Tuesday, June 24, 2014

puzzles, donations, prayers and translation...







So, the puzzle fundraiser is going pretty slow. We have gotten two donations specifically for the puzzle. But, I have started assembling some pieces from donations that we have received in the past. I'm not sure how this is going to turn out. But, we are thankful for every little bit. We know that it adds up amazingly fast somehow. So, we'll keep trying on this puzzle fundraiser, but I'm brainstorming how else we can raise the rest of the funds we need to bring our baby girl home. Some suggestions I've had are a baby sitting night, where Breanna and some of her friends can maybe help to babysit at our house for a donation on one or two evenings. Breanna and I thought we would love to have an arts and crafts sale, since we both love to do things like crochet, sewing, rainbow loom and Breanna is really getting good at sketching and such. Another idea was me doing photography sessions for a donation. I am, in no way, a professional, but I enjoy photography and would really like getting more practice. And if I could do that and get some donations, that would be wonderful. If you have any ideas or like one of these ideas, please leave me a message with your input. I would like to get an idea of what the interest would be for any of these ideas, so please don't hesitate to give me your thoughts.
However, we have gotten a couple really generous donations and we will definitely be putting those people on the puzzle. We now have about $7000 or $8000 left to fully fund the adoption. Praise God!
We can't begin to express how thankful we are for those that have donated to help bring Carissa home. It seems like every time we start to get just a bit nervous about having enough funds to finish the adoption, it seems a generous donation shows up. We really should learn to not get nervous at all and realize that God's got this. We are so blessed and so humbled! And not just the donations; when people ask about how things are going and tell us they are praying for us and for Carissa, it gives us such peace and comfort.
Not much happening just yet on the adoption front. I did get to fill out some immigration paperwork last week. It kind of made it pretty real. Putting the address where she will be living with us and the terms of her immigration and everything. It felt good to get that filled out. We will just be doing a lot of waiting from this point on. Our agency did let us know that our dossier has been translated. So, that means it is on to the next step of being reviewed and then finally approved; probably another 6 weeks.
We are hoping for an update on Carissa soon, but it's not guaranteed to happen. It would be great to get another peek at her, though. They grow so fast at this age. Every time we've seen another picture of her, she looks so different. I can't imagine not seeing another picture or video of her until gotcha day, but that's a possibility that I will have to prepare myself for.

Psalm 130:5 "I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope."

Friday, June 20, 2014

T-shirt Relaunch

Well, Paul and I have had several people come up and ask if we were still selling t-shirts, how they could get one because they missed out the first time, or had already bought, but wanted to purchase more. So, we decided to re launch the t-shirt sale. It's through a company called Bonfire funds and we get a good portion of the proceeds to go toward our adoption fund. We have to sell at least 50 shirts for the sale to be successful. They won't print the shirts nor charge your credit card until 50 shirts are sold.
So, if you are interested, please follow the link below to find out more details and purchase a nice, soft, comfy shirt for a good cause. :o)





Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Third Trimester

So, I'm not sure what the timeline comparisons from adoption to pregnancy usually are. But, I kind of feel like we are in the third trimester of our "paper pregnancy" now. That's right! We completed one more big step in the international adoption world. Log In Date (LID). This means that China has our paperwork and application and they have accepted it into their system. This is the official end of our big "paper chase" that we have been working on since we started our home study in November.



This is something kind of fun that many people on our agency fb board (our awesome "support group") does. They often make fun pictures to announce the big steps in the process. So, I thought I would join in. Things like this are fun to do, especially when you're amidst the pressure and stress of the process.
So, next, our paperwork will be translated and then, finally looked over for approval. We already have a Pre-Approval to adopt Carissa. So, they have seen some of our information, but not all of it. So, this step (LOA) will be our final approval. This step can take from 30 to 90 days. Most come in about 60 days. We are really praying for a 45 day approval ;o), just to make it a bit quicker.

So, that's where we are at now. Possibly about 4 to 5 months to travel to pick up our girl..... October!....It seems so far away, but also like it's coming up fast....Like, it will be here before we know it. We have lots to do to prepare to have toddler in the house again. So, I'll make the best of the wait, and hope the busyness helps the time pass faster.

In the meantime, we still need to make about $12,000. This is basically travel and the mandatory $6,000 orphanage donation. I have applied for several grants, but we won't hear about those until close to travel and they are a long shot, something we can't rely on happening, so we still need to attempt to raise some more funds. I'll be going ahead and going back to my job at the school, once school starts back up, until we get close to travel. So, that will bring in some more funds.  But, we also have the puzzle fundraiser going on.


We have three pieces sponsored so far. 249 pieces left. A good start. A slow start, but we are so thankful for every little bit. We don't deserve any of it. We know that. But, we are willing to do all that we can to bring our girl home, to get her out of an institution. Because she does deserve a chance. She needs a home, a forever family. Without that, her future does not look bright. Not only is she an orphan, but one with special needs. That puts the odds against her, to survive into adulthood, much less a productive, happy, fulfilling life. But, her future in a family, with a mom and dad that love her and siblings. We will do all we can to give a chance at a super bright future, a chance to reach her full potential. And most of all, she will be given the chance to hear about Jesus and hear all about how much God loves her and how all of us are adopted into His family. The most important family of all!

Info on the puzzle fundraiser:
$10 to sponsor a piece. You can sponsor as many pieces as you would like. You can donate through paypal, check in the mail (if you already have our address), or through our Pure Charity account. (Links are on the side of this blog). Leave a message as to what name and/or tiny message you would like on the piece. Once it's done, it will be framed where you can see either side, to show the picture and the names/messages. If you still have questions or want more detail, please see the previous blog post. Thank You!

Friday, June 6, 2014

The missing piece.

 
 
 
Isn't this a pretty picture? The top characters are Carissa's name in Chinese characters. The other words are words that we hope will become important to our sweet girl. And then a scripture that we feel fits. All on a background of Chinese holly (carissa flowers); one of the reasons we love her name. My honey made this picture for us to put on a puzzle. Why a puzzle, you ask? Well, that brings me to my next subject.
 
After researching various kinds of fundraisers, we came across a lot of puzzle fundraisers. And we thought it was a pretty neat idea. It's neat because Carissa feels like the missing piece of our family puzzle, in a way. So, a puzzle fundraiser seems kind of fitting. So, we thought we would try it out and pray it helps us raise funds to bring our precious girl home. So, this is how it works.
 
 
We will be "selling" each puzzle piece for $10 each. In exchange for the cost, we will put your name, family name and/or very small message on the back of the puzzle piece. If you buy more than one piece, your message can be a little bigger. It's kind of like a sponsorship. As we get pieces sold, we will put the puzzle together and send out picture updates as it's coming along. When all the pieces are sold and we have the puzzle put together, we will frame it where you can see the front and the back. It will be a keepsake for Carissa to have for many years to come, for her to see all who had a hand in bringing her home.
 
So, there are a couple of ways you can purchase these pieces. If you are local and see me, you can always give me the money in person and tell me what to put on the puzzle and I will do that. If you know my address (not sharing it publicly ;o) ) you can mail me cash or check and write a little note telling me what to put on the piece that way. You can also donate through the Paypal donate button on the side of this blog. I think paypal has a way for you to leave a message, so you can write a note saying how many puzzle pieces you want and tell me what name and/or message you would like on your piece. You can also donate through the PureCharity account (link on the side of the blog) (It's tax deductible) and then, leave me a message through email or this blog, to let me know that you donated and what you would like on your puzzle piece/pieces.
 
Also, please share, share, share. Share from your email, share on facebook. Whatever way you can share. There are 252 pieces to this puzzle. So, I'm hoping you can help me to spread the word and make this a great fund raiser.
 
Thanks in advance for all the prayers and support. We are getting closer to bringing our girl home everyday. We can't wait!