Humbled and Amazed!

This adoption journey has been one step of faith after another, especially concerning finances. When we began this journey, we thought to ourselves...how in the world are we going to come up with over $20,000 on a youth pastor and administrative assistant's salary????? And yet here we are toward the end of our adoption journey and we have paid for almost all our expenses without debt! We only need about $3500.00 total to pay the balance of our expenses! This even covers the travel! (Depending on the cost of the airline tickets, we have a grant that will cover a huge portion of our travel.) If you have questions about the cost of adoption and why it costs so much, I have posted a breakdown of our expenses in a previous post, or feel free to e-mail me! I will be happy to talk to you about it.

I just want to take a moment to say thank you to all who have stepped out to help us with our adoption expenses. We have made some personal sacrifices, but there is no way we could have done this on our own! When I started compiling the list of all those who have contributed, I was humbled and amazed. When God asks you to step out in faith, He WILL provide, often through others who will step out in faith with you. He does not leave you alone!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to these people for helping to bring our little girl home!!!! I pray God will bless you greatly! James 1:27 says, "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." This is just one way you have helped care for an orphan and make her an orphan no more! Some gave $10.00, some hosted fundraisers, some gave $500 or  $1000, but together every dollar has helped us get to where we are today! 

Kristi & Darin Amsler

Bob and Jennifer Ater

Bruce and Mary Bracker

Joyce Bonnet

Brent and Miriah Garrard

Linda Greggory

Sharon Gocke

Sam and Marilyn Griffin

Carrie Jo Haakinson

Willis and Lisa Haamacher

Shirley Hawk

Norb King

KYM

Chris and Summer Lewis

David Lewis

Larry and Carol Lewis

Stephanie Lush

Kristie and Andrew Lundgren

Cleve and Joann McBride

John and Mary Morse

Ralph and Arlene Morse

Brian and Becky Neugent

Gabe and Anita Oxford

Kent and Paige Parrish

Marc and Christy Prasch

Cathy & Gerald Philips

Darren Sapp

Darryl and Chrystal Schulte

SHOW HOPE Grant

Joyce Temple

P.S. If you would like to help us get the last portion of our adoption fees, you can donate through the paypal link on the side of my blog, or mail a check to Mission 127, PO Box 99086, Louisville, KY 40269. God bless!

Lots to do!

We got the "official" paperwork in the mail yesterday, including the letter from the ICAB. It was so unreal to look at that paper with our names and the name of our little girl on it. I can't believe it is finally happening. I re-read the updated report on our daughter, which I can't share much of the details, but let's just say, I love her already! She's going to fit right in with our family. I can't wait to give her the extra attention she needs and love on her! She has been very well taken care of in a Christian orphanage, but she "longs" for a family of her own. I wish I could be there to see her face when her caretakers tell her about her "forever" family!!!

We have lots to do in the coming days! We have some final paperwork to apply for her Visa and our FBI fingerprints expire in August. Because we have to have the fingerprints up-to-date for her to get her Visa, more than likely we will have to get them done again. (another $170!)  We need to buy bunk beds as she and Natalie will be sharing a room. We need to get the room set up for TWO girls! We need to figure out her school situation and plan our travel arrangments.  I am so excited and I am glad we have lots to do to keep us busy while we wait!

I really would like to take Natalie and Micah with us when we go. It would be such an amazing thing for them to experience and I think it would help the whole family to understand where our Fillipina girl has come from, BUT the plane tickets are around $1300.00 each. Please pray with us as we try to figure out the best thing to do. Many of my "blog" friends have encouraged us to take our whole family and I really do want to. It might help our new daughter to be occuppied on the 24 hour travel back home!

So much to do...Thank you to so many for your love and support, both financially and your prayers! We could not do it without you all! We are so excited that our daughter will not only have our family, but she will have much extended "family" through the body of Christ!!!

We got the call!!

I am so ecstatic!! We got the call today with our offiicial "referral", which means we will be able to go get our little girl in approximately 4 months! I can't believe it is actually happening. For so many weeks, I have been praying, hoping, dreaming and trying to keep myself from getting my hopes up, "just in case".  And now, I am overwhelmed. A mixture of joy, anxiety and anticipation is filling my heart. I can honestly say this is the BEST anniversary, birthday and Mother's Day present EVER!!

One request for prayer is that we need the $6100 Philippines country fee by next week. We have about $2600 in the account from donations, but we still need about $3500. Some of you have asked how you can help. We have set up a tax deductible account at our church for any donations. Donations can be mailed to PO Box 99086, Louisville, KY 40269 or you can click on the donation link above and donations can be made to our paypal account.  Thank you in advance for your prayers and support! We can't wait to see what God is going to do!

All I really want....

It's May...I can hardly believe that we have been waiting almost 8 months to hear if we can adopt a little girl in the Philippines. My heart is so heavy for her, and yet there is nothing else we can do right now except pray and wait.

May has always been a very special month to me! On the 8th, my husband and I celebrate 13 years of marriage, on the 13th is my birthday and this year it is also Mother's Day! I love the month of May and I am praying that we will hear from the Philippines before my birthday! That would be the best present ever!!

To celebrate this very special month of May, I have decided on a couple things. #1 I want to do something special for my mom this year. She has been such a Godly example to me and she is the most amazing mother I could ever have. She taught me the value in following God with all my heart. My mom has everything she really needs and every year tells me not to buy her a gift...so this year, I've decided to make a donation to Mission 1:27 in honor of my mom. I can't think of a better way to show her how much she means to me than by sharing the love of Jesus with orphans!! Love you, Mom!!! #2 I have decided that I don't need anything for my birthday or Mother's Day either and so I want to donate any gifts my family gives me to Mission 1:27. I am not saying this to toot my own horn. I just want to share what God is doing in me and give Him all the glory!

We tell our children the value of giving. We encourage them to give through our children's missions giving programs  (BGMC) and our teenagers through Speed the Light; however, are we teaching them by example? Over the past few years, God has been stretching Darren and I, teaching us the value of giving above and beyond our tithes. Not just a few dollars. Not just a casual offering in the offering plate. Not just the "extra" we have. He's been stretching us to give more. To care more. To show God's love through giving to missions.To give in faith. To give until it hurts. To give and keep on giving. And in return, we've learned the joy and blessings of giving.  I hope that I am a living example to my children of sacrificial giving. And this year, this is something I feel very strongly He wants me to do. It may not amount to much, but I know that God can take what little we can give and make it grow exponentially.

So this month of May....all I really want is a phone call from the Philippines and to see some orphans come to know the love of Jesus!

PS...If you decide you want to give a donation to Mission 1:27 in honor of your mother, you can donate at www.mission127.com!