I am excited to officially announce that we have our referral and a travel timeframe for MAY/JUNE. Just a few weeks ago, I was brought to the end of myself with this process and wondering if we were going to have to start all over. Seven days after I wrote the update of no news....we GOT NEWS!!! News that we would be bringing home to love and to cherish, 2 boys and a girl!!! We have pictures, but cannot share them until they are officially our children and trust me, I will be updating you all with photos from Uganda as soon as they are ours!!! Duncan is 7, Faith is 4 or 5, and Mark is 3. Their story resonates with the very passage that God laid on our hearts in January of 2012 when we began this process. I think it no accident but God's doing that He would set apart children for us in such a way.
We are in fundraising mode... again....
Last Thursday, when we began getting things in order for the investigation in Uganda and funds being distributed I learned that adding another child to the mix added a lot of expenses. $10,000 worth to be exact. Extra court fees, documents, visas, passports here and the states, plane tickets, embassy medicals, more plane tickets, and added expense for finalizing brought us to a $10,000 deficit in our adoption account. I literally felt like barfing all day long. Why? I thought we had it all under control. I thought that it was all taken care of. I had not worried about raising funds for several months, because I thought it was all there and when I start thinking about money in the $1,000's I just feel sick.
I could not sleep. I had worn myself out so much that day with worrying and trying to figure out what it was we were going to do. And then when I was still and I turned my eyes upon Him for the first time that day (and now it was like 1 am the next morning), I saw my HOPE. My Hope is in HIM! And then I laughed out loud and I am still laughing. You know why??? Because I know what my Father is up to! He is about His business again; bringing me back to an utter and complete dependency for HIM. The $10,000 we are short of is NOTHING to God.
He is the Provider.
The money is His.
These children are His.
This calling upon our life is His.
He will be victorious even in this... and so I laugh. Joyously, Hoping in HIM...
....Knowing I will be praising His name when He provides through different people, organizations, and other avenues for this mission.
So I ask now, will you partner with us on this journey?
I have heard many times over the last year when we share our story from many many people that they "wish" they were younger, had the money, or their spouse shared the same feelings etc....about adoption. Not every one is called to adopt.. However, even if you cannot adopt, there are ways to support those that are.
We first ask that you pray for us and with us. Lately, I have been so burdened to pray for Duncan, Faith, and Mark. I cannot imagine what they are going to go through over the next several months. Sometimes it has to hurt first for something to be better, and I think that is the way our story will begin. I cannot imagine being uprooted from my country, not knowing English, and being dragged all over the US for finalization, passports, and visas before being able to bring go to my new home in Italy. I am not exaggerating either one bit about the process before them. We will fly from Uganda to Washington State to finalize the adoption which will take 3-4 weeks. Then we will visit family in Indiana (and possibly Texas). Then we will reach the East Coast to visit our church family and get on a plane in DC for Italy. My heart is pounding just thinking about all of that and I am grown up and have traveled the world. But I do know God is bigger than all of that, and I see His purposes being accomplished even when living out of suitcases for a couple of months with 5 kids in tow.
Secondly, we ask that if God has laid it upon your heart to support us there is a way in which you can!
If you desire to give financially a gift less than $200 you can do so by sending us a "gift or personal family" payment via paypal to handstrustinhim@yahoo.com
If your gift is more than $200 and/or you would like a tax-deductible receipt for your donation you can do so by clicking the DONATE NOW button on the side bar. You will then be able to donate to our Adoption Account with LifeSOng for Orphans so that your gift is tax-deductible.
If you like coffee...our storefront is still open on JUST LOVE COFFEE!
https://justlovecoffee.com/about/beneficiary/handstrustinhim/
is the link and $5 from every bag you buy comes straight back to us for adoption expenses.
Lastly, there is SILPADA!!! My Silpada business has helped fund a lot of the adoption already while making lots of women feel beautiful in their new jewelry!
I have a party open from NOW until April 26th that you can purchase on for Mother's Day, Teacher's Appreciation, and Graduation gifts!!! For every $50 spent you will be entered to win the free jewelry that is created! You get jewelry, a chance to win free jewelry, and I can take the profit and apply it towards these extra expenses....
The link to shop that party is http://sild.es/3Tc
OR
If you want to GUARANTEE YOURSELF to walk away with FREE jewelry, host an ONLINE/ Catalog party with me between NOW and MAY18th. Collect 6 or more orders that total AT LEAST $500 in retail and that gives you $150 in free jewelry and $150 for me to place into our adoption account!!!
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