Vacation

Melanie and I are on vacation. We stayed at the cabin for a few days and got some much needed work done. We got a couch from my grandmother and had plans to take it to our cabin so our new little one could use the sleeper part of the couch for her bed (we have a one room cabin). But the problem is when we got it home Melanie wanted to put it in the living room temporarily, no she likes it there so it may stay.


Mark

Amaya's shoebox project

Have you heard of Operation Christmas Child? Samaritan's Purse, which is an international relief organization, sponsors this project. Individuals, groups, organizations, etc. can pack shoe boxes which are then given to needy children worldwide.  Our church sunday school children are part of this project and so is my dear friend Sarah's daughter. Amaya has a heart filled with compassion and tenderness for others. She is also a very determined little girl with of filling shoe boxes for children. Amaya is making Christmas tree ornaments and selling them to raise money to buy the items for her boxes. Check out the details and consider helping Amaya's project. She is over half-way to her goal. Can you help her reach it?

Tears of Joy!

I woke up this morning to a wonderful email - probably the second most important one that we will receive (most important being our appointment date). Our dossier was indeed submitted yesterday! I'm crying now as I think about it. We should find out when our appointment is in the next couple weeks.
Thank you to everyone who joined us in prayer and thanks to our God who wants this little one wrapped in the arms of a new family just as much as we do (probably even more).
BTW... if you didn't hear me screaming, it's because I found out about about 4:30am and didn't want to wake you all up!  ;-)

No news :-(

I was hoping that you would all hear me yelling for excitement (yes... where ever you are reading from), but not today. No word from Ukraine if we have been submitted or not. So... I am waiting impatiently, praying that we will hear good news tomorrow.

I was wide awake at about 3am this morning, thinking that it was 11am in Kiev. Praying that it was being handed to the right person, someone who would ensure that we have an appointment in record time. My daily devotional starts with a bible verse. When I opened it and began to read today's verse, I had to laugh. It was the exact verse that's on the header of our blog - one I claim as my own. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~ Jeremiah 29:11

Talk about a reminder of who is in charge. For as much as I would like to think that I'm in control, hmmm... not so much! Even though I don't know what's happening, God knows. I may need to go to sleep tonight with that plastered across my forehead as a reminder - lol!

Can I ask for your prayers once again? Not for me this time. One of my friends lost her husband last night. He had been sick for several years and it wasn't completely unexpected, but that doesn't make it any easier. Gary had been hoping to hang on for another couple months (first grandbaby is due in December), but just didn't have the strength to keep fighting. Thanks for including Kathy and their family in your thoughts.

Will tomorrow be the day? Say a prayer!

The SDA (children's authority in Ukraine) only accepts dossiers on Thursdays. So... we are praying that tomorrow will be the day that our dossier is submitted. What does that mean? Basically, our petition to adopt and all the supporting documentation are presented to the Ukraine government. Once we are submitted, we should receive notice of our appointment date within a couple of weeks. We will probably travel 2-3 weeks after that. This is what I would ask you to pray for:

• Dossier submission tomorrow (Thursday) - Ukraine is 8 hours ahead of us, so if you happen to be reading this at midnight here - it will be 8am Thursday in Ukraine!
• Rapid response from the SDA with our appointment date.
• An appointment at the SDA in Kiev the week of November 15 or sooner.

I know that I am asking a lot of God. But, I also know that He moves mountains and He is capable of providing all of the above. I'm hopeful that if we can get an appointment with the SDA by November 19, it is possible we could be home before Christmas with our little one. His timing is perfect so if it doesn't happen, I trust that there is a reason. But, a girl can always hope! Plus, I know there is a certain "Nana" who would love to have another grandbaby to love on as soon as possible.  :~)

Thankful Thursday

I have been a slacker lately... it's been a while since I have made a Thankful Thursday post. It isn't that I am not thankful - I just haven't thought about blogging specific to that. But, today it is on my mind and I am feeling thankful for so much. Here are a few of them:

#1 A Family for Julia - Last month I posted a video about Ukraine orphanages and asked if you would be willing to help Julia find a family. I am ecstatic to report that fundraising efforts on her behalf raised over $20,000! Isn't that amazing? God is moving mountains for his precious little girl. And not only that... she now has a family committed to bringing her home as quickly as possible. You can read about them here.

#2 Getting closer - The SDA only accepts dossier submissions on Thursdays. Although ours was not submitted today, we are anticipating that it will be submitted next week. We are hoping that we will be able to travel 4-6 weeks after that so it is possible that we will have our little one by Christmas!!

#3 Beautiful weather - Truly, it has been gorgeous this week. I love fall! The domestic goddess in me was in full force on Tuesday. I made applesauce and cooked/froze pumpkin. The kitchen was a disaster, but it will be worth it later this winter!

Did you hear me???

If you heard someone screaming with excitement at around 6:30pm (CDT) this evening, it was probably me. Amanda (our facilitator) emailed to say that our dossier is in Ukraine!!! If you feel so inclined, please join me in prayers of thanks to our awesome God!!

Thank you!

I just want to take a moment to say thank you to each of you who contributed to our adoption costs yesterday by visiting Sarah's store and making a purchase. And thanks to each of you who prays for our adoption journey! We feel those prayers! It means so much that there is support for us as we anticipate this life changing event. I wish that I could share specifics about the little one we are hoping to bring home, but as long as I leave this blog public, confidentiality must be the main concern. Can't wait until the day comes when I can share much more freely!  Again... thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

fund raiser

today is our fundraiser, please stop by and see if sarah can help you.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/sarahstreasurebox

The weekend

I wanted to go to the cabin this weekend, But things didn't work out. Melanie had a thing with her parents so we didn't make it. But I did get to go 4-wheeling with some friends on Sunday. We had a great time.

First part of the journey

I got the last of our dossier documents apostilled yesterday and put them in the mail. They were scheduled to arrive before noon in California at About A Child. Victoria (agency director) will review them. If all looks good, they will be given to a family who is leaving for Ukraine on Monday. This family will hand deliver our dossier! 
It was a little scary handing the package over to the guy at the post office. I wanted to tell him that it needed to be handled as if it is a priceless treasure. I guess in my mind, it really is. These are the documents that the Ukraine government will use to determine if we are "worthy" to bring home one of their priceless treasures. Obviously, it's much more complicated than that... but it is the first impression they will have of Mark and I. I'm excited about the dossier being delivered by a family who is traveling there instead of us just mailing it. Makes it a little more personal, I suppose.
Once it arrives in Ukraine, it will have to be translated. Then, it will be submitted to the SDA (children's authority) and we will wait impatiently for our appointment. I have been thinking about Christmas... should I get all my presents bought now just in case we are gone closer to the holidays? So many things to consider. But, the dossier has begun it's journey. Pray that it all looks ok and Victoria gives it a final stamp of approval!

Adoption Costs a.k.a. To Fundraise or Not?

We've really debated about this. Adoption is not for the faint-hearted. It requires diligence, perserverance, patience, flexibility, and an open heart. It is also not an inexpensive way to have a child. Our adoption journey started with a plan for domestic adoption. We went through the steps and expenses associated with that process. In June of this year, our path changed and we embarked on this adventure to adopt from Ukraine. Unfortunately, fees are not transferable. And that's ok. We knew that when we chose to switch gears.

Because adoption can be a financial challenge, many people raise funds by having yard sales, church dinners, bake sales, auctioning items, or give-a-ways where people are entered into drawings for items when they contribute to an adoption fund. People from all walks of life who are adopting choose to have fundraisers, some with more money than Mark and I can imagine, some with much less than we have. We've talked a lot about raising funds for our adoption. The financial costs are scary for both of us. We are stepping outside of our financial comfort zone and it would be nice to have a little bit more breathing room instead of trying to do this all on our own.  But, when it comes right down to it, we aren't very comfortable asking people for help. The economy is difficult right now and almost everyone we know has been affected. As we talked about whether or not to do any fundraising, we just couldn't quite get past that. But, the bottom line is that expenses are on our mind. Especially as we get closer to traveling and the big expenses that are upcoming (airfare, our costs while in Ukraine, etc). So, when my friend Sarah offered to host a fundraiser for us in her Etsy store, we reluctantly decided that we would say "yes." On October 11, she will be donating a portion of each item she sells to our adoption costs. We humbly ask that you support our adoption journey by visiting Sarah's store on October 11 and making a purchase. It would mean a great deal to us.

Weekend

It was really a short weekend! More so for Mark than for me. He volunteered to do an extra load on Friday, then had to work again today. He left as soon as we got home from church this morning. If all goes well, I will see him for a few minutes on Tuesday.

We had a breakdown yesterday in St. Paul with the trailer... loaded up with the 4-wheelers, lawn mower, cabin stuff. Well, maybe it can't be called a breakdown, but a flat tire on the trailer. Mark had a spare one along with us, but we didn't have wrenches or a tire iron to get the lugs off. So, I made a couple trips to an auto parts store while he waited with the trailer. Eventually, he got it fixed and we were on our way home.

On the positive side, our I-171H was waiting in the mail for us. Hoping to get the last of our documents apostilled on Tuesday, sent to our agency director for final review, and then on their way to Ukraine asking for an appointment ASAP!! Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could be home with our little one before Christmas? That's our prayer!