Step by Step!

Hi, friends!

We received wonderful news today that our paperwork, which was submitted to the Minister of Justice in Bulgaria on June 20th, has been reviewed and accepted!  Hip hip hooray!  It was actually accepted on July 18th, on which date we were officially registered to adopt from Bulgaria.  But, for whatever reason (I think God was teaching me to trust in His timing), the MOJ's office just notified our adoption agency of this information.  No matter!  We are registered!!

So, the next step?  A REFERRAL!

You might be thinking, "What the heck does that mean?  And, why is she so excited?!"  All of our paperwork is now registered with the MOJ and will be sent to the International Adoption Committee.  The IAC also gets the paperwork of all the kids that are registered and are waiting to be adopted.  Then, this committee looks at the families that want a child and matches them with the children that are waiting to be adopted.  When they feel like a good match has been made, they issue a "referral" to the waiting family.  They send an email to the waiting family with all the information that they have about the matched child - pictures, videos, medical documents, and background history on the child.  So, when I say we are waiting on a "referral," we are waiting to see with whom the IAC matches us.  Once we get a referral, we will have up to 2 weeks to review the documents, pray, and decide if this child is the one that the Lord has chosen for our family.  At this point, one of two things will happen -

1. We will accept the referral and about a month later will travel to Bulgaria to meet our child - EEK!!!  
2. We will decline the referral and wait to be matched with another child.

Andrew and I believe without a doubt that God is completely sovereign.  He already knows who our child is and has known since time began.  That is incredibly mind boggling to me, but so very reassuring!  Our prayer at this time is that God would reveal that child to us and that we would know as soon as we lay eyes on him or her that he or she is the child for our family.  We are praying that the first child we are referred will be the child that we accept.  We truly don't want to have to decline a referral.  So, please pray with us that we would KNOW our child and that God would be gracious in allowing us to fall in love at first sight, knowing that he or she was created for our family!

5/5/5 for Families

Can you believe that June is already gone?!  We had a wonderful, wonderful time at Bonclarken in the North Carolina mountains worshipping God with middle and high school youth from our denomination.  My boys saw and enjoyed time with their "Bonclarken friends" - folks that we get to see only once or twice a year.  Despite the infrequency of these visits, these sweet little people have become lifelong friends that I know my boys will always cherish.  They also spent time enjoying their passions of fishing, swimming in the pool and running.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our time in one of the most special places on earth!

John was so proud of this fish that he caught and I was so proud of his "stick to it-ness!"  The boy spent hours waiting and trying, all with a good attitude (most of the time).  He is truly his Grandpa's grandson with his love of catching fish…and telling the story.

Joseph has found a new passion - running!  As my middle child, I struggle to make sure he gets the one on one time that he desperately needs.  His love language is most definitely quality time and I am so excited to find an area of life that we can share!  He ran both Color Runs (there was one for each of the weeks of camp) and another morning joined me on my run just for fun.  This week we're going to start Couch to 5K to make it a bit easier on him and hopefully build him up to running 3 miles straight!

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations!"  

Psalm 100: 4 - 5

While at Bonclarken, we received word from our adoption agency that our dossier documents had been authenticated and submitted to the Minister of Justice.  The MOJ has one month to review the documents and let us know whether or not they accept our request to adopt from Bulgaria.  If all is complete and they accept, we will be officially "registered" with the MOJ and will wait for the next (and very exciting!!) step of the adoption process - a REFERRAL!  Please pray with us that God would lead us to exactly the child that He has for our family!

While we wait, I want to advocate for a program that several families recently started through Reece's Rainbow.  It's called 5/5/5 for Families and is a brilliant idea!  The thought is that not everyone has a lot of extra money each month to donate to adoption, but when many people give a little, a big difference can be made!  This group is asking for people to give $5 on the 5th of each month to help 5 families bring home their children.  The families will be chosen from 5 different countries each month and will be bringing home children with special needs.  Could you give up one coffee from Starbucks each month?  Think of what a difference it would make to the orphans of the world!  You can follow the group on Facebook by clicking on this link or you can set up a recurring payment so that you don't even have to think about it by clicking here.  In this way, helping the orphan can be easy and painless.  Andrew and I have already done it - will you follow?

Where are we now?

Hi, guys!

I think I have finally wrapped my head around what the next steps will be between now and when we travel on our first trip to Bulgaria!  I know a lot of you have been wondering, so I wanted to pass the information along to all of you!  Here's what the next weeks/months will look like:

1.  Translation - Our dossier is officially in Bulgaria now and is in the process of being translated.
2.  Authentication - Once all of the translation is done, the documents will be authenticated.  This should take place early this week.
3.  Minister of Justice (MOJ) - After it is authenticated, the paperwork will make it's way to the MOJ's office.  Once there, we are officially "registered."  The processing in this step will take a couple of weeks.
4.  International Adoption Committee (IAC) Meeting - Once the paperwork is registered with the MOJ, it will go before the International Adoption Committee to be reviewed.  We will be told at this point if anything needs to be added/fixed in the paperwork.  We are praying that we will get a "thumbs up" and all will be in order to proceed!
5.  Referral - Once all the paperwork is approved, we will be officially waiting for a referral.  The IAC meets on a regular basis (weekly, I believe) and takes a look at the children that become available for adoption.  When one matches our requests (a child between 0 and 3 years old with Down Syndrome, preferably a girl), then we will be notified of a match.  We will then be given 2 weeks to accept or decline the referral.
6.  Travel on trip one!  Once we have accepted a referral, we will travel on trip one to meet the child (about a month after accepting the referral).  We will visit the orphanage 5 times, for a couple hours each day!  We will be in Bulgaria for about a week and a half for this first trip.

So, that's where we are now!  If you could be praying for God's perfect timing in all of this, it would be greatly appreciated.  It could take no time at all to get a referral or it could take several months.  God already knows our child.  And, He is hemming us in behind and before, leading us to her one step at a time.  Pray that we would know her as well and that His will for us would be made clear and obvious the second we see her face.  Oh, how I long to lay eyes on my precious 4th child!

We'll keep you updated as things progress!

Show me the money!

Well, folks, all of our paperwork for our dossier is officially in Bulgaria!  Whoot whoot!  We're so excited about that!  I'm going to post an update soon about what the next steps will be from here, but I am currently waiting to hear about it myself from our adoption agency's fearless, awesome leader.  So, I'll pass along the info to you as soon as I have it and understand it all!

Until then, I wanted to take some time today to talk to you about the money side of our adoption.  I've hesitated to write this post because when one talks about money, opinions on how it is earned and how it is spent abound.  My hope is that the transparency of this post will help those who are interested in or currently undergoing the process of adoption, while at the same time lend some clarity as to how the money that has been donated is being spent.  Many of you out there are pondering the possibility of adoption but are scared to death by the huge mountain of finances required, often letting it become the reason you don't move forward.  I want to be able to show you how God faithfully provided for us in hopes that you will be encouraged that "He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion" (Philippians 1:6).  If God has called you to adopt, He will provide the financial resources to see it through (given that you do your part as well).  On the flip side, there are so many people who have so generously donated their financial resources to see that our girl gets home and we want them to be able to see a break down of where their funds have and will be going.  So, this post is meant to encourage, inform, and shed light on the financial aspect of our adoption.  Without further ado…

Where did all the money come from?

Below is a breakdown of where the money came from to get us to the fully funded mark.  Notice that we put in $3500 from our savings.  This covered our initial adoption costs - what we had to pay before we began fundraising (our home study and initial adoption agency fees).  If you are thinking about adopting, I would encourage you to have roughly this amount ready before beginning the process.  It will get the ball rolling and show others that you are willing to sacrifice financially along with those who are supporting you.  

From our savings - $3,500

Miscellaneous donations - $2,155

Tag Her Bag Fundraiser - $13,207

Anonymous donation from someone in our church - $5,000

Missions Committee at our church - $5,000

Garage Sale - $1,083

Facebook Auction - $317

Consignment Sale - $829

TOTAL RAISED:  $31,091

Notice that the Missions Committee at our church donated a large amount to our adoption.  Andrew and I were deeply touched by this gift.  The Mission Committee, in deciding on the dispersement of some funds that our church was giving away, chose to bless us because they felt our little girl was one of the missions of the church.  We as a church are to go in to the world and win souls for Christ.  The committee felt that bringing our daughter home to raise her to know and love the Lord was a way of fulfilling the Great Commission.  Their hope and prayer is that, due in part to their financial support, one more child will come to believe in Christ as her Lord and Savior.

How is that much money going to be used?!

Below I am sharing our adoption budget.  So many people have mistakenly assumed that we have to pay Bulgaria $30,000 in order to "buy a child."  This isn't the case at all.  As you'll see below, the funds are used for the adoption agencies (in the US and Bulgaria) who in turn use them to pay lawyers, translators, and many miscellaneous fees.  The funds are also used for travel, many small paperwork fees that add up, education classes we are required to take, and even post adoption report fees. 

Reece's Rainbow Application Fee - $25

Homestudy Fee - $1250

Homestudy Oversight Fee (paid to the adoption agency) - $500

Child Abuse Clearance Fees - $64

Local Background Check - $6

Certified Marriage License - $30

Fingerprints - Local police department - $10

Case Management Fees - Adoption Agency - $3500

Grant Application Fee - $10

Apostille Fees (for several different documents) - $138

FBI Background Check #1 - $36

USCIS application - $720

USCIS Biometrics fee - $170

Physicals for Medical Clearance - $30

Pictures for dossier - $25

USPS - postal fees for dossier - $24

Bulgaria Program Fee - $10,900

Educational Material (books about Down Syndrome and Adoption) - $25

Special Needs Adoption Class - $70

First trip airfare - $3500

First trip lodging - $500

First trip food/extras - $800

Child's Visa - $230

Second stage fingerprints - $20

Second stage background checks - $170

Second stage physicals - $30

Second trip airfare - $3500

Second trip lodging - $500

Second trip food/extras - $800

Child's medicals - $60

TB test - $120

US Birth Certificate - $25

Second stage dossier delivery (Caring Hands) - $51

Post placement reports - $1000

TOTAL BUDGETED:  $28,839

You'll notice that our budget is less than $29,000, yet we've raised over $31,000.  Many of the amounts in the budget are estimations, especially the airfare, room and board while we are in Bulgaria.  We may come in even lower than we anticipate or we may end up closer to the amount we've raised.  I am so very grateful to have the "cushion" in case there are fees that we've left out or in the case that airfare sky rockets.  Who knows?  Maybe God is providing the extra now so that we can say "yes" if He shows us a second child?!  JUST KIDDING, ANDREW!!  Kind of.  Anywho…

So, what happens if we end up with extra money in the adoption account once our baby girl is safe in our arms?  Andrew and I have discussed this and have decided that we will do one of two things, depending on how the Lord leads us at that time (nope, not an all expense paid trip to Disney World!  Shucks):  

1. Put the money in a savings account tagged for any medical and/or therapy expenses that baby girl will have once she's home.  At this point, because we don't yet have a referral, we have no idea what lies ahead as far as medical expenses go.  She may be doing brilliantly and our insurance may be amazing and, therefore, we won't need to do this.  On the other hand…we might be blown away by the cost of therapy or she may have need for heart surgery or something crazy like that.  So, if it looks like we're going to be hit with tons of medical expenses, we will use the money to help cover those costs.
2. If not, then we will either give the money away to someone else who is raising money for an adoption through Reece's Rainbow or we will give the money to a fund that is being built through the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church to give financial support to other ARP Pastors who are in the process of adopting.  Either way, if money is left over, it will go on to others who are trying to adopt.

Whew!  That was A LOT of information!  If you have any other questions or if you are adopting from Bulgaria and want me to email you the spread sheet of our budget (it's a little more detailed than what is above), just let me know!

I know I've said it a million times, but thank you, again, for all of the amazing love and support that you have given us through this adoption!  We love you all and feel so very blessed to have you in our corner!

The Body of Christ

On Palm Sunday we sang "We Are God's People" - #355 in the ARP Hymnal.  The words of verse 3 aptly describe something that Andrew and I have had the privilege of witnessing over the past year.  It's something described in Acts 2, verses 42 through 47.  Paul speaks of the church devoting themselves to teaching and fellowship, believers coming together and giving to one another as they have need, breaking bread and praising God with sincere and glad hearts.  Andrew and I have seen this in our church, a beautiful picture of the Body of Christ; of the Covenant Family.  My heart filled with gratitude as I sang the words below, remembering all the ways that the people around me had surrounded us with love, support, and encouragement.

We are the Body of which the Lord is Head,

Called to obey Him, now risen from the dead,

He wills us be a family, diverse yet truly one;

O let us give our gifts to God, and so

Shall His work on earth be done.

Over the past year, Andrew and I have experienced so many blessings…

A sweet friend who ran with me many a night, listening as I anguished over whether or not we were being called to adopt, then listened (without judging) many more as I tried to decide whether we had what it takes to raise a child with special needs.

A mentor who prayed for Andrew and for me as I was 10 steps ahead of my husband in the decision to adopt.  She prayed for patience for me and wisdom for Andrew.

A group of men who shed tears of joy and then rose to lay hands on Andrew, praying for him and for us after he shared the news of our plan to adopt with them.

A beautiful woman who saw a need and, without blinking an eye, wrote a check for $900 to cover the cost of sending off our I800a documents for USCIS approval.

An anonymous $5000 check in the offering plate…a private soul watching from the sidelines and deeply touching our hearts.

A six year old girl who sold her Barbie Jeep to raise $50; another 8 year old girl who gave $20 of her precious birthday money, each one wanting to sign their names on the bag that will travel with our baby girl - HOME.

A generous friend who donated 15 gorgeous smocked dresses and jon jons to be sold at auction to raise funds needed to send off our dossier.

A group of members who pray every Monday at noon, week after week for the adoption process, for our girl, for us.

A missions committee who decided that bringing our daughter home was a mission of the church and donated so very generously in hopes that this child would have the opportunity to know and love Christ.

Several selfless friends who spent hours tagging items to be sold at a garage sale in order to gain the last bit of money needed to help push over the edge to being FULLY FUNDED.

And so, so, so many more generous acts of love, donations of items to be sold, monetary gifts and prayers lifted up on our behalf!

The Covenant Family

In our church, our pastor often emphasizes the importance of a "Covenant Family."  Before moving to this sweet little town and becoming a part of this beautiful church, I never really gave much thought to what it means to be a part of a Covenant Family.  After hearing the term "Covenant Family" several times, I began to wonder what it really means.  Who is a part of this Covenant Family?  Why is it important?  What does it mean for me and for my children?  What does it mean for the church of which I am blessed to be a part?

Covenants are seen throughout Scripture as a way of binding us to God and and God to us.  Long ago, Adam broke the covenant that God had made with him.  Adam's job was to work the Garden and take care of all that was given to him.  He broke it by disobeying God and eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Thus, sin entered the world.  From that time forward, out of His extreme love for His people, God worked to redeem His people and bring them once more back to Himself.  Through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, God conquered sin once and for all so that "all who believe in Him may have eternal life" (John 3:16).  Those who believe, along with their children, become part of the "Covenant Family."  Along with being a part of this Covenant Family comes the responsibility to build our brothers and sisters up in Christ, sharpening one another as we ourselves are being sharpened in our faith.  Also comes the responsibility to "train up a child in the way he should go, so that when he is old he will not depart from it" (Duet. 6:5).  This is not just done by the child's parents, it is done by the Sunday school teachers, by the pastors, by the Elders who pray for the children they are shepherding, and by each and every person within the congregation as they guide and lead these little ones in ways of righteousness.

I have been blessed to see this Covenant Family in action.  I have seen the selfless acts done by people of every age and every gifting.  I have seen church members taking care of one another's children or grandchildren, not because of an arbitrary obligation, but because of a deep desire to see these children come to know and love Christ.  These church members shepherd, teach, pray for, gently admonish, and simply love the children within their Covenant Family because they know that these little ones have eternal value.

When our baby girl is baptized in this beautiful church in our small town in Florida, do not be surprised if there are tears running down my face.  Tears of joy to know that I'm finally holding her in my arms and that she will have the opportunity to know and love her Savior.  Tears of gratitude for the faces I will see before me who have made her being with us possible.  And tears because of the shear knowledge that when the Pastor asks for all those who will love, teach, and bring up our girl in knowledge and fear of the Lord to stand, every person that rises to their feet will be telling the truth.  They will take seriously their vows.  This will be their Covenant child and she will now belong not just to a family, but to the body of Christ.  This, friends, is what it means to be a part of a Covenant community, to join together in the work that will further His kingdom.  Jesus said, "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me" (Mark 9:37).  Thank you, beautiful church family, for being so willing to welcome another daughter in to the Covenant family and, in so doing, for welcoming Christ in to your midst.

"I thank my God every time I think of you!"

So, are you ready for the big reveal?!  The numbers are in from our first fundraisers and we have been BLOWN AWAY by your generosity!  When we began this journey, we trusted in God to provide the means to financially see it through, but we'd be lying if we said we weren't scared.  $30,000 is a BIG number.  A huge, scary, 5 figure number.  Yet, thanks to God's goodness and His working through the amazing people in our lives, we are well over 2/3 of the way to being fully funded in just 4 short months.  The gratitude that Andrew and I feel in our hearts for the people that love our little girl already and have shown it through their sweet comments, their prayers and their donations cannot be adequately expressed through words.  My cup runneth over.

The Breakdown:

Tag Her Bag Raised $16,115!

This was by far the best fundraiser of the three that we have done.  It was so, so much fun to see the signatures and read the words of love expressed on our little one's suitcase.  This suitcase will truly be treasured for a lifetime.  We still have several signatures that we need to collect from friends and family that live afar who donated but have not yet had an opportunity to sign!

While this bag will always be a tangible reminder to our daughter of the love that surrounds her, I have begun to see what an encouragement it will be for Andrew and me as well.  As we make our two trips to Bulgaria, we'll be able to take a little part of each of you with us, cheering us on during the good and bad parts of those trips.  I have already begun to imagine the flight home on Trip 1, after we have left our baby girl for what will be a 4 to 6 month period.  This mama is going to be beside herself.  But, knowing that you guys are with us, your words written plainly for us to see as we make our way home, will lift our hearts and our spirits at a time when they will desperately need lifting!

The Consignment Sale - Raised $830!

The Consignment Sale was A LOT of work, but I am thankful that I had the opportunity to take part in it.  Through the sale, I felt like I was able to work toward bringing my baby home.  Rather than simply asking people for money, I was able to use my time and energy to earn money that would help us in this race.  That just felt good.  We loaded up the car with $4500 worth of inventory and dropped it off on Thursday afternoon.

I definitely got in my workout for that day, loading and unloading all of the "stuff!"  Thankfully, most of the big items sold:  the red wagon, stroller/car seat, trampoline, etc.  

On Saturday evening, we went back and picked up all that had not sold, which ended up being about 3/4 of what I had dropped off.  It was mostly clothes, which we'll sell in the garage sale that we are planning to hold on May 3rd.  

Would I do it again?  Yes, but I think I would do it differently.  I'd attempt to collect less clothes and more of the bigger items.  Toys and books also seemed to sell well, so I'd try to collect more of those.  I'd price the clothes lower and make sure the sale was at a location in Lakeland, rather than Bartow.  The owners of The Acorns to Oaks sale are currently looking for a location to hold their sale in the fall and it sounds like they are hoping to have it in Lakeland.  If we are not fully funded by then, I would definitely consider doing this again to get us over the final hurdle.

Facebook Auction - Raised $300!

This was EASY and raised a little bit of money, which was a nice surprise.  I sold several of the smocked dresses as well as some cute handmade finger puppets.  I still have several smocked dresses, jon jons, dolls, and more to sell.  I may take part in another auction in the fall and try one more time to sell these beautiful clothes, adding the nicer stuff from the consignment sale that did not sell.  I also have a beautiful Pottery Barn changing table and Bratt Decor Cradle currently for sale on Craig's list that were donated by a sweet friend.  If anyone is interested in any of these items, just let me know! 

So, I know you are dying to know where we now stand!  Drum roll please….the final number that we are currently at as I type this post is $22,835!!!!!!  Absolutely, positively amazing!  Thank you, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts!

"I thank my God every time I remember you!"  Philippians 1:3

Facebook Auction Ends Tomorrow!

We have a huge, multi-family facebook auction going on right now!

There are over 575 items up for grabs that help 7 families in the process of bringing home 11 children. All of the families are adopting from Bulgaria along with us and we all even have the same domestic placement agency!

I've heard from a few friends that because there are so many items that they are having a hard time getting the album to load, finding certain things, etc. So to make it easier for everyone I thought I would post a few quick links to help you find what you're looking for!

If you are on a computer and just want to go directly to the main page of the auction album so that you can see thumbnails of all of items click HERE

Below, I've broken down each family so that you can go directly to their items:

The link to the CLAUS family's items 

featuring lots of handmade items including crocheted hats, handbeaded jewelry and more!

The link to the RAY family items 

featuring a variety of items from handmade blankets to outdoor adventures and more!

The link to the BAILEY family's items 

with lots of fun items from jewelry and electronics to clothes and much more!

The link to the KIRK family's items 

with a vintage quilt, handmade jewelry, DVDs, tshirts and more!

Link to the SHOGER family's items 

featuring lots of gorgeous smocked dresses, handmade toy sets, an awesome camera and more!

Link to the VARGAS family's items 

with lots of great items to fill your kids' Easter baskets, clothes, toys and more!

The link to the SUTTON family's items 

featuring giftcards, hand-made jewelry, African beaded jewelry, DVDs, blankets and much more!

Several items of our items from the auction that are still without bids!

4T Smocked dress - my favorite!

9 months smocked dress and bonnet

Strasburg dress size 5 - would be beautiful for Easter!

Adorable smocked dress embroidered with Little Red Riding Hood Size 4T

Kelly's Kids Jon Jon - size 18 months

Monkey Jon Jon - 18 months

EOS Rebel 2000

Several Madame Alexander dolls for collecting - late 1980's

Thank you so much for taking the time to look and bid!