Update

We have recently received some hard news. First of all, we will be so grateful for prayers for my dad, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. This is quite a shock to us, as he is such a vibrant, healthy person. We are hopeful that with treatment, he is almost certain to recover, but will need much prayer for the next two months of chemo and radiation. And prayers for his wife as she cares for him as he goes through this difficult time.

Second, we were told by our agency to expect to be in Uganda 8-10 weeks. I saw this coming, but was really hoping that 4-6 weeks would be enough time, as that was the estimate when we first started this journey. We have figured out travel expenses and fundraising needs based on 4-6 weeks, so we have had to up our amount that we will need. This is a bit discouraging, but we know the Lord has a purpose in it. We joke that our kids will think that we are living in Africa, after staying there for up to 3 months:) I've wanted to be in Africa for some time now so am looking forward to it, but the downside is that of those 10 weeks we will likely be in Uganda, Dan will only be able to be with us for about 5 or so, we think. This thought brings me quite a bit of apprehension, as I can't sleep when he's not in the same vicinity, much less country. And to manage four little ones, on my own, in a new place, it will be challenging! Especially if/when someone gets sick! Please pray for a brave spirit for me, that can rely completely on the Lord, to bring me help when I will need it!

We are waiting to hear the decision for 3 of the 4 foundations we applied to for grants. One has made a decision already, and has promised us a grant of $1,000 that will be able to be used towards post placement fees. Unfortunately we will not be able to get it pre-placement, or pre-travel.

We need to start planning at least a couple more fundraisers, one big, one smaller, maybe.

All donations are, of course, very welcome! We are totally humbled by the sacrificial giving that continues to bless us, and ultimately, our little girl. At this point, anything we raise goes to fund our travel and stay in Uganda, to go through the necessary legal process of bringing A home. Please don't think that we are just trying to get a really nice, exotic vacation paid for by everyone else. We would much prefer to pay for it ourselves and for it to be quicker, but this is the necessary process and we are stepping out in faith. We are trying to find deals, and do everything as inexpensively as possible to be good stewards of the funds entrusted to us, but, when all is said and done, this is an expensive mission.

Sometimes I do wonder, is this the right thing to do with around $40,000??? But then I am reminded that many spend that much on a new vehicle, or jewelry, or vacations, or various other "things." This is a precious little human we are talking about! The most precious of all preciousness. Of course it's worth it, though, yes, the money could be spent in many other philanthropic ways. But to think, a little girl is going to get a mama and daddy from this money. It's allowing her to become an American citizen with access to the best in everything, and the gift of being raised, as we were, on the Bible and it's invaluable teachings. A worthy cause? Absolutely!

We plead for your prayers, and would welcome any and all ideas on ways to smooth the stay, raise funds or great Bible verses to encourage our hearts now, through these very challenging times we find ourselves in. There is so much to worry about these days, we all need peace in our hearts. I'm fighting to be peace-filled (that's quite the paradox) for my kids, my husband, and others who need me. I just need to be reminded, over and over, that "I can do all things, through Christ who strengthens me."

Remember our girl in your prayers, as ebola claims more and more victims, as she has underlying health conditions, and we won't be able to go to her for at least another 5 months!!! I am so thankful that our Lord loves her more than even we do, and can easily protect her and that if she is meant to be a Church, then nothing can stop her from coming HOME.

Dossier Done

Well, it is finally done! The dossier is the grand finale of paperwork for the international adoption process. We had to compile original, notarized versions of our home study, medical certificates, marriage license, birth certificates, letters of employment, letter of recommendation, 5 references, the deed of our home, proof that our immigration application was approved, photos of us and our home, proof that we had current passports, and child abuse clearances and background checks. All of this times 6. And then I had to make three photocopies of each original! The stack was quite tall. And today it was sent on it's way to North Carolina, first stop, then to Kampala, final destination.

We began the process of gathering documents in March, because we had an idea of what we would need, but we didn't really officially start until closer to May. It took us a total of about 4 months, partly because we needed to wait for our home study, and then wait for immigration paperwork. We couldn't have done it any faster. It's been 7 months since I first saw A's photo. Six since we knew we would be her family. The earliest we could imagine travelling would be March, but it's all dependent on how her paperwork goes. They say 6-9 months is what it takes. So over a year since the whole process began. That's a long time to wait for your small, parentless girl.

We feel very blessed that we are able to pay the fees involved with submitting our dossier, a tidy little sum of $8,150. And once the request comes from Uganda for the rest of the fees, around $6500, we'll have that too. Thanks to those who have donated, prayed for and helped out with our fundraising. This is amazing, miraculous, huge! We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts!

We have one last mountain to summit, and that is the expense that travel will incur, along with a few other fees that pop up here and there. The total could be as high as $12,000 or higher, depending on how long our stay is. We were told 4-6 weeks, but it's sounding like families end up being there longer, sometimes double that length. Some may question our choice to bring our children, however, I cannot imagine not seeing my 7 year old, 3 year old and two year old for that amount of time. I don't think it would be good for them at all, and I don't think it would be good for our family. Not that it couldn't work for some or in a certain situation, but we are prayerfully planning on bringing all three. Even though it adds extra expense.

We are continuing to put our best efforts into fundraising. I know not everyone agrees with doing this for family building. The way I see it, orphans are everyone's responsibility till they find homes. But not everyone sees it that way, and it's ok. The Lord has worked with our 5 loaves and two fish. He has multiplied what we have done with generosity from the most unexpected sources sometimes. And that is just God for you!

Current Fundraisers

We will be at the Mahtomedi Farmer's Market for three more Saturdays. It is a fun, small town, quirky experience that I highly recommend.

We also are still accepting donations toward the Puzzle Project

And a great way, I think, for families on a tighter budget to help out would be Collecting Change.

We also are very honored that a Car Show will be held to help bring A home a week from Saturday, September 20th, from 9-5. For more details see the facebook page

You could say that now we're official. In our hearts, she's been our daughter since March. That means that we lay in bed and worry about her maybe getting sick, or being sad or hurt. It means we think of her often. I love that feeling of all my kids safely tucked in bed at night, but I always think to myself, no, they're not all safely tucked in bed. Someone is missing. My daughter.

There is something visceral about this mama daughter relationship already. I have a knot in my soul right now, considering recent events in Uganda. We beg for your prayers for her safety, for peace in Uganda, and that the process would not be delayed. My feelings for that little sweet girl are the same as if LuLu, Harry or Finn were in Uganda, surrounded by deadly dangers. Not that I think those things threaten her at this moment, but they could, they're much too near for comfort, and they loom with the threat of blocking our way to get our girl. This is something that is on our minds constantly. We won't truly rest till she's home.

Making Progress

Well, it continues to be a busy summer. It seems that is my normal state...if you ask me how I am it's always, busy. And a bit stressed and tired too. We have settled into somewhat of a rhythm, preparing for Farmer's Market each week, making lotion, GF bread, and blueberry muffins, among other things, and trying to keep up with housework, potty training, getting more organized, ordering homeschool material and planning for the school year.

It's been a cool, rainy summer this year, which is ok, but I would not mind a more seasonal temp after the long, bitter winter we had. The children have enjoyed getting outside quite a bit though. They still splash around the kiddy pool and love going to the park.

We are thrilled that our home study is done, finalized, notarized, and we have all the copies we need (we had to have 7 originals!!!) I sent in our immigration paperwork July 5th, the earliest we would expect to see that approved is in about a month. Once that is approved we can finish our adoption paperwork and send in our dossier!!!

We are almost done with our dossier, all the hard parts have been completed, we just need to make a few photo copies and take some pictures. It's been a 3 month process so far, 4 months if you count the application process, and 5 months since we saw that first little picture of A on a social media site and decided to find out if we were meant to be her parents.

The Lord is certainly preparing our hearts, filling us with more and more anticipation for her homecoming. I think about the difference between bringing home a newborn and bringing home an older child. To us, it will be a momentous occasion, but to the world, maybe not so much. Seeing a newborn people comment, and ooh and aahh. Seeing a 4 year old, dealing with the loss of her home and "family" and trying to adjust to a new culture and language, will certainly not evoke the same reaction.

I hope we can make up for some of A's losses, or at least soften them in some way, with the Lord, the healer of the brokenhearted. We are trying to prepare ourselves for the grief that she will feel, being separated from the only home she's ever known, and no longer surrounded by friendly, brown faces, under the warm Uganda sun. What a tremendous change that will be for a 4 year old.

The big question continues to be, "When?"

The answer is still hard. Hopefully February, more likely March, quite possibly April, May or June of 2015.
Please pray!
For the right amount of patience and that the Lord would mercifully speed the process along.
For A's physical, emotional and spiritual safety and health.
For the remaining funds we need to submit with the dossier.
For blessed fundraising for what we will need for travel.
For the Lord's peace and wisdom during this season of much pressure and strain. That we would respond in a godly manner in every challenging situation.

Update, and Farmer's Market Adventures

The days are flying by. We are in almost constant preparation for A and her adoption. Currently I'm going through the entire house, top to bottom, cleaning and organizing. My progress is slow but steady, one room is done! I've needed to do this for a while now, but extra motivation for me is that we'll be photographing our family and home for the dossier.

We've started selling items at the Mahtomedi Farmer's Market...things like Gluten-free bread, handcrafted lotion and lip balm, hand knit items, and handmade jewelry.

So far we've sold a few things, but are hoping as the season matures we'll see more traffic.

We are so grateful to see the donations continuing, the need is still very much there. We are working on what the next fundraiser will be, probably near the end of September.

It's been 4 months since we found out about A. We found out we would be her parents in March. We began the process immediately, and still are up to a year away from placement. What we have experienced so far in this process is that everything takes a bit longer than projected. We would love to travel to Uganda in February, but that's beginning to look like an impossibility. We're still waiting for our approved home study. It's been written for a few weeks now, but the approval process is proving to be longer than we had anticipated. We just found out today that it's in the mail, and that sort of feels like Christmas for me!

Once we have our home study, there are two more steps, paperwork-wise till we're finished. Our next step is the CIS application, which is asking for advanced immigration approval. This could take up to three months to get approved. Hopefully more like a month or less. Then the dossier gets submitted. Once CIS approval comes through the dossier will be ready to send right away (because we do all that mostly ourselves.) Once the dossier is in, then they start A's paperwork, which can take up to 9 months. It may seem like impatience, but we are praying and hoping for a best-case scenario, quickest-case scenario. I cannot explain the urgency we feel. It's like running a marathon. Each step takes energy, and the farther you go, the harder it is. You are glad you're doing it, but you can't wait for it to be over, because each day we love her a little more and want to meet her, hear her voice and start being her mama and daddy.

Please pray
~For A, to be surrounded with love, to be safe from everything that could harm her so far away from us, to stay healthy (there is limited medical treatment available, to have all her physical needs met till we can go to her.
~That the total amount we will need when we submit the dossier (around $15,000) will be there when we need it!
~That our travel expenses could be kept low, and that fundraising would continue to be blessed.
~For our kids already at home, that they learn through this process to have faith in a God who provides and how much He loves us ( as parents we can learn this lesson too)! And that we as parents would be able to keep their stress level low, despite how busy and worn out we are:)
~For Dan and I, for the spiritual and physical endurance and strength to handle everything coming our way right now. It's the hardest/best thing we've done, I think.

The How-To's of Adoption Fundraising, Part 1, The Ice Cream Social

One of the most intimidating things about adoption can be the cost. Many, many people have looked at me with shock/dismay at the amount it will take to get A home. It seems like an impossible task. I think a lot of families/individuals would pursue adoption if they weren't so doubtful about coming up with the thousands and thousand of dollars that it can take to bring a child home.

I would like to put a plug in here for foster adoption. Adoption from foster care can be very, very low in cost. A fraction of what other types of adoption can be. But more on that a different day. Even as an adoption advocate, I can only handle so much at a time:)

Also, I would say, consider your priorities. If it's important to you, you will find a way. I don't write this flippantly. We are a low middle class family, mostly single income. This adoption is surely being boosted by our last two, because of the adoption tax credit, but we could have put that tax return into other areas, other needs. We have chosen to sacrifice and face a slimmer margin, because we believe a soul hangs in the balance. A's, as it so happens.

BUT, there is no way we could have scrimped and saved the thousands and thousands it will take to bring her home. We needed to reach out to our community. We have shared our burdens with the Lord, our family, our church and our community. We have seen incredible generosity pour forth.

"I don't always think of myself as rich, and I'm guessing you may not think of yourself as rich either. But the reality is, if you and I have running water, shelter over our heads, clothes to wear, food to eat, and some means of transportation (even if it's public transportation), then we are in the top 15 percent of the world's people for wealth." from Radical, by David Platt

Sometimes, you need a channel by which people feel comfortable or inspired to give. Today, I'm highlighting the Ice Cream Social.

Here's what we did, if you have some suggestions, please feel free to mention them in the comments.

1. Plan a date, find a space.
We used our church building. They allowed us to rent the space free of charge. Wonderful blessing!

2. Invites! It wouldn't be a bad idea to mail our post-card type invitations. I'm just not convinced that e-invites, facebook events, etc are the way to go. We announced, announced, announced, through social media, email and in our church bulletin. Our total guests, including about 10-15 volunteers, was only 90 people. However, these precious 90 people happened to be very generous, as we were able to raise about $2100!!!

3. Find volunteers. You will need help. A friend of mine sent out an email sign-up sheet. We had volunteers for scooping ice cream, keeping things re-stocked, keeping things tidy, sitting at the donation table, keeping an eye on the silent auction items, selling raffle tickets and for clean up. One thing that we didn't do, that I wish we would have, is to have a brief meeting with volunteers, just to run through how you envision the evening going. If possible, do it at the venue.

4. Make a list of everything that needs to happen or needs to be collected before the event. Decide when you're going to do what. When you're going to set up tables, when you're going to pick up supplies etc. We chose to have toppings at our Ice Cream Social, whip cream, sprinkles, chocolate etc. We also had coffee. We started about 1.5 weeks before the day and that seemed to work well. Don't plan too much the day of, or you'll be stressed and exhausted by go time.

5. Find Ice Cream!!! For this, you'll need to plan ahead if you want anything special. There's nothing wrong with swinging by the local grocery store and loading up there. We wanted something homemade, and were able to find a local distributor, but it was about 3 x or more the price. Very good, quite expensive!! We ordered 7.5 gallons and that was more than enough.

6. These are optional items, but we chose to do a silent auction/raffle concurrently with our social. This brought it approximately $100 extra and was quite a bit of work, gathering items and setting everything up. Not sure if we would do that again. We also prepared a little presentation, including a slide show, which was fun and very well-received. Doing these little extras helped, but were not necessary.

7. Pray and ask others to pray. Our event was not super well attended, but as I said, those who came were obviously passionate about supporting our adoption and put their money where their hearts are.

~extra little tid-bits~
~we made sure (suggested by a smart friend) that those waiting in line/coming in would go right by the silent auction tables
~we didn't charge a fee to get in, we just kept a donation box for those who came in to give what they felt, there were hundred dollars bills, and very large checks in the box at the end of the night, and like I said, we raised $2100!!!
~if possible, try to find enough volunteers so that you won't need to do anything after set-up, you'll want to go around and chat with your guests, and you will have different folks coming up asking questions and what-not



So far, in our third adoption adventure, we have been blessed with over $10,000 in gifts and fundraisers. Two garage sales, hosted by others for us, brought it around $4,000 total. I plan to write another entry in this series on putting on a successful adoption fundraiser garage sale, as we have participated in and put on three now, over the course of our last three adoptions. a huge and heartfelt thanks/shoutout to our dear church family and my sister-in-law and brother-in-law for all the work and inconvenience of putting on these garage sales for our A.

My Greatest Offering

Since my last post, we have almost reached our last goal, which was selling 27 puzzle pieces. Two recent donations have gotten us really close! Such a blessing! We realize that most donations have come from sacrifice, and this touches our hearts so much. That you all would do that for our baby girl!

The Ice Cream Social is just a few weeks away! It will be held May 30th, from 6-9 p.m. at Twin Cities Bible Church in Maplewood. There will be delicious, locally made ice cream and some exciting items raffled, some great silent auction items. If you are local, please attend!

Saturday we spent part of our morning going from shop to shop in our local downtown. We received a couple of donations toward the silent auction/raffle. We have had other donations come in from advertising on facebook and word of mouth. We are so thankful for the things that have come in so far, and are hopeful for more. We have a few places yet to visit, and hopefully the Lord will open doors.

In other news, we received four out of five passports (mine was sent in a couple days later, so it hasn't come yet)and our home study packet was finally sent last Wednesday!!! That felt so good! Getting our home study in writing (this is something our social worker does and should be complete soon, now that all our paperwork is in) is a huge key to the next series of steps we need to take. Then on to apply for advanced immigration approval and start to tackle the dossier, which actually seems a little easier than the home study documents. I am eager to get the dossier in, as that is when the 6-9 month time clock to get our court date starts counting down. Realistically, it will take at least two months before it's ready.

Each day that goes by we grow more eager to meet our new daughter. We are jealous of all the time we are "missing" from her. We do trust in the Lord's timing, nevertheless, it is very hard to be so far away, in time and space, from our sweet, darling little girl. We haven't seen any new pictures, or really heard much of an update at all, but hopefully soon.

One thing that makes this process easier is our supportive family and our sisters and brothers in Christ. We have received contributions of money, help, items for garage sale, encouraging words, prayers and cards. It all helps so, so much. Thank you all. We love you!

Our kids at home are doing great, Lu is turning 7 on Sunday!!! Harry broke another pair of glasses, but continues to amaze us with his vocabulary, intelligence and love for life...and cars. Finn will be getting hearing aids soon, but he's actually doing really great, he's hearing things he's not supposed to:) And I heard him singing Let It Go today. Super cute.

LuLu picked out her first present to her sister today. It's a pink, sparkly tiara headband.

I heard "Spirit Speaks" by All Sons and Daughters on Pandora today. It was timely. Two of my favorite lines...
"To every word you speak, I'll go where you will lead
To love the least of these, is my greatest offering"
Yes, yes it is. My greatest offering, loving the least (littlest), one at a time.

Getting Down To The Wire

Just a little recap of where we're at in the process.

We have a referral. We're in the process of updating our home study. We recently submitted our contract. Once the home study is updated, we'll submit our immigration paperwork. We're expecting our dossier checklist soon! Once the dossier (huge stack of paperwork that gets shipped off to Uganda) is on it's way, we expect to travel 6-9 months from that time.

So this is me.

Stacks of papers to fill out. Forms to photocopy. Questions to email. Phone calls to make. Dollars to raise.

Diapers to change. Lessons to teach. Homeschooling. Dishes. Laundry. Etc...

But it's all worth it. Each day, I grow more excited to meet my new daughter. Each day I am thankful for my kids at home.

And thankful for the warm sun when I take the kids outside to play.

And grateful that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, who knows and sees with compassion, all of our struggles.

I do worry. I try not to, but I am anxious for my girl, who seems so, so far away. I hope and pray that she is staying healthy. That she is full at the end of the day. That someone is showing her the care and love that she needs.

And I have what if moments. And they are scary.

In going over the more formal documents that we received last week, I realized that one application (immigration stuff) that has to be mailed ASAP includes a $720 fee. To be honest, I knew that this came somewhere in the process, but I wasn't sure when. The reason we need to get it in ASAP is because is takes 60-90 days to be fully processed. And we can't move forward with the final faze of adoption paperwork (dossier) till it's complete.

~~~~Please pray with us that we are able to raise the $1865 we will need, in about 3 weeks. That means we need to raise $621 per week till then.~~~~~

If we can get 27 more puzzle pieces sold, we will have reached out goal for the week!!!

Please pray with us that 27 hearts are touched.