Today is our 5 month mark of being on the waiting list. Honestly, these past 5 months have truly flown by - and in no way am I complaining!!! I pray it continues to fly by until our child is in our arms. That is still however 2 more years down the road :(
Just sitting here trying to think of what to say... I can't help but think of all we have discovered about ourselves and learned in these last 5 months.
God will ALWAYS fulfill his promises! I knew that before, but had never walked it out and trusted that like we have with our adoption.
You can push yourself to work way harder than you ever thought possible when thinking about a precious baby boy soon to be yours.
We have already learned so much about being a parent, and we really aren't yet. We have already had to start protecting and fighting for our child.
I have learned that I would be insane at this point if it wasn't for Daniel. He stays so calm and collected when I am freaking out... he has maintained the crazy!
God has spoken things to my heart about my past and my life that has so deeply connected my heart to our future child in ways that I cannot even process. Read Here
And lastly:
I have always wanted to have some involvement in foster care/adoption in my occupation. Its the reason I got my degree in Sociology, thinking I could do social work. Well, I soon discovered without a Masters - its very hard to do that.
In our time of waiting, God has really shown me how truly passionate I am about adoption and orphans. He has led my heart to the decision of getting my Masters in Social Work. This has something I've wanted to do for some time now, but have truly done everything possible to avoid it. It scares me... I doubt myself and my abilities to do the school work for some reason. Not that I've ever been a bad student, just afraid I have forgotten it all being out of school this long. SO I have applied to OU for their MSW program, and will know if I have been accepted around April.
As much as this wasn't MY plan... it is God's. I sit and think how conveniently he has so perfectly worked everything out, and I am amazed. MY plan was to have a child by the age of 25. I'm 26, almost 27... and have 2 more years to wait to be a mom. I have applied 2xs to other colleges trying to do 2 yr quick degrees to get into the medical field, and both times nothing came from it. Here I am with 2 years to wait, and a deep deep desire to fight for orphans... and have that time to be able to go to school to do that. I guess we shall see if I get accepted... if not, I will still continue to do my best to get into the social work field in the area of adoption. I will always be their voice, and no matter where or what I am doing will do my best to advocate for them. I appreciate your prayers as God continues to lead us on this journey!
My world has been changed, shattered, and impacted. My eyes have been opened, and its so hard to ignore once you have truly SEEN.
I know so many of my friends and family are sick of hearing about it. But once you have opened your ears, eyes, and heart to knowing the TRUTH - its hard to back down, to let it go.
I mentioned in the previous post about the shoes that we had the opportunity to meet with the missionary from Ethiopia that we were able to provide shoes to the children she serves. In this meeting with her I learned so much! I thought I knew, I knew a little bit of the ugly truth that daily inhabits this world. But honestly, I didn't realize... Childrens parents sending them on buses at the age of 6 to go and work to care for themselves. Young boys working to provide for their mothers and siblings as they are viewed the "head of the household", the lack of food, the lack of clean water, the dangers of the world that surrounds them daily. I am sure its going to be even more of an eye opener when we are actually there. But my heart has been broken for these children. Its so hard to just turn away unchanged and not feel a sense of obligation to do SOMETHING. I have no clue how so many in our world can go on daily and ignore these things. How can you know children are starving another country away and not feel guilt by wasting food?? How can you know people in another country have no access to clean water and as you brush your teeth continue to run the faucet nonstop, or leave the shower running for long periods of time before getting in?
My life has been changed. I no longer brush my teeth and allow the water to run. I no longer waste my food. I take everything home and make myself eat the leftovers.
What stinks, is I am not bragging about any of this. Truth is - I hate hearing the sound of the toothbrush on my teeth - I like to run the water so I can't hear it. I sometimes hate leftovers- certain foods are just not meant to be reheated. Once your eyes have been opened, it makes you sick to think of the things these children are facing another world away from here. Its hard not to think how lucky I am that I was born in America. That simply because of the location in which these children were born - that they were faced with such despair. It could have easily been me or you....
I pray that everyone who reads this will consider those in need more, and yourself less. Do the little things in your life to make a change. Don't take the little things for granted, that could mean the world to someone else. Make a difference.
Please consider shopping one or both of these fundraisers to help us continue to raise our funds for our adoption costs!
We are doing a Scentsy fundraiser with Kyra Hawkins... all
profits will go towards our adoption costs! We are hoping you will do
some Christmas shopping with us in this fundraiser. To place your order
you may contact me, or order online at: http://kyrahawkins.scentsy.us and you will select Huff Adoption Journey under her picture on the right side of the page to shop.
The Scentsy November Specials are: BOGO Scentsy Buddies, BOGO
antibacterial fragrance foam, 10% off peppermint dreams (scent of the
month), and 10% off Holiday Lights warmer
of the month.
Sherri
Peters a Stampin' Up! consultant has a group of women that is called
"Inking for Others" and they make Card Kits to sell to benefit others.
They have chosen us to do Christmas Card Kits for. The kits are $25 for
15 cards
(5 designs- 3 of each card) $20 of that goes to our adoption
fundraising, the other $5 goes for supplies. We need all orders in by
November 18th. Below is a photo of the card designs! These are some
precious women, who just love making cards and are so talented at it! It
was such a blessing that they offered to do this for us. Please contact
me as soon as possible if you plan to order some cards, it helps us to
keep her in the know of how many to
plan to make. This is their website if you want to check it out: www.inkingforothers.blogspot.com
"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has
no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let
us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John
3:17-18
Many of you remember when I had asked for others to join with us in
putting shoes on the feet of street children in Ethiopia. Well these are
feet that are no longer bare in the above photo (actual feet of one of
our sponsored children). I was blessed with sitting down and chatting
with Rebecca (the missionary that we sent the money to for the shoes)
today and learning about each of the children we sponsored shoes for. I
cannot begin to express to so many of you the need that is in Ethiopia. I
thought I had an idea of how rough it was for these kids... but
honestly we have no clue. So many of these children we learned about
today are 8-12 years old, many of them living on their own. They go to
school, beg, and sell gum in the streets for money to live. They pay
their own rent, and for their own food - which sometimes doesnt come
often. They often go without eating. I just cant imagine any 8 yr old I
know fending for themselves on the streets in Ethiopia. Some of them
still live with their mothers and siblings, and they are considered the
head of their household - and have all the responsibility that title
entails on their shoulders. Some were shipped to Addis from the
countryside at the age of 6 on a bus, all alone, to find their own way
of caring for themselves. It breaks my heart, and I wish I could take
them all in. We are earnestly praying for God to show us what we can do
to make a difference, other than adopting. Honestly adopting a child,
does so much for that child in giving them a family, but it really
doesn't do much for the country of Ethiopia as far as making
improvements to better and make a difference there.
I wanted to share some photos that Rebecca shared with me of the
children getting their shoes! We were actually able to get each child a
pair of shoes, 2 pairs of socks, and 2 pair of underwear also! I am
wanting to post and say a HUGE thank you to everyone who partnered with
us to make a difference! I was so blessed today in getting to see these
children's faces in the photos as they were looking at the shoes.
Rebecca said they couldn't believe that they just got to go and pick out
ANY shoes they wanted. They never in their lives have had an
opportunity like this. One child who had holes in his pants and that
they were falling apart, she was actually able to get him 2 shirts and 2
pairs of pants, as well as all the same things the other children got
as well. I plan to post about the children and their stories later, but
tonight wanted to go ahead and share the photos of them getting their
shoes. Once again, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO WAS A PART IN THIS!
This weekend as I was driving, a random memory popped into my head and I was reminded of a time where my heart was changed.
While I was driving I began thinking of Mexico, since my mission trips there - my mind often goes back to the country that opened my eyes and the people who changed my life.
My 2nd trip to Mexico to Guadalajara - we went to one of the colleges to minister to college students, and help them practice English.
While in Mexico we were made aware of something that is common there. When you compliment something that belongs to another person, they most likely will hand it over to you as a gift. Well us Americans, compliments are a way to greet someone and start conversation. We often would catch ourselves in the middle of a compliment to avoid the other person giving up their belongings. Well without thinking - I didn't catch it!! There was a young women who I was speaking with, and I just could not help but notice how beautiful her earrings were... and you could see it in her eyes - she LOVED them, you could see her pride in wearing them. And you could tell she just "felt pretty". So I just felt led to tell her how pretty she looked and her earrings were so beautiful. In that moment I just thought, GREAT what did I just do. As we stood there, this girl who was BEAMING from wearing these beautiful earrings, tells me how they belonged to her grandmother and her grandmother just recently had given them to her as a gift for her birthday. Then - she starts taking them out!!! I was like please, please, please keep them! I didn't intend for you to give them up - I don't want them. But she told me, they mean so much to me - I loved them - but I would rather you enjoy them. ***Note I would not take the earrings, it was not my intention. I told her it would mean more to me for her to continue to wear them. I just wanted to make sure she knew someone noticed how proud she was of them and how pretty she was. So in me saying that she kept them, THANK YOU JESUS! I would have felt so terrible. But as I think back on this amazing selflessness. How many Americans who have SO much more than this young girl, would have selflessly offered something like that? Something that meant so much to them? As a society we are taught to hoard important, expensive, or special things. I can tell you right now that if this generosity had become accustomed to America - how many people would never wear their prized possessions or expensive items?? I know for me - something my grandpa had given me would definitely be hidden in a closet! Or how many of us would leave our expensive iPhones or iPads at home in fear of someone indirectly asking for them. And my second thought was how many people in America would instantly take advantage of this generosity??? And would begin complimenting people always just to get their stuff??? Makes my heart break for our nation. Why is it that "things" are so much more important than people??
It blew me away, that Mexico - a country of poverty like I've never seen in America - could be so giving!!! That even though they have so much less, they have so much more!!! They have IT! They have grabbed a hold of that knowledge that people mean more to them than anything in this world!
My heart longs for this generosity in myself!!!! I wish to have a heart that puts value in people, not "things". I want to be a giver! I pray this for our nation as well... that somehow a change would happen and Christians would grab a hold of this concept and begin to GIVE.
(I know this is lengthy - but please read to the end... its worth it!)
I have been wanting to write this post for awhile now. But every time I come to type it... I just sit here and stare at the screen. I think mostly out of fear, and also to avoid hurting others. I want to preface this now, that I do not intend for this blog post to be hurtful to anyone in anyway. I am simply being open and honest. It's so hard, because of these things, to share. But something deep down in me longs to share my story. One, because other than God speaking to us to adopt - this is probably the clearest word God has ever spoken to me, and Two - because I want to share this amazingness that God has so creatively worked out for good! Something that Satan meant to bring me down, to harm me, to be something that has been a struggle for me for a LONG time... God made it beautiful. Mostly I just want others to know and understand, that ALL your junk and hard times... God can make a beautiful masterpiece of it. You may not be able to fully see it at first, but He will show you one day. Just like he did me. So if your going through some hard times right now, tell yourself, he is going to do something crazy amazing with it all... and wait with anticipation.
In our women's bible study at church, we have been talking about Elijah and the altar - when God provided the fire. We had been challenged to think of that ONE thing, the thing that so many of our "symptoms" come from, and to offer it as a sacrifice to God. By symptoms I mean so many of the things we feel one a daily basis that aren't from God... Insecurity, Fear, Anxiety, Depression, and the list goes on. All these things are signs of a deep rooted problem, they branch out from something much deeper. They aren't specifically the problem. But what is IT?
For me, it is fear of abandonment.
This is something I have so ridiculously struggled with for a long time. When my parents divorced, my dad just left. Didn't say anything to me, just went to the house, got his belongings that he wanted while I was at school, and left... I honestly didn't hear from him for quite a while after he left. (Please know, I love my dad - this is just part of my story - I do not say this to make him look bad - this day, this time... its made me who I am, and all part of my story and explaining this helps you to see) You see that moment in my life, I felt abandoned. I felt left behind like his belongings he decided not to take with him. And something from that time stuck with me. A small voice always saying, their gonna leave you. Why try and let them in, its only a matter of time before their gone.
This time in my life as I have shared before was a struggle. Not long after this happened. My grandpa passed away from brain cancer. Once again, I was left. Not by choice, but still had the same heart wrenching feeling.
I am not sure if anyone has seen the show One Tree Hill, but I have always been able to relate to Peyton. "People always leave." I am not saying this to be hurtful to anyone, but its just how I felt. I have had some very close friendships and relationships where people just cut me out. It hurts.
All these things have added up to this deep rooted fear of abandonment that I have struggled with for so long. This is my sacrifice, this is the center of all my symptoms. The one thing I have allowed to determine so many things in my life, I let it effect my thoughts - trust - relationships - even my relationship with God at times. I had learned to build walls, not let people in - just to avoid the hurt when they were gone. This had effected much more of my life than I ever understood.
As we went on talking about our sacrifice, our pastors wife told us to seek out God's word that changes this negative. What is the word he has for me, that changes this ugly to good?
And here is the best part of all of it...
He quietly spoke to me as I prayed about my word for this issue.... "I already gave it to you"... John 14:18 "I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you." (our verse on all of our adoption stuff!) And then God so clearly spoke to me, this is why you have a heart for adoption. I hurt for the orphan, because I had felt their pain. Not in the same sense, as I had my mother. But I had felt and could identify with that abandonment. And God continues to speak this verse to me, that He will not leave me - He is COMING TO ME! What an awesome thing, in Him making this ugly hurts/past into beauty. He is making all things work together for my good. Even though those things hurt in my past, God is using it to help me understand my future child, to feel what they feel, and also this is what has caused my heart to be drawn to the orphan. This is the reason we are adopting, so ALL of this - the good and bad - this is what started my family. And I could not be more thankful for God opening my eyes to see it. To understand myself more than I ever have before.
The song below seems fitting for this post :)
We are doing another fundraiser. Selling $6 Car Decals, but they dont have to be limited to cars! You can put them on mirror, laptops, and iPads! Anywhere really :) All profits go towards our adoption costs!(To purchase one of these, please go to the Donate button on our blog, in the purpose section put "DECAL" and be sure to give $1 for shipping - also be sure the address listed is the one you want us to mail your decal to)
I love this fundraiser, just because it will cause people to think, and could be a great conversation starter when someone asks why you have the decal! Great opportunity to share our story as well as encourage others to advocate for orphans, and to simply spread awareness!!
These are not our exact ones, just an example I found on google. But ours will be similar to this design. (We're getting them Friday, and I will add our photo)
On another note September 6th was our 2 months on the waiting list. I've seen on lots of blogs lots of children coming home!!! This makes my heart happy, and I hope our next possibly 22 months fly by!
So my pastor preached Sunday on this subject... and I just cant seem to stop thinking about it. Without going into a whole lot of detail... life is has been hard lately... hard emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. None of it has to do with our adoption or anything like that. It has all stemmed from my current job. I don't feel like I should go into detail and share. But it's just been ridiculous lately, and I feel like no matter what I do I can't win.
And I sit back and just have this deep desire for someone to fight for me.
You know that feeling where you feel like you've given it all you got, and you just want someone else to jump in and fight FOR you!
Picture this, you're in a fist fight with someone, this would be the point where you fall to the ground... and someone else steps in and finishes what you were trying to do, as you watch from the pavement - them fighting YOUR fight.
I've struggled with this lately, I just have been praying that God would
fight for me. That he would go to war on this for me, and defend me.
And I've been disappointed.... Please note that sometimes God does fight
for you - and he may be in your situation - and I never want to cause
someone to think that God will not be the one who does fight for you...
because he does! But in this situation, he silently spoke to me.... I'm
not going to fight FOR you, I want YOU to fight this battle... but I am
here to fight WITH you! Not going to lie, when God told me this... my
first response was disappointment. I'm honestly so tired of fighting.
For those of you who know me, lol, seems like my whole life I have been
"fighting"... this girls is ready to put down the gloves, ready to
retire! She is ready to have a "water break"... I am picturing Rocky
right now, and I am just wanting one of those in the corner pep talks
from my coach, getting bandaged up and water... not ready for Round 2
just yet. But God continues to remind me, that he is my Coach, and he
has been at each fight, each practice, and each "after the fight"
bandaging... he's watched every blow, every knock out, every time I've
gotten back up... the whole time, WITH me - cheering me on, giving me
pointers, and simply being a fan. You see, the important part of all
that.... he was with me the whole time... God isn't going to just be an
innocent bystander that steps in does all the dirty work, and walks
away. He is there for all of it. Isn't that more important than the
quick fix defender we so often long for???
Although I mainly
wrote this post about fighting... I still very much think this video
applies as well. (Please watch below)You see this Coach very much could
have let him continue to believe "he couldn't do it" and could have let
him continue believing he wasn't capable. But instead he proved to him
he could, by pushing him to his max. Not only that, but the most
inspiring thing to me in this entire video, is the Coach crawling on the
ground with him, encouraging him... I pictured me and God here... I'm
whining saying "It hurts, I can't do it any longer"... but he's there
telling me to keep going. This Coach was fighting WITH him! Every time I
watch this it brings me to tears.... we get so defeated and give up so
easily! So let's keep fighting! Endure to the Endzone as Pastor put it on Sunday... we just keep fighting, keep pushing, til one day... we realize were in the endzone.
Everyone, please check out the thermometer!!!!!!! We are on the downhill slope, only $16,700 left to raise until our adoption is completely funded! We have raised $19,300 so far, in only 6 months!!! I am totally and completely blown away! God is so good, and we totally give him all the glory! He continues to remind us that he 100% has ALL of it! I could not be more thankful for all the support and encouragement that got us to this point!
My next plea, please consider doing all of your Christmas Shopping through our fundraisers that will be leading up to Christmas! Help us knock out that remaining amount! Oh what a relief that would be to know it was all completely raised and we could rest and start preparing for our little man!
Our upcoming fundraisers schedule:
September 8-29th: Twisted Pepper Soup and Dip Mixes!!!! **Had tons of request to do this fundraiser again because the products are simply amazing!
October: Pampered Chef
November: Scentsy
December: Cookie Lee
Also I sell Thirty One, and if you would like to purchase something and your order specifically go towards our adoption fundraising, I can do this at any time! www.mythirtyone.com/BrittniHuff
Thank you so much to everyone who donated for the shoes for the kids in Ethiopia! We were able to raise $360 for 12 pairs of shoes being sponsored! Although we didn't meet our goal, I pray they are somehow able to utilize the amount raised to possibly get more than just the 12 shoes purchased.
I have been asked by several if Rebecca will be posting photos of the kids with their new shoes or anything like that. She is currently unable to post photos while in Ethiopia, but when she comes back to the US she will post photos and a story on her blog about the shoes. I will share when she does for those of you who donated to see the impact you made!
If anyone was unable to donate for the shoes, but would like to further down the road... please go to Rebecca's blog and click the Donate button. You can put Shoes in the purpose section and she will know what its for.
(rebeccacrazylove.blogspot.com)
Daniel has a friend who is a missionary in Ethiopia! I recently read a blog post of hers where she talked of children chasing her van begging for food and shoes. As I read this I just began to cry! Something as simple as shoes would mean the world to these kids! And as I read this God told me to get these children shoes. I asked Rebecca how many shoes she needed, she said she has 20 children needing shoes! My goal is to get these shoes to them! She priced shoes, and said they would be about $30 each.
I know this is a BIG ask with us fundraising for our adoption already and i hate asking but feel that God wants us to do more for those in Ethiopia than just adopting a child. But would anyone be willing to partner with us, and sponsor one child at $30 to get them shoes?? Or be willing to donate what you can?? Please let me know if you would like to do this! Help us get these children some shoes, and hope! Here is her blog if you would like to read about her ministry (rebeccacrazylove.blogspot.com)
Contact me if you would like to help!
Last night in our womens group at church, we talked about being a "Hill Seeker"- meaning don't run from the hard times, push through them. A friend of mine who leads the study shared her testimony and shared all of her "hills" that she has gone climbed and came back down. But one thing that stuck out to me is she kept referencing that she didn't think she could make it through those times, but she did!
I had a rough Senior year in High school, and for a few years that year stuck with me. It was some hard "hills" to climb... and one of them in particular I didn't think I would make it through. My grandpa had brain cancer, and passed away within about 6 months of being diagnosed. He was a HUGE part of my world, and I didn't think I could do life without him. It was hard facing a lot of the big parts of life without him, high school graduation, college, marriage! I didn't think I was going to make it for a long time. It hurt too much. I didn't want to face the world without him. I needed him! And like I mentioned before from the study that she was saying, I didn't think I would make it either. And honestly, I wasn't "making it" for awhile... I tried to find other ways of coping with the hurt, turned to things that did more harm than good just to numb it or distract myself for just a little while to forget the pain of him being gone. See, the problem was.... I wasn't giving any of this to God... I was trying to "fix" it myself. I was angry with God that I had gone through so much in my life in such a short period. It wasn't "fair" for my life to have so much hurt... So I wouldn't share my hurts with him, I didn't tell him my heart and how it ached. Until one day - I realized my way wasn't working, and God told me to give it to him!!! He would heal my hearts aches, that as much as I hurt - he hurt more for me- seeing me hurt! Like my on-going theme lately, HE IS WITH YOU!! Think of someone your with all the time, for me its my husband... after being around someone for so long... you feel what they feel, you hurt when they hurt, you know how they feel when they don't say anything. It's the same way with God, he is ALWAYS with us. Thus he always feels our hurts, disappointments, frustrations, and he hurts with us.
Last night as she shared, and as other women shared their hills... I looked back at my few hills that I have climbed in my life. And I truly have no clue how I got through it. I didn't think I could. But guess what... I did... and God was WITH ME! Through all of it!
What's amazing, is my heart is healing... do I think its totally healed? No... I think that is a constant progress - but I know God is helping me to heal. I've moved to cherishing the memories I had with him, and cherishing who he was... instead of being angry about the things I didnt have with him, and angry that he isnt here. Its there that you find healing, when your willing to let go of those things that haunt you - the anger, bitterness, all of it and find things that you are thankful for instead of turning to those emotions. I found the truth in that when I read this quote from Ann Voskamp's blog the other day:
"When we don’t think there’s much to give thanks for, we don’t think
there’s much to live for — because giving thanks to God is the purpose
of our lives."
Have you had some ridiculously huge hills recently, and your not thinking you can make it? Keep pushing! Don't give up, because remember after the top - its all downhill from there! And remember your not alone on that hill, he is ALWAYS with you!
I just wanted to share something with you. If you are ever doubting God's presence in a situation... just step back, and ask him to invade that entire situation, sit back and watch him work!
He is faithful, and he will always be with you! This has been an on-going theme with me lately I know. But I guess he just wants me to know he IS WITH ME! In every situation! And I want you to know, that just as much as he is with me, he is ALSO WITH YOU! Don't ever doubt it.
He always works things out for the good of those who love him!
I will never understand why it is so easy for Satan to convince you that you are alone, when you have TONS of people surrounding you. But sometimes adoption is a lonely road, and Satan finds things to make you feel that loneliness. Maybe its because a part of you feels lonely, without your family that you are picturing and waiting for. I'm not sure, but for some reason - its lonely! Maybe because there isn't many who have been there to relate to. But something I figured out, as lonely as I felt. I never had truly given that to God. I never told him, this is how I feel and I need your help! (I know sounds silly, but being lonely didn't seem important at the time compared to our adoption needs) But one day God spoke to me and just said, I' m here... trust me to work this out for you! So I let him have it! I told him how alone I felt, told him how much I needed him to send people who would encourage me, and how much I needed someone to just be there. And guess what.... He Did! He has strategically placed people in my life that could lift me up, and encourage me. That somehow always have just the right words that I need to hear. And I am so thankful for that! So whatever it is that you think isn't that important, give it to him! Let him have it! Let him show you HE IS WITH YOU, and HE CARES ABOUT YOU!
Today is our one month of being on the Waiting List. So now we have 17-23 months to wait :) We arent counting or anything.... haha
This past month has FLOWN by! Was thinking how amazing it will be if they keep flying by until we get our little man!
I just wanted to share with you our one month anniversary of waiting, and thought I would post this video to commemorate the occasion! It was on the radio this morning on my way to work, and I burst into tears. God continue to stir my heart for the nations!
Matthew 12:21 In Him the nations will put their hope.
This past month God has been speaking to me in so many ways, it just continues to encourage me, and help me to grow in my relationship with him. Its been so uplifting that we continue to receive confirmations of what he was already speaking to us through other people.
Last week I posted about Not Giving Up... when I went to church on Wednesday we were talking about Running the Race, and guess what... not giving up! The woman leading the study shared this video... these 2 women were running this marathon and were at the point of their bodies giving out on them. I somewhat have felt the way these women look, falling clumsily and exhausted trying to just get to the finish. God has been totally amazing in blessing our fundraising efforts for our adoption. We have raised over half of our costs so far! Don't get me wrong, I could not be more thankful and happy about this. It is truly unbelievable the amount we have raised, and how far we have come in such a short time. All glory goes to God! We have worked SO hard to get this far, and this past week I just sat and looked at how much more we had to go, and it is hard to picture doing everything we have done already again to finish the other half. Lately I have just had to ask people for forgiveness because I am somewhat in a fog. I am tired, I cant remember what I did yesterday, let alone a week or month ago. These past few months feel like a blur! I do not want anyone to think this is a pity party or complaining post... We CHOSE this -yes, and we would rather work really hard and do everything we can to earn the funds than have other people just hand us money... but that doesn't mean that its always easy. Right now I feel we are at the bottom of a mountain about to run up it, and looking at the one we just climbed and came back down thinking how in the world can I do this AGAIN? My answer.... Christ's strength! He is going to get us through this, our only job is to look to him, not the mountain! Look above it, and passed it! They always say, don't tell God how big your problem is, tell your problem how big your God is... SO TRUE in this circumstance! I refuse to sit back and think, I can't its just too big, not again, I've already gotten this far- I just need to keep pushing and finish strong, even if it is crawling to the finish like these women.
So after a few days of focusing on pushing through my race. I was listening to a Christian radio station and the DJ shared a verse he said God had showed him. It was Matthew 28:20 I am always with you. This just gave me peace of knowing all these times of barely pushing through, and struggling to get through the next fundraiser... he is ALWAYS with me! With each step in this race I am taking, he is there. Not only did this give me a peace in that situation. But lately I have become more and more aware of the fact that the first several months of our child's life... we wont be a part of it. And God told me, not only am I always with YOU but I am always with your son too! God will be with him in the orphanage every day, and with him in every circumstance. And that even though I can't be with him for those first few months... God is! And I couldn't ask for a better babysitter :)
I just wanted to share my heart with you, and allow you to see a glimpse of the things God is showing me, and reminding me of.
Lately I have just been taken away by the song I wont give up by Jason Mraz. Its hard not to think about our future boy all the time... But this song grabs my heart in so many ways, and makes me think of him, and our adoption! Just because no matter what comes at us in this entire process, I am not quitting, I will not back down or give up on our future boy! God is getting us to him one way or another, and I refuse to give up on that promise! Not only is the song amazing, but the video is pretty awesome as well. Jason Mraz definitely outdid himself on this one. I wanted to share the lyrics and video:
When I look into your eyes
It's like watching the night sky
Or a beautiful sunrise
There's so much they hold
And just like them old stars
I see that you've come so far
To be right where you are
How old is your soul?
I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up
And when you're needing your space
To do some navigating
I'll be here patiently waiting
To see what you find
'Cause even the stars they burn
Some even fall to the earth
We've got a lot to learn
God knows we're worth it
No, I won't give up
I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily
I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make
Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use
The tools and gifts we got yeah, we got a lot at stake
And in the end, you're still my friend at least we did intend
For us to work we didn't break, we didn't burn
We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in
I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not
And who I am
I won't give up on us (no I'm not giving up)
God knows I'm tough enough (I am tough, I am loved)
We've got a lot to learn (we're alive, we are loved)
God knows we're worth it (and we're worth it)
I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up
We are having a Thirty One Fundraiser for our adoption Fundraising. 100%
of profits goes towards our adoption costs from this fundraiser. This
is July's Customer Special, what a deal!!! The items do not have to be
in this print, just those specific items are $5! Please order online at:
http://www.mythirtyone.com/shop/catalog.aspx?eventId=E1998296&from=DIRECTLINK
Lately I have been on somewhat of a blog reading kick. Cant stop reading others adoption blogs...one thing that stands out. The adoption community is constantly scrutinized and under attack, in some way or another. Breaks my heart that this is an ugly truth about our world. Why don't people see or understand? Why cant they see our intentions, and that we are doing as we have all been called? Our decisions do nothing to them, has no effect on others outside of our family... so why do they care so much?
I love Dr. Phil, and I was watching one of his shows we had DVR-ed. It was about a Pastor's wife who had been murdered. There was a man in their community who was upset that the pastor was putting some of his poor actions into light within the community. This man was doing everything possible to run this family from their home from shooting bullets into their home, setting off dynamite outside of their home, etc. Eventually he set up the town drunk to believe a lie, which then led to the murder of the pastors wife. The children of the pastor, who are now adults, share that their family had asked their father why they weren't moving when all of the threats and harassment was going on... that maybe God wanted them to go ahead and move from the town. They then shared their fathers response, one of the wisest statements I've ever heard, that has probably impacted the remainder of my life.... "If God wanted us to move from this town, he wouldn't send the devil to tell us that." Such an amazing perception of their situation! As soon as I heard it just made me think of all these adopting families that have had such controversy and hurtful things said to them. I for one have never doubted our decision to adopt, and no matter how many hurtful things that are said to us... I never will! But what an amazing truth and way of viewing those that oppose our calling. That if God wanted us to do something different, he definitely wouldn't send the devil to inform us! I hope this encourages anyone that has had very evil and hurtful things said and done to you because of your vision or calling that God has given you! Take it and run with it! Have faith in knowing our God will speak and guide you during that time, and that the sinful actions of others are not anything to judge your actions upon.
John 14:27 “Peace
I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I
give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be
afraid.”
This Sunday at church the pastor spoke of vision. I was so blessed by this sermon, and thankful to have the opportunity to be changed by it!
He stated, If God has given you a vision, DO IT!! You are the only person who can see his vision for you, he gave that vision TO YOU - No one Else! And if he has given you a vision, then he will equip you to make it happen! BE your vision! Share your vision with others and get them excited about it with you!
As he continued to share on this topic he continued to share that God has given all of us a passion and vision for something that fuels us. He then asked, whats the one thing that gets you excited, the thing that pushes you!? He also said when was the last time that you stepped out and did something God told you, having no idea how it would work out or happen. I just sat there, so thankful for Daniel and I's obedience thus far in God's vision for us. We were terrified when considering starting the adoption process. Both of us still learning just to be adults, and how to handle stuff like taxes and insurance! lol. We had no clue how to do all the paperwork, or even how we would raise $36,000! But we knew God told us the time is NOW! So we acted in faith, and look at how far he has brought us! I am BEYOND ecstatic that God has trusted us with ALL of this. He saw something in us that we couldn't see ourselves. He gave us this vision, gave us this fuel that pushes us to do things we never thought possible. What's next was the next thing that crossed my mind.... Yes we were obedient in starting our adoption process, getting us to our child. But then where does he want me? Whats his vision for me after that?
I know one thing. God has very much laid on my heart to start an annual craft show. My goal for this craft show is to use funds generated from booth rents, etc to fundraise for our adoption... and in future years pick other adopting families to support their adoptions as well. Not only for the sake of fundraising... but also use this time to open peoples eyes to the needs of orphans and families to stand in the gap for them. I am praying for God's direction as I start trying to work all this out, and to find ways to implement the sharing of the need throughout the craft show as well! If you have any input or suggestions on this please contact me. I would love to hear them!
And lastly, what is God's vision for you? What is that thing that you know hes prompting you to do... but you sit back waiting for someone else to get it started. Waiting for someone else to grab ahold of your dream?? Why wait any longer?? Step into what he has for you and see the AMAZING blessings and future that is to come!
Just to update everyone, we received our I-171H approval yesterday in the mail. This was pretty much the only thing we were waiting on to submit our Dossier. We received this only a week and 3 days from our fingerprinting appointment... much quicker than I expected! So there are a few things that need to be notarized and finished before submitting. We plan to submit tomorrow!!!!!!!!!! I cannot believe we are finally to this point. I shared this on our FB page, and thought I would on here as well.
Stole this verse from Kari Jobe today... Romans 15:13 May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of
the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
I had a restless night
last night, couldnt stop thinking how much closer we are to our baby
boy. Once we submit our Dossier (tomorrow) we then will wait for our
referral of our child. We've been told this could be 24 months.
That's a hard number to wrap your mind around when waiting for your
child to be in your arms. I'm holding on to hope today... hope that
God's timing is perfect, and that he will get our child here all in the
perfect timing. Just crazy how much everything changes when you know the
only thing holding you back from your child is no longer paperwork, or
homestudies, or money.... but just time. ugh.
We will be taking orders for T-Shirts until July 21st!! The cost is $20, or 2 for $35... They only come in the color in the photo at this time. If you would like to order one of these shirts please contact me with your size.
I couldn't help but share today... I recently purchased this necklace in the photo. It was my late birthday present to myself. I have been looking for just the perfect one and finally found it :) Couldn't be happier about it either! I love it!
Back to my story, I wore this necklace today to my Dr's office. I've been sick all week and finally gave in and went. Side note: They have been very supportive! The front desk girls and my nurse from getting our physicals done had purchased our bracelets that we have been making and selling to help with fundraising. Love that they support us :) And were back again: when the Dr came into see me he asked about my necklace, and why I wore it. I told him Daniel and I were adopting from Ethiopia, and his face LIT UP! He smiled and said that he and his wife have done several mission trips to Haiti, and have considered doing more in Africa, and that they have discussed adopting!!!!!!!!!!! So I instantly jump to my orphan advocate pants, and began telling him about our agency and that they recently opened a Haiti program and he should look into. He seemed very interested and asked the name of our agency several times and said he would speak to his wife and they could look further into it!!!! Can I just tell you nothing makes my heart happier. That yes, we are on this journey to our little boy, but just our obedience and sharing our hearts could open the door for more orphans to find families!!!!! That we are making ONE LESS by our adoption, but even if we could help ONE MORE find a home! How great a blessing! So until my dying day I will forever share our story, and continue as we wait to share with people that there are so many more orphans out there, even the least of these can make a difference.
I try to be honest in the financial dept, people think you have to be rich to adopt. You don't!!! There are grants, fundraisers, and help out there you just have to take a big step of obedience and God does the rest! Look at our thermometer that should be all the proof you need! Don't allow fear of the unknown or anything else to hold you back. Take a step of faith! That's all you need!
Last night I updated our thermometer on the blog. Wow. We have raised $14,717. We are $3,283 away from being to the half way mark!!!! I don't think that really sunk in for awhile. How amazing God is!! He has blown us away with providing our every need!!! And how great a confirmation that we are doing as he has called us!!!
Some of you may know I did a radio interview the other day for our Indian Taco Benefit Dinner in Cushing. As I was there, Molly one of the radio DJs and I were chatting. She had asked if I had always been someone who has had missions on my heart. I of course shared with her that I have been very passionate about missions since High School. She then said a statement that one would think I would have really thought of before "Well God has been leading you towards this for awhile then." This statement is VERY true. I think of my life, all of the events and people in it that have led me to where I am. And yes, he has been leading me here. As I drove the hour back home from Cushing, I thought about this. How God has been leading my entire life to this one decision.
-My heart for missions began when I met an International student in my high school who was from Brazil. We became close friends, and through her sharing much of her life with me... I knew, I wanted to Go!
-I have been friends with several that have been in and out of foster homes, and have been adopted. Friends with a family that adopted 2 children through foster care. Witnessing this changed my life.
-I have always been one who went against the grain, not caring what others thought of me. It didn't bother me to live in such a way that made people uncomfortable. (as in being a Christian, and choosing to do other things such as missions, etc) Lord only knew how much I needed this thick skin for this situation.
-Meeting Daniel. Had I not met him I never would have had the opportunity to meet the Gobbles. Being a part of their adoption opened my eyes to the need! This is what led us to the decision to adopt.
So many things in my life led me here. Some of those weren't the greatest. Such as learning to have thick skin. Much of my life the love for missions and outreach, many haven't understood. "Why???" I was asked this often. Makes it easier knowing it all had a purpose. I did however picture my life much differently. I wasn't planning on getting married, I planned to get my degree, and move off to another country to do mission work. God had another plan for me.
I think back on the day I woke up VERY early in the morning in October, and God speaking to me the verse that continues to push me today "Leave your country and your people... Go to the land I will show you." I really cannot express into words that morning. My small little bedroom was filled with His presence. I laid in tears on my bed praying about his desire for me, and what was my purpose for his kingdom. He led me to that verse. I broke, because I felt stuck. I was like okay, if I am supposed to go and do missions, HOW!!!!???? I just sat and had no idea his plan. Not long after adoption became embedded in my heart. This very morning got me to where I said yes Lord to adoption! This day became my confirmation of what was to come. That verse was my answer, just different than what I had perceived. It wasn't obvious, I had to continue to seek its meaning from him, and here is where he led me.
Ask yourself today, where is he leading you??? What has your past led you in the direction of??? Truly seek that out from him and begin doing as he has called you. Begin working yourself towards his desires for you. You may end up in a very different place than you expected or started in the direction of, but how AMAZING to know you are doing the will of God?
I just wanted to share with everyone the total of our Online Silent Auction that we raised was $1,243!!! Thanks SO MUCH to everyone who donated, and participated in the auction.
We also had a our Indian Taco Dinner at Full Gospel today in Cushing. We raised a total of $800!!!
Thank you to everyone who cooked, cleaned, donated, and ate at our benefit dinner!!!!!
Words cannot express how blessed we are by the people that continue to surround us in this adoption! Words cannot express how much it ALL means to us!
Currently we are having an Online Silent Auction Fundraiser June 2 - June 9th. The auction will end at 8pm on the June 9th. If you would like to go and look at our available items please follow this link that will take you directly to our online auction, Online Auction . We have so many great things available, especially if you are an OSU fan :)
As of right now we have raised a little of $630!!! Thank you to all of those who donated, and to those who are out there bidding away!!!
We will be hosting a Silent Auction on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Huffadoptionjourney) June 2-9. Please go and like our page now so that you are able to see previews and updates on the upcoming auction.
100% of profits will go towards our adoption costs! We need to raise $1200 with this fundraiser to have our payment raised for our Dossier submission.
How will this work you ask???
We will have a photo album on our page of Auction Items, we will have a photo of each available item up for bids. To place your bid you will comment on the photo of the item that you want. At the close of the auction, 8pm on the 9th....We will have our winners, and they will have one week to get us the payment for their item.
We received our Home Study Final Draft in the mail on Saturday. Now that we have this document, we are able to start applying for adoption grants! Also since we received this document, we were able to move to the final step of our Dossier process. Applying to the USCIS for our approval from Immigration to adopt. We mailed this application off with our payment of $890 on Monday. It generally takes 4-6 weeks to receive the approval from this application. When we get our approval, we then (if we have got Daniel's passport back by then) can submit our Dossier!!!!!!!!!! This would mean the last of our Paper Chase! Once we submit our Dossier all we do is wait for our referral with our childs information, this could take 18-24 months!!! When submitting our Dossier we have to pay $7700. This payment pays $2000 our Mid-Payment to the agency, $800 for Dossier Translation/Authentication, $1000 for our Post-Adoption Deposit (we receive this amount if we complete our post adoption reports), $150 Courier Fee, and $3750 for the first half of the International Program fee. We have about $4700 of this payment raised. We need to raise $3000 as soon as possible, since we could receive our approval within 4 weeks. We are having a Garage Sale tomorrow, please be praying we meet this $3000 goal at that sale! We will also be having our online silent auction June 2-9th on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/HuffAdoptionJourney). Please visit closer to that date to get more information. Lots of goodies have been donated!!! Almost 30 items to bid on!!!
I have sat and tried to think of something to write about this... and its just so hard to put my heart into words. I recently read the book Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis. First off let me say, I think every Christian needs to read this book. Allow your eyes to be opened to the needs around you. Allow your heart to be changed. Don't let this book be one of those that you say "Oh I'll read that eventually." Do it NOW! Don't wait another minute and miss out on the greatness of having your heart changed by reading this book.
Katie chose to leave her "comfortable" life to move to Uganda to do mission work. She shares her experiences and the things that she has seen while there. And the life changing realities of the things we take for granted every day! While reading this I started thinking of the mission trip that changed me....
I have always had a heart for missions, there has always been compassion in my heart for those around me. Recently, I know this is pathetic, I learned the sad truth that not everyone has this trait. Not everyone sees the needs of others and wants to help, not everyone hurts when they see others hurting. I do. Daily my heart aches for those that are hurting or suffering. I hate seeing other people hurt. One of the hardest things I have ever done was go to Matamoros, Mexico and help with a Foster Home that housed around 15 children. There is an American woman and her mother who left their comfortable lives to go to Mexico and care for children. They have a home that they take in some orphans, and many of the children there - their parents drop them off for periods of time that they cant care for them, or they leave to work, or just so the children can go to school. These are months of these children being separated from their families. One child changed my life. Hugo was his name. I still remember his face, and his precious smile. Crying right now just thinking of him. When we first arrived, he had so much hatred and anger in his heart. He wouldn't speak to anyone, started fights with the other children.... and God showed me his hurts. He broke my heart for Hugo, just like His broke for him. This child was hurting, he was angry, he was left with strangers by his family because they couldn't care for him. I'm sure in a child's eyes it is not possible to grasp why his parents could just abandon him there. He had to of been terrified, let alone have a any idea what his future would hold. How frightening, and how lost he must have felt. God showed me ways to get Hugo to let me in, he called me stupid and dumb at first... making fun of me in any way possible in the meanest ways he could. But I didnt give up, didnt quit him. He was pushing to see if I would stick it out, to see if I was really there. And slowly but surely this precious child that God loved dearly came out! He began to smile, he even HUGGED ME often!!! I just began pouring into him as much as possible in my time there, telling him how awesome he was, how funny his jokes were... I wanted to build him up in every way I could! I hope I did something in Hugo's life for the better, and hate that I was never able to follow up with him. (I tried sent several letters, and never received any response back) But the funny thing is, he changed me. He made my life better!!! It wasn't just about me doing something for Hugo, God was using him to do something for me. I will forever be changed by this beautiful Mexican boy, and will never forget all he taught me. God does something not just for the people your reaching out too, but he wants to bless you in that as well!!! Your missing out on blessings by ignoring the needs and hurts of others. Pray that he breaks your heart for what breaks his, and do something about it!
This week my eyes have just been opened to the reality of....my day to day frustrations, disagreements with others, conflicts with friends and family... There are things that are so much more important, and BIGGER than these things. We make such a big deal of day to day problems and issues, when you think about the rest of the world... children in third world countries are dying because they lack the medical care they need, children are in orphanages begging for attention and love but continue to not get it, family's are being faced with the death of their child being near due to the battle of cancer. These things are worth your time and attention. These things are worth the angst and hurt we often times give so easily to ridiculously small problems. Why and How can I sit here and be upset that that person talked behind my back, and this problem at work is so frustrating, when there are literally people battling for their life?? It all becomes so much more small and insignificant when you look at it that way. Be content, be thankful for your day in and day out struggles, when you compare what your life could be. When you consider that your lucky to have such simple and easy problems, as you look at the harsh world others are facing.
Many of you may have never heard of the Everaards, they are the district youth directors for Oklahoma Assembly of God. Recently they learned their sons cancer has come back, and worsened. Hospice has been brought in and... they wait. Wait for the unimaginable tragedy that will forever break their hearts. If you have a moment, a brief moment, lift this family up in prayer. I cant even begin to think of the pain they are facing. Ive seen the awful awful effects of cancer on my grandpa, I cant begin to think of a child facing this ugly disease. Makes me sick to think of it. But thats exactly what Im talking about. My problems are nothing compared to this. How SELFISH of me, to feel sad or dwell on the little things that I have faced in my life, while this child is simply fighting for his. Let his story change your life, let it make you different. If nothing else let Gray make you appreciate the little things you've been given. Be content. God has spoken this to me over and over this past few weeks, and I am trying... not for me, but for children like Grayson that show me life isnt something you can take for granted and its something worth being content in and appreciating even the trials.
Read his story at www.pray4gray.com
We wanted to update everyone on paperwork! We have done lots of
paper chasing, to get all required forms ready for our Dossier
submission!!! Wanted to post a list of all the required documents we have completed and what we are still working on, just
to give you an idea of what we have been busy doing the past month. There are a few things to go, but we are pretty close to being finished! Thus we will need to raise our remaining $4500 for Dossier Submission soon! Please be in prayer with us that God provides this remaining amount to get us through this point. Also, if you notice we have completed our Home Study, we will start applying for Adoption Grants once we receive the final draft of this. Please be praying with us that we are able to get a grant to help with our remaining costs of our adoption. God is awesome and faithful, we continue to give him all the glory for as far as we have gotten thus far!
Husband’s Birth Certificate - Complete
Wife’s Birth Certificate - Complete
Marriage Certificate -Complete
Husband Physical Exam Form - Complete
Wife’s Physical Exam Form - Complete
Proof of Medical Insurance - Complete
Proof of Life Insurance - Complete
Financial Statement - Complete
Husband’s Employment Letter - Complete
Wife’s Employment Letter - Complete
Home Study - Complete
Letter of Reference (3) - Complete
Husband’s Police Report - Complete
Wife’s Police Report - Complete
Power of Attorney - Complete
Dossier Cover Sheet - Complete
2 Passport Photos per parent - Need to do
Family Photo Pages - Session completed, waiting for prints
Copies of Passports - Brittni's Complete - Daniel's Complete
Throughout our adoption process, 2 months to the day, we have had numerous people share their opinions, concerns, and thoughts on the fact that we should be adopting from the US (Domestic Adoption), "our OWN country" and not Internationally. In these last 2 months, I cannot even begin to give you a number of people that have made this statement to us. I'm not going to lie, this breaks my heart a little. Not on a personal level, but just as a Christian, makes me sad. Below is why...
See... my thoughts on this are in regards to the verse:
Romans 12:4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function.
I feel that each Christian has their own "function" or calling. Some are to be pastors, missionaries, teachers, adoptive parents, foster parents, counselors, worship leaders, servants... etc. All of these different callings or desires God has specifically given each of us personally, what is for you isn't what He has in store for me. What is my "function" isn't for someone else. Everyone plays their own role to fulfill His purpose for His kingdom. I feel this applies as well to where you are called to adopt from, whether it be China, Ethiopia, Russia, US, Haiti, and so on. In God's eyes... they are ALL his children! Every single one of them! His desire is that all of them have someone to love and care for them. If everyone adopted from China and it was the only place, imagine all the children all over the world that would be left with no one to care for them. But instead, God amazingly calls us to a variety of places, and meets the needs of a variety of children through each adopting family. I think that is incredible!!! Does my heart break for every single orphan? Yes, definitely! I wish I could do something for every single one of them, but I can't! God has equipped other people to go forth to all of these places that he has specifically placed on their hearts to do that. Just as he has called me to Ethiopia! I never would dream of telling another person that Ethiopia is the only place to adopt from, and that they must adopt from Ethiopia. Because they may not be called to Ethiopia, or even Africa for that matter. God leads us where he wants us, and I truly do not believe it is just for the sake of the child. I know for a fact, that when we make our trip to Ethiopia to go to our child, our lives will be impacted just by the travel to the country! God may have something amazing for us there, and some very big eye opening experiences for Daniel and I while we are there. Our adoption has the ability to impact so much more than just us or our child, and by us going somewhere to adopt that God has not led us....it could change ALL of that. Change our future, or even yours by being a part of it all... maybe there is something about our adoption that God wants you to see and include you in as well. Us choosing US when we aren't called to could take away your blessing as well. This is simply my heart... to do as He has called us, I don't know his plans for our adoption. I can only trust that He is using my obedience for something specific to meet His purpose.
This is just something that has been on my heart, and I want people to see the truth. I know that you think you are helping the children in the US by pushing people who are called to adopt to adopt from here. But really you may be robbing them of their purpose. Sit back, and enjoy the ride... trust God that He has not led us astray, and realize that your "opinions" could lead someone in the very wrong direction for them, and they could miss their "function" or calling and miss out on something so much more that God has for them.
I wanted to update everyone on the total amount we made from the T-Shirt Fundraiser.... We made a total of $1,077 towards our adoption costs! Thank you everyone who purchased a shirt. And we hope to see people wearing them this Easter Sunday
If you were unable to order a shirt this time, and would like to... we will be doing another order again soon! So be watching for that. I've had several people ask when they can order again, so we will for sure be doing this.
**Also tonight I updated our fundraiser thermometer, I cannot believe we have raised a total of $7,163 thus far.I am amazed by God and his faithfulness to provide our needs!! Amazed.... He gets all the glory for it all.
***At this point we have paid for our First Program Installment Fee, Home Study, Adoption Training, and other costs that arise when getting documents for our Dossier. When we are ready to submit our Dossier we will have to pay $7,700 for all of the Dossier submission costs. And that will be the last amount we pay until we receive our referral for our child. As of right now my approximate guess is we have about $1,000 to go towards this $7,700 goal. Everything depends on costs and charges we will run into while getting documents for our Dossier, for example: passports, birth certificates, background checks, charges for our physicals, and Finger Printing. Thus our problem is we won't know where we stand exactly towards this goal until all paperwork is ready for the Dossier. So lets just aim for $7,700!!!! :)
Please check out our current fundraisers and see how you can help us get there!
It amazes me sometimes where my thoughts go. This morning I was watching our fish in the aquarium... We have 2 fish that are ill, its looking like they may not make it. As I was watching the fish, the 2 that are sick stuck together... and wherever they swam all the other fish would move away and swim on the other side of the tank. They avoided them at all costs, occasionally one of the fish will go over and chase one off and bully the sick. No matter how sick they are, they defended one another to the bullying fish. It got me to thinking about our lives... How many times the weak, sick, needy, and "different" get alienated by the "norm" crowd. Even fish do it! Makes me sad that this is our world and the way so many live... pushing away those that are different or unfamiliar. I've been guilty of this in my past, but in high school God opened my eyes to seeing people as he sees them. I'm not saying since then I have been perfect, but I have always tried to see others through his eyes. So then I started thinking about our adoption process, and how we have really learned who our true friends are... those that aren't "comfortable" with our decision, and those that don't agree or understand have much like the fish, pushed us aside, avoided us, even bullied us a little. That's okay, we knew there would be people in our lives who wouldn't get it, we knew there would be people that wouldn't like it... but to be frank, we aren't doing this for them. We are doing this for God, and for our future child. We don't seek man's approval, but God's. There are so many times in life where because you step out and do something different than the usual, you are mocked, betrayed, and disliked. This made me to start to think of Jesus, especially with Easter coming up. How he must have felt when those that he was dying on that cross for mocked him. They didn't know... They didn't understand. He knew that, and that is why he loves us anyway. He laid his life down knowing by many it wouldn't be appreciated.
Mostly I just want other Christians to consider the weak, sick, and needy... how do you act towards them? Jesus washed his servants feet.... are you willing to do this for others? See them through Christ's eyes... open your hearts and lives to people who are different, embrace them the way Christ made them. On the radio the other day they were talking about Autism with it being Autism Awareness Day, and how so many look down on those that have "struggles". They commented towards the verse in the bible where the people asked why the blind man was blind, was it something he did? or his parents did? And Jesus replied, so that God would be glorified in his life. (paraphrasing a little). But we should love and support those that are different, their lives glorify Christ daily as they live as "the least of these". The least of these has a special place in God's heart, I guarantee you. Open your heart, your eyes, and love on others today!
This past week we have been working on documents for our Dossier and Homestudy... Its becoming more and more real now. And once you get started on this paperwork it is so hard to SLOW DOWN. As I began getting all our documents completed and together.... something just clicked in me. The longer it takes me to do all this paperwork, the longer our child could be in an orphanage. That breaks my heart. I want to do this as fast as possible! I dont want our child to have to spend one more day than he has to until we can get to him. I keep trying to tell myself I have to pace myself, and slow down! But I cant!! I have to do everything I can to get him here sooner.
They call this part the Paper Pregnancy... I am now beginning to see the comparison being quite true... I'd do it all over again just for him... Thats the truth.
UPDATE: On our T-Shirt Fundraiser we sold 85 shirts!!! Didnt quite get to our goal, but that is pretty darn close!
Also our Chili's Dine-In Benefit Fundraiser was quite successful as well... We raised $240 towards our adoption costs!! We greatly appreciate everyone who went to eat to support us! It was awesome to walk in and see all the people we knew eating to help us get our baby boy home..
We are Daniel and Brittni! We are on a journey of adopting from Ethiopia... We feel this is something God called us to, and we are eager to see where this road takes us. Please join us on this journey to start our family!!
