Friday, November 11, 2011

HUGE THANKS!

God is at work here!  Since the call for support, we've been so humbled to have collected nearly $1,000 in only a few weeks!  Thank you, thank you, thank you for graciously giving!  It's so exciting to watch our adoption fund-o-meter climbing!  I am excited and know it's gonna happen. Please know how appreciative we are, and amazed at His hand in this! Working on more ideas as we speak...back to work!   :)

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Sense of Urgency

This week took us for a loop!  I wanted to keep you all updated.

On Tuesday, I received an email from our international agency (AHI) in South Carolina, asking what progress has been made, because she hasn't heard from me in a while.  I had nothing to tell her, as we have been waiting on Josh's fingerprints since he resent them in September.  This is holding up our entire home study, not the mention the fact that it has to be reviewed and sent to AHI to be approved, before it can be sent to Charleston, WV to be apostilled (a gold seal, which basically notarizes a notary's stamp).  

All this time, I imagine we are sitting well with our funding and documents, because we have everything we need.  I am having the toughest time getting both of my agencies to communicate with each other.  I am relaying the same messages over and over again.  When I called AHI she said these things to me, which rocked my world.

1) You do not have nearly enough funding right now if this adoption were to proceed quickly
2) I've seen no documentation of anything you've been doing, no home study, and this has been the longest home study we've ever dealt with.

She was not happy and told me if I couldn't get a plan of finding $30,000 right now in writing, and couldn't see a draft of the home study, she would have no choice but to give our boys' referral up to another waiting family!

I was surprised, because I thought the money due would be in accordance to their schedule, but didn't realize how quickly the schedule may progress.  We do not have another $15,000 right now.  I was also surprised, because I asked my local agency several times to email the home study to be reviewed, which they haven't done yet.  Now our family is in jeopardy.

Long story short- after many, many phone calls this week, things are looking a little more hopeful.  We have the possibility of opening up a home equity loan, and will be able to borrow money from Josh's parents as a last resort.  I really have faith that it won't get to that.  There are many grants, and even a 0% interest loan we can apply for once we have our home study.  I just hope we don't miss the application deadlines for these things with all the waiting we are doing!

By Friday, I found out that our home study draft was finally sent to AHI, and they have a written financial plan for the $30,000...although we hope the financial plan will change.  :) Yay!  We had faith, and so far God pulled through yet again!

Josh and I have been incredibly moved and excited to have received so many donations from far off friends, and even total strangers.  Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts for supporting us.  Thank you- to our family for making and selling carmel apples for us to get donations.  Thanks to Momma Col's work and church for agreeing to give.  You have been so supportive of us.  This is definitely part of the story, and I am adding it to our Adoption Journey book for our kids!

Thank you to everyone this week:  friends at school for listening to me when I cried, coming to cover my class while I had to make phone calls, family and people at church for listening to me-again, while I cried some more, offering advice, and praying with me when Josh was out of town (yes, he had an impromptu business trip through all of this)!  I really think that's what got me through the week.

In the meantime, we are sending out a plea to all of our friends and family to share our blog and story with your friends and co-workers.  I am not very comfortable with fundraising and asking people for money, so this has been a challenge for me.  I have found that it's easier to talk up my friends and try to ask others for money when it's for someone else, and not myself.  But if I'm not bold in asking, nothing will happen.  If you are reading this and feel called to give, we have a "donate" button through Paypal on our main page, and a new "donate" button on the side tabs with our Love's Journey Facebook page.  I know times are tough and we are nearing Christmas, so please don't feel pressured to give if you are unable.  But prayer is free, and so is spreading our story, which may in turn spread to their friends, etc.

So to recap:

1) pray for us
2) tell your friends about our adoption to see if they may be interested in helping in some way.  And if you start to see fundraiser after fundraiser from us, please don't feel they are all directed at you, but help spread the word through your friends, Facebook, etc.  
3) If you know someone, who has a craft or service they would be willing to donate for a Facebook Silent-Auction, where all proceeds would go towards the adoption, let us know. We have already received some interest in this.  

Thanks!  We love you! Have a beautiful Fall weekend, and pray for orphans everywhere: National Orphan Sunday is tomorrow, November 6th!  :)

Love,

Josh and Jen