Passing Our Stories Along

A big thank you to our new web friend, Ali! It was so wonderful of you to include us and all of the following families on your blog. God bless you! Make sure to visit Ali's family blog at http://missionfielddesigns.com/mygodgivenmissionfield/
We are sharing these stories here as well:

Dawn is an adoptive mommy of two little girls from China, and is raising funds to bring home two more children from Ethiopia. She is selling handmade blankets and custom wooden growth charts in order to raise funds for their upcoming adoption. Her items would make wonderful Christmas gifts! Stop by her blog, and take a look!

The Langton Family is another family anxiously waiting to bring their child home. They have already been matched with a little boy name Alex. You can follow their journey of bringing Alex home on their blog. Like us, I am sure they are dreaming of the day when they will have their little Alex home with them. Their donation button can be found in their sidebar. Every donation, no matter how big or small, will get the Langton family one step closer to bringing their little boy home where he belongs.

I was very blessed to also visit the Sisemore’s family blog. Just as the Stever family has a heart for orphans with down syndrome, the Sisemore’s have a heart for orphans with cerebral palsy. They have one adopted child from China, and they are doing a bunch of other fund raisers so they can bring their little boy Jeremiah home from China as well. Jeremiah has cerebral palsy. You can take part in any of their fund raisers, and get them one more step closer to bringing Jeremiah home. Here are all the links you need to know about. Jeremiah’s Promise, tax deductible sponsorship, magazine fund raiser, and they are also selling coffee like us!
God has laid it upon the hearts of the Hodges family to pursue adoption. They too are going through the adoption journey. They were blessed with two biological children and are now praying that God will bless them with an adoptive child. You can follow the Hodges family as they do what they can to bring a child into their home. You can find their donation button in their sidebar.

Another family waiting to be united with their adoptive child, is the Calvaresi family. They are waiting, and raising funds so they can bring their little girl Ana-Sophia home. Ana-Sophia was diagnosed with developmental delays and autism. By sending a donation to the Calvaseri family, you are helping make it possible for them to bring Ana-Sophia home where she belongs. You can read their whole story, and leave a donation by visiting their site.

The Aus family is waiting to bring their son Chase home from China. They were blessed with two girls from China earlier, and now they are anxiously awaiting the day when they can add Chase to their family. You can follow their story, and even chip in a little toward Chase’s adoption by visiting their family blog.
The puzzle piece fund raiser, has been the most fun and rewarding fund raiser so far. We are not the only one’s doing it either! The Burgess family is also doing a puzzle piece fundraiser. Their puzzle is coming together really fast! They are doing an international adoption from China. You can donate through their chip in button, or you can make a tax deductible donation through Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministry. Just mention it’s a donation for Kevin and Karen Burgess’ adoption.

Adam, is an 11 year old boy in China, waiting for his family to pick him up. Beth and Mark are raising funds to be able to adopt this young man. It is very touching reading about their adoption journey, and the things they are doing to be able to scrape up the funds necessary to bring Adam home to them. You can help them to be able to afford their adoption by sending them a donation. By clicking their chip in button in their sidebar.

The Wibes family has two fund raisers going on so far. The are selling coffee through Just Love Coffee Roasters, and using onecause.com. Onecause.com (which I gotta look into for us!) is really neat! . You register and choose the national adoption foundation as the cause and then benefit crediting to babsie95@yahoo. com. Then you continue on with your online shopping like normal! Brilliant!

The Boettler’s are another family digging up financing. All of us families who are going down the adoption path, is familiar with bumps in the road. The Boettler’s have overcame obstacles, and are now waiting to be matched with a child from China! You can help the Boettler’s overcome the financial obstacle, by donating toward their adoption fund. Their chip in button can be found in their sidebar.

Taking in special needs children is a big undertaking. I was so inspired today by reading about the Boyd family. They have adopted 7 children from various places in Eastern Europe, and are now in a crunch trying to raise funds to bring home 3 more children waiting for them in Bulgaria. Their story is amazing!

These are just a small handful of families who have hearts for adoption. All of them are willing to go through this huge process, and spend all of their finances, in order to give a child a home. These children have the hope of having a forever family. There is no better way to support the orphans (James 1:27) than to help unite them with the families that are so desperate to reach them. Please consider helping some of these families!

Even if you are not able to donate to any of these families’ adoption funds, I do encourage you to at least stop by and read their stories. And if you are up to it, copy this blog post, and post it on your own blog! The more the word is spread the better. I pray that these families will be blessed.

Prayer Warrior Update

Oksana has a good start on the Christmas Angel Tree so far! Let's keep it up everyone! If you feel a special call, please contribute to our beautiful girl! She needs a family and a home soon!

Happy Birthday 2nd Noodle!

Tomorrow is Avery's 4th birthday - WOW! She is the spitting image of her Daddy with her Mommy's hair! Avery is every bit the "big sister" of our youngest three daughters. She is very stubborn and smart as a whip! We love her so much! She is so excited about finding a new brother or sister and bringing them home with us!
We are getting ready for doctor visits for all three next week - that means a few shots too. We are looking forward to Thanksgiving this year and are reminded that the sweet orphans in Torez will have no families to share it with. Please pray for these children and give thanks for all that you have.

Stay Away Negativity!

I do not want to waste valuable time complaining - but just one please. Negative people. GO AWAY! You do not have to understand, or give your opinions, or give advice. We are also a bit disappointed in the DHR system here. I am going to blame our experiences on an overworked and underpaid staff of State social workers and administrative staff. I wish they would not brush you off, refuse to return your phone calls, and have a generally rude attitude. We are people who are thrilled to be adopting and trying to give orphans homes, right? It is alright because God has called and we will not ignore Him! It will take much more than that to deter us! Blessings!

Moving Along

Now everything is really underway! We have begun our home study process. Fingerprinting is next, more forms, doctor's appointments, copies of everything under the sun, etc....... This is the fun part, right? All worth it because a precious life will be saved. When I feel overwhelmed and want to quit, I think about those sad little faces - blank stares. Then I am refreshed again. We will bring a child home to feel the love they never have experienced. We have several fund raisers coming up. We will be selling wristbands and bulbs/seeds for the gardening soon. Please support our cause if you are able. One of my noodles will be 4 years old on Saturday! Get ready Avery!

Happy Birthday Noodle!

Happy 2nd Birthday to our sweetie Kennedy! She is such a beautiful blessing. Her accepting, unselfish attitude is so special. She is so loving and touchy-feely! We love her dearly! The whole family is going to the girls' favorite - CiCi's! Thanks for the suggestion Grandma. Even "big sistas" Morgan and Alex are going along with Kevin - Morgan's husband-to-be.

Busy at Home

Things have been a little hectic since all 3 little noodles (and the 17 year old noodle) have colds! Daddy is losing his mind with cranky sniffling little girls plus a teething baby. He is the greatest! I am struggling with something that you will see pop up over and over in this journey - patience. We are waiting on a doctors letter to send to our home study agency. We pray that it will be well written and will be submitted soon so that we can get this show on the road! I have been thinking about the precious orphans in Torez with all of the illnesses going around. I pray every single day and night for their little bodies to be strong enough to endure. It makes me thankful yet again for my biological children's' good health.

Light In The Dark

Matthew> It is becoming clearer with each step we are on the right path. The support structure we are getting is finding us faster than we can find it. I have been thinking about my childhood. My father worked at Easter Seals and my mother was a R.N. My father pasted away when I was ten, but even in those few years I believe a foundation was laid for the journey we are on now. I was lucky to have a father who I saw as larger than life, my hero. I can still remember some of the people I met with my dad. Lucky for me I saw these people with the eyes of a child. I did not see the disability. It was not like there was any difference between the people there or the ones anywhere else. I remember a man who was about my age now and was in a wheel chair. He could pop-a-wheelie and spin around and do all sorts of tricks. I saw the things he could do and not the things he could not. The further we go the more I remember. The feelings from then awakening now. The lights are coming on and I the past is living again. I fumbled around in the dark only to find the light inside myself.

Date Night

We had a kind invitation to attend the Montgomery Area Down Syndrome Group meeting tonight. It is such a wonderful opportunity to meet some very nice families. We are too excited! Plus - this will be our first night out of the house alone together since...................hmmmmm When? We will still probably talk about and miss the girls the entire time! However, we hope to learn some new things and make some new friends so it will be great!
Maybe we can even volunteer to help in some way. We are praying for knowledge since we feel called to adopt a Down Syndrome / special needs child.

Happy Anniversary

Yes - today is the 5 year anniversary for Matthew and I. It seems like time has just flown by! We have been through so much in 5 years. I cannot think of anyone else that I would rather have by my side than my dear husband. He is the strongest and sweetest man ever. I love you. I look forward to parenting more children with you.

The Starting Line

Here we go! We are off and running on our journey! Our home study is beginning, so here goes all the background information and fun stuff! We are feeling very positive and thankful to God for His guidance and trust in us. Please pray for the Stevers - all of us. We have a strong family and good friends. Keep us in your prayers and pray for the children in the Ukraine.

Coming Soon

We are focusing our attention on raising awareness and donations for Ukraine orphanages and institutions - specifically Torrez. The situation here is beyond sad. These beautiful children are dying every day. They need homes and love. We will be organizing several fundraisers in the upcoming weeks, so be prepared to be informed! Please pray each day for these angels in our midst.