This past Tuesday we had our 2nd meeting with our adoption specialist. We are so excited that our home study is moving quickly and smoothly. We are thankful for an agency that puts Christ first and understands our love for the orphans. Our adoption specialist told us that she plans to have our home study complete by Christmas. What a GREAT Christmas present! At that time, our agency will be able to show our profile to prospective birth mothers. We could be matched at anytime and pray that this will happen quickly and smoothly. Our final home study meeting has been set for December 1st. We have much to do but we are so excited to get to this point.
The completion of our home study means another payment is necessary to the agency. I know that a lot of people complain about the amount of money needed to adopt a child and many do not understand why such an in-depth process is necessary. I don't understand it either, but it is required and I will do what is necessary to walk this path. My Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills, so the $23,500 that is needed to adopt a child domestically is change in His pocket. My God is greater than all the fees and regulations that are needed to adopt a child. He will provide and I try my best to trust in His timing.
Saying that, we are in need of raising around $4800 to make our next payment. We do have some money in our savings account but not that total amount. Please pray with us that God will provide that amount of money so that we can make our payment and be matched with a birth mother as soon as possible. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so on the right hand side of this blog. If you would like to purchase a cookbook, you can do that as well. Any suggestions for a fundraiser would be greatly appreciated.
I look forward to seeing how God provides the money that we need to continue on in our journey.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
A Good Life
The last few weeks have been crazy. We have had so much going on that I have hardly had time to sleep. We were finally able to have Trent's birthday party because a lot of our family was in town. I figured it didn't matter if I was a couple of months late. He was so excited. He had a Super Mario birthday party. We celebrated in true Mario and Luigi form with spaghetti and meatballs and took the Wii to the church so the kids could play games. We had a wonderful time with our friends and family. Every birthday we have with Trent is so special to me and I thank God for placing him in our family.
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| Food |
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| Power-Up! |
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| Birthday cake |
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| Trent opening presents. |
The next day Scott was ordained to the ministry. This was something that Scott always said he would never do. It is amazing to watch how God works when we submit to His plan and allow Him to work in our lives. I am really excited to see how God will continue to lead our family.
God has been so good to us and we are thankful for all He has done for us.
Just a reminder: The last day to enter a recipe for our cookbook is Saturday, November 12th. You can go to www.typensave.com to enter your recipes. The group login is toddadoption and the password is yjaeb. If you would like to purchase a cookbook please do so on the right hand side of the blog. Thank you for supporting us in our adoption process.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Working Hard
The last week or so I have been busy getting things in order. I have been filling out paperwork that will be ready to go out Monday, I have started a new job and finished another, working on our Cookbook Fundraiser and I've been planning a Teen Girl's Retreat along with everything else I have to keep me busy. I enjoy busy days because they bring me one step closer to holding my baby in my arms.
I'm really excited about the Cookbook Fundraiser. Everyone has been so great about adding recipes and placing their order. If you haven't had a chance to submit a recipe then head over to http://www.typensave.com/. The group login is toddadoption and the password is yjaeb. Do this now. Do not pass Go! Do not collect $200! Submit those recipes!! I am so excited about this fundraiser because not only will we be raising money, but each recipe will have the name of the person that submitted it. I can't wait to show my baby one day the love that existed before his/her birth. We will be selling the cookbooks for $10 each so make sure you send me an email at thejourneyhome.todd@gmail.com. I'm really hoping to raise between $2500 and $3000 with this fundraiser. This amount will go toward having our profile shown to prospective birthmothers and future costs. We are so excited about what God is going to do and are thankful that so many of you are partnering with us!
I'm really excited about the Cookbook Fundraiser. Everyone has been so great about adding recipes and placing their order. If you haven't had a chance to submit a recipe then head over to http://www.typensave.com/. The group login is toddadoption and the password is yjaeb. Do this now. Do not pass Go! Do not collect $200! Submit those recipes!! I am so excited about this fundraiser because not only will we be raising money, but each recipe will have the name of the person that submitted it. I can't wait to show my baby one day the love that existed before his/her birth. We will be selling the cookbooks for $10 each so make sure you send me an email at thejourneyhome.todd@gmail.com. I'm really hoping to raise between $2500 and $3000 with this fundraiser. This amount will go toward having our profile shown to prospective birthmothers and future costs. We are so excited about what God is going to do and are thankful that so many of you are partnering with us!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Moving Forward
There have been some days in the last year where I was beginning to wonder if we would ever complete an adoption. Things were not going well with our agency and I began to question if this was what God really wanted for our life. We had spent HOURS praying, planning and watching as God would bring in the money we needed. I just didn't understand it. If God was providing then didn't He want us to do this?
There was one thing that we continued to wait on. I can't talk about it now, but know that it had to do with finances and we are watching it slowly come together. It was the biggest way that we could see God providing but He wasn't moving. Now that we have left the agency God has begun to move things forward. I truly believe that He was keeping us from spending all our money in a place that was not honoring Him. He wanted us to trust Him even when things didn't make sense. He wanted us to trust His word and not the humanistic views of an agency.
Scott and I decided that we would follow the Word of God no matter what. I believe that God is blessing us for that. It is true what people say, the blessings of God for following Him outweigh the here and now. God has been good to us. He has continued to provide for our adoption even though we have been a family without an agency.
Last night we attended an informational meeting at Bethany Christian Services. I was not prepared for the peace and connection that I felt with their staff. I really felt that because of the years of expereince they would be able to help us along this new journey. I am so excited to begin working with an agency that is adament about putting Christ first.
We came home from lunch today and our formal application greeted me in my email. I'm so excited so I am off to fill out paperwork! Thank you for keeping us in your prayers. We will keep you updated.
There was one thing that we continued to wait on. I can't talk about it now, but know that it had to do with finances and we are watching it slowly come together. It was the biggest way that we could see God providing but He wasn't moving. Now that we have left the agency God has begun to move things forward. I truly believe that He was keeping us from spending all our money in a place that was not honoring Him. He wanted us to trust Him even when things didn't make sense. He wanted us to trust His word and not the humanistic views of an agency.
Scott and I decided that we would follow the Word of God no matter what. I believe that God is blessing us for that. It is true what people say, the blessings of God for following Him outweigh the here and now. God has been good to us. He has continued to provide for our adoption even though we have been a family without an agency.
Last night we attended an informational meeting at Bethany Christian Services. I was not prepared for the peace and connection that I felt with their staff. I really felt that because of the years of expereince they would be able to help us along this new journey. I am so excited to begin working with an agency that is adament about putting Christ first.
We came home from lunch today and our formal application greeted me in my email. I'm so excited so I am off to fill out paperwork! Thank you for keeping us in your prayers. We will keep you updated.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
The Journey Home Cookbook
I LOVE to cook and I am a sucker for just about any type of cookbook. I have a closet full and I love to pull them out and see what new recipes I can cook up for my family. I am a firm believer that you can never have too many cookbooks!
A few months ago, a friend of mine put together a cookbook as a fundraiser for their adoption. It was really nice to submit my recipe and later purchase a cookbook knowing that I was helping someone bring their baby home. You can check out their blog here. They were able to raise around $2500 for their adoption.
So, taking a page out of their fundraising book, we decided we would love to do the same thing. So, I am asking each of you to submit one or more of your favorite recipes. You can submit them by going here. Enter the group login: toddadoption. The password is yjaeb. It is here that you will be able to enter your recipes. We would love to have them from all over the world. So, find your favorites and add them to our cookbook.
In a couple of weeks, we will give you the opportunity to purchase a cookbook. We hope they will be around $10-$12. We are planning to raise between $2500 and $3000 for our adoption fund. I can't wait to see all the awesome recipes and try them out! If you have any questions, please email me at thejourneyhome.todd@gmail.com.
A few months ago, a friend of mine put together a cookbook as a fundraiser for their adoption. It was really nice to submit my recipe and later purchase a cookbook knowing that I was helping someone bring their baby home. You can check out their blog here. They were able to raise around $2500 for their adoption.
So, taking a page out of their fundraising book, we decided we would love to do the same thing. So, I am asking each of you to submit one or more of your favorite recipes. You can submit them by going here. Enter the group login: toddadoption. The password is yjaeb. It is here that you will be able to enter your recipes. We would love to have them from all over the world. So, find your favorites and add them to our cookbook.
In a couple of weeks, we will give you the opportunity to purchase a cookbook. We hope they will be around $10-$12. We are planning to raise between $2500 and $3000 for our adoption fund. I can't wait to see all the awesome recipes and try them out! If you have any questions, please email me at thejourneyhome.todd@gmail.com.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
A Letter to My Son
Dear Trent,
Today is your 5th birthday! It is hard to believe that 5 years ago I did not even know you existed. I wasn't there to hold you or to hear your first cry, but you were in my heart long before you came to live with me. I prayed everyday for your arrival not knowing where you were. I prayed for your safety and longed for the day that I would hold you in my arms.
I love that 5 years later I can hug on you whenever I want (well, as long as you stay still). I love that I get to cover you in kisses. I'm thankful that God allowed me to be the one that you want at 3am when you have had a bad dream or you don't feel good. I love that you call me your "sweet girl".
I love listening to you pray that your brother and sister will come home very soon. I love writing your name on the bottom of your Buzz Lightyear and Woody so that everyone knows you love them. I love listening to you telling me that Jonah was in the whale of the belly for 5 YEARS! I love that everything (and I mean everything) has a voice. I love that your world is so happy and carefree.
5 years ago there was another women who held you. I won't pretend to know her heart at that time, but I imagine that she memorized your little face and kissed your sweet nose. I think she knew in her heart that you were meant for someone else. I think she knew that it was the only birthday she would get to be a part of.
I have no doubt that she is thinking of you today. I can't imagine how her heart must hurt. I know that she wishes she had made different decisions in her past but she once told me that she knows that God meant you for me. I'm thankful that she believes that. I'm thankful that she has allowed us to be a family. I'm thankful that she has allowed me to be your mother.
I pray that this year will be amazing. I pray that God will continue to mold you into a sweet, loving little boy. I pray that He will answer your prayer and that your brother and sister will come home. And I pray that you will learn to love Jesus and to trust in Him in all things.
I love you so much my sweet boy. I can't wait to see what this year holds.
Love,
Mommy
Today is your 5th birthday! It is hard to believe that 5 years ago I did not even know you existed. I wasn't there to hold you or to hear your first cry, but you were in my heart long before you came to live with me. I prayed everyday for your arrival not knowing where you were. I prayed for your safety and longed for the day that I would hold you in my arms.
I love that 5 years later I can hug on you whenever I want (well, as long as you stay still). I love that I get to cover you in kisses. I'm thankful that God allowed me to be the one that you want at 3am when you have had a bad dream or you don't feel good. I love that you call me your "sweet girl".
I love listening to you pray that your brother and sister will come home very soon. I love writing your name on the bottom of your Buzz Lightyear and Woody so that everyone knows you love them. I love listening to you telling me that Jonah was in the whale of the belly for 5 YEARS! I love that everything (and I mean everything) has a voice. I love that your world is so happy and carefree.
5 years ago there was another women who held you. I won't pretend to know her heart at that time, but I imagine that she memorized your little face and kissed your sweet nose. I think she knew in her heart that you were meant for someone else. I think she knew that it was the only birthday she would get to be a part of.
I have no doubt that she is thinking of you today. I can't imagine how her heart must hurt. I know that she wishes she had made different decisions in her past but she once told me that she knows that God meant you for me. I'm thankful that she believes that. I'm thankful that she has allowed us to be a family. I'm thankful that she has allowed me to be your mother.
I pray that this year will be amazing. I pray that God will continue to mold you into a sweet, loving little boy. I pray that He will answer your prayer and that your brother and sister will come home. And I pray that you will learn to love Jesus and to trust in Him in all things.
I love you so much my sweet boy. I can't wait to see what this year holds.
Love,
Mommy
Monday, August 15, 2011
T-Shirt Sale!!!
We are working hard to sell the last of our t-shirts. We have several left so I thought I would post the sizes and styles we have left at a reduced price. If you are interested in purchasing a shirt, you can purchase them on the right hand side. Make sure you let me know what size you need and where to ship it.
The t-shirts are black and look like this:
Here is what I still have:
Men's $15.00
3-Medium
3-Large
4-XL
2-XXL
Women's $15.00
5-Medium
4-Large
2-XL
Kids- $10.00 (I can order more kids if needed)
1-Small
The t-shirts are black and look like this:
Men's $15.00
3-Medium
3-Large
4-XL
2-XXL
Women's $15.00
5-Medium
4-Large
2-XL
Kids- $10.00 (I can order more kids if needed)
1-Small
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