Christmas-
When I think of Christmas I first think of God's LOVE for us. Yes, the Creator of Heaven and Earth and of all the stars in the sky (which if I may add are more in number than all the grains of sand on the earth) loves us. In fact, He loves us so much that He sent His only Son, a perfect human being, to save us. When I think of Christmas I think of the cross and am reminded of the blood shed on that cross for us. I think of the final and ultimate sacrifice, Jesus.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16
"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" 2 Corinthians 9:15
This Christmas we're also reminded of our new found love, Moldova. We are so grateful for and cant help but think of this small country we've come to know and feel a part of this past year...
The Republic of Moldova is a small and lovely landlocked nation in Eastern Europe favorably situated between Romania to the west and the Ukraine to the east. Moldova has been part of Romania as well as the Soviet Union since 1940 and then gained its independence on August 27, 1991. The people of Moldova speak Moldovan (Romanian) and are intensely proud of their country. Moldova enjoys a favorable climate, good farmland, and is famous for its wines; however, it remains the poorest country in Europe, accounting for the placement of many children in orphanages.
The capital city of Moldova is Chisinau, and it is also the largest city in the country. The other major cities in the country include Tighina, Balpi and Tiraspol. The total population in the country, according to the latest estimates is in excess of 4.3 million.
The main ethnic groups living in this country include the Moldovan who account for more than 75% of the total population. The other major ethnic groups living in the country include the Ukranians, the Russians, the Bulgarians and the Gagauz.
More than two-thirds of the people in the country are Orthodox Christians. The rest of the population include Independent Christians, Muslims, Aethists, Protestants and non-religious people.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
in a nutshell...
March 21 Started researching Moldovan adoptions. Just trying to figure out where to even start. Moldova is not a popular country to adopt from.
April 11 Started home study process with Adoption Advocates.
May 4 Called Spence-Chapin Adoptions (New York). They are one of the only two agencies with a Moldovan adoption program. The other is North Carolina Adoptions. Supposed to meet with Adoption Advocates for our 2ND home study meeting tonight. After speaking with SC doesn't look like they want us to proceed with this home study. They will not accept a home study completed by and exempt provider. Must use a Hague Accredited agency. Switching gears. Frustrating but hopefully for the best.
May 11 On our behalf, SC contacted a local agency here in GA, "One World Adoptions", to see if they would work with us to complete a home study. Home studies must be completed by someone in the state that you reside and in our case as well as a Hague Accredited provider. Since we are one of SC's networking families they wanted to find a local agency that would work closely together with them.
May 19 Received registration packet from SC - 1st official step in our adoption process!!
May 21 Submitted application to SC
June 4 Partnership with One World and Spence Chapin is officially established. This means we have someone in Georgia that can assist us with a home study. U.S. law requires your home study to be completed by an agency located in the state you reside. Since SC is located in New York they were able to locate and connect with One World here in Georgia. Turns out the director of One World has adopted from Moldova twice. This is pretty much unheard of. Oh, and we're officially accepted into Spence-Chapin's Moldova program!
June 17 Registration phase is complete. Now we begin our next set of paperwork.
June 17 Social worker (Donna) from One World called to let us know she received our application and will be our home study caseworker.
June 22 First meeting with Donna. We love her!
July 7 Received dossier paperwork from SC
August 6 Received draft of home study from caseworker for our review. Yes, we're approved!
August 7 Caseworker sent draft to SC for their review.
August 11 Sent completed Dossier docs back to SC
September 8 Drove into Atlanta to have docs authenticated at State office. Got the runaround. One of the documents was not notarized correctly. Another was not done to "Peter's" liking and needed to be completely redone. I cried in his office and I guess he felt sorry for me because he "let this one slide". Jumped in car and drove 45 min to One World to redo doc. Made it back to Atlanta. All docs are authenticated and ready to be mailed to SC.
September 8 Mailed authenticated dossier docs to SC. From here they will be sent to Moldova to be translated.
September 8 Mailed I800a application to USCIS. 6-8 week wait
September 15 SC mailed Dossier to Moldova for translating (even though we do not have our USCIS approval yet)
September 29 Dossier is in Moldova! Minus the USCIS approval letter which I hope they approve us!
October 2-17 Our agent, Milena Kazakov, will be traveling to Moldova for a conference.
October 18 Milena is back in the office. Can't wait to hear her updates.
October 20 Dossier is translated and ready to be registered with the Ministry of Social Protection. Still waiting on USCIS Approval but Moldova will accept our dossier without this form for now.
October 20 Spoke with our assigned officer with Homeland Security. Our biometrics have been completed and we should have our approval in the mail within the next week.
October 25 Completed POAs for Moldova
October 29 Received our CIS approval from U.S. Immigration! We're approved! Congratulations us! Now back to State office for authentication of this form.
November 2 Back to Atlanta to have CIS approval authenticated. Last document Moldova needs to complete our dossier (for now anyway).
November 2 Emailed copy of approval to Milena. Facilitators in Moldova called this morning wanting us to go ahead and email copy of USCIS form since it will take a few days to get to Moldova. They want to get our dossier through before the Moldovan Parliamentary elections are held (Nov 28). Apparently adoption laws are changing the first of the year "if" a president is elected. New laws are going to be a little more cumbersome but we are hoping to be grandfathered in to the old laws. At this point we are pretty much done with paperwork.
November 12 Dossier has been registered with the Ministry of Social Protection for Families - who oversee international adoptions. This means we can finally say "we are waiting for a referral". We've asked for a little girl age 0-5 years.
November 15 Dossier has been registered with Child Protection Services in Chisinau
November 28 The general elections in Moldova held with no outcome.
December 15 The recount of the votes did not change the parliamentary deadlock. A bloc of pro-European liberals continues to hold 59 seats, and the Communists remain with 42. No group commands a majority of at least 61, required to elect a new President. We have yet to see how this situation will be resolved.
January 18 Social Services granted the Facilitator in Moldova permission to visit orphanages in Chisinau (the capital of Moldova) to try and find a child for our family!
March 23 Informed that the Ministry of Social Protection is now going to be in charge of matching children with families. Our dossier is in their hands. With the new laws that were put in place as of January 31, 2010 there are a few new documents required. Waiting for new documents.
April 5 Completed new docs and mailed to SC. Ministry may or may not accept these documents at this time. We may have to wait until agency has been re-accredited. Due to the new laws, Moldova is requiring agencies in the U.S. to go through this re-accreditation which should be sometime in May.
May 23 Spoke with the man we met on the plane coming home from Moldova. He is from North Carolina and has a business in Moldova. He helps Moldovan students get work visas. He works closely with the US Embassy in Chisinau with immigration and visa processing. He has contacted some people to see if there is anything they can do to help with our situation. We hope this is our answer to finding someone in Moldova to work with our contacts in Transnistria.
May 31 Spoke with agency. Ministry will not accept our new documents until our agency has been re-accredited. Also, re-accreditation will not happen until later this summer - looks like it will be August. In addition, by August most of our documents would be expired (at least 1 year old).
May 31 Chris and I have decided to end our adoption process with Moldova. It was a hard decision but something we've been praying about for the past few months. Not only is the program going through a lot of changes, but after our trip to Transnistria we know that this is where our hearts are. After the conversation with our agency we really feel this path to our child has ended and the door has closed. We will continue to pray for guidance in adopting from Transnistria.
June 1 Sent letter to US Embassy in Chisinau -asking them to put us in contact with someone in Moldova that could tell us what the process would be to adopt a specific child from Transnistria
June 7 Sent a letter to Social Protection in Moldova asking for their assistance with adopting a specific child in Transnistria. While in Transnistria we spoke with several legal experts who are willing to assist us, however, since nothing they do is recognized (except in Transnistria) everything must be redone in Moldova (since Moldova still considers Transnistria part of Moldova). We cannot proceed with anything in Transnistria until we are able to find assistance in Moldova - this process needs to be completed parallel - otherwise we would adopt in Transnistria and be legal there but not legal anywhere else. She would be our child but only in Transnistria.
April 11 Started home study process with Adoption Advocates.
May 4 Called Spence-Chapin Adoptions (New York). They are one of the only two agencies with a Moldovan adoption program. The other is North Carolina Adoptions. Supposed to meet with Adoption Advocates for our 2ND home study meeting tonight. After speaking with SC doesn't look like they want us to proceed with this home study. They will not accept a home study completed by and exempt provider. Must use a Hague Accredited agency. Switching gears. Frustrating but hopefully for the best.
May 11 On our behalf, SC contacted a local agency here in GA, "One World Adoptions", to see if they would work with us to complete a home study. Home studies must be completed by someone in the state that you reside and in our case as well as a Hague Accredited provider. Since we are one of SC's networking families they wanted to find a local agency that would work closely together with them.
May 19 Received registration packet from SC - 1st official step in our adoption process!!
May 21 Submitted application to SC
June 4 Partnership with One World and Spence Chapin is officially established. This means we have someone in Georgia that can assist us with a home study. U.S. law requires your home study to be completed by an agency located in the state you reside. Since SC is located in New York they were able to locate and connect with One World here in Georgia. Turns out the director of One World has adopted from Moldova twice. This is pretty much unheard of. Oh, and we're officially accepted into Spence-Chapin's Moldova program!
June 17 Registration phase is complete. Now we begin our next set of paperwork.
June 17 Social worker (Donna) from One World called to let us know she received our application and will be our home study caseworker.
June 22 First meeting with Donna. We love her!
July 7 Received dossier paperwork from SC
August 6 Received draft of home study from caseworker for our review. Yes, we're approved!
August 7 Caseworker sent draft to SC for their review.
August 11 Sent completed Dossier docs back to SC
September 8 Drove into Atlanta to have docs authenticated at State office. Got the runaround. One of the documents was not notarized correctly. Another was not done to "Peter's" liking and needed to be completely redone. I cried in his office and I guess he felt sorry for me because he "let this one slide". Jumped in car and drove 45 min to One World to redo doc. Made it back to Atlanta. All docs are authenticated and ready to be mailed to SC.
September 8 Mailed authenticated dossier docs to SC. From here they will be sent to Moldova to be translated.
September 8 Mailed I800a application to USCIS. 6-8 week wait
September 15 SC mailed Dossier to Moldova for translating (even though we do not have our USCIS approval yet)
September 29 Dossier is in Moldova! Minus the USCIS approval letter which I hope they approve us!
October 2-17 Our agent, Milena Kazakov, will be traveling to Moldova for a conference.
October 18 Milena is back in the office. Can't wait to hear her updates.
October 20 Dossier is translated and ready to be registered with the Ministry of Social Protection. Still waiting on USCIS Approval but Moldova will accept our dossier without this form for now.
October 20 Spoke with our assigned officer with Homeland Security. Our biometrics have been completed and we should have our approval in the mail within the next week.
October 25 Completed POAs for Moldova
October 29 Received our CIS approval from U.S. Immigration! We're approved! Congratulations us! Now back to State office for authentication of this form.
November 2 Back to Atlanta to have CIS approval authenticated. Last document Moldova needs to complete our dossier (for now anyway).
November 2 Emailed copy of approval to Milena. Facilitators in Moldova called this morning wanting us to go ahead and email copy of USCIS form since it will take a few days to get to Moldova. They want to get our dossier through before the Moldovan Parliamentary elections are held (Nov 28). Apparently adoption laws are changing the first of the year "if" a president is elected. New laws are going to be a little more cumbersome but we are hoping to be grandfathered in to the old laws. At this point we are pretty much done with paperwork.
November 12 Dossier has been registered with the Ministry of Social Protection for Families - who oversee international adoptions. This means we can finally say "we are waiting for a referral". We've asked for a little girl age 0-5 years.
November 15 Dossier has been registered with Child Protection Services in Chisinau
November 28 The general elections in Moldova held with no outcome.
December 15 The recount of the votes did not change the parliamentary deadlock. A bloc of pro-European liberals continues to hold 59 seats, and the Communists remain with 42. No group commands a majority of at least 61, required to elect a new President. We have yet to see how this situation will be resolved.
January 18 Social Services granted the Facilitator in Moldova permission to visit orphanages in Chisinau (the capital of Moldova) to try and find a child for our family!
March 23 Informed that the Ministry of Social Protection is now going to be in charge of matching children with families. Our dossier is in their hands. With the new laws that were put in place as of January 31, 2010 there are a few new documents required. Waiting for new documents.
April 5 Completed new docs and mailed to SC. Ministry may or may not accept these documents at this time. We may have to wait until agency has been re-accredited. Due to the new laws, Moldova is requiring agencies in the U.S. to go through this re-accreditation which should be sometime in May.
May 23 Spoke with the man we met on the plane coming home from Moldova. He is from North Carolina and has a business in Moldova. He helps Moldovan students get work visas. He works closely with the US Embassy in Chisinau with immigration and visa processing. He has contacted some people to see if there is anything they can do to help with our situation. We hope this is our answer to finding someone in Moldova to work with our contacts in Transnistria.
May 31 Spoke with agency. Ministry will not accept our new documents until our agency has been re-accredited. Also, re-accreditation will not happen until later this summer - looks like it will be August. In addition, by August most of our documents would be expired (at least 1 year old).
May 31 Chris and I have decided to end our adoption process with Moldova. It was a hard decision but something we've been praying about for the past few months. Not only is the program going through a lot of changes, but after our trip to Transnistria we know that this is where our hearts are. After the conversation with our agency we really feel this path to our child has ended and the door has closed. We will continue to pray for guidance in adopting from Transnistria.
June 1 Sent letter to US Embassy in Chisinau -asking them to put us in contact with someone in Moldova that could tell us what the process would be to adopt a specific child from Transnistria
June 7 Sent a letter to Social Protection in Moldova asking for their assistance with adopting a specific child in Transnistria. While in Transnistria we spoke with several legal experts who are willing to assist us, however, since nothing they do is recognized (except in Transnistria) everything must be redone in Moldova (since Moldova still considers Transnistria part of Moldova). We cannot proceed with anything in Transnistria until we are able to find assistance in Moldova - this process needs to be completed parallel - otherwise we would adopt in Transnistria and be legal there but not legal anywhere else. She would be our child but only in Transnistria.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Some of our favorite verses
Our adoption process has been full of hope and definitely at times been a real test of faith. I wanted to share a few verses I've often found myself resiting.
"Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, 'May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea, 'and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins too. Mark 11:22-25
I find this to be one of the most powerful verses in the Bible. I have has this verse on my heart lately and it has brought me back to the beginning of our adoption process when someone from an agency we first connected with shared a little encouragement after a long conversation about the frustration and confusion we were encountering.
Here is what she had to say...
Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Great Faith leads to:
-Great undertakings (determined to do whatever is necessary)
-Great expectations (believing for big things done by God)
-Awakens great earnestness (prays with persistence until God moves)
-Conquers great difficulties
-Achieves great victories!!!
We just needed a little reminder that what the LORD purposes in His heart will come to pass. Maybe not in our timing, but it will happen. His delays are not His denials! And He is never late. Thank you Ashley for your encouragement!
Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. Proverbs 30:5
So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. Deuteronomy 31:6
No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Joshua 1:5
We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28
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. James 1:27
Oh, Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, you who serve at night in the house of the Lord. Lift up holy hands in prayer and praise the Lord. May the Lord, who made heaven and earth, bless you from Zion. Psalm 134:1-3
All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. 2 Corinthians 1:3
O' Lord, you do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them. Isaiah 25:1
Read Psalm 108 (Here, David prays for victory found in God's strength. With God's help, we can claim more than mere survival, we can claim victory! God uses our distress as an opportunity to show his mighty power!!!
"Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, 'May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea, 'and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins too. Mark 11:22-25
I find this to be one of the most powerful verses in the Bible. I have has this verse on my heart lately and it has brought me back to the beginning of our adoption process when someone from an agency we first connected with shared a little encouragement after a long conversation about the frustration and confusion we were encountering.
Here is what she had to say...
Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Great Faith leads to:
-Great undertakings (determined to do whatever is necessary)
-Great expectations (believing for big things done by God)
-Awakens great earnestness (prays with persistence until God moves)
-Conquers great difficulties
-Achieves great victories!!!
We just needed a little reminder that what the LORD purposes in His heart will come to pass. Maybe not in our timing, but it will happen. His delays are not His denials! And He is never late. Thank you Ashley for your encouragement!
Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. Proverbs 30:5
So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. Deuteronomy 31:6
No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Joshua 1:5
We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28
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. James 1:27
Oh, Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, you who serve at night in the house of the Lord. Lift up holy hands in prayer and praise the Lord. May the Lord, who made heaven and earth, bless you from Zion. Psalm 134:1-3
All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. 2 Corinthians 1:3
O' Lord, you do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them. Isaiah 25:1
Read Psalm 108 (Here, David prays for victory found in God's strength. With God's help, we can claim more than mere survival, we can claim victory! God uses our distress as an opportunity to show his mighty power!!!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
The Art of Adoption
Our next fundraiser is quickly approaching and we are so excited about this one!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Fundraisers
Fundraiser #1 U MATTER Sponsored Event: Save The Children Moldova and Fusion Dance
On June 26th we had our first fundraising event along with another family also adopting from Moldova. The event was held at Fusion Dance and Fitness Studio in Woodstock to help raise money to bring our little girl home. Dance classes (Zumba, Pole, and a Latin Couples) were offered for a minimum donation. We also raffled items that were donated by serveral local businesses...
Honeybutter Boutique - a womens dress
Punctuation Boutique - jewelry
Town Lake Cinemas - movie passes
Pure Taquaria - gift card
La Parilla - gift card
Canyons Burgers - gift card
Paris Mullins (my stepdad who is an Optomitrist) - pair of Costa sunglasses
Aveda Salon - gift card
Christian Brothers Automotive - free oil change coupons
BJs - gift card
Town Lake Choi Kwang Do - free training passes
Roly Poly - Sandwich trays
All in all, it was a fun fun night! I learned that I am pretty good on the pole (when it comes to climbing it) and even learned a few tricks (yep, those kind). For those of you seeking upper body strength this is the way to go! That body will burrrn the next day.
Thank you so much Heather for arranging this event for us. You and your instructors were wonderful! Here are a few pictures.
Fundraiser #2 Another Man's Junk Is Another Man's Treasure...
and this proved to be true.
A couple we go to church with adopted from Latvia and understand very well the costs that go along with international adoption. They suggested to us that we have a community yard sale to help raise the much needed funds and we sure liked the idea! Thank you Scott and Darice Jamison. First, we sent an email to everyone we knew asking for donations. Sure enough, family, friends, and friends of friends were all calling and more than happy to donate. Some even took it as a time to "clean house". We were extremly grateful! In the end we had a 3 car garage filled with...you name it, we had it!
If you know me, you know I LOVE organization and do not function properly if I am not organized (some of you have even asked me to be your personal organizer). After a couple weeks of "organizing" 3 garages of "stuff" I no longer cared about the contents of our pantry lined accordingly and with all labels facing out, the toilet paper torn precisly from the roll, rabbit ears on the sofa pillows, the spacing of the hangers in my closet, toys in their corresponding bins, towels all folded the same way, etc... Actually, I've started to care again but I do not care to have another yard sale for a very long time! Thank you Betty and Kristen for all the time spent organizing and pricing those items! We burned a lot of calories slapping those price tags on!
For those of you that didn't have the luxury of pricing things, this is pretty much how it went...
Kristen: "How much do you want on this one?"
Kari: " how much do you think on this?"
Betty: "Sistaaaa, how much on this?"
Kristen: "Oh we've got ANOTHER of these, how much?"
Kari: freebie pile, fifty cent pile, dollar pile.
Betty: "Oh, all out of $5 tags, I'll just put a 50 cent'er on it."
No to sound like I've won a Grammy of anything BUT...
MUCH thanks to everyone who helped out. Thank you Tom Fant for allowing us to use your business parking lot. It worked out perfect. Thank you Lane for making extra signs last minute. Thank you Haley for working as though it was you needing the money. Thank you Tom and Jason for running the hot dog stand in the heat. Thank you Mom and Sherrie for keeping up with the money. Thanks Tom and Sherrie for donating all the food. Thank you Jessica and Drew for driving all the way to help and shop. Thank you family and friends for all your support. And THANK YOU shoppers! We never imagined it to turn out the way it did... more confirmation!
On June 26th we had our first fundraising event along with another family also adopting from Moldova. The event was held at Fusion Dance and Fitness Studio in Woodstock to help raise money to bring our little girl home. Dance classes (Zumba, Pole, and a Latin Couples) were offered for a minimum donation. We also raffled items that were donated by serveral local businesses...
Honeybutter Boutique - a womens dress
Punctuation Boutique - jewelry
Town Lake Cinemas - movie passes
Pure Taquaria - gift card
La Parilla - gift card
Canyons Burgers - gift card
Paris Mullins (my stepdad who is an Optomitrist) - pair of Costa sunglasses
Aveda Salon - gift card
Christian Brothers Automotive - free oil change coupons
BJs - gift card
Town Lake Choi Kwang Do - free training passes
Roly Poly - Sandwich trays
All in all, it was a fun fun night! I learned that I am pretty good on the pole (when it comes to climbing it) and even learned a few tricks (yep, those kind). For those of you seeking upper body strength this is the way to go! That body will burrrn the next day.
Thank you so much Heather for arranging this event for us. You and your instructors were wonderful! Here are a few pictures.
Fundraiser #2 Another Man's Junk Is Another Man's Treasure...
and this proved to be true.
A couple we go to church with adopted from Latvia and understand very well the costs that go along with international adoption. They suggested to us that we have a community yard sale to help raise the much needed funds and we sure liked the idea! Thank you Scott and Darice Jamison. First, we sent an email to everyone we knew asking for donations. Sure enough, family, friends, and friends of friends were all calling and more than happy to donate. Some even took it as a time to "clean house". We were extremly grateful! In the end we had a 3 car garage filled with...you name it, we had it!
If you know me, you know I LOVE organization and do not function properly if I am not organized (some of you have even asked me to be your personal organizer). After a couple weeks of "organizing" 3 garages of "stuff" I no longer cared about the contents of our pantry lined accordingly and with all labels facing out, the toilet paper torn precisly from the roll, rabbit ears on the sofa pillows, the spacing of the hangers in my closet, toys in their corresponding bins, towels all folded the same way, etc... Actually, I've started to care again but I do not care to have another yard sale for a very long time! Thank you Betty and Kristen for all the time spent organizing and pricing those items! We burned a lot of calories slapping those price tags on!
For those of you that didn't have the luxury of pricing things, this is pretty much how it went...
Kristen: "How much do you want on this one?"
Kari: " how much do you think on this?"
Betty: "Sistaaaa, how much on this?"
Kristen: "Oh we've got ANOTHER of these, how much?"
Kari: freebie pile, fifty cent pile, dollar pile.
Betty: "Oh, all out of $5 tags, I'll just put a 50 cent'er on it."
No to sound like I've won a Grammy of anything BUT...
MUCH thanks to everyone who helped out. Thank you Tom Fant for allowing us to use your business parking lot. It worked out perfect. Thank you Lane for making extra signs last minute. Thank you Haley for working as though it was you needing the money. Thank you Tom and Jason for running the hot dog stand in the heat. Thank you Mom and Sherrie for keeping up with the money. Thanks Tom and Sherrie for donating all the food. Thank you Jessica and Drew for driving all the way to help and shop. Thank you family and friends for all your support. And THANK YOU shoppers! We never imagined it to turn out the way it did... more confirmation!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
...I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances Philippians 4:11
Over the past few months it seems I've become so focused on this adoption that I go to sleep thinking about it and I wake up thinking about it. I even plan everything out in my mind how its going to happen. I constantly wonder if its going to happen and when and then eventually become frustrated. It’s easy in life to get so focused on our dreams, goals, and what WE want that it consumes us, even to the point where we’re not going to be satisfied until it happens. Thankfully and once again, my patient Heavenly Father has reminded me that I don't need anything but HIM in order to be happy. When our goals and dreams start to frustrate us, when we lose our peace, and life's no fun, we're probably a little off balance. When we "learn to be content whatever the circumstances", it takes away the power of the enemy and his ability to frustrate us. When you choose to trust in His timing, you can live in peace and you can rest in Him knowing that He has good things in store for your future.
Thank you Father for the freedom to cast my burdens to you. Father God, during this season of waiting I’m choosing to trust You and Your timing because You are faithful. You know my desires and You know what’s best for me, so God I turn all fear and frustration over the dreams of my heart over to You, the Giver of all our desires. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Thank you Father for the freedom to cast my burdens to you. Father God, during this season of waiting I’m choosing to trust You and Your timing because You are faithful. You know my desires and You know what’s best for me, so God I turn all fear and frustration over the dreams of my heart over to You, the Giver of all our desires. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
The beginning...
This past March I traveled to the country of Moldova with a group from my church. We were the first group to go and it is my prayer that the Lord continues to bless our church with the opportunity to do work in this amazing country. Moldova is a small country landlocked between Ukraine to the east and Romania to it's west and is the poorest country in Europe. It has also been noted as being "the engine" of Human Trafficking.
We spent a lot of time in orphanages throughout Moldova, teaching older children (those about to age out of the system) the dangers of Human Trafficking while also spreading the love of Christ. One of the orphanages we visited was located in the separtist part of Moldova called Transnistria. Transnistria is a breakaway territory located on the eastern border of Moldova. Their sovereignty is not recognized by any other member of the United Nations and the country has no official diplomatic relations. They are referred to as Europe's "Black Hole" country. Basically, no one recognizes them. They do not exist. Oleg (founder of New Hope Moldova) and his wife, Marina (both Moldovan citizens) have established a relationship with the director of this particular orphanage (Popenki). They were able to arrange for us to go and spend time with some of the younger children.
My heart cried out with compassion as I looked into the faces of these children. I layed my hands on as many children as I could and prayed that they would come to know the Lord and His love for them. I prayed that they would find hope amongst the conditions they lived. I prayed that they would overcome all affliction and find famlies. EACH and EVERY ONE!! We have a BIG God and He can do BIG things!
Little did I know, God was at work in more ways than I would have ever imagined.
I took my camera and captured a picture of a 7 year old little girl who has become the face of our adoption and the face of this blog. Her smile has become a constant reminder of God's love for us. It reminds us that there is hope and to never give up on her or any other child. I found that like many institutionalized children, this little girl had an aunt. She was not (by law) "orphaned" and could not be adopted. Her aunt still held rights to her. Sadly enough, this is the same story for a lot of orphans especially those living in Moldova, the poorest country in Europe.
I left this orphanage like I had left the others except with a child's name and small piece of her story.
Still, completely unaware of the Lord's mighty hand at work.
I was on the plane headed home still unaware of what more was to come of my trip to Moldova. Unaware of the love God would instill in both our hearts for a country we had once never heard of.
But God was still at work...
While reading a Sky Miles magazine there in the center of the page was a picture of a little girl with a very familiar smile. The corresponding article was about a charitable Christmas event held by a company for the children of the Popenki Orphanage. Yes, it was the same little girl!
After my trip we felt strongly about where God was leading us to adopt.
It's simply our desire to give a child in need what every child deserves, a home and family to love them. James 1;27 says to look after orphans and widows in their distress. The Lord actually commands us to care for His orphaned children!
After a few years of talking about adoption and praying that God would lead us, we are happy to announce that we've started the adoption process. To Moldova, of course!
We spent a lot of time in orphanages throughout Moldova, teaching older children (those about to age out of the system) the dangers of Human Trafficking while also spreading the love of Christ. One of the orphanages we visited was located in the separtist part of Moldova called Transnistria. Transnistria is a breakaway territory located on the eastern border of Moldova. Their sovereignty is not recognized by any other member of the United Nations and the country has no official diplomatic relations. They are referred to as Europe's "Black Hole" country. Basically, no one recognizes them. They do not exist. Oleg (founder of New Hope Moldova) and his wife, Marina (both Moldovan citizens) have established a relationship with the director of this particular orphanage (Popenki). They were able to arrange for us to go and spend time with some of the younger children.
My heart cried out with compassion as I looked into the faces of these children. I layed my hands on as many children as I could and prayed that they would come to know the Lord and His love for them. I prayed that they would find hope amongst the conditions they lived. I prayed that they would overcome all affliction and find famlies. EACH and EVERY ONE!! We have a BIG God and He can do BIG things!
Little did I know, God was at work in more ways than I would have ever imagined.
I took my camera and captured a picture of a 7 year old little girl who has become the face of our adoption and the face of this blog. Her smile has become a constant reminder of God's love for us. It reminds us that there is hope and to never give up on her or any other child. I found that like many institutionalized children, this little girl had an aunt. She was not (by law) "orphaned" and could not be adopted. Her aunt still held rights to her. Sadly enough, this is the same story for a lot of orphans especially those living in Moldova, the poorest country in Europe.
I left this orphanage like I had left the others except with a child's name and small piece of her story.
Still, completely unaware of the Lord's mighty hand at work.
I was on the plane headed home still unaware of what more was to come of my trip to Moldova. Unaware of the love God would instill in both our hearts for a country we had once never heard of.
But God was still at work...
While reading a Sky Miles magazine there in the center of the page was a picture of a little girl with a very familiar smile. The corresponding article was about a charitable Christmas event held by a company for the children of the Popenki Orphanage. Yes, it was the same little girl!
After my trip we felt strongly about where God was leading us to adopt.
It's simply our desire to give a child in need what every child deserves, a home and family to love them. James 1;27 says to look after orphans and widows in their distress. The Lord actually commands us to care for His orphaned children!
After a few years of talking about adoption and praying that God would lead us, we are happy to announce that we've started the adoption process. To Moldova, of course!
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