Help Us Bring Our Child Home!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles!!!

2010-09-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a day for our last day in Taitung!! We were supposed to leave by plane to fly up to Taipei, but wouldn't you know it...a tropical storm blew in that was upgraded to a typhoon! We were down to the wire as to whether or not we were going to be able to fly or had to take a train. We finally decided that we couldn't risk it and took the train. We got to the train station with about 15 min. to spare!

The train ride was NOT ideal with our Teething Timebomb Tiger!! I think it was a 5 1/2 hour train ride, but ended up being closer to 6. Needless to say, Abi did not really enjoy herself, which in turn, made Mommy and Daddy not enjoy themselves either! I think it's safe to say that we were both (well, all 3!!) quite frazzled by the time we made it to Taipei! I do have to say, if it had been a clear day out, the scenery was amazing! This is truly a beautiful country!!

After the always exciting taxi ride in downtown Taipei (it's amazing more people on scooters aren't run right over! Also amazes me that it seems like most foreign cities love to make 3 lanes out of 2!!) to our hotel, we find when we go to check in that our credit card has had a hold put on it. Seriously NOT a good time to mess with me by this point!!! I had called our credit card company the day before we left so we wouldn't have a problem. Turns out, the last hotel had entered the wrong security code and Visa put a fraud alert on our cards. We called visa right there from the desk and got it taken care of. Evidently, today there is still a problem (not with the hotel trying to use, but with something else we tried to use it on) so when Abi wakes up, we will be on the phone with visa again! So annoying! Lance uses it ALL over the world, why would we have a problem now? Probably don't have to answer that for me...I already know! LOL!!

This morning we had our AIT appointment. It went very well. We were in and out of the building in about 1 hour 15 min. Abi's passport/visa will be done today and delivered to our hotel this afternoon for us. Nice to have the last thing taken care of and done!!!

We have 3 full days left in Taipei before we leave on Tuesday. One thing we have to do is visit the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. I have a picture of my grandparents in front of it when they visited Taiwan many years ago (they are both gone now). I would love to have a picture of us in front of it as well. I think it'd be pretty special!

Here's to more exciting adventures the Gustafson's can find! :-)

Last Day in Taitung

2010-09-08T00:25:00.000-07:00

Today is our last day in Taitung. Pretty bittersweet. I would love to spend more time here and see more of the area our daughter was born and has ethnic roots, but I am also extremely excited to be one step closer to going home to see the rest of our family!

I've had a hard time with the internet, so I haven't been blogging as much as I would have liked. I will try to recap the last few days as best as I can!

Sunday, we went to church with Deana and her family. Deana is the lady that runs the home that Abi was in. She is married to a pastor, and they have established a wonderful ministry. Her heart's burden is to prevent abortion and help the girls that are pregnant and often don't know where to turn. I pray that her ministry grows leaps and bounds and that God blesses and guides her efforts.

After church, we went to lunch with Michelle (our translator and guide). We then came back to our room for a while and let Abi nap. Later, we went to the night market with Deana and her family and Michelle. It was so much fun! Lots of things to see, eat and people to watch!

Monday was a big day. We first went the Household Registry to do some paperwork. Then we went and met Dr. Li, who delivered Abi. Then off to Hannah's Hope to tour the home that Abi has been living in. At Hannah's Hope, we got to play with the babies that are there, waiting for their families to come and get them. They are all so precious!!! I can't wait for each of them to go to their forever families! Then after playing, we got to put crib skirts on the cribs in the boy's room. I had been asked if I'd make them. My Mom and I had started to make them, then we found out that we had three days until we had to leave for Taiwan, so bless my Mother's heart! She finished them for me!! They are beautiful!

After spending that time at Hannah's Hope, we went to the lobby and waited (very nervously) for our meeting with Abi's birth mom. I can honestly say that meeting her was one of the hardest, heart-wrenching things I have ever done. All the mental preparation I thought I had done, didn't help. But at least we were able to meet her, she saw that we loved Abi, we assured her that Abi would know that she gave her up out of love, and we thanked her choosing life for this sweet little girl. We have pictures to give Abi when she is older. I know that she will cherish that.

Tuesday, we went to the beach and toured the countryside. It's such a beautiful area! It was weird to think that when we stood at the beach, that we lived on the other side of that same ocean. We went to some local shops and got some local souvenirs. The people here are so giving and gracious. One shop gave us two items to give to Abi when she was older! They really love babies here. We've even had people stop us to take her picture! Everyone has to look at her and talk to her.

Today, we were going to go to the mountains, but there is a tropical storm off the coast that brought a lot of rain, so we went to the local market, Starbucks (had to visit that! We're from the Seattle area!!), had a wonderful lunch of dumplings (I am so going to start making these more often!), went to the History Museum and the local Aboriginal Arts Center to buy a few items from the tribe that Abi's biolocial family is from. Tonight we are going out to dinner with Deana and her family and Michelle. We are hoping our little tiger will be able to handle going to the show that they put on in the hotel. It's aboriginal dance from her tribe. We haven't been able to see it yet, last chance!

Tomorrow we fly back to Taipei. We have an appoitment at AIT on Friday. We are hoping to leave on Tuesday to start the long treck home. In the meantime, we hope to explore a little of Taipei.

Please pray for our safe travels. Also, that little Abi's teeth would stop hurting her. She's got both top teeth and we think one of her bottom teeth coming in right now. Poor baby! We feel so bad for her!!!

PS~ I have tried to upload pictures three times now, this is all you get! We'll post more pictures soon! Sorry!

She's Amazing!!!

2010-09-04T17:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our Gotcha-Day!!! I have to admit that I was a bit nervous for our meeting with Abi. With our adoption of Ana, we spent a month bonding with her in her orphanage before we were given custody of her. With Abi, we went to Hannah's Hope (the home where she has been living) they brought her out, and she was ours!

Thankfully, God was in control, as always! We have prayed that He would tell her that we were her family, and He did! Abi was a little unsure of what was going on when we first met...here is this woman looking at her trying hard not to bawl her eyes out, and this man (what's a man?? She's probably not seen too many of them before!!) with this furry thing above his lip! LOL!! But after a few minutes holding her, playing with her and cuddling her, she must have realized that we were those funny people that God keeps telling her about! ;-)

She had just had her bottle before they brought her out to us and was sleepy. After 15-20 min. she cuddled up and fell asleep on my chest. Mommy was in heaven!! So for the next hour or so I got sit there and hold our new baby girl, cherishing every long-awaited minute she slept in my arms.

Besides the sheer joy of finally having her in my arms, we got to sit and visit with the lady that runs the home, and two other incredibly sweet ladies. Everyone we have met have been amazingly gracious and friendly! Taiwan is certainly on the opposite spectrum from Kazakhstan! People go out of their way to be nice to you here...it felt like in Kaz, people would go out of there way to be pushy and rude to you! LOL!!!

Once Abi woke up, we went back to our hotel. We haven't left since! We just have been enjoying every second with her! She is such a sweet, cuddly, happy little girl!!! She has the funniest little giggle where she crinkles up her nose and almost snorts! Just adorable!! She has slept amazingly well for us, eating very well, and joyfully discovering new things! She has shown us all sorts of tricks that she can do...sitting up, crawling, and pulling her self up to a standing position! And she is quite proud of herself for doing it!! We can't take our eyes off of her for a second because she is fast! So there will be no resting for this mom and dad for a while! LOL!

We are heading to church in an hour, which we are very excited about. Deana's (the lady that runs the home here) husband is a pastor and we can't wait to visit! We need to go get some breakfast for now, but I will post more later!!

Thanks for the prayers!

We're Leaving TOMORROW!!!

2010-09-01T08:11:00.000-07:00

Yep! You read that right!!! We are leaving tomorrow, Sept. 2, 2010!!!!! We will arrive in Taipei on the night of Sept. 3rd, and fly to Taitung on Sat., Sept. 4th to get our Abi!!!!! We are beyond excited!

It's been a whirlwind couple of days. We have had months to prepare, but only about 3 days to get it all together once we knew we were traveling. I will be posting much more than I have recently! Please keep an eye out this weekend for pictures!!!!! I can't wait to show her off!

Thank you for your prayers!

Urgh.....

2010-08-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

I just need to vent a little this morning. Just a little. Turns out, what was supposed to be a 10 day wait period for us has now evidently turned into a 20 business day wait period. I guess it's a 10 day wait period if the birth mom signs the court paperwork and gets it back in. Turns out, our birth mom didn't get the court paperwork, so obviously she could not sign it to turn it back in. I can not even voice with words how frustrated this makes me... on so many levels! First of all, if the birth mom knew to be looking for the paperwork, why didn't she let someone know she didn't get them? Secondly, we have done FAR more than 20 business days that she could have changed her mind, can't they just physically talk to her about this and wave it somehow? Maybe not, but it seems quite ridiculous to me.

And the worst part about it is that Abi has to go that much longer without being where God intended her to be...home with her forever family. I just want to fly over there tomorrow just so I can be there so she can get to know us!!

I can't tell you how many people have told me, "You know, it's all in God's timing. Trust in Him!!" or, "Maybe God is just trying to teach you patience!" I guess if they knew me well enough, they would know that I am VERY aware of God's timing being the perfect timing and I trust in Him with every fiber of my being! And I think I am one of the more patient people I know! LOL!!! BUT...some days I swear, if I hear someone else tell me that, I just might SCREAM!!!!!! (see, I told you I needed to vent a little! hehe!) The one thing I do find funny about this, the people that tell me that, are almost always people that have never gone through this!!! I usually don't ever hear adoptive parents tell me this. I just find that interesting.

PLEASE PRAY that we will be allowed to go over there SOON!!!!! PLEASE PRAY that once the 20 day wait period is over (which should be Sept. 3rd) we will be allowed to get her VERY soon after that!!!!! This Mamma is getting a bit impatient, and just might hop on a flight and go deal with it myself!!! (just kiddin'....maybe!)

I Know...It's Been Too Long!!!

2010-08-22T07:36:00.000-07:00

First of all, it has been far too long since I have updated on what is going on with our adoption! Thank you to all of you who have emailed to check up on us! And especially for the prayers, they've been needed and much appreciated!

As you know (or can see from previous posts), we had our court date on June 1st. It was not the news that we had wanted. The judge felt he needed another social worker report on the birth mom. Evidently, the social worker somewhat dropped the ball and didn't do it in a very timely matter!! The judge finally did grant us our 1st decree on Aug. 2nd. After you are granted a 1st decree, the birth mom has to sign it and turn it back into the courts, which is the date that the official 10 business day waiting game begins (as I understand it!! It's been a bit confusing!). We have not heard that our 10 wait is over, although I am assuming (and praying that it's true!) that it was up last week. Now we need the judge to give us that 2nd decree. Please pray with us that it will happen early this week! Once we have that, we can contact the AIT (American Institute in Taiwan...like our embassy in other countries...again, as I understand it!!) and get our appointment there! I think we get to travel to get Abi a week or so BEFORE our appointment there!! So I'm praying that we can get an appointment as soon as possible!!!!!

What does this all mean??? It means that we could potentially be traveling to Taiwan within the next couple of weeks!! You have no idea how long we have waited for this!! (well, maybe you do!!)

In the meantime, I have been VERY busy trying to finish up planning out our school year. Since we school at home, and I know all the distractions that bringing Abi home will cause, I'm trying to be as prepared as possible. I want the kids to be able to do school while we are gone getting Abi, plus I really want them to be able to continue smoothly once we are home. I have some more work to do in the planning department, so I'm praying that I can finalize that early this week!!

I was also asked, as I think I've mentioned before, to make some crib skirts for the boys room. Since my life feels like complete chaos right now, my Mom has graciously helped me out! We worked together on them for an afternoon, and will easily finish them up with just one more afternoon. They are adorable! I can't wait to take them to Taiwan and help put them on the cribs!

For my prayer warrior friends, I do have some specific prayer requests for the upcoming week or two, which are:

That our 2nd decree will come early this upcoming week, and that we will be able to get an appointment at the AIT office very quickly!!
Please pray that no severe weather would happen in Taiwan. Last year about this time, they had a typhoon that delayed a friend of mine from going to get her daughter.
That Abi would come right to us and "know" that we are her family when we first meet her (just as Ana did!). She has been treated extremely well and has bonded very much with her caregivers and other babies in the home. Please pray that God would comfort her and that she would not mourn them too deeply.
And please pray that our travel to Taiwan and back will go smoothly. We have been offered some passes to fly there by some pilot friends of Lance (which will save us a TON of money!) but it would mean flying standby. Tourist season appears to be slowing and the flights are becoming less full. Pray that the flights we would need will have our seats reserved for us by a Bigger Hand! :-)
Pray for our kids that will be home with Grandma and Grandpa. We know that they will be well taken care of, but we will miss them very much.

Thank you so much for keeping us in your prayers! It's getting close! I will keep you updated!

One Month...

2010-07-02T04:46:00.000-07:00

Well, it's now been a month since our first court hearing...still no word. The not knowing and waiting has to be the very hardest part! I really don't like it. I know God has a purpose, as He does for everything, but I would so like it to be over with, NOW! I have met (literally met, not just in the internet world!) a wonderful family that had a court date the week before us, they just got to Taiwan and met their sweet baby boy today. It's like I have to seperate my emotions because on one hand, there's a HUGE part of me that is jumping up and down for them! I'm so excited that their adorable little guy is now with his forever family and they are finally getting to hold and love him...but then there's that little part of me that can't help but think that if our timeline was the same as theirs, we'd be getting ready to leave to go get Abi, and would probably have her in our arms next week. Oh well... I will always trust in what the Lord's plan is. He knows when she will be in our arms, and I absolutely can't wait for that day! I just pray it's SOON!!!!!

On the home-front, I've been keeping very busy (which is helping to keep me from focusing on the wait too much!). Yesterday I got an email from my case worker and she asked if I'd be interested in sewing crib skirts for some of the cribs in the home that Abi is in! They recently got a new building for the baby house and a missions team went over and fixed it up, painted and decorated it. It is just beautiful! So I can't wait to be able to contribute to this wonderful home (and ministry) in my own little way! :-)

Speaking of sewing...thank you to those of you that have sent me a piece of fabric for Abi's 100 Wishes (Blessings) Quilt!! I've only received 6 so far (many have told me that they will be sending them though), so if you'd like to contribute, remember...you don't have to even know how to sew!! All we need is either 2 pieces of fabric (the SAME fabric) that are at least 5 1/2" (larger is better!) square. If you'd like to send just one piece of fabric, a larger square about 8" would be great. Then, please write a wish (or blessing!) for Abi on an index card or a nicer piece of scrapbook type paper. Oh, and please sign your name! We will put the wishes (blessings) in a scrapbook along with a swatch of the fabric you sent, that way once we get the quilt finished we will be able to look through the scrapbook and match the blessings and wishes to the fabric in the quilt!!

Thank you for the prayers for our little Abi!

100 Good Wishes Quilt

2010-06-08T06:14:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, my friend briefly told me about a quilt that someone she new was doing. This person was adopting from China, and it is evidently an old Chinese tradition to make a quilt for a new baby to welcome them and celebrate new life. My friend told me that I should look into it, and at the time, I had every intention on doing that, but I quickly forgot all about it. Until last week! I have a new friend who is also adopting from Taiwan who is collecting fabric and wishes for her son. It jogged my memory that it was something I had really wanted to do!!

SO....I am! :-) The custom is to invite everyone to contribute a patch of cloth along with a wish (or, I would rather it be a blessing!!) for the baby. It is said that the quilt contains luck, energy, and good wishes from all the families and friends who contributed a piece of fabric. The quilt is then passed down from generation to generation. Since I know that all "luck and energy" comes from my Heavenly Father, I would rather it be a quilt full of blessings for our sweet Abi, from anyone that would like to send her a blessing!!

Here's what you do:

email me for my mailing address at gusfamily7@q.com
find two matching pieces of fabric (in the traditional quilt, it was often taken from old clothing, blankets, etc. Since I am somewhat a quilter, I would really like 100% cotton, if possible.) that are at least 5 1/2" big.
On a piece of paper, write a blessing or wish for Abi. This could be done on a 3x5 card, or a nicer piece of scrapbook paper.

THAT'S IT!!! That's all you have to do! :-)

I am then going to take the squares of fabric and use the one square to incorporate into a quilt design that my mom will be helping me with. The other matching piece of fabric, will be put into a scrapbook next to the blessing (or wish) that was sent with that piece of fabric. To see examples and read more about it, this is a good site.

I can't wait to someday curl up with Abi (wrapped in the quilt!) and match blessings to fabric! I just imagine how blessed and special she will feel!!!

So, even if I don't know you, would you be willing to help us out? 100 is a lot of blessings/wishes!! I wish I would have started this a year ago when we first started this process! Oh well, maybe it'll get done by her 1oth birthday! hehe!!

Thank you so much for helping us out and blessing Abi!

A Bit Bummed...

2010-06-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

Well, we did have our court hearing, but the judge ruled that he needed another report on the birth mom. The lady representing us over there didn't seem too concerned by this, so I'm praying that it's not that big of a deal. (But, in my heart, it is!!!) :-(

Please continue to pray with us that this new report will be done in record time, and that the judge would grant us our First Decree soon! We had to wait so long for this court date, then to have this set back, really bums me! Oh well, I know it is all in God's timing.

Pray PLEASE!!

2010-05-31T12:39:00.001-07:00

Right now it is 3:40am in Taiwan, June 1st!!!!! "Today" is our court date!!! I'm not sure exactly what time it is supposed to happen, but I do know that we are scheduled for our first court hearing today. Here is how I understand it to happen:

The social worker will turn in her report on Abi to the judge. The judge will look over all paperwork and will grant the First Decree, meaning that the birth parents will then have 10 business days to change their minds. (The judge may not do that today, it can sometimes take quite a while for them to issue that First Decree!!) After that is over, the judge will grant a Second Decree, which means that she is officially ours!! (Can't wait for that moment!!!!!) Once we have our Second Decree, we inform the AIT (which is like the American Consulate office in Taiwan) of our Second Decree and we wait for them to tell us when to be there for Abi's visa and exit appointment! So, if everything goes smoothly, it's possible that we could be traveling sometime in early/mid July to get her!!! (that's the moment that we REALLY can't wait for!!!!!!).

Here is what we would really like prayer for:

that the social worker will have her report done and to the judge today
that God would soften the heart of the judge and let him grant us our first decree either today or VERY soon!
that everything would go VERY smoothly and there would be no problems
that we would hear the outcome of what happens today very soon (it's possible we might not hear for a while!)
for God to give the birth parents peace about their decision
that once we get our second decree that the AIT would be quick in giving us an appointment (so we can get over there!!)
for continued safety and health of Abi
that the last little bit of money we would need for travel would come in
for God's perfect timing, and His glory to be recognized in everything that happens in this adoption that He alone has orchestrated!!!

We thank you for your prayers and we will let you know as soon as we hear anything at all!!!

Enjoy the rest of your Memorial Day!!

Wow!

2010-05-26T08:02:00.000-07:00

I know I say this over and over, but I have to say it again! God is just amazing in His blessings that He provides us with!

We have been praying for God to provide the funds needed to travel to go get Abi soon. And He certainly isn't letting us down! We have been incredibly blessed twice this week. The first time I received an email from a sweet lady that I have emailed with before in the past. We had adopting from Taiwan in common. She was emailing me to ask for our mailing address because they had started a fund to help others to adopt, and wanted to help us with our travel expenses!

The second, was last night after dinner. A lady we know called us and asked what we were doing. It was perfect timing, my work was done, it was now the older kids' job to do the dishes and clean up! hehe!! She asked if we could come over because they had something for us and she just couldn't wait! So Lance, Ana and I headed to their house. They handed us an envelope with a good-sized donation in it to help with our travel expenses! It was about all I could do to not completely break down and start bawling!!

That's so like God, isn't it? To completely use others to bless our socks off, and in turn, I pray that God will bless their socks off too!! Ten times greater!! And I know He will!!

Lance and I were so humbled and completely overwhelmed by these selfless acts of blessing us that these families have done for us this week, not to mention all the prayers and emotional support that others have given us as well. It's so heartwarming to know that in this often times dark and scary world that we live in, God's love is still (and will be to the end!) shining through it all!!

I found out some other good news this morning. The family that is right before us that has been waiting for two months since their court date, waiting for a social worker to get a report done and to the judge, has to wait NO longer! It had been done and their 10 day waiting period is already over!! WoooHoooo!!!!! They will hopefully be traveling and bringing their handsome little guy home by the end of next month!! I had prayed we'd be able to travel together, but would much rather see them get their little guy sooner, over my selfish desires to travel together! hehe!! I'm so glad they will be united as a family very soon!!

I pray you all have a wonderful rest of the week!

One Week From Today!!!!!

2010-05-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

One week from today our case to adopt Abi will go before a judge in Taiwan!! The social worker has been to visit with Abi which I really pray that means that they have started their report to submit to the judge before our hearing!!!!!

Please join us in praying that the judge will have our report in his hands so he can review it, that his heart is softened towards us, and that we are granted our 1st Decree on June 1st!! Such an answer to prayer that would be!!! I will let you know next week as soon as I hear anything!!

Thank you so much for the prayers!!

Wonderful News!!!

2010-05-20T07:51:00.000-07:00

I just received an email this morning from my case worker (who happens to be over in Taiwan for a month working on things over there) saying that the social worker in Taiwan had been to visit Abi! This is WONDERFUL news, and an answer to most of my prayers lately!!! It means that there is a possibility that they could have their report done (or nearly done) by our court date on June 1st!!! Which could ultimately mean that there is a chance we could be getting her by the end of June (that is probably the BEST case scenario!!) or July!!!!!

PLEASE pray that the social worker is able to get the report done and to the judge by June 1st, so that he can grant our first decree!!! Things will move FAST if that's the case!!

I'll keep you posted!
Blessings!

Court Date!

2010-05-12T06:02:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me just say that I am SO sorry I haven't posted this sooner! I know I have gotten emails wondering if we've heard when our court date in Taiwan will be. Please forgive me for not telling you sooner! I think I was a bit disappointed and thought if I just waited a little longer to post it, it would be closer to happening! :-)

On April 23, we found out that our court date is on June 1st! I am very thankful that at least we got the date (even if it was so far away). I'm sure that the judge could have sat on it and not granted adate until the last minute, so for that I'm thankful.

Many have assumed that since we have a court date, that we would be heading to Taiwan then. Unfortunately, that's not how it works! (bummer!!) At the time of the first court date, how I understand it, the judge will look over our paperwork. The Taiwanese social worker will have to submit their report for the child's side. Once that report is submitted, the judge will then grant what's called the first decree. That gives the birth parents 10 business days to change their mind. After that, a second decree is granted and she's officially "ours"! (But, of course, in our hearts, she already is!!) At that time, we contact the AIT (American Institute in Taiwan) which is basically the American Consulate in Taiwan, where we have to have an appointment to receive Abi's visa. Once we get that appointment date, we will be on a plane to go get her!

The thing that I am quite concerned about right now is that the social worker in Taiwan doesn't seem to be getting that report in to the courts right away. The family before us has been waiting over a month since their court date for the report to be turned in! It just kills me to think that it could be another month after waiting so long for the first court date, to have only the first decree granted!

Please pray with us that the social worker will have their report completed (or very close to having it done!) by June 1st!!! And pray too, that the family in front of us will find out any day that their report is done and that their first decree has been granted. The waiting is so hard for us all!!!

On a wonderful praise note... I had figured that we would need approximately $5,000 for our travel needs. Once again, the Lord has sent random money our way! We received a check for $1,000 right away from our agency saying that we had overpaid (which I still have not been able to figure out, since I sent in EXACTLY the amount that they told me to...I've even looked over the invoice over and over, I can't figure it out!), then we were given an extremely generous donation from the church on the island we live on for $600, I sold a couple of my bags (plus have a couple more orders that I am currently working on!), and then we got the option of having a $500 refund from our agency for a prepayment of a post placement deposit! We are currently waiting to hear back if we received a grant that we applied for (praying that we'll hear any day!). Currently we are up to $2,300, almost half of what I figure we'll need! God is awesome!

I will certainly try to keep things a little more updated here. Thank you so much to all of you who have gone out of your way to contact me to find out and be sure everything was ok! And thank you too for keeping us in your prayers!

Blessings!

Update!

2010-03-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

Today I received a call from our case worker telling us that our paperwork was submitted to the courts in Taiwan last week! Yay!!! The really hard part is, the judge could take anywhere up to three months to even give us a court date!!! The last family got a court date very soon after their paperwork was submitted, so I'm a little hopeful. PLEASE pray for us that it will be in record time, and that God will go before us and pave the way, that things will come together smoothly and quickly, so that we can go get our daughter and have her in our arms, where she belongs!!

Please also keep Abi's birth mom in your prayers. From what I understand, she is going through some very hard times. It doesn't have to do with regretting the decision to give up Abi (although, I am sure that I will have that worry in the back of my mind until the courts rule her to be ours!). Please pray that God would keep her safe, give her courage, speak to her heart how much He loves her and desires better for her.

Thank you so much for keeping all of these requests in your prayers for us! We appreciate it SO much!!

Have a blessed week!

Our AMAZING God!!!

2010-03-21T06:12:00.000-07:00

(Our Abi's sweet little hand! I think she's either waving to us, or giving us a high-five!)

I am so often completely amazed at the love that our God has for us! He comforts us when we are hurting, He rejoices with us when we are happy, and He provides for our every need.

This week, He has been providing for us in our need for finances for the travel and in-country expenses we will incur in Taiwan. I figured we would need about $5,000 (to be on the safe side) for airline tickets, hotels in Taiwan, food, visas (for us and Abi), and all the other expenditures we might run into. I have been sewing like crazy to make some money, but that's a lot of sewing to make that much!! LOL!!

Well, last week I received a check for $1,000 from our agency with not much description except that it was an over-payment. I've looked at the invoice over and over, and I'm still not sure how that happened, but I'm certainly not complaining either!!

Then, on Friday night, something totally unexpected happened!! Our younger son is involved in two youth groups. One is more like a bible study through our church that he goes to every other Friday, and the second is through the small little church that is on the island we live on. It's a small, tight-knit group. Only a few families make up this youth group, and we know them all well. But we do not attend this church.

Well, my son said that the youth group leaders wanted to talk to me, so I needed to go in Friday night when I dropped him off. He said they wanted to talk to me about the adoption. So, of course I took the few pictures I have of her to show off! In the back of my mind, I wondered if maybe someone in their congregation was interested in adopting, and since that is my passion, I was all excited to give a pep-talk! LOL!!!

What happened kind of blew my socks off! They said that they had a donation to their church, but it was to specifically go to a family to help them in an adoption of a child. They don't have anyone that is adopting in their church, so they thought of us! I have no idea how much this donation is, and really, that doesn't matter!!! What matters is that this small, little church completely humbled us by even thinking about us! Like I said, we aren't a part of this congregation. So many churches get caught up in the four walls that they meet in. That's not what I feel the "church family" is. And obviously, this church doesn't either! I pray that God blesses them incredibly! They have sure blessed us!

This week, I am applying for a grant that is given to only families in WA state. It's a wonderful organization called Ibsen Adoption Network. Please pray with me that we will get something to help off-set the rest of the costs.

As to where we are in the adoption... we have completed all of the paperwork and it has been to TECO (which stands for Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, and from what I understand, is the consular office that had to authenticate our paperwork before going to Taiwan.). The paperwork was then sent off to Taiwan and should be there by mid-week!! (Yay!) Then it is taken to the court and we wait for a court date. As you can imagine, I will be very anxiously awaiting the news of that!! I will definitely let you know when I hear!

I pray that you all find MANY things in your life to see and appreciate just how incredible our God is! Have a wonderful, AMAZING week!!

~ Our Sweet Baby's Birth Story ~

2010-02-25T15:55:00.000-08:00

I now will have five birth stories, all very unique. I could tell you about the three birthing experiences I had for our three biological children...all of those experiences completely unique from one another. The first one, I had to have a C-section, and almost died! The second one I was induced for a week and a half, and still no baby, so I had to have another C-section (which after the first one, I was terrified! But this time, it went well.) The third birth I was induced differently and it worked! Almost worked too well...I dialated from a 0 to a 10 in 20 min., so needless to say, it was completely natural! Our fourth child was not born of my body, but certainly of my heart. It was full of ups and downs, and took a couple of years to complete, and was definitely an adventure all on its own!

My latest birth story is of our newest and youngest child, Abi. She was only born two and a half weeks ago, in a far-away land that I have never been to. This child, too, was not born of my body, but certainly, again, of my heart. The wonderful lady that has guided us through this adoption, and I have gotten to know well, our case-worker, was fortunate enough to actually arrive in the country the day before our baby was born. In a newsletter that she sends to those of us adopting from this place, she wrote about the birth of our daughter...something that the majority of all adopted parents (at least those adopting internationally) never get to have. Here is what she wrote:

"The second day I arrived I got a call in the morning telling me that we had to take a birth mother to the hospital, that "D" (the lady that runs the home for pregnant ladies) thinks she is ready to have her baby! I have to admit, I was scared and excited at the same moment, I have never witnessed a birth, much less even seen a woman have a contraction. We got to the hospital and the doctor said that she had a ways to go but that he definitely felt that the baby would be born that day! I followed "D", along with our home's live-in counselor, the nurse, and our birth mom up into a room where she would rest until she was ready to give birth. We were in the room for hours as this mother's pain grew in intensity. I sat by her, holding her hand and encouraging her in a language that she did not know. She had no pain medication - (not available in this city) - she was the bravest woman I have ever seen. She squeezed my hands and looked into my eyes as the contractions hit and became more painful. As I looked back at her, talking to her in the limited (native language in that country) that I knew, I was struck in that moment to tears. This young woman was looking in the eyes of a stranger who didn't even speak her language during this huge moment in her life, her mother wasn't there (had left when she was young), her father didn't even know that she was pregnant, and her boyfriend had also left her. "D" and the "home" staff have been her family. At the end of this experience, this unbelievable experience, it was not even for a baby that would be hers, but one she loved enough to give to a family far away to hold and keep safe.

These babies are incredible gifts, the greatest gifts that can be given. This mother went through 9 months of a pregnancy and hours of birth, when most other unwed pregnant teens in (this country) are going through an abortion, she gave life to a child that she will not keep. I was struck with how profound what we do is, with how significant our work and ministry in "this country" is, and how very precious each of these children are.

Adoption is such an amazing picture of love, and I am overcome with it so often."

As you can imagine, the account of my baby's birth will be cherished forever by us. It amazes me that our case-worker just "happen" to be there to give us a first hand account!! We have also been incredibly blessed by the fact that this un-selfish birth mother wanted to have her baby's birth videod for the family that would love her and raise her as their very own. Speaking to an international adoption doctor a few nights ago, he said that he has NEVER, EVER heard of that happening. I thank God that we have that gift of our baby's birth!! What an awesome gift to our Abi, too, when she is old enough to truly understand the depth of love her birth mother had for her! It makes me cry as I write this, just thinking about what a truly loving, awesome Father we have to bless us with such a beautiful, sweet gift that we certainly don't deserve! :-)

I hope you enjoyed our baby's birth story!

With an extremely happy heart,

(Certain things were put in quotes and parenthesis to protect to people involved and the location of where this took place.)

We Have A Baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-02-17T19:53:00.000-08:00

We got the long awaited phone call today!! We have a baby girl!!!!! She was born one week exactly before Ana's...which means we will have 3 (out of 5!!) of our children's birthdays all within one weeks time!!! :-) She was 6lbs. 3oz., 20 1/2" long. She is gorgeous! I can't post a full picture of her until court is over, which might be a little while, but at least this is something! And believe me, the rest of her is as precious as that sweet little mouth!!!

We are naming her Abi Lynn. To give you some history as to the why of "Abi Lynn", please read a post I wrote back on May 19th, titled Yes...I'm Still Here!! . It explains how God clearly told both me and Lance separately (but within hours of each other!!) that we were to give our child the middle name of Lynn. You want to hear some really cool confirmation??? I was looking over her medical paperwork and her Taiwanese given middle name is.... Lin!!! Spelled differently, but very much the same!!!! I about lost it when I saw that today! God is SO cool that way!

I noticed something else that I thought was kind of neat...on our "ticker" of when we turned in our application for this adoption, it's exactly one year, one month and one day today!! Not really all that significant, just kind of cool!

So, now that the "pregnancy" is over, the labor has begun!! It will probably be about 5-6 months, obviously we are praying for shorter! Please keep our sweet Abi in your prayers! And if you would, to please pray that the Lord just goes before us and paves the way! Also that we will be able to come up with the travel costs...God has provided this far, I know He'll help provide the rest!!

I will post more pieces of pictures as I get them. I can't wait to show you the full shot! Just take my word...she's precious!! :-)

Praising our awesome God!

Birthday Party! :-)

2010-02-16T13:14:00.000-08:00

As I previously mentioned, this past week we had two birthdays! Ryan turned 16 last Wednesday (the 10th) and Ana turned 4 on Friday (the 12th!). Ryan decided he didn't really want a "party", just do a few different things with friends (I guess that's what happens when they turn "old"!!!) but Ana definitely wanted a party!

Here's a few pictures of our "Fancy Nancy" birthday party that Ana had this past Saturday. If you have a little girl and don't know who Fancy Nancy is, you must find her books! She is a little girl in a series of books named Nancy, that LOVES to be "fancy"! She has a "plain" family and is constantly trying to "fancy" them up! :-) She loves French words because they just sound fancy! The illustrations are wonderful! There isn't a day that goes by that we don't have to read at least one Fancy Nancy book (and we have a lot of them!!). I would highly recommend them, they are just so sweet!

Since our world somewhat revolves around Fancy Nancy, it was natural for Ana to want a "Fancy Nancy" party! The girls dressed up if they wanted, we decorated crowns to wear, played "pin the fancy spot on the lady bug", and ate a "fancy" cake! The girls were all very "exuberant" (that's a fancy word for enthusiastic!). We all had a very "stupendous" (that's a fancy word for wonderful!) time!!!

One Of The Best Weeks Of The Year!!!

2010-02-10T16:04:00.000-08:00

Ryan 16 years ago! With his protective big brother keeping an eye on him!

Dad and Kyle holding Ryan just hours after being born.

This is the closest I have to a new born picture of our sweet little girl!

Wasn't she just precious?? She still is!! :-)

This week is one of my very favorite weeks of the entire year!!! Let me tell you why...

The 10th (today) of February is our second son's birthday! He is 16 today! YIKES!! Where does the time go? He's such a great kid! I am truly blessed (not just by him, but by all of my kids!!)!

Then, on the 12th (Friday) of February, we have another special day...our youngest daughter's birthday!! She is going to be four (going on 24!). Though she wasn't born of my body, she was most certainly born of my heart! She is amazing!

Saturday, we are going to have a birthday party to celebrate the two birthdays, although, the teenage boy is just having a couple of friends over, while the little girls will be having a "Fancy Nancy" party! (I'm sure the teenagers will be on the other side of the house for that!!! hehe!!)

Then, the last thing that I always love about this week is of course that little thing called Valentine's Day! ;-) It's always been one of my favorites (that's because I'm a hopeless romantic!!)

I hope you have a wonderful week as well!!

eBay!!

2010-02-02T14:44:00.000-08:00

I am listing a bunch of things on eBay for two purposes. The first (and most immediately important!!) is to go towards the rest of the money needed for our adoption. The second reason is because we are putting our house back on the market, and hope to not move as much "stuff" as we currently have! :-) Some of the items listed are ours, some of them are things people have generously and graciously donated to us to sell to raise money. I will be continuing to list things over the next few weeks, so if you'd like to take a peak, check out my eBay listings.

Thanks!

Got A Question For you!

2010-01-24T15:51:00.000-08:00

I am conducting a poll (at the right hand side of this post) to see if we should sign up to sell coffee to help raise the last little bit of our adoption money, and to help with our travel expenses. A friend told me about a wonderful company called Just Love Coffee Roasters that has an adoption fundraising program. They have six different types of coffee. Five of the bags are 13 oz. and one is 16 oz. Each costs $12.95, with $5.00 going towards our fundraiser.

The owners of the company have also adopted, and want to help others who are going through it too. They also give part of their proceeds to the orphanage their children came from in Ethiopia! They are obviously people with a huge heart for orphans! I love it! :-)

Anyway, if you could take just a second to answer the poll to let me know if I should try it or not, I would really appreciate it!!

Blessings!

~~UPDATE~~
The poll is closed. We only had 11 people vote, 9 said Absolutely, and 2 said Maybe. SO... we may sell coffee in the near future, we'll let you know!

2 Hearts 2 Kaz: Team 2010!!

2010-01-21T09:03:00.000-08:00

Two very inspiring ladies that I know have a wonderful, non-profit organization, Two Hearts for Hope, to help the orphans left behind in Kazakhstan. They are gearing up to go on their second mission trip to the Almaty region of Kazakhstan where they will build a playground at one of the many orphanages in that area. (A mission trip that I had SO hoped to go on! Since we are knee-deep in our adoption from Taiwan, I will have to wait!)

Two Hearts for Hope is having a HUGE raffle right now to go towards their mission trip. They have 29 items that you could win! Tickets are $5 each, if you donate $50 you will receive 12 raffle tickets! For more information on how to get your raffle tickets, please go to their BLOG to read all about it and see the amazing items they have to give away!! Good luck! :-)

What A Week....

2010-01-16T11:39:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wanted something so bad...but God said no, not yet?

Have you ever laid awake all night long, night after night, knowing that it was the Lord that wouldn't let you sleep because there were battles going on that you needed to pray about?

Have you ever had the Lord tell you something so specific that you couldn't deny what He said...or that it was Him that said it?

Have you ever felt like your heart was being ripped out, and couldn't really tell anyone about it?

Have you ever had the Lord tell you to do something that you knew most people wouldn't understand?

Have you ever fell in love with something that you knew wasn't yours to fall in love with?

That's exactly how my week went. I so wish I could tell you more, and I will with time. Just know, it was quite a week! I am physically and emotionally exhausted from it! I am so glad this week is over, yet at the same time, I learned so much from it too.

I learned that the Lord truly is the orchestrator of my life, and that His timing is usually NEVER my timing! ;-) I learned that I can absolutely trust Him when He tells me something. I learned that He is always with me and there to comfort me, even if at the time, it hurts so bad I may briefly doubt it. I learned that in the end (even if it's not this side of Heaven), there is a reason for everything He does, and I have to trust in that. I learned that sometimes when you ask the Lord for a clear sign, He does give them, and it may seem miraculous! :-) I do promise...I will give details in due time.

On another note, you may notice in our little "ticker" on the right hand side of the blog of how long it's been since we turned in our application for this adoption, that today marks the one year mark. I truly can't believe it, but one year ago today, we turned in our official application, even though we were called a week before Christmas to join the pilot program. The Lord has taught us a lot in that year, just as He did during our adoption of Ana. I know that He will reveal our child to us soon. I pray for that child every day. I pray for their biological mother too. I know her decision does not come easily.

May you have a wonderful, blessing filled week from the Lord!!

Just Had To Share! :-)

2010-01-16T09:16:00.000-08:00

Ana has been working hard to memorize her first bible verse, Genesis 1:1. She is quite proud of herself! Just wanted to share with everyone! :-)

A Proud Moment For Mommy!!!

2010-01-03T22:30:00.000-08:00

Every meal, we take time to thank our gracious God for the food that He has provided us with. When Dad's home, we play "paper, scissors, rock" to see who wins and gets to pray. When Daddy is out of town, the kids and I usually take turns giving thanks. There have been many nights where Ana (3) wants to pray and says, "My turn! My turn!" I help her through line by line, and it's very sweet!

Tonight, she did the "My turn! My turn!" so we of course let her! But this time, she said the most amazing prayer...ALL BY HERSELF!!! I was so proud, I almost cried! :-) This is what she said:

"Dear God,
Thank you for this food. Please keep my Daddy and Kyle safe. Please keep my baby sister or brother safe from the dragon in the far away castle.
In Jesus' name, Amen!"

Is that not the absolute sweetest thing ever??? I sure thought so! ;-)

Have a blessed week!

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-02T06:33:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!

I absolutely can't believe how time flies! Wow! I guess we just really have to cherish each and every day as a precious gift from God! It certainly can get away from you quickly if you don't!

I am looking so forward to this year! I feel as though this is going to be a year of new beginnings, exciting adventures, and probably a lot of hard work, but I'm up for it!! I am really excited to see what God has in store for us!

One of my goals for this year is to update my blog(s) more frequently. I have listed some of my other goals on our homeschool blog, if you care to read them (and hold me accountable! hehe!!).

I did want to share a website for the ministry that is running the home in Taiwan that our child will be at (soon, hopefully!). The home is called Morning Light Children's Home. The couple that is running the home over there seem to be amazing! He is a pastor and she has a huge heart for the ladies there in Taiwan, especially the ladies that are unwed and pregnant. Please pray for their ministry, they are doing wonderful things for the people over there!

Here's to a new year of joy and contentment to all!
Blessings,

Merry (late!) CHRISTmas!!!!!

2009-12-29T07:29:00.000-08:00

(Ana getting pj's that say, "Big Sister"! She's SO excited to be one!!)

Merry Christmas! (Even though it may be a few days late!) I pray that each and everyone of you had a glorious time with family and friends celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ! We did!!

Once again, I am realizing that I am NOT keeping up with my blogs! I have resolved to try harder this new year! I don't have a lot to update you on in regards to our adoption. Well...I take that back! We did find out in December that we are the #1 family on the list now! The family before us accepted the referral of their new baby! (And ADORABLE baby, I might add!!!!!) At this time, I really have no idea when the next lady is due in the home. I'm praying that the Lord is holding our baby in His loving arms, and telling them that we will be coming for them soon!!!!! I pray for safety and health for our sweet little one in Taiwan, and that He will tell them that they are loved beyond measure! I pray for our baby's bio mamma too. What she is going through at this time can't be easy at all. I know that she, too, loves that precious baby, and only wants what's best for them. I pray she will receive the Lord's comfort in her decision!

We have been truly blessed by the fact that we have been able to raise almost all of the money needed for this adoption! (Which I find truly amazing that we have been able to raise, and have been generously given, as much as we have! We need $1,000 more to be able to accept our referral, then the only money left that we will need is travel money and the in-country money...that all seems SO doable after raising what we have!!!) And to many of you reading this, I thank you for helping us in our fund raising efforts!!! Without wonderful friends and family, and those that we don't know but have huge, giving hearts, we would not have been able to do it! I pray that the Lord will pour out His blessings on each and every one of you that has prayed for us and helped financially!!! Just know that you have helped a child get to their Forever Family, the family that God intended them to be in from before the beginning of time!

I am still making custom bags and selling them to help also raise money. For all of you that have graciously ordered bags (and sometimes quite a few !!!) thank you too!!! You have kept me very busy! LOL!!! I am hoping that now that Christmas is over, I'll have time to devote more effort into selling some more bags to raise the rest of the money we need. I am also hoping to get ahead of the orders and put some pre-made bags on Etsy. I will let you know when I do, so you can check them out!!

I pray for each and every one of reading this, that you will have a WONDERFUL New Year!! Can you believe it's 2010?!! I can't!!!! I truly feel that this is going to be a very exciting year!!!

Blessings to you!

PS ~ I WILL be posting more often! And don't worry, I will post as SOON as we know more about our child! Thanks for the prayers!!

Washing Machine!

2009-12-10T17:44:00.000-08:00

No word on our baby yet (that's one reason why I haven't posted in a while!). I just keep praying that God is keeping them healthy and safe until we find out "who" they are! :-)

I do have word though, that Morning Light home (the home where most likely our baby and their bio mom will be) is in dire need of a washing machine. I guess the wonderful woman that is running it (she is an amazing American woman that is married to a Taiwanese minister, and her calling is really helping the unmarried pregnant women in Taiwan) has been taking all the dirty laundry home with her, washing and folding it, and then bringing it back to the home! They really need to have one in the facility!!

Our adoption agency is asking for donations to be able to get her a washing machine for Christmas! She has four children of her own, so I know not having to do that extra laundry will be a huge blessing to her!!

If you felt led to donate, please send a check to:
All God's Children, Intl.
Attn: Kate McDodson
3308 NE Peerless Pl.
Portland, OR 97232

Please make a note that it is for the "washing machine for the Taiwan home." Thank you so much for also praying for the home too!!

Blessings and Merry Christmas!!!

Haven't Posted In Quite A While!

2009-11-21T19:52:00.000-08:00

I apologize that I haven't posted in SO long!!! The fundraiser got over with, and then it seemed life was busy, and nothing huge was happening with the adoption, so I haven't posted!!

I have had a couple of people ask about the two birth moms that were to deliver in October. They both ended up keeping their babies. In one of the cases, it was a good thing! The couple ended up getting married. The other case, probably wasn't the best situation, so we pray for them daily.

Since then, nothing really has happened. We are just playing the waiting game I guess!!

As for the fundraiser, I want to thank everyone once again who helped out and donated! God has certainly blessed us with amazing people that we have come across in our lives, and you are all included in that! We ended up raising just about $2,000!! Praise Him! We still need to raise about $1,400 to have what we need to accept our referral. (Maybe that's why we haven't gotten the referral yet? LOL!) After that, we will have a little time (I think) but we will have to come up with the extra costs, like travel, lodging in Taiwan, baby's costs in Taiwan (medical, visa, passport, ect.). I know that the Lord WILL provide! I am SO excited to see how He does it! For now, I am going to start sewing like crazy again (Denice's Creations). I am going to try hard to get a bunch of things made to start my Ets y store at the beginning of the year. So watch for news of that! ;-)

So, thank you all who keep checking in for news. I promise that I will post anything important as soon as it happens!

On a really cool off-topic note...today is the 3 year anniversary of the end of our journey to our daughter Ana, who was adopted in Kazakhstan! Three years ago today, we touched down at SeaTac airport and she officially became a US citizen, and we were finally home as a family!!! It was such an exhausting, emotional day! But one we will never forget, and continually thank God for!!

Blessings to all!

And The Winners Are.....

2009-10-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

(Ana mixing them up!)

(Hmmm...let's see...)

(Oooh! I know who won!)

(And the winner is!!!!!)

OK, just so you know, Ana drew ALL the names for the winners! We figured that would be the best bet for a couple of reasons. She can't read, therefore, no cheating! LOL!!! And she is also adopted, and since this was in support of her siblings adoption, it seemed to be appropriate!! (Not to mention, then I could take pictures!!) So her grandma helped her draw the names! She was SO excited to have this BIG job!!!

Now, on to the winners!!!

1. MercyMe singed CD/DVD ~~ Shannon Brietenfeld
2. MercyMe signed CD/DVD ~~ Roxanne Kudwa
3. MercyMe signed CD/DVD ~~ Sarah Lockwood
4. MercyMe signed CD/DVD ~~ Jenn Heckert
5. Custom made wall shelf ~~ Dana Chapman
6. Quilt (green and burgundy) ~~ Jessica Kidwell
7. Quilt (purplish/bluish and green) ~~ Resa Delany
8. Gift Basket ~~ George and Randi Delany
9. $50.00 American Express Gift Card ~~ Becky Gustafson
10. $25.00 Starbucks Gift Card ~~ Paula Zenobio
11. Party Lite "Change-O-Luminary" ~~ Donna Dimnet
12. Small Handbag ~~ Michelle Minner
13. Medium Handbag ~~ Tracy Cook

Congratulations!!! I will be contacting everyone by email!! If you see this and haven't heard from me, it might mean I haven't been able to get ahold of you! Please email me at gusfamily7@q.com.

Again, we can't thank you enough for all of your support!! God bless you all!!

Total!

2009-10-01T05:44:00.000-07:00

We will draw the winners at about 9am Pacific Standard Time. We ended up with $1,935.00 with 30 generous people that donated! (we will take donations up to 9am!) We needed about $4,000 to accept a referral when it comes in, so now we'll only need a bit more than $2,000 (I guess I'd better get sewing like crazy to make some more money!! LOL!)

I just want to send a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone that participated! I know economic times are hard, but there are some incredibly generous people out there!! Even those that could only donate $10 (and those that could donate nothing, but sent beautiful prayers and passed the word on to others!), it meant SO much to us!! It has really spoken volumes to me about the people we have in our life. God has truly blessed us with knowing some amazing people, and even those that we don't know all that well, but have supported us in this adoption, tells me so much about the hearts of all of you!! I thank all of you that are praying for this adoption and for our new child in Taiwan. I thank those of you that took a minute to spread the word to people that we don't even know.

I pray that God blesses everyone that stepped up and did one, or all, of those three things (gave, prayed, and passed the word on.). You are incredible people with incredible hearts! Our sweet child in Taiwan is one step closer to having a Forever Family, and we are one stop closer to being blessed abundantly by that child!!!

God bless!!!

LAST DAY!!!!!

2009-09-27T15:28:00.000-07:00

(Better late than never! I finally got the pictures of the two quilts up!!!)

Today is the LAST DAY of hopefully our last fundraiser to raise the rest to be able to accept the referral of our baby (who could be born any time!!)

So far we've had 28 people donate, with a total of $1,735.00! Thank you SO much to those who have donated already!!! (The odds are still pretty good that you might win something if you donate!!!!! ;-)

If you happen to be on Facebook, we have an "events" page set up that you can visit and "invite" your contacts as well! We appreciate you getting the word out, we have some great things to give away!!!

Here's the info about the fundraiser again:

Here's what we are going to do! On Monday, Sept. 28th through Wednesday, Sept. 30th, we are going to have a "Power Fundraiser!" And here's the great part, everyone that donates has a chance to receive an awesome gift!! Here's the great gifts we have to give away so far (I hope to be adding pictures of these gifts sometime this week!):

4 of MercyMe's 10 CD/DVD ~ signed by the group! (Their latest release commemorating 10 years of great hits!)
2 beautiful handmade quilts!
A beautiful gift basket filled with wonderful items from Montana by Western Country Gift Baskets! (retail $45.00)
A $50 American Express Gift Card donated by Send Out Cards!
A gorgeous, rustic wall shelf (retail $40.00)
A beautiful "Change-O-Luminary" (from Terrie Owen's Party Lite website) plus 6 Holiday Spice votives to go with it! (retail $32.00)
2 of my custom made bags from Denice's Creations! (1 medium ~ retail $49.00. 1 small ~ retail $39.00)
$20 gift card from Starbucks!

That's a total of 13 items we will be giving away!!! Pretty good odds!!!

Here's how it's going to work! ~

Donate $10 ~ you get one chance to win one of these wonderful prizes!
Donate $50 ~ you get seven chances to win!
Donate $100 ~ you get 15 chances to win!

We will be announcing the lucky people that have been drawn Thursday morning, October 1st, here!

Blessings! And thank you for your continued prayers! Remember, pass the word about the great things we are giving away!!!

Blessed Beyond Words!

2009-09-23T10:59:00.000-07:00

We recently received a beautiful handmade card from a sweet girl named Trinity. Trinity is one my dearest friend's daughters. They live in the mountains of Colorado (we miss them terribly!!!).

This summer, Trinity and her cousin Jarod (the two children in the middle), put up a Kool-Aid stand this summer on their extremely quiet road that goes through their small "town". (I put town in quotes because it is small! Most people who have homes there are seasonal. Infact, this is funny, I just googled the population of their town, and the first site I came up with said 7! I know that's not true...my girlfriend has 6 kids, plus her and her husband! Plus, I know of a few others that call the town home too! The next two sites I found said 108 and 149. I'd say somewhere in there! So, like I said, small! I wished I lived there!!)

They put their stand up on a Tuesday (you would think a very quiet day for traffic!) and I understand they were out there for about five hours, and guess what? A total of about 30 cars stopped by!!!!! Why am I telling you about this Kool-Aid stand that our adorable little friend Trinity and her cousin Jarod put up? Because they donated the money they made to go towards our adoption! They earned $91.03!!!! Unbelievable!!!

When I opened it up and read her card and saw the check, I have to admit, I was extremely choked up (well, I'd have to say I was MORE than choked up!!) I still get choked up when I think of what a sweet, generous thing these kids did! That's a lot of money, would have each gotten a lot! But they chose to donate it to help our baby in Taiwan get a "forever family". I pray that God blesses these children beyond belief!

Interestingly, our last adoption, we also had a child donate. His name is Ben, and it was on his heart to take $100 out of his savings account to help us bring Ana home! I remember just being blown away! Kids are SO awesome, aren't they? They have such wonderful, giving, pure hearts!!! I so want to be like that always!!

"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 18:3

Anyway, just had to share what awesome kids we know! ;-)

Last Ditch Fundraiser Extravaganza!!!

2009-09-11T16:39:00.000-07:00

OK, we are really close to having what we need to finish up this adoption!!! I'm feeling a push to try to raise the rest soon. We will need to submit our last big chunk of money when we accept a referral (we only need about $4000 more!). The rumor is, there are a couple of birth mom's due the first week of October! One of those two babies could be ours!! So I'm trying to raise the last bit that we will need to complete this journey!!

Here's what we are going to do! On Monday, Sept. 28th through Wednesday, Sept. 30th, we are going to have a "Power Fundraiser!" And here's the great part, everyone that donates has a chance to receive an awesome gift!! Here's the great gifts we have to give away so far (I hope to be adding pictures of these gifts sometime this week!):

4 of MercyMe's 10 CD/DVD ~ signed by the group! (Their latest release commemorating 10 years of great hits!)
2 beautiful handmade quilts!
A beautiful gift basket filled with wonderful items from Montana by Western Country Gift Baskets! (retail $45.00)
A $50 American Express Gift Card donated by Send Out Cards!
A gorgeous, rustic wall shelf (retail $40.00)
2 of my custom made bags from Denice's Creations! (1 medium ~ retail $49.00. 1 small ~ retail $39.00)
$20 gift card from Starbucks!

I also have a couple of other items that people are working on possibly donating as well! Our goal is to have at least a dozen items (or more!!) to give away!! If you have ANY ideas of other items, or you could donate an item, please contact me at gusfamily7@q.com .

Here's how it's going to work! ~

Donate $10 ~ you get one chance to win one of these wonderful prizes!
Donate $50 ~ you get seven chances to win!
Donate $100 ~ you get 15 chances to win!

Prizes will be drawn and announced Thursday morning, October 1st, here!

I will be having a reminder for this event a couple of days ahead of time. Please mark your calendars!!!

Blessings! And thank you for your continued prayers!

"If You Don't Mind Me Asking...."

2009-09-07T06:05:00.000-07:00

Throughout this adoption, and Ana's adoption, we had many people, friends and family, ask, "If you don't mind me asking, how much is the adoption going to cost?" Or, "How on earth can you afford that?" OR some have said to me, "I think it would be so great to adopt, we could never afford it though."

Those are all valid questions and concerns. I don't mind one bit when people ask us! We are a single income (have been for 19 years!), military family! How have we been able to do it??

The Lord has provided.

Yes, we have sold things (but didn't the Lord provide us with our "stuff" in the first place?). We have had some wonderful people donate to our cause, and even those that could only donate $10, they were prompted by (and then obeyed!) the Lord to donate! We have even humbly "inherited" some money that was to be used for our adoption, but the Lord also lead that person to leave it for that cause. ALL the glory goes to God, without Him, no, we couldn't afford to adopt!

But the Lord's heart is FOR adoption! He is the "Father to the fatherless..." I know that this fallen world we live in breaks our Lord's heart. He doesn't want these sweet, precious children of His to go without a family to love them and care for them! He has adopted each of us through Jesus Christ. Therefore, why wouldn't He provide for His people to adopt these children of His into our families? The answer is, He does!! We just need to trust in Him and step out in faith and just do it.

That's not easy.

Both of our adoptions have been huge lessons for us in that area!! We seriously went into Ana's adoption with our eyes blinded by the Lord as to how much the adoption was going to be. We had started out in another country that was going to cost about half of what Kazakhstan did. I know, without a doubt, if we would have realized just how much it was going to cost, we would have panicked!! I know what you are thinking, how on earth could you go into something like that and not realize how much it was going to be? Good question... I know it was the Lord's doing. And since He did blind us to the total cost, we were able to experience a miracle! When we needed large chunks of money for the adoption, miraculously, it was there! We would sell something (vehicle, boat, etc.) and people were lined up to pay full price!! (If you know us, that doesn't usually happen to us!!). Tax return came in unusually high, at the exact amount that we needed at that time! So many more examples, but you get the idea!

There have been times during this adoption that I have gotten down about the fact that I come across all these other people that have tons of friends, family, and strangers financially supporting their adoption. The Lord has gently reminded me that first of all, I need to be extremely happy for those people! ;-) But more importantly, I need to remember that if I'm down about that, then I'm placing my trust in mere people, and not completely trusting my Provider! Please forgive me, Lord!

The reason I wrote this post is because this topic has really been on my heart a lot lately. I don't want people thinking that we are so good to adopt twice (big deal! I know of MANY families that have adopted five times that many kids!!), or that we are sacrificing so much of ourselves by adopting (No way! We aren't sacrificing...we are being blessed beyond words!).

I just want to share with others the wonderful, miraculous way that Lord is once again providing for us. I want to encourage others who have ever even remotely thought about adopting to take that huge leap of faith and do it!! If you have been called by God, then He won't disappoint you!

I have come across quite a few people lately that have stepped out in faith to adopt (that also can't afford it.) I struggle with the feeling that the Lord wants me to give to their causes. "But Lord, I have my own cause going on here!" LOL!! He clearly told me that He could take my $20 multiply it greatly. Cool!! Besides, didn't the Lord provide me with that original $20 anyway? (I need to always remind myself of that!!) ;-)

A friend of mine (that has been a huge supporter of our adoption! Thanks J!!) told me about a blog post called "Single? Married? Exactly How To Pay For An Adoption?" that she had read about this very topic. I went and read it and really couldn't believe how it was almost word-for-word what has been on my heart lately!! I know that it will encourage you, humble you, and inspire you! Please take the time to read it! I so want to be the kind of Christian that doesn't just sit back all comfortable (like I so often do!), but one that gives of my life sacrificially to others by honoring and glorifying our Almighty God!!

I hope that if any of you are straddling that line of whether or not to take that leap of faith to adopt, please know that the Lord will provide!! Be inspired! The Lord has great things planned for you! ;-)

May you trust in Him always!! Remember, He can move mountains!

And The Winner Is...........

2009-09-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

Barb Young!!!!!!!

Congratulations Barb!! I have sent you an email, so hopefully you have received that.

To everyone that donated, thank you SO much!!!!! We are so appreciative of your help! And I know the children in Taiwan thank you too!!! :-)

We are planning a big couple day fundraiser at the end of September. It will be our last fundraising effort, since it looks like our baby might be born the first of Oct. It will be the same concept as this one, every $10 donation you receive a chance to win a prize. This will be open to everyone (the prizes will be able to be shipped) all over the world! So far we have a couple of beautiful handmade quilts, a couple of my custom made bags, and a few other things in the works to give away! If you have any suggestions on items we might be able to give away (or if you have anything you would like to donate for us to give away) we'd so appreciate it! It should be fun, and hopefully lots of cool things that we can give away!!!

Blessings,

Last Chance!!!

2009-08-31T08:08:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day to be able to donate and receive a chance (or a few chances!) to own the beautiful, custom made entryway bench that we will be giving away tomorrow!!

For every $10 donated, we will give you one chance to own the bench! (Donate $30...receive 3 chances, etc!) All the donations will go to helping us buy something special for the orphanage that our child is in, in Taitung, Taiwan. I will contact the winner by email, and also post it here tomorrow! (Since we have to deliver the bench to the lucky winner, this is for our friends in all of WA and NW OR. BUT...if you feel led to help out and you live somewhere else, we thank you!!)

Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support!
Blessings!!

Update...

2009-08-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

I finally have an update for everyone! I found out yesterday afternoon that our paperwork has all be authenticated and translated. Now it sits in Taiwan (with the lady that is running the home that our baby will be in) until we get a referral!! Yay!!! There are two birth moms that are due the first week of October, and it looks like one of them may be our baby!!! I guess only God knows, but that's how it's looking!

So, now the work begins! LOL! At the end of September, we will be having a big fundraiser to help us with the rest of the expenses we will need. I already have 2 handmade, beautiful quilts donated. We will be looking for other items to give away as well. It'll probably be similar to our bench give-away...every $10 donated will receive a chance to own one of the items we have to give away.

If you have any suggestions of items to give away, (or you may have an item you'd like to donate) PLEASE suggest them to me!! :-) I will post more about this as time draws nearer!

And if there is any word on the adoption, of course I will post it here!

Have a great day!

A Friend With A Calling....

2009-08-24T08:40:00.000-07:00

I have a friend, Natalie, who has a HUGE heart for orphans, and has already added one BEAUTIFUL little girl into their family two years ago from Ethiopia. They have been called by our Lord to once again step out in faith and follow His leading to adopt more orphans into their loving home...this time from Ghana.

We know, ALL TO WELL, how incredibly scary that step is! We're still there too, with about $10,000 more to raise (about $5000 needed right away to accept a referral when it comes in) that we will need to finish our adoption and for travel/living expenses in Taiwan, with no real idea of where it will come from. But we also know that we serve a God that is bigger than our earthly money and fears! He can, and will, provide! Natalie and her husband also have huge faith, and know that God will provide!

If you would like to read more about their journey and possibly help with their cause, please visit The Teabo Tribe. Please keep them and their newest additions in your prayers as well!

God bless!

Father To The Fatherless

2009-08-05T07:48:00.000-07:00

This is an incredible song! I have just become a huge fan of Jason Upton (I just recently "discovered" him). And then to find out his "adoption" story...wow.

Enjoy!

Beautiful Bench!

2009-07-20T12:42:00.001-07:00

This gorgeous bench was made by a friend of ours that is incredibly gifted in the woodworking department! (I wish he could make me a whole house full of furniture!) He blessed us with this bench (made from maple that was harvested from our very own Harstine Island!!) to help us raise money for our adoption! Isn't that incredible?

If you live anywhere in WA state or Northwestern Oregon, you could have this beautiful bench in your own home! (We will deliver it to the new owner. We will not be able to ship it anywhere outside of our area. Sorry!) For every $10 donated, we will put you in for 1 chance to receive it! (The donations for this are going towards our orphange donation in Taiwan.) We will end this on Sept. 1st. and will contact the new lucky owner by email and also announce it on this blog!

Thank you and blessings!

Turning In The Dossier!!!

2009-07-20T12:37:00.000-07:00

I have exciting news! Tomorrow I am going to Olympia to the Secretary of States Office to have our dossier state certified! WooooHoooo! Then it is going directly into a FedEx envelope, and away it goes! From there, as I understand it, it will be translated and then sent to Taiwan to be processed!

Now the TRUE waiting will begin! Please pray with me that our baby will be found soon! I know it is all in God's timing!

Three Years Ago Today...

2009-07-06T06:34:00.000-07:00

We receieved the best phone call we have ever gotten! One that has truly changed our lives for so much better! It was a phone call that was much anticipated, yet very unexpected! It was about a little girl named "Mariya", on the other side of the world, who God destined to be in our family! She is such a joy, we absolutely can't imagine life without our sweet, funny, happy little Ana Lee Mariya! Thank you Lord!!

Wow...

2009-06-11T08:41:00.000-07:00

I came across this blog and post this morning that spoke volumes to my soul. It is very long, but here is some of it:

I wish I could tell you...

that the sacrificial life of following after Jesus and being His actual hands and feet on this Planet Earth would bring rewards on this planet. But I can't. Because it probably won't.

I wish I could tell you that if you take in an orphan and love that child as your own flesh and blood, that you will be blessed in this life in more ways than just spiritual. But I can't. Because you might not be.

I wish I could tell you that it's easy to adopt. That it's effortless and glamorous and always beautiful. But I can't. Because it isn't.

I wish I could tell you that it's easy after you adopt. But I can't. Because it's tougher than tough some days.

I wish I could tell you that this life of sacrifice is painless and prosperous. But I can't. Because it's often painful and rarely prosperous in the earthly.

I wish I could tell you all of those warm and comforting platitudes, but I can't. Because they're not true.

What I CAN tell you, though, is that this life is not your own. So none of the above matter anyway.

When I stepped off of the cliff in full recognition of that reality, I have had no control over my life since. Yes, I have choices. I realize that I chose this road. I said yes to this calling. I agreed to take in 6 kids that I did not have to call my own. But once I said yes the first time, I could never say no after. Once I took Jesus seriously, Jesus took me seriously. I was wrecked for Him and for this life and could never tell Him no. Never again. If I say no to a child who needs me, I'm saying no to the Child Jesus. If I say no to an abandoned baby who needs me, I'm saying no to Baby Jesus. If I say no to a sibling group who needs a family, I'm saying no to Jesus and his brothers and sisters. Think I'm exaggerating?

Matthew 25:44-46 (The Message)

⁴⁴"Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?'

⁴⁵"He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.'

⁴⁶"Then those 'goats' will be herded to their eternal doom, but the 'sheep' to their eternal reward."

I mean, it doesn't get more blatant than that. But alas there it is for us so-called Jesus followers.

And, here's a little warning: Once you utter that initial walking-off-the-cliff YES to Him, it doesn't get any easier. In fact, it gets more painful and far more difficult. Saying YES the first time was the easy part for us, even though that certainly was not easy. Because--the fact is--every single day I see the reality of my choice to say YES to Jesus in need. I see the white picket fences, the new cars, the private schools, the suburban "dream," the picture perfect families. I see that. I know what I'm saying no to. I am fully aware that I had a choice to embrace "that" life, but that I chose to embrace His instead.

It's often painful. Usually not easy. Typically lonely. Generally overwhelming. But I know that this life is not my own. The reward for me is most likely not on this planet. In fact, it most certainly isn't. Most probably I will never live in a fat house (by American standards) and drive a fancy car and have any spare cash to sit on. I realize that. I know that. And I also know that I could have sought those things for myself and could have had them. I absolutely know that that life is within my reach. Every time I encounter someone who has embraced fulfillment in the temporary, I am reminded like a big banner (or a slap in the face) that I chose this road instead. And every time I am reminded, I hear God asking me (practically audibly sometimes), "So, you still want to follow the narrow road?" [YES, Lord. Here am I. Send me.]

Please go to her blog and read the rest!! It really is worth it!! All I can say is, "AMEN!!!"

Blessings on this beautiful Thursday!

Adoption Grants...

2009-06-08T10:11:00.000-07:00

Since we should have a final copy of our completed homestudy this week, I will be pouring over adoption grants over the next couple of weeks. Wow, it's almost as daunting as the homestudy itself! Ugh!!! I really would like to ask for prayers for this process, that God would provide some much needed financial assistance through some grants. We raised almost half of what we need, but we're still about $10,000 shy! LOL! But, like I've said before, God provided last time (and that adoption was twice as much as this one!) and I KNOW He will provide again!

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power at work in us, to Him be the glory" (Eph 3:20).

Thank you SO much for your prayers to both receive a grant (or two!) and also to guide me through filling out the many forms needed!

Have a wonderful week!!

2009-06-05T08:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!! I got a phone call from our social worker last night that she had sent me a rough draft of our homestudy last night. I will be reading over it this morning (just to check names, dates, etc) and then send it back to her. It should be off to our agency VERY soon!! WooHoo!! I feel like we're getting close!! (Please keep praying with me that the money will come in when needed!!! We've been able to come up with a little more than half so far. I'm trying to sew like crazy to bring in some more!!! I know God will provide though!)

So anyway, just wanted to give you that update! One step closer!!

Have a wonderful weekend!!!!

2009-06-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

Today is a big day for us. We have our social worker visit for our homestudy...finally! AND...it's going to be a 6 hour visit!!! She's actually here right now, she's interviewing our oldest son so we all dispersed for a while. She is a couple of hours away from us, and ended up getting special permission from our agency to do one long visit. She's done our post-placements for Ana, so she somewhat knows our family. It will be so nice to have this done and get the homestudy complete!

Once the homestudy is done, we will be able to apply for some grants I have come across to help us in the cost of the adoption. We didn't apply for grants the first time around, so it will be new territory for me! I'm praying that we will get some!!

Well, I will let you know more as it happens! Thank you for your continued prayers!!

Blessings,

I really like this...

2009-05-19T14:47:00.000-07:00

I recently attended the Christian Heritage Homeschool Conference, and had the honor of hearing Voddie Baucham speak (if you ever get the chance to hear him speak in person, he's amazing! Even if you can just get your hands on a CD or DVD of him, you really should!) Recently I was reading his blog and came across this about adoption (he and his wife have adopted three children so far). He was announcing the finalization of their third adoption, and how the adopted child's journey resembles our own journey as a Christian. It's so true! This is what he had to say:

"We have also been adopted into God’s family. There was a legal decree (justification), followed by entrance into the family (adoption), conformity to the family (sanctification), and ultimately a full realization of our inheritance (glorification). "

Isn't that beautiful??? I just LOVE that description! Just had to share it with you! :-)

Yes...I'm still here!!

2009-05-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

Well, first off, I owe all of my friends and family a HUGE apology! I have taken a bit of a "vacation" from all three of my blogs! Not really a vacation by choice, because I have really missed writing on here, but more of a situation where life has just been SO busy! So please know, if there was anything earth-shattering, I would have definitely let you know!!

So, with that being said, not a whole lot has happened! We finished all of our daunting homestudy paperwork, now we are waiting for our social worker visit. She is such an awesome social worker to have! I feel truly blessed to be working with her! She has done a couple of our post-placement visits for Ana, so she's been in our home and knows our family. She is just the neatest lady! She was supposed to come tomorrow to do our in-home visit, but Lance is "stuck" in Germany, so we've rescheduled until June 1st. We are doing a "power-visit," she got special approval to do all of our home visits in one day! I am very happy about that. That means we should have our homestudy into the agency hopefully in about 2 1/2 weeks. Yay!!

In the meantime, we have come to decide on a name if we are blessed with a girl. Before I tell you the name, I have to give you a bit of background of what has been going on in our lives lately.

About four weeks ago, we received some devasting news. Lance's aunt, Lynn (who lives in Wisconsin), who is in very poor health (and is only two years older than Lance, which makes it all even harder) decided to go off of dialysis. The doctor's told her she would probably only live for a maximum of three weeks after her last dialysis. Lance and I, on the same day we found this out, had out of town visitors arrive from CO! There was such a range of emotion...I have been looking forward to my friend Terri (and her six children) come to stay with me for literally years!!!!! So I was ecstatic! But at the same time, two hours before they arrived we found out about Lynn, which was extremely hard. Over the next couple of days, Lance and I decided that we really felt we needed to go see Lynn as soon as we could. Praise God, we were able to get a good price on our tickets and we left the same day that Terri and her kids left (so we didn't have to cut that visit short.)

Going back a little more...Lance and Lynn grew up together. Their houses were literally a stones-throw away from each other. When Lance went into the Air Force, Lynn was off at college, then went on to Law School. She then became a lawyer and moved out to WA. She has been in our lives for years, since we lived relatively close to one another. (Although, isn't it sad? When it comes down to something like this, you realize how much time you really didn't spend together...that we should have spent more time together?!) A few years ago, with her health declining, she moved back to WI, but we have remained close with her. This was more like a sibling relationship than it was aunt/nephew. It was important we made it back to spend some time with her.

Back to the week we found out she was going off of dialysis...the first day that I spoke to Lynn on the phone after finding out was incredibly hard and extremely emotional. I got off of the phone and had an overwhelming feeling that the Lord was telling me to give our baby, if it was a girl, the middle name Lynn. What is so funny about that is for the last three months or so, I keep going back to the middle name Lynn, but hadn't told Lance because I felt funny about it since it's also my middle name. Anyway, I called him and told him what I felt God had told me, and he got kind of quiet! Then he said, "well, that's kind of weird. I had the same overwhelming feeling last night that God told me the same thing!" Well, there you go, confirmation! :-) So Lance called her to tell her, and tell her our two choices of first names (because it has to be a three letter girl name, of course! Meg...Ana... you get it?!!) Lynn told him which name she liked, so............

Abi Lynn it is!!! (pronounced Abby) I really love, and have always loved that name, it was actually my first choice too!

Oh, and a very important side note...Lynn is still very much alive! It's been 3 1/2 weeks since her last dialysis. We had an amazing week with her while we were in WI. I will always thank God for that! I spoke to her on the phone yesterday and she still sounds good! Of course, we've been praying for a full-on miracle from God, so who knows? That's what we're hoping this is! But if that's not God's will, then we just praise Him for the extra time we all have with her on this side of heaven.

I promise not to go so long again without posting! I also will soon be trying to catch up our family/homeschool blog as well (I'm behind on reviews, so as soon as I finish those, I'll be back to doing our fun family updates and activities!!! I promise!) I will let you know as soon as the next step happens!!

Blessings,

What's Going On...

2009-04-14T11:02:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Not much to report on the adoption home-front, still plugging away and waiting for a call! :-) I have been trying hard to go through things and sell them on eBay (I'm just trying hard to think of everything I can to raise some money for this adoption!). I won't be posting anything else on eBay for a couple of weeks (since we will be having out of town guests next week) but I'll be listing whatever I can find that we don't need!

I did want to let everyone know what's been going on over at Denice's Creations. I've been doing some very fun bags for people lately! Plus, the big news is I'm trying to start up an Etsy store!! So please keep checking back in the next month to see how it's coming along! (And, if anyone has experience with selling on Etsy, please let me know! I would love some first hand guidance!!)

I pray that everyone is doing great! We are all fine here, just very busy. In a week from today, a dear friend of mine that lives in CO, will be here for a couple week visit with her six children!!! So, we are all very excited (but, to be honest, I'm hoping I can cook adequately for that many people!! LOL!!!) Should be a great time though!

Blessings to all!

Raffle Is Over!

2009-04-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

First of all, I just want to thank all of you that graciously bought raffle tickets, knowing that even though it was only $5, it was helping us get one step closer to our sweet child in Taiwan.

I also am incredibly blessed by the amount of people that also placed orders for bags! It has been so fun making bags that are truly unique to the person I am making it for! I pray that you would all continue to tell everyone about my custom bag venture, and that the orders will keep coming in!

As for the winner of the bag raffle, I have to tell you all something I find pretty interesting! The person that won is Steve M. Only two men bought tickets (we knew them both) and he, obviously, was one of them! But what I find so great is Steve was our much loved pastor at the church we attended in Colorado!! What's so interesting about this is he and his wife and children lived in Taiwan and were missionaries there!! Now, how cool is that! :-)

Thank you all once again!

Ignorance...

2009-03-31T08:39:00.000-07:00

I thank you all that donated for our garage sale at the Harstine Island Community Center this past Saturday! I couldn't believe the weather...beautiful on Friday, beautiful on Sunday...but horrible on Saturday!!! Ugh..... I'm still trying to warm up! ;-) We did make about $400 though, so I am very thankful!

I do have to comment on something though... something that shows the ignorance of others. My Dad came up to the sale and was walking around looking at all of the items other people had for sale. He overheard someone say, "Can you believe they are adopting again?!" My Dad pointed out to me who said it, it was our next door "neighbor." I put neighbor in quotes, because they are only neighbors in the sense that they live next door to us! Unfortunately, we've had nothing but problems with this couple ever since they have moved in. I am not really used to people not liking us!! So it's been a little hard for me to deal with! But God has patiently dealt with my heart, and it is a reminder that there are a lot of lost people in this world that don't know my God. That makes me so sad.

Their ignorance about "why on earth we would adopt again" makes me realize that it is absolutely the right thing to do! God has called us to do this, and I am so thankful that He has! I pray that all of our children grow to personally know and follow the Lord, and that they too will do things that the "lost" will not understand, and ultimately help those "lost" know our Jesus.

I will continue to pray for my "lost neighbors" all over the world. Just another reminder of how important it is to go forth and do what we've each been called to do! May God bless what you have been called to do as well!!

Blessings!

LAST Day For Raffle!!!!!!!

2009-03-31T07:43:00.000-07:00

This is the very last day to purchase your raffle tickets for a custom made bag at my other site, Denice's Creations. If you have purchased some, thank you VERY much!! The winner will be drawn and announced on Thursday! I will contact the winner, plus announce it on Denice's Creations site.

Have a wonderful day!!

~Adoption Garage Sale~

2009-03-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Thought I'd give you all a quick update of sorts! We've been scrambling around here to gather up things for a community garage sale this Saturday at the community center here on the island we live on. I have had some great donations from family and a couple great friends! Thank you all SO much!!!

I really don't like garage sales (well, I like going to them, but I don't like putting them on!) so I'm dreading this a little bit, especially since Lance has to leave tomorrow on a flight, so he won't be here. That's ok though, my mom, sister-in-law, good friend and of course my kids, are all going to help!

I would SO appreciate all of your prayers that God will bless us with people that would love the "stuff" we have to sell! I am not pricing anything, just telling people to make me an offer! So I'm praying that with the knowledge that all the proceeds will be going towards our adoption, that people will feel gracious!!

I pray that you all have a wonderful, Spring weekend!!

Blessings,

I'm Having A Sale!!

2009-03-22T22:12:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, I have been making custom made bags for a while now, but since we started this adoption, the push has been on to help out the financial side of the adoption. I know that some of you that are following our journey have also adopted, so I have a deal for you!! ;-)

Right now I am having a sale on the "Flag Bag" (AKA the Adoption Bag) to show support of adoption. If you order a medium sized "Flag Bag", with a country flag that I haven't yet sold, I will give you 10% off your purchase price for being the first order for that country flag!

The countries I HAVE done are Kazakhstan and Taiwan. If you have adopted from any other country, and would like a bag, then hurry and order to get the first one and receive 10% off!!

Please let all of your friends that have adopted know!

Thanks!

Something Free For You!!!!!

2009-03-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

Remember back at the beginning of February in a post I told you about a neat program that a friend of mine is doing called Send Out Cards? Well, my friend Mary wanted me to tell you about a great thing that is going on right now! For everyone who logs in and sends out a couple of cards (for FREE!) through Mary's site, will receive a $5 Starbucks Gift Card!!! So really, what do you have to loose? NOTHING!! You get FREE coffee and FREE cards for someone you care about! You seriously can't go wrong!!!

If you are concerned about entering your name and address, please know that it is kept private and is only Mary's contact list (so she knows who to send the FREE Starbucks card to!). There is absolutely NO obligation for anything! I can vouch that this is NOT too good to be true!!

And, if anyone thinks this is a great program (which it is!!!) and signs up through either of my websites, Mary is graciously donating the proceeds, that she would normally make, to me to go towards our adoption! She is so awesome!!! Thank you Mary!!

So please take a moment, and check out Mary's Send Out Cards site. Remember, there is absolutely NO obligation. All you have to do is click the big banner at the top that reads "Take the Tour: CLICK HERE." I've done it and it really is easy and fun!

Have a great day!!

RAFFLE!!!

2009-03-04T08:07:00.000-08:00

To kick off my new site, Denice's Creations, I will be holding a RAFFLE for a Medium Handbag (custom made to your choice of either the "Flag Bag", "Portrait Bag", or "Patriotic Bag"). It will start on March 4th and end on March 31st. The lucky winner will be announced on April 2nd (we'll avoid April Fool's Day, so you know it's not a joke!!). Tickets will be just $5.00 each. Just go to the Denice's Creations site to purchase the raffle tickets. The winner will be announced on that site. We are praying that this will be a huge help for our adoption fund!

Thank you for your support!!

A Great Big THANK YOU, Kim!!!!

2009-03-03T22:00:00.000-08:00

I just have to take a moment here and thank my friend Kim, another adoptive Mom that put so much time and effort into helping me create the Denice's Creation site (check out the button on the side bar!!). We even have opposite tastes (I hate symmetry, she breaks out in hives if it's NOT symmetrical!!! LOL!!!) I can't tell you how many times I would go back to her and say, "well, how about a little more on the left, and how about you change this." I felt horrible!! :-) But in the end it turned out exactly how I had in mind!! She did a fabulous job!

THANK YOU KIM!!!

If you'd like to help support her, she is designing sites to help raise money to bring their two children with them when they travel to Russia to adopt their sweet baby girl! Please check out the side tab, or go to Blogs by Kim to check out what she's done and hopefully personalize your own blog!!

Again, thanks Kim! (How are those hives coming along??!! LOL!!!)

I finally did it!!!

2009-03-03T21:57:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited! I've been working on getting "Denice's Creations" up for quite some time! I have been making custom bags for a while now, but now I have a purpose! To raise money for our adoption! Please click on my "button" on the sidebar to check it out!!!

OH! And to kick it off, I will be announcing a raffle I will be starting tomorrow for a Medium Handbag. Once I post it, please let everyone know about it!!! Tickets will be only $5.00 a piece. We are praying that this will help with the adoption expenses.

As for the adoption itself, we are about half way done with our homestudy paperwork. The funny thing is, the homestudy paperwork is WAY more complicated than our actual dossier!! So by the time I get the homestudy papers done, we'll pretty much have the dossier completed too! (Another reason why I need to raise some serious money! I have a feeling it might happen FAST!)

Thank you all so much for your support!!

Blessings!

A Friend In Need...

2009-02-23T20:02:00.000-08:00

I have a friend that has really been on my heart lately. She and her husband started their adoption process around the same time we did (which was three years ago!). They didn't get a chance to travel to Kazakhstan until Nov. 2007. At that time, they went through the "bonding" period with their precious child. They left Kaz thinking that they would be back in about three weeks to go to court. They waited an ENTIRE YEAR, Oct. 2008, to go back to go to court. They were there another four weeks, with delay after delay, and never given a verdict of whether they could adopt their child or not. They came home, and were given a negative verdict Nov. 2008. They started the appeal process immediately, and on Dec. 24th, 2008, were given another negative verdict at this next level. Right now, they are waiting for a Kazakh Supreme Court Hearing date, which could be 2-4 months from now. They are not alone. They have been going through this with three other families, that have had the exact same problems with this court/region. Two of the families had their Supreme Court Hearings last Thursday...they were denied. That is the end of the line for them, they will never, NEVER be able to bring their precious children home!

I am not only outraged by this, but deeply saddened that something like this can be happening. I know Kaz is such a corrupt country, but it completely breaks my heart in two knowing that the ones that will truly suffer from this are the innocent children that will never be allowed to go home to their forever families.

I am begging each one of you that reads this, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE pray for my friend's and their sweet innocent child that so deserves to come home to their forever family!!!!! PLEASE pray for the other family that also has not gotten their verdict yet!!!!! PLEASE pray for the two families that were denied to bring their children home!!!!! Even though the court denied allowing them to adopt these children, I know, as only an adoptive mother can know, that they loved those children and considered them THEIR children, and always will...no matter what that judge says!!! Please also pray for all of the orphans worldwide...there is such a need!!! I have a feeling that Satan is going to try hard to make it harder and harder for good, loving, Christian families to adopt!!

I thank you for reading this, passing it on to others, and mostly, praying for my friends! God can bring their child home!!!! Please pray that He does!!!

Blessings,

It Has Begun!!!

2009-02-13T07:23:00.000-08:00

Well, I got a BOX via UPS a couple of nights ago. I was expecting a large envelope! But no, we get a BOX! Anyway, this box has a huge binder in it, with all of the things we have to do BEFORE our homestudy is started!!! WAY more work than our last homestudy! It was quite daunting to me at first glance. I'm going to have to take it chunk by chunk, like my friend Jenn reminded me! (Keep reminding me Jenn!!)

So, please pray that I can get through this preliminary paperwork quickly and relatively stress-free, so we can get on to the important paperwork!!!!! Believe me, I will need the prayers to get through this binder!!! Ugh!

Anyway, I pray you all have a great weekend! We had two birthdays in our family this week, so Sunday we are having a combined birthday party (for our 15 year old son and our 3 year old daughter...what a combo!! LOL!!) I'll keep you updated as things happen!!

Blessings!

Mixed Feelings...

2009-02-08T17:56:00.000-08:00

I want to clarify something... I only added a "donate" button after I had three people suggest I do so. Please don't think that we are in anyway expecting anything from anyone! :-) We will be listing different fundraising projects on here, but they will be things to sell, etc. I really just want this blog to be about our friends and family following along with us on the journey to our next child! So please just know, it's a way for someone to help us out, ONLY if they felt led to by the Lord!!!

Thank you all that have sent amazing encouragement! We appreciate you!

Have a great week!

Why Adopt?

2009-02-07T19:17:00.000-08:00

I have been asked in the past, "Why would you ever adopt? You have three beautiful children of your own." I know I will be asked again, since we are embarking upon another adoption, so I thought I would give my reasons up front.

I know without a shadow of a doubt, that the Lord has called us to adopt, and now He's called us to go down that path again. He tells us in scripture, "...to look after orphans and widows in their distress..." (James 1:27). He repeatedly mentions in many verses the importance of caring for these individuals. He has spoken so deeply to my heart, to not only adopt, but to do whatever I can to help these children that have no family, no place to really call home, in most cases, no hope. I strongly believe it is my God given responsibility to help care for the orphans of this world.

Here are some statistics that have always just blown me away (and broken my heart):
~There are estimated 143 million orphans in this world (to put in perspective, that's about 1/2 the population of the United States)...
~250,000 children are adopted annually, BUT...
~Every year over 14 million children grow up as orphans and AGE OUT of the system. (Meaning they are kicked out of the orphanages and onto the streets.)
~Every 2.2 seconds another orphan ages out with no family to belong to - no where to call home.
~It has been said that if every family in the world, that professes to be a Christian, adopted just 1 child, there would be no more orphans...

I know that not everyone feels called to, or is even able to, actually adopt an orphan into their family. But, there are SO many ways to help an orphan.

First of all, and probably the easiest and most important, is simply - PRAY for the orphans of the world. Pray for their health, the conditions they live in, the care they receive, their food, and that more families would step forward to adopt them!

You can also financially help out a family that you may know who is trying to adopt. Most families that feel called to adopt can not afford it! Do you know someone or have a family in your church with a heart to adopt? Pray about ways the Lord may want you to help them.

For the long term, there are many wonderful organizations that give financial grants to families that are trying to adopt. To name a few: Our Creator's Hope, Shoahanna’s Hope, HelpUsAdopt.org, A Child Waits Foundation, just to name a few. These organizations depend on donations to be able to help families that are trying to adopt.

I advocate ALL adoption - both international and domestic, of older children and babies. God doesn’t care one bit about boundaries, ethnicities or ages! Every orphan in this world are ALL His children. He hears their cries, He feels their hurt, He understands their loneliness, because He designed us all to belong to a family!! So I ask you, is there some way you can help an orphan? Some way you can help support a family wanting to bring an orphan into their forever family?

I have thought many times about what our daughter's life would look like if we hadn't adopted her. The image that I have just rips my heart in two. I see her now constantly smiling and laughing, hugging her siblings and kissing her daddy and me, she is about the happiest child I have ever seen. If she had no family to love her and take care of her, would she be this child? The answer is probably no.

So, for those that might ask, "Why?"... I ask you to just look at this face! Could you say no to this child? I thank God, a million times over, that He asked us to take a leap of faith and do something that we couldn't have possibly done on our own! I am just thrilled that He has asked to do it one more time!! Believe me, it is US that has been blessed by this little girl, not the other way around! I know the next child that God brings into our family will do the same!

May God bless your family too!

Our First Fundraising Offer (Plus An Offer For You As Well!!!)

2009-02-07T16:35:00.000-08:00

I really want to tell you all about this! My friend, Mary, is involved with a company called SendOutCards. Not only has Mary set up a drawing for everyone to enter, but she has also generously offered to help with the fundraising for our adoption, which I will explain towards the end of this post!!

Right now, through the end of February, Mary is having a drawing for a $50 American Express gift card! All you have to do to be entered is go to http://www.sendoutcards.com/60933, (which is Mary's page) log in and take the short automated tour (a little man walks you through it!). That's it!!! Plus, Mary has set it up so that you can try it yourself by sending out a couple of cards, for FREE!! How can you go wrong...you get to send out FREE cards, plus you might get a $50 gift card!! (Not to mention view how cool this program is!).

There are quite a few things that makes these cards so great. First of all, on an average, it only costs 62 cents per card, which is incredible! If you've bought a card to send to someone lately from the store, you know they can easily run anywhere from $2-$4!! PLUS, you can customize these with your own text and photos! I know how much I love to send out cards, but never seem to have the right one on hand (or have a stamp on hand!!). And I also know how much I LOVE to receive a card in the mail from a friend! This really is a great program!

Now, for the incredibly generous offer my dear friend Mary has made, (and I am COMPLETELY humbled by this!!!) is when anyone signs up for the Wholesale or Entrepreneur packages through one of my blogs, she is donating $120 towards our fundraising for our adoption!! What a GREAT friend I have!! I am truly blessed!!!

Now I'm not telling you all of this just so I'll get something out of it!! LOL!! I really think this is a neat program, and I really want my friend to succeed! Plus, I think you will be blessed as well by at least checking it out, sending out a free card or two, and being entered to win the $50 gift card!! Besides...Valentine's Day is one week from today! I'm sure you have someone that you'd like to send a card to and tell them that they are special!!

Our Story!

2009-02-06T14:53:00.000-08:00

Welcome!

My name is Denice, and my husband, Lance, and I have a huge heart for adoption! We currently have three wonderful natural children, and one incredible Supernatural child that we adopted from Kazakhstan a little over two years ago.

My husband and I have felt strongly that we'd like to adopt again, but right now we are trying to sell our house and move half way across the country. I guess in our minds, we thought that we'd start working on our next adoption after we were moved and settled. Evidently, the Lord had something quite different in mind for us! :-)

A week before Christmas, we received a phone call from our agency. They wanted to know if we'd consider being a "test" family for a pilot program they are starting in Taiwan!! I was a bit shocked, to say the least! I had been feeling strongly about adoption lately, and praying quite hard about either just being at peace with not adopting right now (or ever again), or have something quite obvious happen sooner so that we would KNOW we needed to adopt. Since we got the phone call out of the blue, it kind of makes me think that this was definitely an answer to recent prayers! My husband and I talked and prayed about it for a couple of weeks. Everything kept pointing to the fact that we needed to go forward with this! We now feel strongly that there is a child that has either been born, or will be born soon, in Taiwan that was destined to be our child since before the beginning of time! Even though this wouldn't be our chosen timing, we praise God for His timing! We know and trust that His timing is always perfect!!

All of this being said, financially we are not quite prepared for this journey we are about to embark upon! First and most importantly, we ask for your prayers for our future child, the whole adoption process, and the finances coming in as we need them! (The Lord provided for our first adoption, I know He will provide for this one as well!!) We will be participating in a few fundraisers that we will be posting on this site to help raise some of the money needed. Some of the fundraisers we are planning on doing:

An auction (if you have any great ideas for items, let me know!!)
I will be making custom bags to sell
"International Adoption Bags"... if you've adopted internationally, you pick your pockets! The pockets will have whatever country flag on it you'd like!
I will also be making coasters that represent the country (or countries!) you've adopted from. Haven't adopted? How about the good 'ol US of A flag!!
Possibly a baby bottle coin collection...we pass out baby bottles, you keep them for a month or so, fill them with your loose change, and then we collect them.

We hope you will help spread the word to others! I hope to have a "button" that you can grab and post on your own blog to help spread the word (but since I am a little computer challenged, I will have to ask others to help me on that one!!) We also will be posting about our adventure as it unfolds, so if you'd like to follow along, please sign up as a "follower"! :-) We'd love to have you along for the ride!

We currently don't know if we are "having" a girl or a boy. We are so anxious to see who God has planned for our family! We are also very excited to share this experience with you! Thank you so much for your prayers and for spreading the word!!