Off to Immigration

Today we mailed our paperwork off to Immigration.  This was the step we have been waiting on as this will be the final piece that we need to send our dossier to Ukraine.  It could take up to 6 weeks to get this approval back so if you could pray specifically for a speedy turn around we would appreciate it.  We know it's all in God's hands and His timing is perfect.

The Pampered Chef party that my adoptive mama friend had for us made $50 and the booth we had at the craft fair made about $50.  So thankful for all those that are supporting us.  We will be participating in a couple more craft fairs in December; one in Kingsville and one in Holden.

Here are some random photos of our life.

Should Math really be this hard?  Luckily
when we took Caleb to the dr, they decided he
didn't need glasses anymore but may need
corrective surgery on his eye that doesn't always
track with the other one.

I'm not sure what was happening on the
day this was packed but I guess someone
was tired of sticking a straw on each pack.

We are collecting our nuts for the Winter.

Peyton with our kitty, Panda.
It looks like he is smiling doesn't it.

 

And finally, my sweet friend sent me this card.  I want you all to know that everything you do for us; every card, kind word, donation, prayer; all of that illuminates us.  You have no idea, how, there are days that are just so hard on this adoption journey.  Days that I wonder why is this taking so long; shouldn't it be easier this time, after all this isn't our first adoption.  This girl has waited for all these years to have a family.  Why is it so difficult.  Then, God gently says, I've got this, let me.  And I am reminded that she was His first.  He knows and sees all that I can't.  So I praise Him in this waiting time.

~Tina  

One Month Closer to A

It is time to do another drawing from our Adoption Puzzle Fundraiser.  If you are just now joining in, the Adoption Puzzle Fundraiser is to raise money to help bring A home.  When you donate, your name will go on a piece of this puzzle.  For every $10 donated, your name will go into a drawing.
For example, if you donate $30 your name will be put in the drawing 3 times.  Because A's birthday is on the 15th, on the 15th of each month until we travel I will draw out a name and you will win something that we bought when we were in Ukraine.  On December 15, if you have donated $50 or more I will do a separate drawing for a big Matryoshka nesting doll.

The winner for October is SB.

And she wins this.

We finished up our T-shirt Fundraiser on September 15 and raised $121.  If anyone is interested in a t-shirt I have a few extras; limited sizes.  Also, if enough people are interested in buying one, I can do a re-order.  There is a minimum that has to be ordered before they will print.

Tonight is the Pampered Chef FB party that my sweet adoptive mama friend is having for us.  We don't know each other in person, just through adopting from Ukraine and our blogs.  She contacted me to see if she could have a party for me to help us with our adoption.  How awesome is that!!!  If you are interested in joining in at 7 tonight just send me a request to add you to the group.

This Saturday Peyton and I will have a booth at the Crest Ridge PTO Fall Craft Show.  It runs from 9-3.  We are selling necklaces, winter scarves and handmade decorative bowls.  If you are local, come on out.  It looks like there will be some great vendors and crafts.

I am hoping that our homestudy will be in my hands by tomorrow and I can send it on to USCIS (Immigration).  It can take up to 6 weeks to get the "Golden Ticket" back from them.  This is usually the final document needed to be able to submit our dossier to the department in Ukraine that will approve us and give us a travel date.

And so we patiently wait and pray for A.  Every night at dinner time my kids pray for her and they talk about the things they will do when she gets here; where she will sit at the table; the things they will teach her; what color will she like.  I love that my kids already see her as their sister.

Thanks to everyone who has donated or helped in any way.  Keep the prayers coming.

Tina

3 Years Ago

Three years ago today was the end of a long wait and we finally got to take Peyton and Caleb from the orphanage.  What a bitter sweet day it was.  It was really hard for me to leave so many children behind just knowing I would never get to see them again.  They had forever changed me and I am so thankful for that.  Yes, the things they taught me I already knew, but they just sharpened it all for me.

Like:

Kindness - If one orphan had several apples, they didn't keep them all but made sure everyone had one. Even if that meant giving up the last one you had and running to the orchard for more.

Patience and Goodness -  I couldn't communicate because of the obvious language difference but they were so patient with me when I would try and speak Ukrainian. They would keep saying the word until I got it, always sweet and kind.

Joy and Faithfulness- After we were there a few days and they got used to us, they would come running as soon as they saw us.  It was a faithfulness we came to count on at such a hard time and always with joyful faces;

Gentleness and Self-Control - What would you do if you saw a mouse?  Yeah, not these children. They had a pet mouse and would hold it so gently and even when it bit them, they still were so gentle with it.

Peace  or Contentment -  The children wore the same clothes day after day and took a bath once a week.  The outside toilets were less than ideal; imagine a small wooden shed with a concrete floor and three holes cut in the concrete.  Yes, squatty, potty.  I never once heard them complain about this and I know, what good would it have done. But, wow, how much it taught us about being content with all that we have.

Love - Our sweet A.  This girl was so shy and standoffish when we got there.  We could see the longing in her eyes that she wished we were there for her, not a jealousness at all, just a desire to be chosen and loved.  By the time we left there we definitely were in love with her.  I will not forget this day, that look on her face and those tears rolling down her face, because the likelihood of us coming back was just not possible.

But............. what an awesome God we serve, that 3 years later and 1 week after I quit my job, He would have me follow a FB post that would lead me to find A's picture.  A hosting agency was trying to find a family to host her for the Summer.  We decided we wanted to be that family but we would just go and adopt her instead.

So today on Peyton and Caleb's Gotcha Day I am just so humbled that God chose us to be their parents and is leading us back to the one we could not forget.

~ Tina  

photo from 2012