her if she woke up scared? I was not there to protect her and care for her, to love her. Constantly I had to turn my worry over to trust in Jesus, that she was being cared for. I knew that God's love for her was even greater than mine, and I took comfort in that. The gestation time in an adoption depends largely on government agencies, and processes over which I, as a parent have no control. The timing is uncertain. But through it all, God is at work, He is is control.
Again, I find myself in the midst of a paper pregnancy. I am waiting for my son. I am longing to hold him close, kiss his soft cheeks and tell him how precious he is, how loved he is. I grieve the time I have lost with him, what I have missed in his life. But I know that so much more lies ahead, and I can't wait to be there through it with him--to be his Mama. I pray that God is watching over him, protecting him, providing for all his needs. I pray that he is loved and warm and fed, that he is given the medication that he needs to stay healthy. I am working so hard to do all I can to make the wait as short as possible, but much of that is out of my control. I stay busy caring for his big bother and big sister, his father and his home--all these that he knows nothing about yet. We are all waiting for him. Praying for him. Preparing for him. He is half way across the world, but love for him is growing in my heart. It is a different kind of waiting. It is so incredibly hard, this "empty" waiting. But God is at work, and He is good. I will put my trust in Him, while I am waiting.
***The photo was taken in Hong Kong on our first full day with my sweet daughter.
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